Sztum

History

Signs of settlement dating back to the Roman Empire era have been found. In the early Middle Ages, a fortified settlement of the Old Prussians existed at the site, conquered by the Teutonic Knights in 1236. The castle was captured by the Poles after the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. Town rights were granted to the settlement in 1416 and confirmed by King Sigismund II Augustus in 1553. In 1441 both the town and the local Teutonic county official joined the Prussian Confederation, which opposed Teutonic rule, and upon the request of which King Casimir IV Jagiellon incorporated the territory to the Kingdom of Poland in 1454. The castle, which initially remained in the hands of the Teutonic Knights, was captured by Poles after a siege in 1454, but later it was taken over by the Teutonic Knights again. and integrated with the Kingdom of Poland. As part of Poland, the town functioned as a seat of the Sztum County in Malbork Voivodeship and a place to hold the voivodeship's sejmiks (regional court sessions). The Sztum Castle was the seat of the local starosts. In 1506 and 1512 the town was visited by Nicolaus Copernicus, and in 1552 it was visited by Polish King Sigismund II Augustus. In 1772 as a result of the First Partition of Poland the town was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. In October–December 1831, some Polish infantry units and intendant troops of the November Uprising stopped in the town on the way to their final internment places. In 1871, it became part of the newly created German Empire. In 1910, the Polish Bank Ludowy was founded in the town. In Stuhm, the German dialect High Prussian was spoken. Today, the German dialects are extinct. According to the Treaty of Versailles, after World War I the inhabitants of the town and its district were asked whether…

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  71
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  64
• Smooth Newt

  Lissotriton vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758) · Amphibia
  63
• Western Jackdaw

  Coloeus monedula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  53
• Green Toad

  Bufotes viridis (Laurenti, 1768) · Amphibia
  50
• Common Crane

  Grus grus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  49
• Barn Swallow

  Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  46
• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  45