Chelmno
Encyclopedia
Chełmno AUD is a town in northern Poland
near the Vistula
river with 20,000 inhabitants and the historical capital of Chełmno Land
. Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
since 1999, Chełmno was previously in Toruń Voivodeship
(1975–1998).
word for hill
(chełm, in the modern Polish language
wzgórze). This is a cognate
of the English word hill and similar words in other related languages.
Culm was the German name the town, used by the Germans since the founding of the Teutonic Knights settlement and was also used in official documents regarding the town, when it prospered as member of the Hanseatic League
. After centuries under Polish jurisdiction, the city was officially renamed from its Polish name to Kulm, 100 years after it fell back to Prussia in 1772, as part of a Germanization effort. During the Nazi occupation in World War II, the town was once again renamed to Kulm. The town also has been known as Culm in English.
monastery in Mogilno
. In 1226 Duke Konrad I
of Masovia invited the Teutonic Knights
to Chełmno Land
. In 1233 Kulm was granted city rights known as "Kulm law" (renewed in 1251), the model system for over 200 Polish towns. The town grew prosperous as a member of the mercantile Hanseatic League
. Kulm and Chelmno Land were part of the Teutonic Knights' state until 1466, when after the Thirteen Years' War Chełmno was incorporated into Poland and made the capital of Chełmno Voivodeship.
In 1772, following the First Partition of Poland-Lithuania
, the city was taken over by the Kingdom of Prussia
. Between 1807 and 1815 Chełmno was part of the Duchy of Warsaw
, being reannexed n by Prussia at the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
Kulm had been a garrison town. In 1776 Frederic the Great founded here a cadet school which was to serve in Germanising Polish areas and nobility In 1890 the garrison included 561 military staff. On 1 October 1890 the cadet school was moved to Köslin in Farther Pomerania
.
Chełmno returned to Poland in 1920 following World War I
.
When World War II
broke out in 1939, Nazi German
authorities murdered 5,000 Polish civilians upon taking control of the territory. The atrocities took place in Klamry, Małe Czyste, Podwiesk, Plutowo, Dąbrowa Chełmińska, and Wielkie Łunawy, while many other Poles were executed in forests. The rest of the Polish population was expelled to the General Government
in line with the German policy of Lebensraum
. Polish Secret State
resistance groups such as Polska Żyje ("Poland Lives"), Rota, Grunwald, and Szare Szeregi were also active in the area. The area was administered as part of Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia
and served as the seat
of the district/county (kreis) of Kulm.
On 25 January 1945 German forces set fire to several buildings in the city, including a hospital, a railway terminal, and a brewery, while retreating (see scorched earth
).
churches and a beautiful Renaissance
town hall in the middle of the market square.
Chełmno gives its name to the protected area
called Chełmno Landscape Park, which stretches along the right bank of the Vistula.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
near the Vistula
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
river with 20,000 inhabitants and the historical capital of Chełmno Land
Chełmno Land
Chełmno land or Chełmno region is a historical region of Poland, located in central Poland, bounded by the Vistula and Drwęca rivers....
. Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
-Transportation:Transportation infrastructure is of critical importance to the voivodeship's economy. Kuyavia-Pomerania is a major node point in the Polish transportation system. Railway lines from the South and East pass through Bydgoszcz in order to reach the major ports on the Baltic Sea...
since 1999, Chełmno was previously in Toruń Voivodeship
Torun Voivodeship
Toruń Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Its capital city was Toruń.-Major cities and towns :...
(1975–1998).
Name
The name is derived from the Old SlavicOld Slavic
Old Slavic may refer to:*the Old Church Slavonic language*the Proto-Slavic language language...
word for hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
(chełm, in the modern Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
wzgórze). This is a cognate
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
of the English word hill and similar words in other related languages.
Culm was the German name the town, used by the Germans since the founding of the Teutonic Knights settlement and was also used in official documents regarding the town, when it prospered as member of the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
. After centuries under Polish jurisdiction, the city was officially renamed from its Polish name to Kulm, 100 years after it fell back to Prussia in 1772, as part of a Germanization effort. During the Nazi occupation in World War II, the town was once again renamed to Kulm. The town also has been known as Culm in English.
