Copernican era Frombork

copernicus



frawenburg @ frisch haff in 1684

altes und neues preussen, christoph hartknoch



frombork part of polish province royal prussia 1466 1772

in 1414 city plundered , burned during hunger war between teutonic knights , poland. in 1454, during thirteen years war, hill , cathedral occupied jan skalski. second peace of thorn (1466), became important city of prince-bishopric of warmia , part of polish province of royal prussia. city devastated after raid albrecht of brandenburg in 1520.

in middle ages, inhabitants merchants, farmers , fishermen. famous resident astronomer , mathematician nicolaus copernicus, lived , worked here canon (1512–16 , 1522–43). copernicus said have jokingly called weiberstadt ( wives town ) or gynepolis (in medieval greek). in 1519 copernicus wrote king of poland, asking against teutonic knights threatening city. letter intercepted, , teutonic knights took , burned city (copernicus , other canons had left city shortly before).

the astronomer wrote epochal work, de revolutionibus orbium cœlestium in frombork, northeastern poland. in book, written in latin, copernicus used latin name of town , region - frueburgo prussiae shortly after 1543 publication, copernicus died there , buried in town s cathedral, grave thought have been found archaeologists in 2005. subsequently confirmed in november 2008 publication of results of dna tests on fragments of bone , hair found on skeleton: hair matched 2 strands of hair belonged copernicus , located in uppsala university.

in northwest corner of cathedral grounds copernicus tower, , in southwest corner octagonal building square bell tower , small planetarium , foucault s pendulum. atop tower 1 can survey town, tiny harbor, great panorama of baltic sea, , of warmia s countryside.

the city suffered destruction , heavy population losses during polish–swedish wars. between 1626 , 1635 occupied gustavus adolphus of sweden looted cathedral , shipped many cultural artifacts, including copernicus manuscripts sweden. further destruction followed during deluge (swedish invasion of poland), great northern war , war of fourth coalition.