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  Ostrów Wielkopolski
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country |  Poland |
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| Voivodeship | Greater Poland | ||
| County | Ostrów Wielkopolski County | ||
| Gmina | Ostrów Wielkopolski (urban gmina) | ||
| Established | 14th century | ||
| Town rights | 15th century | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Radosław Torzyński | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 42.39 km² (16.4 sq mi) | ||
| Highest elevation | 175 m (574 ft) | ||
| Lowest elevation | 123 m (404 ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 72,577 | ||
| - Density | 1,712.1/km² (4,434.4/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 63-400 to 63-417 | ||
| Area code(s) | +48 62 | ||
| Car plates | POS | ||
| Website: http://www.ostrow-wielkopolski.um.gov.pl/ | |||
Ostrów Wielkopolski ˈɔstruf vʲɛlkɔˈpɔlski (often abbreviated Ostrów Wlkp., formerly called only Ostrów or Ostrowo, Latin: Ostrovia) is a town in central Poland with 73,100 inhabitants (2005), situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship; the seat of Ostrów Wielkopolski County.
Ostrow Wielkopolski is one of the most important railroad junctions in Poland. It is located along the major Katowice - Poznan line, which crosses there with the Warsaw - Lodz - Wroclaw connection. Also, another line stems from Ostrow, which goes westwards to Krotoszyn.
Contents |
History
Recently, a small fortified dwelling dating from the 10th century was discovered on the north-east side of the town's limits. An archeological excavation is now in progress.
Ostrów received town privileges in 1404 but the economic stagnation caused by fires, wars, and a weak 16th century nobility, led to the town’s officials dropping its town status in 1711. In 1714, one of the nobility of Ostrów, Jan Jerzy Przebendowski intervened at the royal court, for the status to be reinstated. By the power of a Royal Marshall, Franciszek Bielinski, the town received its status back with greater privileges. Another noble family, the Radziwiłłowie took patronage over the town and looked over its many investments. The care of the town’s owners, work of its people, dedication of its officials and its location, have favored the town’s continuous growth. This stopped unfortunately with the beginning of the Second World War. In Ostrów, a railroad hub was formed and became a vital point of the town’s development. It also helped to establish its prominent status on the local and national scene. During the time of Partition and both World Wars, the town had become an important source for nationalist movements. One of the town’s historic episodes was the so called Ostrów’s Republic (Republika Ostrowska), which was the citizens’ upheaval of 1918. No blood was shed at that upheaval and all political powers were taken back by the Poles from their Prussian oppressor. In between the First and Second WW, Ostrów was one of the fastest growing towns: the number of inhabitants doubled, showy houses were built and modern Railcar Manufacturing (Fabryka Wagon) began.
During World War II, a Nazi labor camp operated within the town's limits, where over 190 people died. The town was one of the major anti-Nazi conspiracy centers in the Great Poland region. In 1941, after the Gestapo’s crackdown on the headquarters of the Poznań branch of the underground army Union for Armed Struggle-ZWZ, the headquarters were moved to Ostrów. From here the re-structure of the Poznań region of the Union was conducted.
Famous people born in or connected to Ostrów
- Władysław Markiewicz, sociologist
- Krzysztof Komeda, jazz pianist
- Manfred von Richthofen "Red Baron", German fighter pilot (World War I)
- Heinrich Graetz, historian
- Marcin Lijewski, handball star player
- Krzysztof Lijewski, handball star player
- Bartłomiej Jaszka, handball star player
Education
- Społeczna Wyższa Szkoła Przedsiębiorczości i Zarządzania in Łódź, branch in Ostrów Wlkp.
Sports
- Atlas Stal Ostrów Wlkp. - men basketball team, 7th in Dominet Bank Ekstraliga in 2006/2007 season.
- Ostrovia 1909 Ostrów Wielkopolski - men soccer team
- KM Ostrów Wielkopolski - speedway team
 Cathedral |
 Old school |
 Ostrow city-hall |
Twin towns
Ostrów Wielkopolski is twinned with:
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External links
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