Rzepin () is a town in western Poland. Situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship (since 1999), in Słubice County it is the seat of Gmina Rzepin. From 1975 until 1998 the town, from an administrative point of view, belonged to the Gorzów Wielkopolski Voivodeship. As of 2019, the town had a population of 6,529 inhabitants.
Geography
The town is situated in the western part of the Lubusz Lake District and Torzymska Plain (315.43), in the longitudinal postglacial valley, in the historical region of Lubusz/Lebus Land.
Hydrology
The Ilanka river, which is the right-bank tributary of the Oder river, flows through the town and takes the tributary Rzepin to the south of the town, near Nowy Młyn. Among the Ilanka's hydrological curiosities is the phenomenon of bifurcation, occurring to the north of Rzepin, where the river separates its stream. As a result, some waters flow into the Łęczna river to the Warta drainage. Rzepin surroundings is rich in glacial lakes, among others: Busko, Długie – local bathing beach, Głębiniec, Linie, Lubińskie, Oczko, Papienko (Popienko) and Rzepsko.
Rzepin Forest
Rzepin was given ownership of the adjacent forests before 14th century, which was confiscated in 1553 because of the wrongly laid tax by the town authorities. The town maintained its rights only to a small part of the rickety woodland. High population of game animals in the region was confirmed by the presence of two royal forests in the vicinity of Rzepin. In the 18th century, a royal forest district was established under administration of the Oberforsthaus Reppen, which, under current name of Dąbrówka, also known as Osęka (currently a part of the Rzepinek settlement) is still being used as a forest lodge. Currently the term Rzepin Forest should only be treated in historical context, or to some extent, as an equivalent of the Lubusz Forest, which is a vast woodland situated mostly in the vicinity of Rzepin and Torzym in the Lubusz Voivodeship. The forest district administration is located in Rzepin.
Etymology
The origin is, without any doubt, Slavic. In 1856 Berghaus investigated the town name origin of words: repina (a folk name of maple), rjepa (turnip), or rjepnik (field of turnip). According to Mucke, the name could originate from the word ryby (fish) – Rybin, Rybek, Rybno – fisherman's colony (town located by the riverside). Current Polish etymology (according to Rospond, Rymut and Malec) clearly indicates a nickname Rzepa (Polish name of turnip), or the name of turnip itself, as the town name origin.
History
The town was founded in the place of a 10th-century fort and a craftsmen settlement outside the fort, which was located near a convenient crossing of the Ilanka river. It was located in Lubusz Land, which was part of the provinces of Greater Poland and Silesia of the Medieval Kingdom of Poland. In the second half of the 13th century the land was handed over by archbishops of Magdeburg to Brandenburg margraves. Rzepin's history become turbulent ever since. The town was sold many times and its land was regularly confiscated. Medieval Rzepin was a town inhabited by craftsmen. There were guilds of clothiers, butchers, bakers and shoemakers. Its citizens were also earning their living as fishermen and brewers. A water mill was a part of the town landscape. Thanks to the citizens’ resourcefulness and valor the town was developing rapidly, however, it was hindered by plagues and other disasters, including numerous fires. One of them destroyed a historical town hall. Between 1373 and 1415 the town was part of the Lands of the Bohemian (Czech) Crown. From the 18th century the town was part of the Kingdom of Prussia and between 1871 and 1945 it was part of Germany, before becoming again part of Poland.