Kórnik
Encyclopedia
Kórnik ' is a town with about 6,800 inhabitants (2006), located in western Poland
, approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) south-east of the city of Poznań
. It is one of the major tourist attractions of the Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) region.
Until 1961 there were two separate towns, Kórnik and Bnin
, both founded in the Middle Ages (Bnin gained town rights in 1395, and Kórnik in 1426), situated just 1 kilometre apart. Bnin lost its town rights in 1934, and in 1961 it became part of Kórnik. The enlarged town also includes the former settlement of Prowent, birthplace of Wisława Szymborska.
The town's notable sites include:
In German
the town was traditionally called Kurnik; during the Nazi occupation of 1939–1945 it was renamed Burgstadt. On 20 October 1939 a mass execution of 15 local residents was carried out, part of Operation Tannenberg
.
Kórnik is twinned with the German town of Königstein im Taunus
.
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...
, approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) south-east of the city of Poznań
Poznan
Poznań 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...
. It is one of the major tourist attractions of the Wielkopolska (Greater Poland) region.
Until 1961 there were two separate towns, Kórnik and Bnin
Bnin (Kórnik)
Bnin is part of the town of Kórnik, south-west of the city of Poznań, in Greater Poland Voivodeship in western Poland. From 1395 to 1934 Bnin was a town in its own right. It became part of Kórnik in 1961....
, both founded in the Middle Ages (Bnin gained town rights in 1395, and Kórnik in 1426), situated just 1 kilometre apart. Bnin lost its town rights in 1934, and in 1961 it became part of Kórnik. The enlarged town also includes the former settlement of Prowent, birthplace of Wisława Szymborska.
The town's notable sites include:
- Kórnik CastleKórnik CastleKórnik Castle was constructed in the 14th century. The current neogothic design is the work of Tytus Działyński. Remodeling and renovation work on the castle was also done by his son Jan Kanty Działyński. After Jan's death, his brother-in-law Count Władysław Zamoyski received the castle in Jan's...
, built in the 14th century, but rebuilt in the 18th century in neogothic style by the Działyński family. - Town halls of both Kórnik and Bnin. That of Kornik was built in 1907 as a neo-BaroqueBaroqueThe Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
city hall; Bnin's is a piece of original 18th-century late Baroque architecture. - Kórnik LibraryKórnik LibraryKórnik Library is one of the most famous Polish libraries, founded by Tytus Działyński in 1828 at Kórnik. Currently the library, despite being robbed by the Germans during World War II, is one of the five largest libraries in Poland and contains roughly 400,000 volumes, including 30,000 books...
(Bibliotheca Cornicensis), one of the most famous Polish libraries, founded by Tytus Działyński in 1828. Currently the library, despite being looted by the German Nazis during World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
, is one of the five largest libraries in Poland and contains roughly 400,000 volumes, including 30,000 books more than 150 years old, and 14,000 manuscripts. Since 1953 it has been a part of the National Library of PolandNational Library of PolandThe National Library of Poland is the central Polish library, subject directly to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland....
.
In German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
the town was traditionally called Kurnik; during the Nazi occupation of 1939–1945 it was renamed Burgstadt. On 20 October 1939 a mass execution of 15 local residents was carried out, part of Operation Tannenberg
Operation Tannenberg
Operation Tannenberg was the codename for one of the extermination actions directed at the Polish people during World War II, part of the Generalplan Ost...
.
Kórnik is twinned with the German town of Königstein im Taunus
Königstein im Taunus
Königstein im Taunus is a climatic spa and lies on the thickly wooded slopes of the Taunus in Hesse, Germany. Owing to its advantageous location for both scenery and transport on the edge of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region, Königstein is a favourite residential town...
.
Distinguished residents
- Edmund ZalinskiEdmund ZalinskiEdmund Louis Gray Zalinski, was a Polish-born American soldier, military engineer and inventor. He is best known for the development of the pneumatic dynamite torpedo-gun.-Early life and military service:...
, American military engineer and inventor, born in Kórnik in 1849 - Wisława Szymborska, Nobel prize-winning poet, born in Prowent in 1923