Starostwo of Draheim
Starostwo of Draheim, also called Drahim, was a crown territory of Poland from the 15th century, centered in the town of Draheim. It later became part of Brandenburg-Prussia and then Prussia.
In the Middle Ages this border region stood between Poland, Pomerania, and Brandenburg. In 1268 Duke Przemysł II gave the area to the Knights Templar, who invited German settlers. The place got the German name Tempelburg (Draheim’s German name for Czaplinek). The Templars were dissolved in 1312, and their lands passed to the Knights Hospitaller. Draheim Castle was built in the mid-1300s at an important trade crossing.
In 1368–1370, Brandenburg exchanged nearby lands with Casimir III the Great of Poland, who created Wałcz County. Draheim became one of three starosties (royal districts) in Wałcz County, with Usz-Pila and Wałcz. The county also included lands of several powerful noble families. Draheim Castle was a royal possession, and the starost governed local administration, the land’s defense, and justice.
The starost’s German-speaking subjects could appeal decisions at the Wałcz court. Later, parts of the area became the private property of the von der Goltz family, which weakened Draheim’s land connections to Wałcz County. The region was surrounded by the Duchy of Pomerania, with borders shifting as nobles pressed their claims, and border raids (inequatio) were common.
In 1407 German and Polish nobles captured Draheim Castle, using the region for raids until 1422 when Dramburg townspeople defeated them. In 1438 Teutonic Knights acknowledged Polish control. In the 16th century the area became largely Lutheran, and during the Counter-Reformation most noble families returned to Catholicism, while some Protestants remained.
Peasants from nearby areas moved into Draheim as serfdom in Pomerania tightened. New villages were founded under Magdeburg law, led by a Schulze (a local leader) who organized settlement and defense at the border. Border raids continued, and the community relied on armed men to protect themselves.
The region was devastated by Swedish forces in 1655. In 1657 Poland pawned Draheim to Brandenburg-Prussia, confirmed in 1660 and carried out in 1668. An Amtmann (official) based in Draheim Castle administered the territory, later leasing it to domain tenants.
Draheim ceased to be a Polish fief with the First Partition of Poland in 1772. It then became part of Prussia, later Germany, in the Pomeranian province. In 1817 it was in Kreis Neustettin, Regierungsbezirk Köslin, but Germany as a nation came only with the North German Confederation in 1866.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:29 (CET).