History
The first written mention of Chełmno is known from a document allegedly issued in 1065 by Duke Boleslaus II of Poland for the BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery in Mogilno
Mogilno
Mogilno is a town in central Poland, situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , previously in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship .-History:...
. In 1226 Duke Konrad I
Konrad I of Masovia
Konrad I of Masovia , from the Polish Piast dynasty, was the sixth Duke of Masovia from 1194 until his death and High Duke of Poland from 1229 to 1232.-Life:...
of Masovia invited the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
to Chełmno Land
Chełmno Land
Chełmno land or Chełmno region is a historical region of Poland, located in central Poland, bounded by the Vistula and Drwęca rivers....
. In 1233 Kulm was granted city rights known as "Kulm law" (renewed in 1251), the model system for over 200 Polish towns. The town grew prosperous as a member of the mercantile Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
. Kulm and Chelmno Land were part of the Teutonic Knights' state until 1466, when after the Thirteen Years' War Chełmno was incorporated into Poland and made the capital of Chełmno Voivodeship.
In 1772, following the First Partition of Poland-Lithuania
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
, the city was taken over by the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. Between 1807 and 1815 Chełmno was part of the Duchy of Warsaw
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...
, being reannexed n by Prussia at the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
Kulm had been a garrison town. In 1776 Frederic the Great founded here a cadet school which was to serve in Germanising Polish areas and nobility In 1890 the garrison included 561 military staff. On 1 October 1890 the cadet school was moved to Köslin in Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania, Further Pomerania, Transpomerania or Eastern Pomerania , which before the German-Polish border shift of 1945 comprised the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania, roughly stretching from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East...
.
Chełmno returned to Poland in 1920 following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
When World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out in 1939, Nazi German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
authorities murdered 5,000 Polish civilians upon taking control of the territory. The atrocities took place in Klamry, Małe Czyste, Podwiesk, Plutowo, Dąbrowa Chełmińska, and Wielkie Łunawy, while many other Poles were executed in forests. The rest of the Polish population was expelled to the General Government
General Government
The General Government was an area of Second Republic of Poland under Nazi German rule during World War II; designated as a separate region of the Third Reich between 1939–1945...
in line with the German policy of Lebensraum
Lebensraum
was one of the major political ideas of Adolf Hitler, and an important component of Nazi ideology. It served as the motivation for the expansionist policies of Nazi Germany, aiming to provide extra space for the growth of the German population, for a Greater Germany...
. Polish Secret State
Polish Secret State
The Polish Underground State is a collective term for the World War II underground resistance organizations in Poland, both military and civilian, that remained loyal to the Polish Government in Exile in London. The first elements of the Underground State were put in place in the final days of the...
resistance groups such as Polska Żyje ("Poland Lives"), Rota, Grunwald, and Szare Szeregi were also active in the area. The area was administered as part of Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia
Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia
The Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia was a Nazi German province created on 8 October 1939 from the territory of the annexed Free City of Danzig, the annexed Polish province Greater Pomeranian Voivodship , and the Nazi German Regierungsbezirk West Prussia of Gau East Prussia. Before 2 November 1939,...
and served as the seat
Seat (legal entity)
In strict legal language, the term seat defines the seat of a corporation or organisation as a legal entity, indicating where the headquarters of this entity are located...
of the district/county (kreis) of Kulm.
On 25 January 1945 German forces set fire to several buildings in the city, including a hospital, a railway terminal, and a brewery, while retreating (see scorched earth
Scorched earth
A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...
).
Demographics
Since its founding, the city had a mixed population of Germans and Poles, with the latter making 2/3 of its population in the second half of the XIX century.| Year | Inhabitants | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1843 | 5,000 | |
| 1890 | 9,762 | incl. 3,450 Protestants and 470 Jews Jews The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation... . |
| 1900 | 11,079 | together with the garrison, incl. 3,530 Protestants and 339 Jews. |
| 1921 | 11,700 | incl. 1,060 Germans Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... . |
| 1969 | 18,000 | |
| 2006 | 20,388 | |
Main sights
Chełmno has a well-preserved medieval center, with five GothicGothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
churches and a beautiful Renaissance
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
town hall in the middle of the market square.
