Piła County, Greater Poland Voivodeship
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Piła (german: Schneidemühl) is a city in northwestern Poland and the capital of Piła County, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Its population as of 2021 was 71,846, making it the third-largest city in the voivodeship after Poznań and Kalisz and the largest city in the northern part of
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 ...
. The city is located on the Gwda river and is famous for its green areas, parks and dense forests nearby. It is an important road and railway hub, located at the intersection of two main lines: Poznań
Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...
and
Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
Krzyż Wielkopolski.


City name

''Piła'' is a Polish word meaning " saw". This was a typical name denoting a village of woodcutters belonging to a local noble. The German name ''Schneidemühl'' means " sawmill".


History


In the Kingdom of Poland


Overview

Piła traces its origins to an old fishing village, according to the website of the city. Following the German colonist movement of the 13th century, and particularly after the end of the First Mongol invasion of Poland of 1241, many German colonizers came to this densely wooded area of Poland. General immigration of German settlers diminished, however, when Poland, under King Casimir IV Jagiellon (1447–1492), finally defeated the Teutonic Order in 1466.


Early history

A Slavic settlement of woodcutters in the fishing village Piła may have existed before any of the later villages and surrounding towns of the area were established. Thus, in the 14th century Piła grew to some extent because of its position on the Gwda a mere from where it joins the river Notec. Yet, the settlement developed less than others that were on such major water routes as the rivers Warta or Vistula. Piła's simple layout of unpaved streets and primitive clay and timber houses gave little protection to its inhabitants and was still far from becoming a commercially interesting locale. If one were to credit a Privilegium (
charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
) of the early 1380s as evidence, a document associated with the building of a church in Piła and ascribed to the very young Polish Queen Jadwiga of Poland—a copied document that still existed in the archives of the town before 1834—then that period could well be regarded as the time when the village of Piła/Snydemole was elevated to the status of town. The recurring double naming Piła-Snydemole may be because two originally separate localities took their name from the water-powered sawmill that had been part of the town's raison d’être from the beginning. Documented references to Snydemole and Piła are reportedly found in parish church sources of 1449, where there is mention of a sawmill and of the name of the current wojewoda (governor) Paul. Evidence also exists of a letter from 1456 by the Brandenburg Friedrich II Hohenzollern who had bought the Neumark region from the Teutonic Order in 1455. The letter is addressed to bishop Andrzej of Poznań and to Łukasz Górka, the local
Starosta The starosta or starost (Cyrillic: ''старост/а'', Latin: ''capitaneus'', german: link=no, Starost, Hauptmann) is a term of Slavic origin denoting a community elder whose role was to administer the assets of a clan or family estates. Th ...
, the royal constable of Wielkopolska. The elector complained that in prevailing peace times some burghers of Snydemole and Piła were making raids on his lands. This accusation may tend to give additional credence to the earlier claim that Queen Jadwiga in the 1380s was indeed the founder of the town of Piła.


City rights

Until 1480 Piła was a town owned by the nobility, belonging to Maciej Opaliński who later presented his holdings to King Casimir IV Jagiellon, at which time Piła became a royal town. Administratively it was located in the Poznań County in the Poznań Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province of the Kingdom of Poland. It is known that ten years later the burghers of the town were accused and penalized for tax evasion that had been occurring over a period of five years. However, King
Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old ( pl, Zygmunt I Stary, lt, Žygimantas II Senasis; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the ...
—during whose reign immigration of numerous Jews from the Iberian peninsula,
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
and German states was encouraged—bestowed municipal rights upon the town of Piła on 4 March 1513, a landmark decision. This was an important achievement for Piła since it gave the burghers not only status, but also the rights to self-administration and its own judiciary. The administration of the town's affairs was now in the hands of three legislative bodies, elected from among the burghers. They were the council with the mayor, jury court and the elders of the guilds. Only the position of the Wójt remained in the hands of the crown or its deputy, the Starosta. The sovereign, however, remained the ultimate judge, warlord and owner of the land. Being free from the arbitrariness of a
Castellan 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 ...
or of Wojewoda (governor of the province)—Piła's town folk took advantage of the town's privileges by owning property, carrying on any trade and enjoying the right to hold much needed market fairs.


16th century

Economic circumstances or personal feuds may have been responsible for the frequent changes of ownership of the town, as Piła was ‘purchased’ in 1518 by Hieronymus von Bnin; the document outlining the deed and ownership during his lifetime was given to him by King Sigismund I in 1525. Following the demise of Bnin, the town became the property of the dynasty of the mighty Gorka family. This family, secretly leaning toward Protestantism and in power until the 17th century, included some of the wealthiest landowners and most influential nobles of Poland and was known to be benevolent to their town's folk. In 1548 Piła obtained a privilege that banned any foreign potter from the town's markets, and in 1561 a fishing privilege was obtained. Piła was part of the Poznań Voivodeship, the region divided into the four ''starostwa'' (land holdings) of Poznań, Kościan, Wschowa and Wałcz, the latter encompassing the Starosty Ujscie-Piła, the area between the rivers Gwda, Notec and Drage. ''Stara'' Piła, the old Piła, a town that never had walls, was slow to grow. By the middle of the 16th century, many German Protestant craftsmen and traders, driven out of
Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
by religious persecution during the Reformation, settled in numerous towns in the region. Some may have settled in Piła too, yet in 1563 the small town had no more than 750 inhabitants. They are known to have lived in 153 houses, primitively built, primarily with timber and clay, covered with straw and grouped mainly around the Old Market. When King
Stephen Báthory of Poland Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
confirmed two of the town's privileges on 3 September 1576, the burghers were granted the right to hold their weekly market on a Monday (instead of Thursday),''Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich'', Tom VIII, Warszawa, 1887, p. 152 (in Polish) an important feat. Over the following 150 years, numerous privileges and charters were re-issued by the Polish crown, mainly as a result of loss by fire. By 1591 a statute allowing apprenticeships in various trades was obtained. In 1593 King Sigismund III Vasa confirmed old privileges of Piła.


17th century: Queen Constance reshaping the town

When the widowed Sigismund III Vasa married princess
Constance Constance may refer to: Places *Konstanz, Germany, sometimes written as Constance in English *Constance Bay, Ottawa, Canada * Constance, Kentucky * Constance, Minnesota * Constance (Portugal) * Mount Constance, Washington State People * Consta ...
, an Austrian archduchess from the House of Habsburg, in 1605, he presented the town of Piła, together with the lands of the domain of Ujście, as a wedding gift to his new bride. She became responsible for changing Piła in several ways over the next few decades. Acting in concert with the tenets of the prevailing Catholic Counter Reformation, the queen first attended to what seemed closest to her heart. She saw to it that numerous Protestant churches in the region of Wałcz, the most German of areas where seventeen Protestant villages existed, be handed over to the Roman Catholic clergy, hounding many a German Protestant burgher in the process. After one of the town's frequent fires in 1619, the queen—in a benevolent gesture and as her ‘present’ to the burghers of Piła—appropriated funds from the large estate to have the old burnt-out wooden Catholic Church rebuilt. Alas, given the random, close proximity of houses to one another, town fires occurred with such regularity in numerous communities during that period that in 1626 another devastating fire broke out in Piła. This time the entire town was laid to ashes, including the newly built church. Constance subsequently charged her secretary Samuel Targowski on 15 July 1626 to survey what was left of the town. His proposal for a new layout was to be drastic for
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
burghers; to the developing Jewish community it was most consequential and of particular detriment. Constance also decided on a distinct segregation of Jews and Christians. The Jewish community was to resettle in a ghetto, what was to become a virtual town within a town. The new site, from thereon often referred to as ''Judenstadt'', the Jews’ town. To demarcate the newly created ghetto, the decree called for a sizable trench to be dug to surround the Jewish quarters where feasible; otherwise a tall wooden fence had to serve to close in the area completely. A new church arose in 1628. Unlike most other buildings in town, the choir room section of this edifice was to remain intact in its original form until 1945. New houses were constructed of brick and stone and the town was reconstructed in plain Renaissance style. Polish Kings confirmed old privileges of Piła again in 1633 and 1650, and granted new privileges in 1660, 1670 and 1688, which were then confirmed in 1716.''Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich'', Tom VIII, Warszawa, 1887, p. 152-153 (in Polish) On 24 July 1655, during the Deluge,
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
troops captured the predominantly Lutheran town and destroyed most of its buildings and infrastructure. During October 1656, a Polish troupe of Stefan Czarniecki's army sought retribution upon the largely German and Protestant burghers of Piła, accusing them of collusion with the Swedes. During the consecutive
Great Northern Great Northern may refer to: Transport * One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation). * Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway. * Great ...
and Seven Years' Wars similar havoc was visited upon the remaining inhabitants. To add to the plight, it was discovered that the plague had been carried in.


In the Kingdom of Prussia and the Duchy of Warsaw

With the signing of the definitive treaty to divide Poland between Prussia, Austria and Russia in 1772, the First Partition of Poland was accomplished. Piła became part of the Kingdom of Prussia and was officially renamed ''Schneidemühl''. After
Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...
signed the Ownership Protocol of his Polish lands on 13 September 1772, he created out of the northern parts of Greater Poland and Kuyavia the ''Département Westpreussen''. Part of that area was later also known as the ''
Netzedistrikt The Netze District or District of the Netze (german: link=no, Netzedistrikt or '; pl, Obwód Nadnotecki) was a territory in the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 until 1807. It included the urban centers of Bydgoszcz (''Bromberg''), Inowrocław (''Ino ...
'', a governmental administrative district consisting of a wide strip of land both sides of the river Noteć (Netze), stretching from it source north of Września (Wreschen) to the border of the Neumark. Frederick II initiated new German Protestant colonization in opposition to Polish Catholics. In the year 1781, another huge fire occurred, which devastated half the town. Although Prussian authorities had brought in chimney sweeps and regulations that spelled out fire emergency tasks, hardly anyone in the town was prepared for a major conflagration. 44 houses, 37 stables and 17 barns burned down. In 1793 Piła was recaptured for a short period by a Polish army led by Colonel Wyganowski. Following Prussia's disastrous defeat at the hands of
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
at the
battle of Jena A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
, and after signing the
Peace of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit were two agreements signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland. The first was signed on 7 July, between Napoleon and Russian Emperor Alexander, when t ...
of 7 July 1807, Prussia had to return nearly half of its recently acquired territory. The town's new Polish-Prussian border ran very close to it and together with the largest part of Poznań, it became part of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. In 1807, this semi-independent state was created out of parts of Prussia's Polish territories and was headed by Frederick August I, King of Saxony.


19th century: industrialization and railway hub

After the Congress of Vienna of 1815, Prussia regained the town once again. Under the Prussian administrative reforms of 1816–18, the town became part of the Kolmar District within the Bromberg Region of the Grand Duchy of Posen. On 1 January 1818 Kreis Kolmar was established, with its seat in Piła / Schneidemühl, which in 1821 was moved to Chodzież. The Polish language was restricted from offices and education and the city saw a significant influx of German settlers. By 1834 Schneidemühl had barely recovered from the worst outbreak of
cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
of 1831, an epidemic that affected the town's burghers to such an extent that a special Protestant cholera cemetery had to be laid out in the town's suburb Berliner Vorstadt. In the summer of 1834 the city was again struck by a fire that destroyed a large part of the city centre and the city archives. The city was rebuilt shortly afterwards. In 1851 the city was connected to Berlin and
Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
(Bromberg) by the Prussian Eastern Railway. An architectural artifact which remains from the railway development period is a historical roundhouse. The
Germanisation Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, German people, people and German culture, culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationa ...
policy of the Prussian and Imperial German government replaced its Polish identity with a German one. By the end of the 19th century the city had become one of the most important railway centers of the region and one of the biggest towns in the
Province of Posen The Province of Posen (german: Provinz Posen, pl, Prowincja Poznańska) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1848 to 1920. Posen was established in 1848 following the Greater Poland Uprising as a successor to the Grand Duchy of Posen, w ...
. It was turned into a Prussian military
garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...
town. Schneidemühl was revisited by a catastrophe, known as the ''Brunnenunglück'', or the ‘calamity of the well’ that made national headlines. The drilling of an artesian well in August 1892 went horribly wrong and led to unexpected widespread flooding of many of the streets laid out in 1834, causing numerous houses to simply collapse and leaving more than eighty families without shelter. The worst was that this disaster came only a few years on the heels of unexpected flooding caused by the spring thaw of March 1888 that had turned the Küddow into a raging river, when many people were forced to use rowboats to navigate the streets.


First World War and Imperial German military aviation technology

On 1 April 1914 Schneidemühl was disentangled from the Kolmar District and became an independent city (or urban district; Stadtkreis) within the Bromberg Region. In the months before the outbreak of World War I, in April 1914 the Albatros Flugzeugwerke established the so-called ''Ostdeutsche Albatros-Werke'' (East German Albatros Works, abbreviated "O.A.W.") in Schneidemühl for construction of military aircraft for the Fliegertruppe air service of the
German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
throughout the war — it later undertook license production of Fokker's famous Fokker D.VII fighter during the last year of World War I. During the First World War Schneidemuhl had a prisoner of war camp, initially taking mainly Russian prisoners but later including prisoners from most allied nations including Australia. A telling account of life in the town during that period survives in the form of the diary of Piete Kuhr, then a young girl whose grandmother worked at the Red Cross canteen at the railway station.


As a provincial capital within the Weimar Republic

After World War I, in 1918, Poland regained independence, and the Greater Poland Uprising broke out, which aim was to reintegrate the region with Poland. Local Poles were persecuted for their pro-Polish stance by the Germans, who also held Polish insurgents in the local prison. After the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, and after much protest by the German majority of its population, Schneidemühl was not included in the Polish Second Republic. After the Greater Poland Uprising, the new Polish-German border ran south of the city. On 21 July 1922 Schneidemühl became the administrative centre of the new Frontier March of Posen-West Prussia Province, a body of self-rule encompassing those three disconnected parts of the former Province of Posen and the westernmost parts of the Province of West Prussia, which were not ceded to Poland and of the Posen-West Prussian Schneidemühl Region, a body of central government supervision comprising the same provincial area. In 1925, with the sudden influx of the ''Optanten'', inhabitants of areas annexed by Poland who opted not to become Polish citizens and left for the reduced German Reich. Schneidemühl's population swelled by about 10,000 to 37,518, creating considerable publicity in Germany. In 1930 Schneidemühl replaced
Tütz Tuczno (german: Tütz, earlier ''Tietz'') is a town and former pre-diocesan Catholic see in Wałcz County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland, with 2,014 inhabitants (2004). It is the home of the restored Tuczno Castle, which is ...
as seat of the Catholic jurisdiction, which was promoted from Apostolic administration to
Territorial Prelature of Schneidemühl A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...
within the Eastern German Ecclesiastical Province. The city experienced a short period of growth followed by a period of decline in the early 1930s. High unemployment and the ineffectiveness of local administration led to rising support for the NSDAP.


Nazi rule and Second World War

With the onset of the Nazi period and the beginning of the Gestapo's harassment of political and racial undesirables, the climate for Schneidemühl's shrinking Jewish community (which had reached over 1,000 members during the mid-19th century) changed irreversibly — institutionalized
antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
had arrived in Schneidemühl. In March and September 1938, a ''Verwaltungsgliederung,'' or administrative reform, merged the three territorially unconnected parts of the Frontier March of Posen-West Prussia province into the respective neighbouring Prussian provinces of Brandenburg, Silesia and Pomerania — placing the bulk of former Posen-West Prussia with the districts of Deutsch Krone,
Flatow Flatow is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfred Flatow (1869–1942), German gymnast * Alisa Flatow (1974–1995), American student and terrorism victim * Curth Flatow (1920-2011), German dramatist and screenwriter * Evan F ...
, ''Netzekreis'', Schlochau and Schneidemühl into Pomerania. Schneidemühl remained the headquarters of the
government region A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts. Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...
, reduced by the districts ceded to Brandenburg and Silesia, but enlarged by four previously Brandenburgian and Pomeranian districts and renamed as Frontier March of Posen-West Prussia Region (Regierungsbezirk Grenzmark Posen-Westpreußen) for reasons of tradition, as of 1 October 1938. During the pogrom of 9/10 November 1938 the freestanding structure of Schneidemühl's 100-year-old
synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
became a prime target for the Nazis who set fire to it. In 1939, in the city and the region, the Germans carried out mass arrests of Polish activists, who then were imprisoned in a temporary camp in the city before deportation to Nazi concentration camps, some were even tortured. In October 1939, a German camp for Sinti and Romani people was established. The 300-year-old Jewish community of Schneidemühl was destroyed when on 21 March 1940, on the order of Gauleiter Schwede-Coburg, the last remaining Jews of Schneidemühl, together with more than 500 Jews of the surrounding area within an radius of Schneidemühl, were arrested and held prisoner in various locations in Schneidemühl. A large number of them were subsequently taken to the
forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...
camp Radinkendorf and the Glowno prisoner camp outside of Poznań and held there in detention under inhuman conditions. Over the following two years they were taken to various labour camps, hospices, hospitals in Pomerania, Bielefeld and Berlin. Those who had not committed suicide or had perished during that period were deported to concentration camps, the last in 1943. During World War II a camp for civil prisoners-of-war named "Albatros" was established. Poles expelled from
Gmina Dziemiany __NOTOC__ Gmina Dziemiany ( csb, Dzemiónë) is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Kościerzyna County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the village of Dziemiany, which lies approximately south-west of Kościerzyna ...
in Gdańsk Pomerania were used as forced labour in the local aviation industry. Also seven forced labour subcamps of the Stalag II-B prisoner-of-war camp and a forced labour camp, which was subordinate to the local prison, were operated in the city. The city became part of the ''
Pommernstellung The Pomeranian Wall, Pomeranian Line or Pomeranian Position (german: Die Pommernstellung, pl, Wał Pomorski) was a line of fortifications constructed by Nazi Germany in the Pomeranian Lakeland region. It was constructed in two phases. In the year ...
'' a line of fortifications. In 1945 the town was declared a '' Festung'' by Adolf Hitler. During the East Pomeranian offensive it was captured by the joint Polish and Red Army forces after two weeks of heavy fighting on 14 February 1945. 75% of the city were destroyed and almost 90% of the historic city centre were in ruins.


Post-war Poland

As a result of the border changes agreed at the Potsdam Conference in 1945, the city became again part of Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the Fall of Communism in the 1980s. The city's historic Polish name ''Piła'' was restored. The remaining local German population was expelled by Polish and Soviet troops from 1945 to 1948, while Polish expelees from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union and settlers from areas of central Poland, which were destroyed during the war, were resettled in the city. The historical city centre was only partially restored. In 1972 the Territorial Prelature of Piła was suppressed, its territory being reassigned to establish the Diocese of Koszalin–Kołobrzeg and
Diocese of Gorzów In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
. In August 1980, employees of local factories joined the nationwide anti-communist strikes, which led to the foundation of the
Solidarity ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...
organization, which played a central role in the end of communist rule in Poland. In 1975 Piła became the capital of the newly established Piła Voivodeship (province), which started a period of fast development of industry in the area as one of the most important cities of the region. It remained a voivodeship capital until the administrative reform of 1999. It is known for its green areas and parks, as well as for its speedway club
Polonia Piła Polonia Piła is a motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycl ...
.


