Chełmno: Encyclopedia - Chełmno

Chełmno

Chełmno (-Polish, German: Kulm) is a town in northern Poland with 22,000 inhabitants (1995) and the historical capital of Chełmno Land.

Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship since 1999, Chełmno was previously in Toruń Voivodship (1975–1998), near the Vistula river.

It is not related to Chełmno extermination camp, which was located near a village with a similar name, Chełmno nad Nerem.

Chełmno - History

The first written mention of Chełmno is known from a document allegedly issued in 1065 by Duke Boleslaus I of Poland for the Benedictine monastery in Mogilno. In 1226 Duke Konrad I of Masovia invited the Teutonic Knights to Chełmno Land (Kulmerland). In 1233 Chełmno was granted city rights known as "Chełmno rights" (renewed in 1251), the model system for over 200 Polish towns. The town grew prosperous as a member of the mercantile Hanseatic League. Chełmno and Chełmno Land were part of the Teutonic Knights' state until 1466, when after the Thirteen Years' War Chełmno was incorporated back into Poland and made the capital of Chełmno Voivodship. In 1772, following the First Partition of Poland, Chełmno became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Between 1807 and 1815 Chełmno was part of Duchy of Warsaw. In 1874 as part of the Kulturkampf policy that endorsed Germanisation of Polish territories, Chełmno was officially renamed to Kulm. Chełmno became part of Poland again in 1920 following World War I. During the interwar period the town experienced renewed economic growth.

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 German Lebensraum policy. Polish resistance groups such as Polska Żyje ("Poland Lives"), Rota, Grunwald, Szare Szeregi were active in the area to resist the German occupation and atrocities. On 25th January 1945 German forces while in retreat set fire to several buildings in the city, including a hospital, a railway terminal, and a brewery.[1]

Chełmno - Historical names

• Kulm, was officially used under Prussian/German control after 1874. The town also has been known as Culm in English, but Chełmno is now more commonly used.

Chełmno - Monuments

Chełmno has a well-preserved medieval center, with five Gothic churches and a beautiful 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
  • church of St Jacob, former Franciscan church, from 14th c., rebuild in 19 c.
  • church of St Peter and Paul, former Dominican church, from 13-14th c. rebuild in 18 and 19th c.
  • church of St Johns, former Benedictine and cictercians church, with monastery, built 1290-1330
  • church of Holy Ghost, from 1280-90
• town hall, whose oldest part comes from the end of the 13th century, rebuilt in manneristic style (under Italian influence) in 1567-1572
• city walls which surround whole city, preserved almost as a whole, with watch towers and Grudziądzka Gate

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Chełmno", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki