Kreis Schlochau (''Landkreis Schlochau'' as of 1939) was a '' Kreis'', or district, of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

from 1818-1945. Its capital was Schlochau (Człuchów). By 1 January 1945, the district included five towns: Baldenburg (Biały Bór), Hammerstein (Czarne), Landeck (Lędyczek), Preußisch Friedland (Debrzno) and Schlochau (Człuchów). The district also included 72 communities and a forest region.

History

The Schlochau district was created as a district within the Marienwerder Region on 1 April 1818, as a result of administrative reforms in 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 ...

after the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. The Marienwerder Region formed part of

West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (german: Provinz Westpreußen; csb, Zôpadné Prësë; pl, Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and 1878 to 1920. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 177 ...

between 1815 and 1829 and again from 1878 to 1920, between the two periods the region, and thus Schlochau district, formed part of the

Province of Prussia The Province of Prussia (; ; pl, Prowincja Prusy; csb, Prowincjô Prësë) was a province of Prussia from 1829 to 1878. Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1829 from the provinces of East Prussia and West Prussia ...

. The district encompassed most of the rural environs around Schlochau, where the district president had his office. Following the dissolution of West Prussia after

World War I 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 ...

and the

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 ...

, the Schlochau district became part of Schneidemühl Region in the newly established Frontier March of Posen-West Prussia province. The northeastern part of the district was transferred to the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...

. When Posen-West Prussia was dissolved on 1 October 1938, the Schlochau district was transferred to Province of Pomerania and formed part of its new Frontier March of Posen-West Prussia region, which was actually the Schneidemühl Region enlarged by four previously Brandenburgian and Pomeranian districts and renamed as ''Posen-West Prussia Region'' for reasons of tradition. On 1 January 1939, the district was renamed from Kreis Schlochau to Landkreis Schlochau, in the course of uniforming the administrative terminology in all the states of Germany. The Schlochau district was conquered by the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

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, after ...

in 1945 during

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 opposin ...

. It was subsequently dissolved after being placed under Polish administration according to the post-war

Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement (german: Potsdamer Abkommen) was the agreement between three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union on 1 August 1945. A product of the Potsdam Conference, it concerned th ...

Demographics

The district had a majority German population, with a significant Kashubian minority.

Municipalities

At the end of its existence in 1945, the district of Schlochau comprised five towns and 71 other municipalities:

References

External links

Heimatkreis Schlochau
{{Authority control States and territories disestablished in 1945 S Province of Pomerania (1815–1945) States and territories established in 1818 1818 establishments in Prussia