Zasieki

Zasieki is a village in Poland, located in the Lubusz Voivodeship, in the Żary County, near the border with Germany. Until 1945, it was part of the city of Forst, and its area consisted of two former villages: Berge and Skuren. Berge, now largely undeveloped, had been part of Forst since 1897, while Skuren, largely built-up, joined the city in the 1930s. After World War II, Zasieki briefly held town status under the name Barść before adopting its current name in 1946. Interestingly, Zasieki became one of the smallest urban settlements in Poland, but soon its dismantling began with the aim of rebuilding Warsaw. The village gained an unusual character, with wide streets and sidewalks. Until the 1980s, this place also had industrial significance due to the establishment of factories, including chemical plants in the 1930s that produced explosives. After World War II and Poland's accession to the Schengen Agreement, the Polish-German border crossings Zasieki-Forst were abolished. From an architectural perspective, Zasieki is characterized by remnants of pre-war Forst, with factory ruins, a hydroelectric power plant, and a unique bridge from 1921. The region's culture intertwined with the traditions of the Sorbs, which had a democratic influence on religious ceremonies in the village. After 1945, the village became part of Poland, and its history and development were limited by its border location and various technical problems, such as the inability to operate the sewage system without cooperation with Germany. Since the 1990s, the village has faced difficulties, with the closure of service establishments and the elementary school, indicating demographic and social changes. An example of this is the decline in population and the difficulty in finding local investments. In recent years, Zasieki has lost many of the features that shaped it on the map of Lower Lusatia, becoming a place with a powerful heritage that has undergone many transformations during the country's turbulent history.