Historical population


Geography


Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Cfb". (Marine West Coast Climate).


Economy


Major corporations

* Philips Lighting Poland, Piła * Quad/Graphics Europe, Piła (in the past known as
Winkowski sp. z o.o. Winkowski is a Polish surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Mary Ann Winkowski, American television personality *Thomas S. Winkowski (born 1954), American government official See also * Wilkowski *Witkowski Witkowski (Polish femin ...
)


Attractions

* Museum of Stanisław Staszic in his former house * 19th-century building of the former
arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
*
St. Stanislaus Kostka Stanisław Kostka S.J. (28 October 1550 – 15 August 1568) was a Polish novice of the Society of Jesus. He is venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Stanislaus Kostka (as distinct from his namesake, the 11th-century Bishop of Kraków S ...
's church, built in Neo-Gothic style * Holy Family's church, built in Neo-baroque style, formerly concathedral of the Prałatura Pilska * St. Anthony's Church with the biggest wooden figure of Jesus in Europe, tall (church built in 1930) * Two war cemeteries (prisoners from World War I and Polish and Soviet soldiers killed during the battle of ''Wał Pomorski'' (''
Pommerstellung The Pomeranian Wall, Pomeranian Line or Pomeranian Position (german: Die Pommernstellung, pl, Wał Pomorski) was a line of fortifications constructed by Nazi Germany in the Pomeranian Lakeland region. It was constructed in two phases. In the ye ...
'') during World War II); cemeteries are in uptown Piła, in Leszków.


Politics


Piła constituency

Members of Parliament ( Sejm) elected from Piła constituency: *
Adam Szejnfeld Adam Stanisław Szejnfeld (; born 13 November 1958) is a Polish politician. He was elected to the Sejm on 25 September 2005, getting 26,568 votes in 38 Piła district as a candidate from the Civic Platform list. Life and career In the 80's he was ...
Civic Platform *
Jakub Rutnicki Jakub Adam Rutnicki (born 3 December 1978 in Szamotuły) is a Polish politician. He was born in Szamotuły Szamotuły (german: Samter) is a town in western Poland, in Greater Poland Voivodeship, about northwest of the centre of Poznań. It is ...
Civic Platform *
Stanisław Chmielewski Stanisław Marcin Chmielewski (born 23 October 1958 in Złotów) is a Polish politician. He graduated law in 1981 at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. He was elected to Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the S ...
Civic Platform *
Piotr Waśko Piotr Roman Waśko (22 February 1961 – 29 January 2023) was a Polish politician. A member of the Civic Platform, he served in the Sejm from 2007 to 2011. Waśko died on 29 January 2023 at the age of 61. References 1961 births 2023 deat ...
Civic Platform *
Maks Kraczkowski Maks Kraczkowski (born 9 March 1979) is a Polish politician and businessman. Education He is a graduate of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw. He also earned an executive MBA diploma and attended a six-week advanced ...
Law and Justice Law and Justice ( pl, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość , PiS) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Poland. Its chairman is Jarosław Kaczyński. It was founded in 2001 by Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński as a direct su ...
* Tomasz Górski
Law and Justice Law and Justice ( pl, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość , PiS) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Poland. Its chairman is Jarosław Kaczyński. It was founded in 2001 by Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński as a direct su ...
*
Romuald Ajchler Romuald ( la, Romualdus; 951 – traditionally 19 June, c. 1025/27 AD) was the founder of the Camaldolese order and a major figure in the eleventh-century "Renaissance of eremitical asceticism".John Howe, "The Awesome Hermit: The Symbolic S ...
Left and Democrats *
Stanisław Stec Stanisław Stec (pronounced ; born 22 March 1941 in Jazowsko) is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej'') ...
Left and Democrats *
Stanisław Kalemba Stanisław Kalemba (born 25 October 1947), is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on 25 September 2005, getting 7,830 votes in 38 Piła district as a candidate from the Polish People's Party The Polish People's Party ( pl, Polskie Str ...
Polish People's Party Members of Polish Senate elected from Piła constituency: *
Mieczysław Augustyn Mieczysław () or Mečislovas (Lithuanian) is a Slavic name of Polish origin and consists of two parts: miecz "sword", and sław "glory, famous". Feminine form: Mieczysława. Alternate form: Mieszko. This name may refer to: People Mečislovas * ...
Civic Platform * Piotr GłowskiCivic Platform


