Pisz - online puzzles

Online puzzle Pisz

Pisz [pʲiʂ] (previously also Jańsbork, German: Johannisburg) is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland, with a population of 19,466 in 2016. It is the seat of Pisz County. Pisz is located at the junction of Lake Roś and the Pisa River, in the region of Masuria.

Etymology

The name Pisz originates from the word "pisa", meaning "swamp" in the ancient Prussian language. Johannisburg received the name of the castle in 1645, when it became a city by the decree of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg. The local people of Masuria called the castle "Jańsbork", and this name remained until 1946.

History

The site of today's Pisz was originally inhabited by the indigenous ethnic group of Old Prussians. In 1345 the Teutonic Order began constructing a castle nearby at the southernmost point of the Johannisburger Heide, or Piska Forest, in the Masurian Lake District. The castle was named Johannisburg, after St. John the Baptist.