Chełmża (german: Kulmsee, earlier ''Culmsee''), is a town in north-central

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, in the

Toruń County __NOTOC__ Toruń County ( pl, powiat toruński) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-central Poland. It was created on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local gover ...

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as Cuiavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship or simply Kujawsko-Pomorskie, or Kujawy-Pomerania Province ( pl, województwo kujawsko-pomorskie ) is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divide ...

. It is located at around . It is one of the historic centers of

Chełmno Land Chełmno land ( pl, ziemia chełmińska, or Kulmerland, Old Prussian: ''Kulma'', lt, Kulmo žemė) is a part of the historical region of Pomerelia, located in central-northern Poland. Chełmno land is named after the city of Chełmno (hist ...

Geography

The town Chełmża is placed at the lake named Jezioro Chełmżyńskie (area 2.71 km²), earlier the lake itself was named Culm''see'' and therefore eponym of the town, that earlier had the name Culmsee, too (see History).

Demographics

Number of inhabitants by year

History

The first signs of settlement date to 10,000 BC when

reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 sub ...

hunters made their visits to the area. Around 4500 BC the first agricultural settlements were founded. Goth tribes also moved through the area on their trek from

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

and

North Germany Northern Germany (german: link=no, Norddeutschland) is a linguistic, geographic, socio-cultural and historic region in the northern part of Germany which includes the coastal states of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Lower Saxony an ...

. Visible signs of existence of the

Old Prussians Old Prussians, Baltic Prussians or simply Prussians ( Old Prussian: ''prūsai''; german: Pruzzen or ''Prußen''; la, Pruteni; lv, prūši; lt, prūsai; pl, Prusowie; csb, Prësowié) were an indigenous tribe among the Baltic peoples that ...

also exist. Around the 7th century the Slavic Lechitic tribe of Goplans arrived in the area. In the time of first

Piasts The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branche ...

and the formation of Poland,

and the settlement of Łoza (now the town of Chełmża) was incorporated into Chełmno

castellany A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...

. After the death of

Bolesław III Wrymouth Bolesław III Wrymouth ( pl, Bolesław III Krzywousty; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between ...

in 1138 it was handed over to his son

Bolesław IV the Curly Bolesław IV the Curly (; 1122 – 5 January 1173), a member of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Masovia from 1138 and High Duke of Poland from 1146 until his death. Early life Bolesław was the third son of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Polan ...

– as part of

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centurie ...

within Piast-ruled Poland. The fights with nearby Old Prussian tribes resulted in several raids that destroyed the area. In the 13th century the ruler of the area was Konrad I who in order to Christianize the Old Prussians brought a missionary Bishop

Christian of Oliva Christian of Oliva ( pl, Christian z Oliwy), also Christian of Prussia (german: Christian von Preußen) (died 4 December(?) 1245) was the first missionary bishop of Prussia. The bishop was granted a number of possession including the settlement of Łoza. Later

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

were granted local lands to support the bishop by military means. However, in time the knights took over the possession of Christian's diocese, dividing the area into four dioceses in 1243, including the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Chełmno The Roman Catholic Diocese of Chełmno ( pl, Diecezja chełmińska; german: Bistum Kulm/Culm) was a Roman Catholic diocese in Chełmno Land, founded in 1243 and disbanded in 1992.Warmia Warmia ( pl, Warmia; Latin: ''Varmia'', ''Warmia''; ; Warmian: ''Warńija''; lt, Varmė; Old Prussian: ''Wārmi'') is both a historical and an ethnographic region in northern Poland, forming part of historical Prussia. Its historic capital ...

from 1245 to 1263. In 1251 (before July 22) Bishop Heidenreich bestowed city rights to Łoza and renamed it Culmsee (Kulmsee). Chelmza katedra 02

On July 22, the bishop also founded the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

which was built starting in 1254. Bishop Heidenreich received permissions for his undertakings directly from the pope. Later, in 1255 the four dioceses of Prussia, including the Bishopric of Culm were put under the jurisdiction of the

Archbishopric of Riga The Archbishopric of Riga ( la, Archiepiscopatus Rigensis, nds, Erzbisdom Riga) was an archbishopric in Medieval Livonia, a subject to the Holy See. It was established in 1186 as the bishopric of Livonia at Ikšķile, then after moving to Rig ...

as metropolitan. In the 1250s Jutta von Sangerhausen came to live in the region and settled at Bielczyny. In 1256 she founded the St. George church. It was her wish to be interred at the town's cathedral-church and upon her death in 1260 her wish was granted. The 5 May is her memorial day. The nearby village of Bielczyny and the cathedral soon became a destination for pilgrims to her shrine. The town witnessed many wars and uprisings. The nearby Old Prussians besieged the town in 1268 and 1273. Additionally in the 15th century the town experienced the wars between Teutonic Knights and

. In 1410 the Polish army took the town and the bishop of Chełmno Arnold Stapil made a tribute to Polish King

Władysław II Jagiełło Jogaila (; 1 June 1434), later Władysław II Jagiełło ()He is known under a number of names: lt, Jogaila Algirdaitis; pl, Władysław II Jagiełło; be, Jahajła (Ягайла). See also: Names and titles of Władysław II Jagiełło. ...

