Kościerzyna | |||
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Meeting of Kashubians on the streets of Kościerzyna, 2004
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Coordinates: 54°7′N 17°59′E / 54.117°N 17.983°E | |||
Country | Poland | ||
Voivodeship | Pomeranian | ||
County | Kościerzyna County | ||
Gmina | Kościerzyna (urban gmina) | ||
Established | 13th century | ||
Town rights | 1398 | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor | Michał Majewski | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 15.83 km2 (6.11 sq mi) | ||
Elevation | 150 m (490 ft) | ||
Population (2006) | |||
• Total | 23,016 | ||
• Density | 1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Postal code | 83-400 to 83-401 | ||
Area code(s) | +48 58 | ||
Car plates | GKS | ||
Website | http://www.koscierzyna.gda.pl |
Kościerzyna [kɔɕt͡ɕeˈʐɨna] (Kashubian/Pomeranian: Kòscérzëna, former German: Berent ) is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region, northern Poland, with some 24,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously it was in Gdańsk Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998.
Kościerzyna is in Gdańsk Pomerania, approximately 50 kilometres (31 miles) south-west of Gdańsk and Tricity and 190 km (118 mi) south-west of Kaliningrad, at an altitude of 163 m (535 ft) above sea level.
The history of the town dates back to the end of the 13th century. In 1346 it was granted municipal rights, and around 1350 the settlement obtained the status of a town. After 1310 it was part of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights. After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) the town became part of the province of Royal Prussia incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland.