Kreis Schwetz in 1890
Province of West Prussia (1913)
  Regierungsbezirk Danzig
  Regierungsbezirk Marienwerder
Danzig-West Prussia (1943)

Kreis Schwetz was a Prussian district that existed from 1818 to 1920, with its capital at Schwetz. The district was located on the western bank of the Vistula river in the part of West Prussia that fell to Poland after the First World War through the Treaty of Versailles in 1920.

History

The area of the Schwetz district belonged to the State of the Teutonic Order since 1309 until 1466, after which the region became part of Royal Prussia, which was under the Polish Crown.[1] In 1569, Royal Prussia was fully integrated into the Kingdom of Poland.[2]

The area of the Schwetz district became part of the Kingdom of Prussia with the First Partition of Poland in 1772 and belonged to the Konitz district until 1818. In 1815, the area became part of Regierungsbezirk Marienwerder in the province of West Prussia. As part of a comprehensive district reform, the new Schwetz district was formed on April 1, 1818, with its capital at Schwetz.

With the signing of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I, the Schwetz district had to be ceded by Germany to Poland on January 10, 1920 for the purpose of establishing the Polish Corridor. After the invasion of Poland in 1939 and the annexation of the territory by Nazi Germany, the district became part of the new Regierungsbezirk Bromberg in Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia. Towards the end of World War II, the district was occupied by the Red Army in the spring of 1945 and was restored to Poland.

Demographics

The district of Schwetz had a mixed population of Germans and Poles.[3]

Ethnolinguistic distribution of population in the Schwetz district [3]
Year 1837 1855 1861 1900 1910
German (includes local Jews) 25,673 57.5% 32,722 54.1% 34,648 53.3% 37,021 44.7% 42,233 47.1%
Polish / Bilingual / Other 18,977 42.5% 27,784 45.9% 30,310 46.7% 45,754 55.3% 47,479 52.9%
Total 44,650 60,506 64,958 82,775 89,712

Politics

District administrators

  • 1827–1829: Sartorius von Schwanenfeld
  • 1829–1850: Raimund von Pape
  • 1850–1867: Richard Wegner
  • 1867–1870: Hans von Zedlitz-Leipe
  • 1870–1874: Wilhelm Woldeck von Arneburg
  • 1874–1897: Gustav Gerlich
  • 1897–1903: Hans Grashoff
  • 1903–1916: Gustav Adolf von Halem
  • 1916–1919: Friedrich Frankenbach
  • 1919–1920: Werner Zschintzsch

Reichstag elections

In the German Empire, the Schwetz district formed the Marienwerder 5 Reichstag constituency. In all Reichstag elections, this constituency was closely contested between German and Polish candidates. The respective winners only prevailed with narrow majorities:[4]

Municipalities

In 1912, the Schwetz district included the two towns of Neuenburg in Westpreußen and Schwetz, as well as 151 rural communities:[5]

  • Adlig Salesche
  • Alt Jasnitz
  • Alt Marsau
  • Altfließ
  • Andreasthal
  • Bagniewo
  • Bechau
  • Biechowo
  • Blondzmin
  • Brachlin
  • Branitz
  • Brattwin
  • Bresin
  • Briesen
  • Bukowitz
  • Buschin
  • Butzig
  • Christfelde
  • Czemnik-Wenglarken
  • Deutsch Lonk
  • Deutsch Westphalen
  • Dragaß
  • Dritschmin
  • Drosdowo
  • Dubelno
  • Dulzig
  • Ehrenthal
  • Eibenhorst
  • Eichenhorst
  • Espenhöhe
  • Espenwerder
  • Flötenau
  • Franzdorf
  • Friedrichsdank
  • Fünfmorgen
  • Gatzki
  • Gellen
  • Gellenhütte
  • Grabowko
  • Groddeck
  • Groß Deutsch Konopath
  • Groß Kommorsk, Bauerndorf
  • Groß Kommorsk, Käthnerdorf
  • Groß Lonk
  • Groß Lubin
  • Groß Plochotschin
  • Groß Sanskau
  • Groß Sibsau
  • Groß Westphalen
  • Groß Zappeln
  • Gruppe
  • Grutschno
  • Hardenberg
  • Hasenau
  • Heinrichsdorf
  • Helenenfelde
  • Hilmarsdorf
  • Jeschewo
  • Jeziorken
  • Johannisberg
  • Julienfelde
  • Julienhof
  • Jungen
  • Jungensand
  • Junkerhof
  • Karlshorst
  • Klein Deutsch Konopath
  • Klein Kommorsk
  • Klein Lubin
  • Klein Plochotschin
  • Klein Sanskau
  • Klein Sibsau
  • Klein Taschau
  • Klein Zappeln
  • Kommerau
  • Königlich Glugowko
  • Königlich Salesche
  • Königsdank
  • Oslowo
  • Prust
  • Richlawo
  • Roschanno
  • Rudtken
  • Sadrosch
  • Sandberg
  • Schellenschin
  • Schiroslaw
  • Schirotzken
  • Schönau
  • Schwekatowo
  • Schwetz, town
  • Sdroje
  • Skrzinken
  • Skurzejewo
  • Sprindt
  • Suchau
  • Suchom
  • Sullnowko
  • Taschauerfelde
  • Topolinken
  • Topollno
  • Trempel
  • Treul
  • Tuschin
  • Udschitz
  • Unterberg
  • Waldau
  • Warlubien
  • Weide
  • Wentfin
  • Wiersch
  • Wilhelmsmark
  • Wintersdorf
  • Zielonka

References

  1. Wegner, Richard (1872). Ein Pommersches Herzogthum und eine Deutsche Ordens-Komthurei: Kulturgeschichte des Schwetzer Kreises nach den archivalischen und anderen Quellen bearbeitet von Richard Wagner. Ein Beitrag zur urkundlichen Geschichte des Deutschthums in Westpreußen, wie auch zur Kenntniß der Alterthümer dieses Landestheils, mit zahlreichen Illustrationen und bisher noch ungedruckten historischen Dokumenten (in German). Louis Türk.
  2. Stone, Daniel Z. (2014-07-01). The Polish-Lithuanian State, 1386-1795. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-80362-3.
  3. 1 2 Belzyt, Leszek (1998). Sprachliche Minderheiten im preussischen Staat: 1815 - 1914 ; die preußische Sprachenstatistik in Bearbeitung und Kommentar. Marburg: Herder-Inst. ISBN 978-3-87969-267-5.
  4. "Parlamentarierportal biorab Kaiserreich". 2015-01-06. Archived from the original on 2015-01-06. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  5. "Willkommen bei Gemeindeverzeichnis.de". www.gemeindeverzeichnis.de. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
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