Orneta

History

Orneta, said to have been a village of the ancient Old Prussians, was first mentioned in 1308. The town coat of arms depicts the worm (English: worm, dragon; German: Worms, Wurm as in Tatzelwurm, Lindworm). The bishop of Warmia Eberhard von Neiße ordered the building of a new town which received town rights in 1313 and was mainly populated by settlers from Silesia. In 1341–1350, it was the seat of the Bishops of Warmia. In 1538 Orneta was visited by astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, who accompanied the newly elected Warmian bishop, Polish diplomat Jan Dantyszek during his tour of Warmia. The town was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the First Partition of Poland in 1772, and subsequently it became part of Germany in 1871. During World War II, the Germans established three prisoner of war forced labour camps in the town. After Germany's defeat in the war, the town became again part of Poland. In May 2010, a procession with the coffin of Nicolaus Copernicus stopped in Orneta and official ceremonies took place before the great astronomer was buried again in Frombork.