# Renice, Poland

Renice (German: Rehnitz) is a village in Gmina Myślibórz, within Myślibórz County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland.

## Geography

Renice lies approximately 6 kilometres (4 mi) east of Myślibórz and 59 km (37 mi) south-east of the regional capital Szczecin. The next settlements are Ławy to the south, Klicko to the west (interrupted by the abandoned settlement of Turzyniec), Podłążek to the north-west, Strzelnik to the north, Giżyn to the east, and Świątki to the south-east.
Renice is an important crossroads in Gmina Myślibórz due to the E65 highway intersecting with the national road DK26 [pl] (towards Myślibórz) and the Voivodeship road DW119 (towards Gorzów Wielkopolski) in the northern part of the village. This northern part of Renice lies on the intersection of the DK26 and DW119 and is home to two gas stations as well as the AUTO PORT restaurant and hotel, one of the few places in Poland to house a privately owned crocodile. The infrastructure in this northern part of Renice surrounds the former German farming estate of Louisenhof.
Southwest of Renice proper lies a ribbon lake named Jezioro Renickie [pl] (German: Rehnitzer Klietz See). East of Renice lies a large forest which had the German name Adamsdorfer Frost.

## History

Numerous prehistoric finds were made in the area of modern-day Renice, mostly in connection to the Lusatian and Jastorf cultures, but also the Únětice culture. A German archaeological site, named Rehnitzbruch, in the 1930s uncovered multiple bronze treasures including a bronze statue nicknamed "Egyptian king of Rehnitzbruch" (German: ägyptischer König von Rehnitzbruch) which is thought to have been an ancient Greco-Roman import to the area. Additionally, 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) southwest of Renice proper exists a small gord in which ceramics were found that are attributed to the aforementioned Lusatian and Jastorf cultures as well as the late medieval period.
Renice was first mentioned in 1238. By 1260 it was known as Reniz and by 1336 the village was known by the names Rentz, Renths, and Reynitz. The name is of Slavic origin and is roughly translated as a village built upon sandy gravel or scree. In 1260, Reniz transferred 150 harnessed animals to the monastery in Coswig, Anhalt. The church in Rehnitz was rebuilt in 1600. In 1630, 63 residents of the village died of the plague.
By 1800, Rehnitz was home to the estate and 19 buildings with 149 inhabitants, thereof: 6 cotters and 12 einlieger [de] as well as one blacksmith, one windmill, and one forestry.
During 1895, Rehnitz was a part of the Protestant Glasow church district and had a population of 218, split into 50% (109) male and 50% (109) female. The religious affiliation in Rehnitz in 1895 consisted of 217 Protestants and one catholic.
During World War II, Rehnitz was home to a small Nazi work camp that housed deported Slovenes from Austria.

### Rehnitz Estate

The Rehnitz estate was under the ownership of the von Sydow family until 1837 when it went to Carl Wilhelm Phemel. In 1905 the estate was purchased by the Berliner banker Hugo Oppenheim [de] who expanded the estate into a Schloss. Oppenheim's widowed wife, Anna Oppenheim, sold the majority of the estate upon his death in 1928 to the Siedlungsgesellschaft "Eigene Scholle" but kept the Schloss, forest and lake for her family.
During World War II, the Rehnitz estate served as a retreat for the Hitler Youth. The Schloss of the estate now serves as a youth education center.

### History after WWII

After the flight and expulsion of Germans from the area, Rehnitz was placed under Polish administration and given its modern name of Renice. Between 1975 and 1998, Renice was part of the Gorzów Voivodeship.

## Demographics

As of the 2021 census, Renice had a population of 346, thereof 177 male and 169 female.
Age distribution :
| Age | Nr. | % |
| 0-9 | 38 | 11% |
| 10-19 | 60 | 17% |
| 20-29 | 29 | 8% |
| 30-39 | 56 | 16% |
| 40-49 | 40 | 12% |
| 50-59 | 47 | 14% |
| 60-69 | 37 | 11% |
| 70-79 | 27 | 8% |
| 80+ | 12 | 3% |
| Total | 346 | 100% |

## Politics

Renice is home to a community center which also acts as the polling station during elections. The polling station covers polling district number 18.
In the last Sejm election, Renice (polling district 18) voted as follows:
| Party | Party | Votes | % |
| | Law and Justice | 64 | 37.65 |
| | Civic Coalition | 43 | 25.29 |
| | New Left | 28 | 16.47 |
| | Third Way (PSL–PL2050) | 22 | 12.94 |
| | Confederation Liberty and Independence | 8 | 4.71 |
| | Nonpartisan Local Government Activists | 2 | 1.18 |
| | There is One Poland | 2 | 1.18 |
| | Prosperity and Peace Movement | 1 | 0.59 |
| Total | Total | 170 | 100.0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 170 | 4.12 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 7 | 3.95 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 177 | 100.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 177 | 70.80 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 250 | |

## Gallery

* Renice estate Schloss, facing estate grounds
* Old town gate exiting Renice
* Tower in Renice dating to the 19th century
* Renice church
* Jesus mural on the chapel by Renice church
* Cross at the entry road into Renice proper