Frauenburg

The name Frauenburg was given to many towns in German-speaking countries in the Middle Ages. The name usually originates in the construction of a fortified chapel, church, or monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Cities or parts of cities in Austria, Bavaria, and Hesse bear this name. In Hesse, the Frauenburg is an abbey initially founded as a daughter house of the Abbey of Fulda. The Abbey and the Frauenburg were, however, constructed between the 8th and 10th centuries in what was at the time the region known as Thuringia. The frequently-changing boundaries of European nations are all the more evident when we consider Poland's city of Frombork.

Founded at the location of an old Prussian settlement near the Baltic Sea as Frauenburg, the city was originally part of the Braunsberg district of the diocese of Ermland, or Warmia. The episcopal seat was moved from Braunsberg to Frauenburg in 1242. In 1310, the town was granted rights under Luebeck Law by the bishop Eberhard of Neisse. The late 13th century saw the construction of many churches, including those dedicated to St. Nicolas, St George and St. Anna, as well as the beginning of the cathedral church.

The occupations of the local inhabitants were mainly fishing and farming.

Perhaps the most famous resident of the town was Nicolaus Copernicus, whose uncle was bishop of Warmia, and who died at Frauenburg.

The Copernicus monument in Frauenburg, built by Emperor William II of Germany, was destroyed by Polish authorities in the mid 1950's. The astronomical observatory, the work room, and equipment, as well as the burial site of the astronomer at the dome can still be visited in today's (early 21st c.) Frombork.