Landsberg in Ostpreußen
| Górowo Iławeckie | ||
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 Górowo Iławeckie
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| Coordinates: 54°16′N 20°29′E / 54.267°N 20.483°E | ||
| Country |
 Poland
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| Voivodeship | Warmian-Masurian | |
| County | Bartoszyce | |
| Gmina | Górowo Iławeckie (urban gmina) | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 3.32 km2 (1.28 sq mi) | |
| Population (2006) | ||
| • Total | 4,554 | |
| • Density | 1,400/km2 (3,600/sq mi) | |
| Postal code | 11-220 | |
| Website | http://www.gorowoilaweckie.pl/ | |
Górowo Iławeckie [ɡuˈrɔvɔ iwaˈvɛt͡skʲɛ] (German: Landsberg (Ostpreußen)) is a town in Bartoszyce County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,550 inhabitants (2006). The town has a land area of 3.32 square kilometres (1.28 sq mi) and is the smallest municipality (gmina) in terms of geographical size in Poland.
The town was founded by the Teutonic Knights commander of Balga, Heinrich von Muro, on February 5, 1335 at the crossroads of Balga-Heilsberg and Bartenstein-Mehlsack in the heart of the Old Prussian region of Natangia. It was largely destroyed in the wars of 1414 and 1456. In 1440, the town was a founding member of the Prussian Confederation opposing the Teutonic Order. After the battle of Grunwald/Tannenberg and owing to the economic weakness following this defeat, the Teutonic Order was not able to pay off his debts to its mercenaries anymore, so the town was pawned to Nikolaus von Taubenheim in 1482. Throughout the centuries, the small town changed landlords, eventually the town was the property of the von Schwerin family from 1664 to 1808.
In 1710, 767 out of ca. 1000 inhabitants died of the plague.
After the battle of Eylau in February 1807, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte took lodging at the presbytery of the Lutheran church on 16./17.February 1807, just a few days after the Russian General Bagration. The church itself was used as a camp for Russian POWs captured at Eylau and at the earlier battle of Hoofe (Dworzno). 8000 wounded French soldiers were left in Landsberg. The town suffered from these battles and lost almost half of its inhabitants in the year 1807 due to hunger and disease following this war; in February and March 1807 alone, 400 inhabitants of the Landsberg region died. In 1809, the town counted only 1126 inhabitants and was closer to a village.
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Wikipedia