Tczew County

Tczew County (Polish: powiat tczewski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Tczew, which lies 31 kilometres (19 mi) south of the regional capital Gdańsk. The county also contains the towns of Pelplin, lying 20 km (12 mi) south of Tczew, and Gniew, 31 km (19 mi) south of Tczew. The county is part of the area traditionally inhabited by the Kociewiacy ethnic group.

The county covers an area of 697.54 square kilometres (269.3 sq mi). As of 2006 its total population is 112,614, out of which the population of Tczew is 60,263, that of Pelplin is 8,486, that of Gniew is 6,787, and the rural population is 37,078.

Tczew County on a map of the counties of Pomeranian Voivodeship

Tczew County is bordered by Gdańsk County to the north, Malbork County, Sztum County and Kwidzyn County to the east, Świecie County to the south, and Starogard County to the west.

Tczew

Tczew [tt͡ʂɛf] (Kashubian: Dërszewò; German:  Dirschau ) is a town on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 60,279 inhabitants (June 2009). It is an important railway junction with a classification yard dating to the Prussian Eastern Railway (German: Preußische Ostbahn). The city is known for its attractive old town and the Vistula Bridge, or Bridge of Tczew, damaged during World War II.

It is the capital of Tczew County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously a town in Gdańsk Voivodeship (1975–1998).

The town is the location for the annual English Language Camp arranged by the American-Polish Partnership for Tczew.

Geographical location

Tczew is located on the west bank of river Vistula, approximately 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Gdańsk Bay at the Baltic Sea and 35 km (22 mi) south-east of Gdańsk.

History

Tczew (Trsow,, Dersowe, `weaver's town´) was first mentioned as Trsow in a document by Pomeranian Duke Grzymisław bestowing the land to the Knights Hospitaller in 1198. Around 1200 Sambor I, Duke of Pomerania, built a fortress here. In some documents, the name Derszewo appears, which stems from the name of a feudal lord, Dersław. It is unknown whether Trsow and Derszewo referred to the same or two neighboring settlements. In order to obtain better control of traffic on the Vistula, Pomeranian Duke Sambor II moved his residence form Lubiszewo Tczewskie to here. By 1252 the settlement was known by the names Tczew and Dirschau. In 1260 it became a town and received Lübeck rights, Tczew was purchased by Heinrich von Plötzke of the Teutonic Knights following the Treaty of Soldin in 1309. It was rebuilt from 1364–1384, and was granted Kulm law by Winrich von Kniprode. In 1434 the town was burnt down by the Hussites. After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466), it was transferred from the Teutonic Order to the newly created Polish province of Royal Prussia.