Barczewo (until 1946 Wartembork; ) is a town in Olsztyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland. It is situated 20 km northeast of Olsztyn, in the historic region of Warmia. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 7,483. Name The German name of the town ("Wartenburg") has its origins from the town of Wartenburg (Elbe). In Polish the town was known historically as Wartembork, Wartenberg, Wartenbergk, Wathberg, Bartenburg, Warperc, Wasperc, Wartbór or Wartbórz. In the aftermath of World War II, the town was transferred from Germany back to Poland. Commission for the Determination of Place Names decided to change the town's name. It was briefly named Nowowiejsk, after local composer Feliks Nowowiejski, in September 1946. In December that year the Commission settled on another name, Barczewo, honouring Polish national activist who fought against Prussian oppression of Poles in Warmia, Walenty Barczewski (1865–1928). History The town was first located in 1325 but was soon after destroyed by Lithuanians. The rebuild town was granted city rights in 1364. It was known at the time as Wartberg. In 1440 the town joined the Prussian Confederation, at the request of which Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon signed the act of incorporation of the region to the Kingdom of Poland in 1454. In 1466, after the Second Peace of Toruń, the town was confirmed as part of Kingdom of Poland. It was the place of fights of the Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521. In April 1520 a battle was fought in the vicinity, in November 1520 the town was successfully defended by the Poles, and in January 1521 the Teutonic Knights came back and launched artillery fire on the town, but eventually withdrew. During the Deluge, Brandenburg forced occupied the town in 1656. During the Great Northern War, Polish and Swedish troops marched through the town. In 1772, after the First Partition of Poland it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1807, the town was occupied by France. According to German statistics Poles constituted 72% of population in 1825 and 62% in 1861; Gerard Labuda and August von Haxthausen give the number of 1500 Poles and 590 Germans living in the town in 1825. The local monastery was secularised in 1810, in 1819/1820 Prussian authorities decided to close down the monastery that has been described as "the stronghold of Polishness." After the death of Father Tyburcjusz Bojarzynowski, last leader of the monastery, in