Mrocza (Polish pronunciation: ; german: Mrotschen, 1939-1942: ''Schönhausen'', 1942-1945: ''Immenheim'') is a town in Nakło County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland, with 4,181 inhabitants (2004). It is located in the ethnocultural region of Krajna.

History

Mrocza was granted town rights by Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło in 1393. It was a private town, administratively located in the Nakło County in the

Kalisz Voivodeship Kalisz Voivodeship may also refer to: *Kalisz Voivodeship (1314–1793) *Kalisz Voivodeship (1816–1837) The Kalisz Voivodeship was a voivodeship of the Congress Poland, that existed from 1816 to 1837. Its capital was Kalisz. It was established o ...

in the Greater Poland Province of the Polish Crown. Following the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, the town was invaded and then occupied by Germany. In October–November 1939, as part of the '' Intelligenzaktion'', the German

gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

and '' Selbstschutz'' carried out mass arrests of local

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 Ce ...

, including the town's mayor. Arrested Poles were then murdered by the Germans in large massacres, including in nearby

Paterek Paterek (german: Steinburg) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Nakło nad Notecią, within Nakło County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Nakło nad Notecią and wes ...

. Two Poles from Mrocza were also murdered by the Russians in the large Katyn massacre in April–May 1940. The Germans also carried out expulsions of Poles, and in 1942, they renamed the town ''Immenheim'' to erase traces of Polish origin, however the historic name was restored after the German occupation ended in 1945.

Sports

Tarpan Mrocza sports club is based in the town, with

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 ...

, weightlifting and duplicate bridge sections. It is the former club of Adrian Zieliński, 2012 Olympic champion in weightlifting.

References

Cities and towns in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Nakło County {{Nakło-geo-stub