Mogilno (; ) is a town in 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 populous ...

, situated in the

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 ...

(since 1999), previously in

Bydgoszcz Voivodeship Bydgoszcz Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Capital city: Bydgoszcz Area: Statistics (1 January 1992): Population ...

(1975–1998).

History

Mogilno is one of the oldest settlements along the border of the

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed ...

and

Kuyavia Kuyavia ( pl, Kujawy; german: Kujawien; la, Cuiavia), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three t ...

historical regions. Since the turn of the 8th and 9th century until the 10th century an early-medieval settlement existed there, at the long narrow headland surrounded by waters of Mogilno Lake from the west and south and marshes from the east. In 1065, a Benedictine abbey was founded there by Bolesław the Generous. North of the abbey a town later developed, which in 1398 was granted a

city charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally the granting of a charter ...

, and which was the abbey's property until 1773. After the first

Partition of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...

in 1772 the city became a part of 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''. Re ...

, and in 1920 it returned to Poland. Since 1898 until his death in 1910 a parish priest in Mogilno's other church St. Jacob (Św. Jakuba) was Piotr Wawrzyniak.

Massacre during Second World War

On 18 September 1939, during the

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 ...

, German forces incited by members of Mogilno German minority killed 40 Poles, one of whom was of Jewish descent. The victims were picked out by local Volksdeutsche with Polish citizenship for execution. The oldest victim was 75, the youngest 17.

Sights

*The former Benedictine abbey; church dates back to 11th century, rebuilt in 13th and 1st half of 16th centuries in late-Gothic style, and also later in 2nd half of 18th century in late-Baroque. Facade is from end of 18th century. The church still retained many Romanesque parts, as pillars, parts of walls in the nave, and particularly well preserved are apse and two crypts. The three-winged abbey with garth dates from the 14th century, and was rebuilt in the 18th. *Late-Gothic church of St. James dating back to ca. 1511 *Centre of the city with houses from 19th century *Cemetery with a monument to Piotr Wawrzyniak (and a second monument to him at park)

Culture, sport and tourism

The town is home to the Mogilno Film Academy as well as a cinema. The film '' Voodoo Dad'' was set and shot entirely in the town. There is a local museum dedicated to the local area, a local cultural institute, and several organisations dedicated to cultural activities and local venues. It is also a focal point of many tourist trails and nature walks, most notably the Piast Trail. The scenic location also attracts a number of tourists looking to relax in the nearby forests and lakes. The local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team is Pogoń Mogilno.

Twin Towns

Engelskirchen Engelskirchen (literally "angel’s churches") is a municipality in Oberbergischer Kreis, Germany in North Rhine-Westphalia, about east of Cologne. The neighbouring municipalities are (clockwise from the west) Overath, Lindlar, Gummersbach, Wie ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, since 2012

History

Massacre during Second World War

Sights

Culture, sport and tourism

Twin Towns

References

External links