The village dates back to the Middle Ages, and, according to linguist Heinrich Adamy, its name comes from the Polish word bystry.

Within medieval Piast-ruled Poland, it was the location of a motte-and-bailey castle from the 10th-13th century, which is now an archaeological site.

[2] In the 2000s, archaeologists found remains of medieval pagan and Christian burials at the site.

During World War II, the Germans operated a forced labour camp for Jewish men and women in the village from 1941 to 1944.

[4] The manor of Reitzau was built in the baroque style between 1720 and 1730, replacing an earlier hunting lodge.