Klodawa
Encyclopedia
Kłodawa k is a town in central Poland
with 6,874 inhabitants (2004). It is situated in the Greater Poland Voivodship (since 1999), having previously been in Konin Voivodship (1975-1998).
Kłodawa lies on the Rgielewka (a tributary of the Warta River
). The town contains the largest operating salt mine in Poland, extracting halite
and salts of potassium and magnesium.
Kłodawa was settled in the 11th century by craftsmen building the Church of St. Giles. It gained municipal rights in 1430. Much of the town was destroyed in the wars of the 17th century and World War II
. It was once home to a vibrant Jewish community wiped out in the Holocaust. On the outskirts there is a cemetery from the Lusatian culture
.
The settlement gained municipal rights
on August 9, 1430 by the decree of King Władysław II Jagiełło
. The town was badly damaged in the 1650s by the invading Swedes during “The Deluge”. Despite outside assistance, reconstruction took a very long time. Kłodawa was ruled by Prussia
after the second partition of Poland in 1793. From 1806 until 1815, the town was part of the Duchy of Warsaw
, and Congress Poland
afterwards. In 1867, Kłodawa lost its municipal charter. After World War I
it was returned to Poland and in 1925 regained its charter.
During the occupation by Germany during World War II, the town was renamed Tonningen (1940-1945). In 1941, more than 1500 Kłodawan Jews were killed by the Nazis in the Chelmno extermination camp
. The Kłodawa parish priest, Father Teofil Choynowski, was killed in Dachau in 1943. Kłodawa was liberated on January 19, 1945 by the Red Army
,
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...
with 6,874 inhabitants (2004). It is situated in the Greater Poland Voivodship (since 1999), having previously been in Konin Voivodship (1975-1998).
Kłodawa lies on the Rgielewka (a tributary of the Warta River
Warta River
The Warta is a river in western-central Poland, a tributary of the Oder river. With a length of approximately it is the country's third longest river. The Warta has a basin area of 54,529 square kilometers...
). The town contains the largest operating salt mine in Poland, extracting halite
Halite
Halite , commonly known as rock salt, is the mineral form of sodium chloride . Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on the amount and type of impurities...
and salts of potassium and magnesium.
Kłodawa was settled in the 11th century by craftsmen building the Church of St. Giles. It gained municipal rights in 1430. Much of the town was destroyed in the wars of the 17th century and 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...
. It was once home to a vibrant Jewish community wiped out in the Holocaust. On the outskirts there is a cemetery from the Lusatian culture
Lusatian culture
The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age in most of today's Poland, parts of Czech Republic and Slovakia, parts of eastern Germany and parts of Ukraine...
.
History
Four thousand year old traces of settlements in the area of Kłodawa can be found in the nearby village of Słupeczka. Remains of the Lusatian culture, about 2500 years old, can be found in Old Kłodawa.The settlement gained municipal rights
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
on August 9, 1430 by the decree of King Władysław II Jagiełło
Jogaila
Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...
. The town was badly damaged in the 1650s by the invading Swedes during “The Deluge”. Despite outside assistance, reconstruction took a very long time. Kłodawa was ruled by Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
after the second partition of Poland in 1793. From 1806 until 1815, the town 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...
, and Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
afterwards. In 1867, Kłodawa lost its municipal charter. After 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...
it was returned to Poland and in 1925 regained its charter.
During the occupation by Germany during World War II, the town was renamed Tonningen (1940-1945). In 1941, more than 1500 Kłodawan Jews were killed by the Nazis in the Chelmno extermination camp
Chelmno extermination camp
Chełmno extermination camp, also known as the Kulmhof concentration camp, was a Nazi German extermination camp that was situated 50 kilometres from Łódź, near a small village called Chełmno nad Nerem . After annexation by Germany Kulmhof was included into Reichsgau Wartheland in 1939...
. The Kłodawa parish priest, Father Teofil Choynowski, was killed in Dachau in 1943. Kłodawa was liberated on January 19, 1945 by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
,
Notable residents
- Paweł Włodkowic of Brudzeń (c. 1370–1435)—medieval scholar and diplomat. Parish priest of the Church of St. Giles in Kłodawa, Retired here in 1424.
- Michał Rawita-Witanowski (1858–1943)—pharmacist, historian and ethnographer. Owned a pharmacy in Kłodawa. Wrote about the history of the region in several publications.
- Aaron Kozminski (1865–1919)—Jack the Ripper suspect
- Andrzej RucińskiAndrzej RucinskiAndrzej Ruciński is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 2366 votes in 37 Konin district, candidating from Samoobrona Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej list.-External links:...
(born 1958)—member of SejmSejmThe Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
Distance and driving time to regional cities
- Koło—20 km (10 mi)—about 20 minutes
- KoninKoninKonin is a city in central Poland.Konin may also refer to:*Emperor Kōnin , emperor of Japan who reigned 770–781**Kōnin , a Japanese era name for the years 810–824...
—50 km (30 mi)—about 45 minutes - Włocławek—50 km (30 mi)—about 45 minutes
- Łódź—65 km (40 mi)— about 1 hours
- ToruńTorunToruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
—110 km (70 mi)—about 1.5 hours - Bydgoszcz—150 km (95 mi)—about 2 hours
- PoznańPoznanPoznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
—150 km (95 mi)—about 2 hours - WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
—150 km (95 mi)—about 2 hours