This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 66.47.62.78 (talk) at 05:56, 25 November 2002 (placenames corrected). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 05:56, 25 November 2002 by 66.47.62.78 (talk) (placenames corrected)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Braniewo is currently a city in north eastern Poland: Warmia - Mazury voivodship), in the bishopric of Ermeland (Pol. Warmia).
The city was founded as Braunsberg, earlier Brunsberg in Prussia and was named after Saint Bruno of Querfurt. Braunsberg was near the Prussian city of Frauenburg, now Frombork, Poland and both cities are situated half way between Gdansk (Ger. Danzig) and Kaliningrad (until 1946 Königsberg, Prussia) at the Baltic Sea.
Todays Braniewo was already settled by Prussians: one of the earlier recorded names was Brus, and there is some speculation that the origins of the city name lie in "Brus-berg". In 1249, Johannes Fleming, son of a Lübeck councilman (Ratsherr) founded Braunsberg. Bishop Anselm gave it Luebeck city charter in 1254.
In 1260, bishop Anselm of Meissen (Latin Misnia) founded a chapter attached to the cathedral of St. Andreas at Braunsberg. This chapter had the right to elect the bishop. Braunsberg was destroyed by native Prussians, who fought for thirty years against take-over of their land by the papal legates. The next bishop Heinrich I (1278-1300) had to transfer the chapter from Braunsberg to Frauenburg. It remained in Frauenburg until the 20th century.
In 1296, a Franciscan abbey was built in Braaunsberg, and in 1342 a 'new city' (currently Polish Nowe Miasto) was added.
In 1552 Regina Protmann was born in Braunsberg. She came from a Patrician family and was expected to marry. Instead she was somewhat influenced by newly arrived Jesuits and against the wishes of her parents and contrary to the customs of the times, moved out on her own. She founded the Saint Catherine Order of Sisters, who were devoted to nursing the sick within the community. Ermeland, a Prussian state remaining Catholic, surrounded by Protestants, had only schools for boys. Blessed Regina founded schools for girls as well.
Next to Königsberg, Braunsberg was the leading academic center of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1912 the Jesuit college became the Staatliche Akademie Braunsberg.
In 1924 Rainer Barzel, later Bundestagspresident of the Bundesrepublik of Germany, was born in Braunsberg, Prussia.
Christoph Hartknoch's book Alt-und Neues Preussen shows an illustration of Braunsberg ]
Transl.by H. Jonat based on Georg Hermanowski, Ostpreussen Catholic Encyclopedia Ulrich Fuesser, Regina-Protmann-Schule