Sorkwity
| Sorkwity | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 Palace in Sorkwity | |
  Sorkwity | |
| Coordinates: 53°50′42″N 21°8′35″E / 53.84500°N 21.14306°E | |
| Country |
 |
| Voivodeship | Warmian-Masurian |
| County | Mrągowo |
| Gmina | Sorkwity |
| Population | 770 |
Sorkwity [sɔrkˈfitɨ] (German: Sorquitten), earlier Sarkewitte, is a village in Mrągowo County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Sorkwity.[1] It lies approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) west of Mrągowo and 43 km (27 mi) east of the regional capital Olsztyn.
The village has a population of 770.
History
Sarkewitte at Lake Sarksee in Prussia was founded in 1379 by the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Winrich von Kniprode for the brothers Christian and Otto von Oelsen. In 1525 it became part of Ducal Prussia, which became the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701. The estate had many different owners. In 1804, the von Mirbach family acquired Sarkewitte/Sorquitten. The family build a neogothic palace in the village between 1850 and 1856.
The later village was part of East Prussia. After World War II the region was placed under Polish administration by the Potsdam Agreement under territorial changes demanded by the Soviet Union. Most Germans fled or were expelled and replaced with Poles expelled from the Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union or Ukrainians forced to settle in the area through Operation Vistula in 1947.
Notable residents
- Johann Goercke (1750-1822), surgeon
- Julius von Mirbach (1839–1921), politician