Municipal politics

* The president of the Town of Piła: Piotr Głowski * Vicepresidents:
Krzysztof Szewc Krzysztof () is a Polish given name, equivalent to English ''Christopher''. The name became popular in the 15th century. Its diminutive forms include Krzyś, Krzysiek, and Krzysio; augmentative – Krzychu Individuals named Krzysztof may choose to ...
,
Beata Dudzińska Beata or Beate is a female given name that occurs in several cultures and languages, including Italian, German, Polish, and Swedish, and which is derived from the Latin ''beatus'', meaning "blessed".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Beate" Retriev ...
* Town council chairman:
Rafał Zdzierela Rafał is the Polish form of the male given name Raphael. Rafał (Polish pronunciation: ) may refer to: * Rafał Śliż (born 1983), Polish ski jumper *Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz (born 1964), Polish fiction author and journalist *Rafał Andraszak (b ...
* Town council vicechairmans: Paweł Jarczak,
Janusz Kubiak Janusz () is a masculine Polish given name. It is also the shortened form of January and Januarius. People * Janusz Akermann (born 1957), Polish painter *Janusz Bardach, Polish gulag survivor and physician *Janusz Bielański, Roman Catholic prie ...


Sports

*
Polonia Piła Polonia Piła is a motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycl ...
speedway team, 1999 Polish Champions *
PTPS Piła Pilskie Towarzystwo Piłki Siatkowej Piła or simply PTPS Piła, is a Polish women's volleyball club based in Piła and playing in the Orlen Liga. Previous names Due to sponsorship, the club have competed under the following names: * PTPS Prasa ...
– women's volleyball team playing in the TAURON Liga (Polish top division): Polish champions in 1998–1999, 1999–2000, 2000–2001, 2001–2002 seasons, 2nd place in 2005–2006, 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 seasons and 3rd place in 2004–2005 and 2008–2009 seasons. *
Joker Piła Joker(s) or The Joker(s) may refer to: * Joker (playing card) * Jester, a person employed to tell jokes and provide entertainment Fictional characters Print * Joker (character), a DC Comics character ** ''The Joker'' (comic book) ** ''Joker'' ...
– men's volleyball team playing in the lower leagues, which also played in the top division in the past (most recently in season 2005–06) *
Basket Piła A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehai ...
– men's basketball team playing in Polish Basketball 3rd League