- Gothic churches:
- Church of St Mary, former main parochial church of town, built 1280-1320 (with St. Valentine relicRelicIn religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
) - Church of SS Jacob and Nicholas, former Franciscan church, from 14th c., rebuild in 19 c.
- Church of SS Peter and Paul, former Dominican church, from 13-14th c. rebuild in 18 and 19th c.
- Church of SS John the Baptist and Johns the Evangelist, former Benedictine and Cistercian nuns' church, with monastery, built 1290-1330
- Church of Holy Ghost, from 1280–90
- Church of St Mary, former main parochial church of town, built 1280-1320 (with St. Valentine relic
- Town hall, whose oldest part comes from the end of the 13th century, rebuilt in manneristicMannerismMannerism is a period of European art that emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. It lasted until about 1580 in Italy, when a more Baroque style began to replace it, but Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout much of Europe...
style (under Italian influence) in 1567-1572 - City walls which surround whole city, preserved almost as a whole, with watch towers and GrudziądzGrudziadzGrudziądz is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants . Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship .- History :-Early history:...
ka Gate
Chełmno gives its name to the protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
called Chełmno Landscape Park, which stretches along the right bank of the Vistula.
Notable residents
- Friedrich-Carl CranzFriedrich-Carl CranzFriedrich-Carl Cranz was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 18.Infanterie-Division. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or...
(1886–1941), general - Hans DominikHans DominikHans Dominik was a German colonial officer of the Schutztruppe . He was the long-time commander of the Jaunde military station in Kamerun.- Early life and career :...
(1870–1910), colonial officer - Friedrich FüllebornFriedrich FüllebornFriedrich Fülleborn was a physician who specialized in tropical medicine and parasitology. He was a native of Kulm, West Prussia, which today is known as Chełmno, Poland. He studied medicine and natural sciences in Berlin, where one of his instructors was Heinrich Wilhelm Waldeyer...
(1866–1933), physician and tropical disease specialist - Grzegorz Gerwazy GorczyckiGrzegorz Gerwazy GorczyckiGrzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki was a Polish Baroque composer.-Life:Born in Rossberg near Beuthen in Silesia around 1665, little is known of his early life...
(1665–1734), composer and priest - Heinz GuderianHeinz GuderianHeinz Wilhelm Guderian was a German general during World War II. He was a pioneer in the development of armored warfare, and was the leading proponent of tanks and mechanization in the Wehrmacht . Germany's panzer forces were raised and organized under his direction as Chief of Mobile Forces...
(1888–1954), blitzkrieg and tank theorist - Hermann LönsHermann LönsHermann Löns was a German journalist and writer. He is most famous as "The Poet of the Heath" for his novels and poems celebrating the people and landscape of the North German moors, particularly the Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony. Löns is well known in Germany for his famous folksongs...
(1866–1914), writer - Ernst Wilhelm Lotz (1890–1914), writer
- Michael OttoMichael OttoMichael Otto , is the head of German Otto Group, the world's largest mail order company, with US$24 billion in sales in fiscal year 2003...
(born 1943), entrepreneur - Franciszek Raszeja (1896–1942), doctor
- Leon Raszeja (1901–1939), lawyer
- Maksymilian Raszeja (1889–1939), theologian
- Albrecht Theodor Emil Graf von Roon, Prussian soldier and politician, Prime Minister of Prussia
- Ludwik RydygierLudwik RydygierLudwik Rydygier was a Polish surgeon.Born in Dusocin near Graudenz , at the time part of the Province of Prussia after partitioning of Poland. Since childhood he accented his Polish roots....
(1850–1920), doctor - Georg Salzberger (1882–1975), Jewish rabbi
- Kurt SchumacherKurt SchumacherDr. Kurt Schumacher , was chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany from 1946 and first Leader of the Opposition in the West German Bundestag parliament from 1949 until his death...
(1895–1952), politician - Max StirnerMax StirnerJohann Kaspar Schmidt , better known as Max Stirner , was a German philosopher, who ranks as one of the literary fathers of nihilism, existentialism, post-modernism and anarchism, especially of individualist anarchism...
(1806–1856), philosopher - Wojciech Stanisław Leski (1702–1758), Bishop of Chelmno