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Schwetz

Świecie
Świecie nad Wisłą
Town view from the Teutonic castle tower
Town view from the Teutonic castle tower
Flag of Świecie
Flag
Coat of arms of Świecie
Coat of arms
Motto: Świecie - najlepsze na świecie
Świecie - the best in the world
Świecie is located in Poland
Świecie
Świecie
Coordinates: 53°25′N 18°26′E / 53.417°N 18.433°E / 53.417; 18.433Coordinates: 53°25′N 18°26′E / 53.417°N 18.433°E / 53.417; 18.433
Country  Poland
Voivodeship Kuyavian-Pomeranian
County Świecie County
Gmina Gmina Świecie
Established 1198
Town rights 1338
Government
 • Mayor Tadeusz Grzegorz Pogoda
Area
 • Total 11.87 km2 (4.58 sq mi)
Highest elevation 86 m (282 ft)
Lowest elevation 19 m (62 ft)
Population (2006)
 • Total 25,614
 • Density 2,200/km2 (5,600/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 86-100 to 86-105
Area code(s) +48 52
Car plates CSW
Website www.um-swiecie.pl

Świecie pronounced [ˈɕfʲɛt͡ɕɛ] (German: Schwetz) is a town in northern Poland with 25,968 inhabitants (2006), situated in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999); it was in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998. It is the capital of Świecie County.

Świecie is located on the west bank of river Vistula at the mouth of river Wda, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-east of Bydgoszcz, 105 kilometers south of Gdańsk and 190 kilometers south-west of Kaliningrad.

Świecie became the residence of Pomeranian Duke Grimislaw, when in 1198 the St. Mary's church was erected there. Grimislaw's Duchy of Pomerania included prominent towns of Starogard Gdański and Lubiszewo Tczewskie, as well as Skarszewy with its surrounding region. The Teutonic Order conquered Gdańsk in 1309 and in 1310 bought Pomeralia in Soldin from the Margraves of Brandenburg. By then, the settlement already had the status of Civitas, just as Gdańsk and Tczew did. Świecie was granted a municipal form of government by the Teutonic Order, when it was still located on the high west bank of the Vistula. Probably because of destruction by fire, during the period 1338–1375 the town was relocated down into the valley at the Vistula. After the Thirteen Years' War (1454–66) Świecie became part of the autonomous province of Royal Prussia incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland. In 1772, during the Partitions of Poland, the town was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and Schwetz was integrated into the newly formed Province of West Prussia. In 1905 the town had a Protestant church, two Catholic churches and a synagogue. After World War I Świecie became part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship with the provincial capital in Toruń of the Second Republic of Poland.


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