. In 1422 Chełmża was taken again by the forces of the king and destroyed in large part. In 1454, the town joined the anti-Teutonic

Prussian Confederation The Prussian Confederation (german: Preußischer Bund, pl, Związek Pruski) was an organization formed on 21 February 1440 at Kwidzyn (then officially ''Marienwerder'') by a group of 53 nobles and clergy and 19 cities in Prussia (region), Prussi ...

, upon the request of which Polish King

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (in full Casimir IV Andrew Jagiellon; pl, Kazimierz IV Andrzej Jagiellończyk ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447, until his death. He was one of the m ...

re-incorporated the region and town into Poland that same year, what was eventually confirmed following the Thirteen Years' War in 1466. Synods of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Chełmno The Roman Catholic Diocese of Chełmno ( pl, Diecezja chełmińska; german: Bistum Kulm/Culm) was a Roman Catholic diocese in Chełmno Land, founded in 1243 and disbanded in 1992.Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...

. After Riga's dissolution in 1566 the bishops of Chełmno attended the councils of the

Ecclesiastical province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of seve ...

of the metropolitan of Gniezno. This practice was recognised by the Holy See by the Bull ''De salute animarum'' in 1821, when the Diocese of Chełmno became de jure a suffragan of the

Archdiocese of Gniezno The Archdiocese of Gniezno ( la, Archidioecesis Gnesnensis, pl, Archidiecezja Gnieźnieńska) is the oldest Latin Catholic archdiocese in Poland, located in the city of Gniezno.Górzno Górzno (german: Gorzno, 1939-45: Görzberg) is a town in Brodnica County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provin ...

Krajna Krajna is a forested historical region in Poland, situated in the border area between the Greater Poland Voivodeship, Greater Poland, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Kuyavian-Pomeranian and Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomeranian Voivodeships of Pol ...

and

Działdowo Działdowo (german: Soldau) (Old Prussian: Saldawa) is a town in northern Poland with 20,935 inhabitants as of December 2021, the capital of Działdowo County. As part of Masuria, it is situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (since 1999), D ...

). In 1621 and 1627 the town hosted the court of Polish King

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa ( pl, Zygmunt III Waza, lt, Žygimantas Vaza; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden and Grand Duke of Finland from 1592 to ...

along with Prince Władysław. The Swedish invasions of Poland of 1626–29 and 1655–60 brought devastation to the town. In the beginning of the 18th-century Russian, Saxon, Swedish armies went through the area along with supporters of

Stanisław Leszczyński Stanisław I Leszczyński (; lt, Stanislovas Leščinskis; french: Stanislas Leszczynski; 20 October 1677 – 23 February 1766), also Anglicized and Latinized as Stanislaus I, was twice King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and at v ...

. The constant warfare led to the fall of the city, and its breaking point was reached due a

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pe ...

that happened in years 1708–1710. A next series of wars in 1733–1735 and in 1756–1763 along with fire in 1762 almost completely destroyed the city. After the First Partition of Poland on 15 September 1772 Chełmża was taken over by the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

. At that time it counted only 600 inhabitants. From 1807 to 1815 it was part of the Polish

Duchy of Warsaw The Duchy of Warsaw ( pl, Księstwo Warszawskie, french: Duché de Varsovie, german: Herzogtum Warschau), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during ...

only to be taken over by Prussia again after 1815 and

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

. The town's population in 1831 counted 1,200 people and in 1871 3,000. Its economic situation improved as it became an economic center for local villages benefited with good

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debri ...

. During the

Spring of Nations The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europea ...

in 1848 Polish patriotism reinvigorated. Circle of Polish League was established and Polish newspaper "Biedaczek" is being distributed in the years 1849–1850 by Julian Prejs. In 1866 "Towarzystwo Rolniczo-Przemysłowe" is created, an association dealing in industry and agriculture. In 1879 a regional

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...

is established in Chełmża. Two banks and school are established as well.

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, who made up 8% of local population, built in the 1880s a synagogue. The industrial development was increased and agricultural

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

plant and railway terminal were completed in 1882. The population rose as well from 3,400 in 1880, 8,987 in 1900, and 10,600 in 1910. In 1869 a local church

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

"Cecylia" was founded, which exists to this day. Around 1900, the town formed a

language island A language island (a calque of German ''Sprachinsel''; also language enclave, language pocket) is an enclave of a language that is surrounded by one or more different languages. The term was introduced in 1847. Peter Auer, Frans Hinskens, Paul Ker ...

of Swabian German. Chełmża - Cmentarz Nowy - panoramio (2)

The development of the town was stopped due to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The living conditions declined and street riots became widespread.

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in C ...

rose up against Germanisation and protests were made against forced teaching in schools in German language. In November 1918 Poland regained independence, and on 8 January 1919 local Poles attacked a Grenzschutz unit but were repelled. In revenge the Germans shelled the town by

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

, and seven civilians, including two boys aged 8 and 12, were killed. Additionally the Germans arrested several people upon suspicion of leading the protests. On 21 January as result of

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...

