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{{other places|Olsztyn (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Olsztyn
| total_type =  
| image_skyline = Castle in Olsztyn.JPG
| image_caption = [[Olsztyn Castle (Silesian Voivodeship)|Ruins of the Royal Castle]] in Olsztyn
| image_flag = POL gmina Olsztyn flag.svg
| image_shield = POL gmina Olsztyn COA new.svg
| image_map =
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Silesian Voivodeship|Silesian]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Powiat|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Częstochowa County|Częstochowa]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Gmina]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Gmina Olsztyn|Olsztyn]]
| coordinates = {{coord|50|45|7|N|19|16|4|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| pushpin_map = Poland
| pushpin_label_position = right
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| registration_plate = SCZ
| established_title = First mentioned
| established_date = 14th century
| established_title3 = Town rights
| established_date3 = 1448
| elevation_m =
| population_total = 2331
| blank_name_sec2 = [[National roads in Poland|National roads]]
| blank_info_sec2 = [[File:DK46-PL.svg|32px]]
| website =
}}
'''Olsztyn''' {{IPAc-pl|'|o|l|sz|t|y|n}} is a town in [[Częstochowa County]], [[Silesian Voivodeship]], in southern Poland. It is the seat of the [[gmina]] (administrative district) called [[Gmina Olsztyn]].{{TERYT}} It lies approximately {{convert|12|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} south-east of [[Częstochowa]] and {{convert|59|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} north of the voivodeship capital [[Katowice]]. The village has a population of 2,331. It contains the ruins of [[Olsztyn Castle (Silesian Voivodeship)|a 14th-century castle]], which was located on a hill above the village.

== Name and location ==
Olsztyn belongs to [[Lesser Poland]], and lies on the [[Trail of the Eagles' Nests]], a popular tourist trail, which was named after a chain of 25 medieval castles which the trail passes by, between Częstochowa and [[Kraków]]. Its original name was ''Holsztyn'', which is a Polonized version of the German word ''Holstein'' (or ''Hohlenstein''); the name refers to German settlers, who founded the village in the [[Middle Ages]] (see [[Ostsiedlung]], [[Walddeutsche]]).

== History ==
[[File:Defence of Olsztyn (Silesia) in 1587.png|thumb|left|Polish defense of Olsztyn in 1587 (painting by [[Kazimierz Alchimowicz]])]]
[[File:Olsztyn, zamek z rynku 1930-1939 (47772766) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The market square and the castle in the 1930s]]
The first mentions of Olsztyn come from the beginning of the 14th century. At that time, it was a settlement, founded by the castle. In 1448, King [[Casimir IV Jagiellon]] granted it [[Magdeburg rights]] town charter, together with a privilege to organize fairs, which spurred Olsztyn's development. It was a [[Royal city in Poland|royal town]] of Poland, administratively located in the [[Kraków Voivodeship (14th century – 1795)|Kraków Voivodeship]] in the [[Lesser Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Lesser Poland Province]] of the Kingdom of Poland, near the border with [[Silesia]]. In 1587, the Royal Castle was successfully defended by 80 Poles against 4,000 Austrians during the [[War of the Polish Succession (1587–1588)|War of the Polish Succession]], however, the town was destroyed. Further destruction was brought by the [[Deluge (history)|Swedish invasion of Poland]] (1655-1660). Finally, the town completely burned in 1719, and Olsztyn, despite officially keeping its town charter, turned into a rural settlement. After the [[Second Partition of Poland]], in 1793, Olsztyn was annexed by [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]. In 1807 it was regained by Poles and included within the short-lived Polish [[Duchy of Warsaw]], and after its dissolution in 1815, Olsztyn belonged to [[Russian Partition|Russian-controlled]] [[Congress Poland]]. The Russians reduced it to the status of a village in 1870. It was restored to independent Poland in 1918 when the country regained independence.

After the joint German-Soviet [[invasion of Poland]], which started [[World War II]] in September 1939, Olsztyn was [[Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)|occupied by Germany]] until 1945. The Germans used local forests to carry out executions of inhabitants of Częstochowa and [[Radomsko]], and captured [[Home Army]] soldiers, [[prisoners of war]] and villagers (see ''[[Nazi crimes against the Polish nation]]''). Altogether, almost 2,000 people were massacred. Furthermore, the Germans also shot hundreds of Soviet POWs in 1941–1944 (see ''[[Nazi crimes against Soviet POWs]]''). After the [[Warsaw Uprising]], in October 1944, the Germans deported 1,800 Varsovians from the [[Dulag 121 camp in Pruszków|Dulag 121 camp]] in [[Pruszków]], where they were initially imprisoned, to Olsztyn.<ref name=dul>{{cite web|url=http://dulag121.pl/encyklopediaa/transporty-z-obozu-dulag-121/|title=Transporty z obozu Dulag 121|website=Muzeum Dulag 121|accessdate=4 April 2021|language=pl}}</ref> Those Poles were mainly old people, ill people and women with children.<ref name=dul/>

In March 2020, the councilors of the Olsztyn commune adopted a resolution on the initiation of the procedure for the restoration of municipal rights. In February of the following year, in public consultations, the majority of residents opted for the transformation into a town. The Council of Ministers issued an ordinance granting Olsztyn the status of a town on 1 January 2022.

== Attractions ==
[[File:Olsztyn, kościół parafialny pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela 01.JPG|thumb|[[Baroque in Poland|Baroque]] Church of St. John the Baptist]]
Near the [[Olsztyn Castle (Silesian Voivodeship)|castle in Olsztyn]] is the location of the parish church of St. John, built in 1722-26 by [[Jerzy Dominik Lubomirski|Jerzy Lubomirski]]. The church has the shape of a cross, with arms marked by two chapels. Inside there is a Baroque painting ''The Baptism of Christ'', and three mummified bodies from the 18th century. At local cemetery there are bodies of hundreds of people, murdered by Germans during [[World War II]]. Furthermore, there are ashes of hundreds of Soviet POWs, shot by Germans in 1941–1944.

The Jewish commune during World War II was intensely defended by the resident Poles who refused to let the Germans take away their Jewish population. This led to barn burning and a large cull of horses in the area, which made the wandering Romany Gypsies easy targets for the oncoming Germans.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/city/olsztyn/ Jewish Community in Olsztyn] on Virtual Shtetl
* [http://podrozniccy.com/en/poland/castle-olsztyn View of the Olsztyn Castle from the drone]

{{Gmina Olsztyn}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities and towns in Silesian Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Częstochowa County]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Poland]]
[[Category:Sites of Nazi war crimes in Poland]]
[[Category:Sites of World War II massacres of Poles]]

Olsztyn, Silesian Voivodeship - Revision history

imported>Kiwipete: /* top */ Use TERYT template, 1921 census