 Until 1945 the town, officially known as "Hohenstein in Ostpreußen", was part of "Landkreis" (district) Osterode in the Province of East Prussia.In January 1945 it was occupied by the Red Army throughout the East Prussian Offensive.Later it was handed over to the Republic of Poland; the German population was expelled and the region was resettled with Poles, especially those expelled from territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union.