, Chełmża became part of Poland again. A part of the German population was deported (2000 people). The population now counted 98% Poles, 1.8% Germans, 0.2% Jews. The overall number of Chełmża citizens rose from 10,700 in 1921 to 13,000 in 1939. After the Great Depression in 1929 wages became lower and unemployment rose. National Democrats and at the second place socialists led by Stanisław Nehring became the main parties in Chełmża. "Gazeta Chełmżyńska" and "Głos Chełmżyński" were two papers distributed in the city. The mayor of the city was Bronisław Kurzętkowski from 1920 to 1933 and Wiktor Barwicki from 1933 till 1939. After the joint German-Soviet

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

, which started

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in September 1939, the town was occupied by Germany, which carried out a genocidal campaign against the local Polish and Jewish population. Chełmża was one of the sites of executions of Poles carried out by Germany in 1939 as part of the ''

Intelligenzaktion The ''Intelligenzaktion'' (), or the Intelligentsia mass shootings, was a series of mass murders which was committed against the Polish intelligentsia (teachers, priests, physicians, and other prominent members of Polish society) early in the ...

''. Many local Poles, especially teachers, were also massacred in the Barbarka forest in present-day

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

, also as part of the ''Intelligenzaktion''. The German state at the time considered Poles and Jews to be ''

untermensch ''Untermensch'' (, ; plural: ''Untermenschen'') is a Nazi term for non-Aryan "inferior people" who were often referred to as "the masses from the East", that is Jews, Roma, and Slavs (mainly ethnic Poles, Serbs, and later also Russians). The ...

en'' and planned their eradication as national groups. To escape this fate many local Poles took the III and IV group of Volksliste. In early 1945, in Chełmża, Polish forced labourers evacuated from Jajkowo were forcibly conscripted by the Germans to the

Organisation Todt Organisation Todt (OT; ) was a civil and military engineering organisation in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, named for its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi. The organisation was responsible for a huge range of engineering pr ...

, however, some managed to escape. As result of German extermination and repressions the population of the town declined to 10,000 in March 1945. In January 1945 the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

took Chełmża, thus ending the German occupation. Soviet repressions followed and 600 people of German descent were deported to

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

. The losses inflicted by German occupation regarding the population were gradually reversed and in 1980 Chełmża counted 15,000 inhabitants.

Sports

The most notable sports clubs of the town are football club and

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

club .

Famous residents

* (born 1934), Polish priest and biblical scholar * Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski (1913–1945), Polish priest and patron of Polish Scouts, died of typhus at Dachau concentration camp * (1895–1958), priest, professor, historian of Polish Catholic Church *

Michał Kwiatkowski Michał Kwiatkowski ( , born 2 June 1990) is a Polish professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Kwiatkowski is seen as a strong all rounder, with good sprinting, time-trialling and climbing abilities allowing him ...

(born 1990), Polish cyclist * Jutta of Kulmsee aka Jutta von Preussen, Saint Judith, Saint Judith of Prussia or Jutta von

Sangerhausen Sangerhausen () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, central Germany, capital of the district of Mansfeld-Südharz. It is situated southeast of the Harz, approx. east of Nordhausen, and west of Halle (Saale). About 26,000 people live in Sangerhausen ( ...

(1200–1260) * Julian Prejs (1820–1904), Polish teacher and journalist * Lothar Treuge (1877–1920), poet *

Kurt Vespermann Kurt Vespermann (1 May 1887 – 13 July 1957) was a German stage and film actor. Career Vespermann was born into an actor's family in Culmsee, West Prussia, Imperial Germany today Chełmża, Poland. Already his great-grandparents were ac ...

(1887–1957), actor *

Eberhard Thunert __NOTOC__ Eberhard Thunert (22 November 1899 – 4 May 1964) was a German general during World War II who commanded the 1st Panzer Division. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Awards and decorations * German Cross in Gol ...

(1899–1964), German general * Józef Wrycza (1884–1961), Polish independence fighter and Catholic priest

Gallery

Bazylika konkatedralna św. Trójcy w Chełmży.jpg, Holy Trinity Co-Cathedral in Chełmża Chełmża, Toruń county, St Nicholas church.jpg,

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Saint Nicholas Church, built 13th–14th century Chełmża, ratusz.jpg, Town hall Chełmża - Rynek - panoramio.jpg, ''Rynek'' ("Market Square") Chełmża - ulica Mikołaja Kopernika. - panoramio.jpg, ''Ulica Kopernika'' ("Copernicus Street") Chełmża - widok wieży ciśnień. - panoramio (4).jpg, Water tower

References

*Preussische Regesten, Ann.Thor.Chron.terre Pruss. Ss.r.Pr. III 59 468 *Urkundenbuch des Bisthums Culm, Latin: (Document record of Bishopric Culm/Kulm) ;Notes

External links

Urkundenbuch des Bisthums Culm
Latin text of Culmsee (Culmensi)
Online scan of Biedaczek, a polish newspaper published in 19th-century Chelmża
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelmza Cities and towns in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Toruń County Holocaust locations in Poland