Frombork (Polish: [ˈfrɔmbɔrk] ⓘ; German: Frauenburg [ˈfʁaʊənbʊʁk] ⓘ)[2] is a town in northern Poland, situated on the Vistula Lagoon in Braniewo County, within Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.

In 1224 at Catania, Emperor Frederick II declared Prussia directly subordinate to the church and Holy Roman Empire.

With the imperial Golden Bull of Rimini, the Teutonic Knights were granted control of the region, which they subsequently conquered.

According to a local legend, the Old Prussian inhabitants were baptised by Anselm of Meissen[citation needed], a priest of the Teutonic Knights and the first Bishop of the Bishopric of Warmia which was created in 1242 by William of Modena.

Supposedly when the stronghold's lord died, his widow Gertruda offered the settlement to the bishop, and in her honor it was named "Frauenburg" (German for "Our Lady's fortress", "Castrum Dominae Nostrae"[4] in Latin).

This name is not unique in German, as it usually originates in the construction of a fortified chapel, church, or monastery dedicated to the Virgin Mary or inhabited by nuns.

In 1440, the town joined the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation, at the request of which Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon signed the act of incorporation of the region into the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland in 1454.

[5] In 1454, the Warmian Chapter paid homage to King Casimir IV Jagiellon, recognizing him as rightful ruler.

[13][14][15][16][17] Shortly after its 1543 publication, Copernicus died there and was buried in the town's cathedral where there is a monument to him bearing the inscription Astronomo celeberrimo, cujus nomen et gloria utrumque implevit orbem[18] (Most renowned astronomer, whose name and glory filled both worlds).

[citation needed] After German surrender in World War II, sovereignty over the town was ceremoniously transferred to Polish authorities on August 5, 1945.

[21] The unilateral Soviet transfer of power to Poland was accepted according to the Potsdam Agreement, however, under preliminary terms.

Towards and after the end of World War II the German inhabitants had either been evacuated or expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement.

Having been heavily (70%)[citation needed] damaged in World War II, it was rebuilt by Polish Boy Scouts and others in 1966–1973, in time for the 500th anniversary of Copernicus' birth.

Today, Frombork is regaining its importance as a tourist destination, aided by its key location just south of the frontier with the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast.

In the years 2010 and 2011, thanks to the efforts of the Pomorskie Society of Railway Enthusiasts, special services were resumed during the summer, on Saturdays and Sundays, running from Grudziądz and Elbląg to Braniewo, with stops at this station.