Rapa, Poland Explained

Rapa
Settlement Type:Village
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Voivodeship
Subdivision Name1:Warmian-Masurian
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Gołdap
Subdivision Type3:Gmina
Subdivision Name3:Banie Mazurskie
Pushpin Map:Poland
Coordinates:54.3167°N 23°W
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Registration Plate:NGO

Rapa is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Banie Mazurskie, within Gołdap County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, close to the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia.[1] It lies approximately 9km (06miles) north of Banie Mazurskie, 200NaN0 west of Gołdap, and 1160NaN0 north-east of the regional capital Olsztyn.

History and pyramid

In the past, the region was at various times part of Poland, Prussia and Germany. The village existed in the early seventeenth century. In 1750, the owner Jacob John Hoffmann built a palace, taken in 1793 by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm von Fahrenheid.

In 1811, a mausoleum was built in Rapa for the Fahrenheid family, designed by sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. The building is shaped like a pyramid with a height of 15.9m (52.2feet) and is loosely inspired by the architecture of ancient Egypt. The family members buried there were mummified. In 1945, the mausoleum was severely damaged by soldiers of the Red Army.[2]

In 1938, during a massive Nazi campaign of renaming of placenames the village was renamed to Kleinangerapp. It became again part of Poland following Germany's defeat in World War II in 1945.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Central Statistical Office (GUS)  - TERYT (National Register of Territorial Land Apportionment Journal) . 2008-06-01 . Polish.
  2. Web site: Piramida w Rapie, Rapa, mumie z Rapy....grobowiec rodziny von Farenheidów . 2012-06-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120725115137/http://latawce.netstrefa.pl/piramida.htm . 2012-07-25 .