Barwice

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Barwice

Coordinates: 53°44′N 16°21′E / 53.733°N 16.350°E

Country

Poland

Area

• Total

7.42 km² (2.86 sq mi)

Population (2006)

• Total

3,838

• Density

520/km² (1,300/sq mi)

Postal code

78-460

Website

http://www.barwice.pl

Barwice [barˈvʲit͡sɛ] (German: Bärwalde) is a town in Poland, in West Pomeranian Voivodship, in Szczecinek County.

The town is located on the Baltic Uplands in Farther Pomerania at an altitude of about 150 to 180 meters above sea level within the upper region of the river Parsęta. 20 kilometers further south the Drawsko Pomorskie begins. The next larger city is Szczecinek.

Since in 1999 the rail road between Grzmiąca and Kostrzyn had been closed down, a rail connection to Barwice does no longer exist.

The settlement is first mentioned as civitas Barwitz in historical records from 1286, but since it is located in the vicinity of a pre-historical salt road leading to the saltworks of Kołobrzeg, it probably had been founded much earlier. The town and its neighbouring villages became in 1477 under duke Bogislaw X (1454–1523) part of the Duchy of Pomerania. In the 16th century the town and the surrounding lands were in the possession of four noble families: von Glasenapp, von Wolde, von Zastrow and von Münchow. The oldest town seal is from 1564 and carries the inscription Sigillum civitatis Berwoldie. During the second half of the 16th century, duke John Frederick (1542–1600) granted to the town the right to hold trade fairs three times a year.

In 1626 a blaze destroyed parts of the town, including both the town hall and the church. Because of this, the town was freed from tax paying for the next five years. During the Thirty Years' War the town was occupied in 1630 by Swedish military of Gustav II Adolph (1534–1632) and suffered heavy damages. During the Seven Years' War Russian troops devastated the town's archives within the town hall, so that all older historical documents went lost.

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Wikipedia