Notable people

*
Wolfgang Altenburg Wolfgang Altenburg (24 June 1928 – 25 January 2023) was a German general. He served as Chief of Staff of the German armed forces, the Bundeswehr, from 1983 to 1986, and as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1986 to 1989. Biography ...
(born 1928), former Chief of Staff, Bundeswehr *
Dirk Galuba Dirk Galuba (born 28 August 1940 in Schneidemühl) is a German television actor. Selected filmography *1972: ''Tears of Blood'' *1976: '' Derrick'' - Season 3, Episode 5: "Schock" *1976: ' *1977: '' Derrick'' - Season 4, Episode 9: "Inkasso" *19 ...
(born 1940), German actor * Carl Friedrich Goerdeler (1884–1945), German politician and anti-Nazi *
Fritz Goerdeler Fritz Hermann Goerdeler (6 March 1886 – 1 March 1945) was a German jurist and resistance fighter. Goerdeler was born as the younger brother of Carl Friedrich Goerdeler in Schneidemühl (today Piła, Poland) and grew up in Marienwerder, wh ...
(1886–1945), German jurist and resistance fighter * Andrzej Gronowicz (born 1951), Polish athlete *
Jerzy Stanisław Janicki Jerzy Stanisław Janicki (born 4 May 1956 in Piła, Poland), Ph.D. in physical sciences, member of the scientific and educational staff of the Physics Institute at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (1980–1993). Education and scientific ac ...
(born 1956), physicist *
Maximilian Kaller Maximilian Kaller (10 October 1880 – 7 July 1947) was Roman Catholic Bishop of Ermland ( pl, Warmia) in East Prussia from 1930 to 1947. However, ''de facto'' expelled from mid-August 1945, he was a special bishop for the homeland-expellees unt ...
(1880–1947), first Roman Catholic church administrator of the town *
Hein Kötz Hein Kötz (born 14 November 1935) is a German jurist, former Director of the Max-Planck-Institute for foreign and international private law (MPI-PRIV), the Bucerius Law School and Vice President of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Biog ...
(born 1935), German jurist *
Erwin Kramer Erwin Kramer (22 August 1902 – 10 November 1979) was an East German politician who served as both Minister of Transportation and General Director of the Deutsche Reichsbahn. Kramer was born in Schneidemühl ( Province of Posen) (today Pi ...
(1902–1979), German politician * Ben Mendelsohn (born 1969), Australian actor whose ancestors lived in Piła * Jo Mihaly (born Elfriede Alice Kuhr) (1902–1989), German dancer and writer *
Daria Pająk Daria Pająk (born 11 January 1993) is a competitive bowler on the Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) Tour in the United States. Following early bowling success in Poland, Pająk moved to the United States in 2012, eventually going ...
(born 1993), Polish bowling player *
Karl Retzlaw Karl Retzlaw (10 February 1896 – 20 June 1979) was a German politician, representative of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party, Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany and Communist Party of Germany. Retz ...
(1896–1979), German politician *
Eberhard Schenk Eberhard Schenk (17 July 1929 – 23 July 2010) was a German Track and field athletics, Track and field athlete. Schenk was born in Schneidemühl (Posen-West Prussia) (today Piła, Poland) and became a successful East Germany, East German athlete ...
(born 1929), German athlete * Bernard Schultze (1915–2005), German painter * Kasia Smutniak (born 1979), Polish actress * Stanisław Staszic (1755–1826), philosopher, leading figure in Polish Enlightenment. *
Wolfgang Thonke Wolfgang Thonke (December 28, 1938 – January 22, 2019), was a journalist, graduated military scientist, major general, and was the last Deputy Commanding General ( A3) of the National People's Army Air Force in the former German Democratic ...
(1938–2019), East German general *
Johanna Töpfer Johanna Töpfer (née Schrocko; 3 April 1929 – 7 January 1990), was an East German politician and Deputy Director of the FDGB. Biography Töpfer was born in Schneidemühl (Posen-West Prussia; today Piła, Poland) and started to work as a ...
(1929–1990), German politician


International relations


Twin towns — Sister cities

Piła is
twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...
with: *
Châtellerault Châtellerault (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Châteulrô/Chateleràud''; oc, Chastelairaud) is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located in the northeast of the former province Poitou, and the re ...
, France * Schwerin, Germany


Former twin towns

* Kronstadt, Russia On 1 March 2022, Piła suspended its partnership with the Russian city of Kronsdadt as a reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.


References


External links


Internet portal of Piła

Our city - Piła

Forum Dyskusyjne Pilskiej Społeczności Internetowej

Historical information about Piła

Życie Piły - daily news from Piła


{{DEFAULTSORT:Pila Cities and towns in Greater Poland Voivodeship Piła County 1380 establishments in Europe Populated places established in the 1380s Holocaust locations in Poland 14th-century establishments in Poland