Pokój, Opole Voivodeship
Encyclopedia
Pokój ' is a village
in Namysłów County, Opole Voivodeship
, in south-western Poland
. It is the seat of the gmina
(administrative district) called Gmina Pokój
. It lies approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south-east of Namysłów and 29 km (18 mi) north of the regional capital Opole
.
It was established in 1748 as a hunting lodge by Duke Charles Christian Erdmann, a scion of the House of Württemberg
, whose ancestors had been enfeoffed with the Silesian Duchy of Oels
in 1649. The adjacent settlement erected from 1763 with its streets radiating out from the ducal palace was modeled on and named after the Baden
residence of Karlsruhe
. When the Oels fiefdom fell to the Dukes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
in 1792, Charles Christian Erdmann's cousin Duke Eugen of Württemberg retained the town and palace of Carlsruhe as a fee tail
. In the winter of 1806-07 he hosted the young composer Carl Maria von Weber
, who wrote his two symphonies (Jähns
50/51) here. In 1847 Carlsruhe received the status of a spa town
(Bad).
In 1871 Carlsruhe together with the Prussian Province of Silesia
was incorporated into the German Empire
. By the 1945 Potsdam Agreement
the area fell to Poland (see Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
).
At the end of World War II the palace was destroyed in the course of the Vistula–Oder Offensive of the Red Army
. The Baroque
Sophia's Church finished in 1775 is preserved, as is the extended English garden
laid out by the Württemberg dukes. An annual Carl Maria von Weber festival is held to commemorate the composer's stay.
Pokój's coat of arms shows the Württemberg three black antlers
on the right, and the Upper Silesia
n eagle of the Dukes of Opole
on the left side.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Namysłów County, Opole Voivodeship
Opole Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Opole Voivodeship is divided into 12 counties : 1 city county and 11 land counties. These are further divided into 71 gminas.The counties are listed in the following table .- Economy :...
, in south-western Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It is the seat of the gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
(administrative district) called Gmina Pokój
Gmina Pokój
Gmina Pokój is a rural gmina in Namysłów County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Pokój, which lies approximately south-east of Namysłów and north of the regional capital Opole....
. It lies approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south-east of Namysłów and 29 km (18 mi) north of the regional capital Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
.
It was established in 1748 as a hunting lodge by Duke Charles Christian Erdmann, a scion of the House of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, whose ancestors had been enfeoffed with the Silesian Duchy of Oels
Duchy of Oels
The Duchy of Oels or Duchy of Oleśnica was one of the duchies of Silesia, with the capital in Oleśnica, Poland.Initially part of the Piast Duchy of Wrocław, the Oleśnica area became part of the Duchy of Głogów in 1294, following an armed conflict between Duke Henry III and Henry V the Fat, Duke of...
in 1649. The adjacent settlement erected from 1763 with its streets radiating out from the ducal palace was modeled on and named after the Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
residence of Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
. When the Oels fiefdom fell to the Dukes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Duchy of Brunswick
Brunswick was a historical state in Germany. Originally the territory of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the Holy Roman Empire, it was established as an independent duchy by the Congress of Vienna in 1815...
in 1792, Charles Christian Erdmann's cousin Duke Eugen of Württemberg retained the town and palace of Carlsruhe as a fee tail
Fee tail
At common law, fee tail or entail is an estate of inheritance in real property which cannot be sold, devised by will, or otherwise alienated by the owner, but which passes by operation of law to the owner's heirs upon his death...
. In the winter of 1806-07 he hosted the young composer Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
, who wrote his two symphonies (Jähns
Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns
Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns was a German music scholar, voice teacher, and composer. He is best known for his thematic catalog of the works of Carl Maria von Weber....
50/51) here. In 1847 Carlsruhe received the status of a spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
(Bad).
In 1871 Carlsruhe together with the Prussian Province of Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
was incorporated into the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. By the 1945 Potsdam Agreement
Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Agreement was the Allied plan of tripartite military occupation and reconstruction of Germany—referring to the German Reich with its pre-war 1937 borders including the former eastern territories—and the entire European Theatre of War territory...
the area fell to Poland (see Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
The territorial changes of Poland after World War II were very extensive. In 1945, following the Second World War, Poland's borders were redrawn following the decisions made at the Potsdam Conference of 1945 at the insistence of the Soviet Union...
).
At the end of World War II the palace was destroyed in the course of the Vistula–Oder Offensive of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. The Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
Sophia's Church finished in 1775 is preserved, as is the extended English garden
English garden
The English garden, also called English landscape park , is a style of Landscape garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical Garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe. The...
laid out by the Württemberg dukes. An annual Carl Maria von Weber festival is held to commemorate the composer's stay.
Pokój's coat of arms shows the Württemberg three black antlers
Coat of arms of Württemberg
The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Württemberg shows an impalement of the three black antlers that represent Württemberg on the dexter side; and the three black lions passant of medieval Swabia on the sinister side, both on a gold field.It was formally adopted by King William on 30 December 1817,...
on the right, and the Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
n eagle of the Dukes of Opole
Duchy of Opole
Duchy of Opole was one of the duchies of Silesia ruled by the Piast dynasty. Its capital was Opole in Upper Silesia.After Bolesław I the Tall and his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot backed by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa had retained their Silesian heritage in 1163, they divided the...
on the left side.
Notable people
- Duke Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg (1797-1860), explorer
- Duchess Maria Dorothea of WürttembergDuchess Maria Dorothea of WürttembergMaria Dorothea Luise Wilhelmine Caroline of Württemberg was the daughter of Duke Louis of Württemberg and Princess Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg ....
(1797-1855), Archduchess of Austria, Palatiness of Hungary - Ferdinand von RichthofenFerdinand von RichthofenFerdinand Freiherr von Richthofen was a German traveller, geographer, and scientist.-Biography:He was born in Carlsruhe, Prussian Silesia, and was educated in Breslau and Berlin. He traveled or studied in the Alps of Tyrol and the Carpathians in Transylvania...
(1833–1905), geographer - Siegfried TranslateurSiegfried TranslateurSiegfried Translateur was a Viennese conductor and composer of waltzes, marches, and other light dance music. Today he is most famous for his "Wiener Praterleben" waltz.- Biography :...
(1875-1944), composer - Johannes WinklerJohannes WinklerJohannes Winkler was a German rocket pioneer who founded the first German rocket society and launched the first successful liquid-fuelled rocket in Europe....
(1897-1947), rocket pioneer