Międzyrzecz

Międzyrzecz stands where the Obra and Paklica meet, on an old route from Magdeburg toward Gniezno. Its name, recorded by the chronicler Thietmar during the German campaign of 1005, reflects its position between rivers. A fortified outpost of the early Polish state, it guarded the western approaches to Greater Poland. Under Casimir the Great German settlers came to the area, and in 1485 Casimir IV confirmed the town's privileges. Międzyrzecz remained a royal town and the seat of local royal officials.