Września (german: Wreschen) is a town in west-central

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

with 28,600 inhabitants (1995). It is situated in the

Września County Września County ( pl, powiat wrzesiński) is a unit of territorial administration and local government ( powiat) in Greater Poland Voivodeship, west-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local governm ...

Greater Poland Voivodeship Greater Poland Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo wielkopolskie; ), also known as Wielkopolska Voivodeship, Wielkopolska Province, or Greater Poland Province, is a voivodeship, or province A province is almost always an administrative division ...

(since 1999), previously in Poznań Voivodeship (1975–1998), on the

Wrześnica River The Wrześnica is a 49-kilometer (30.4 mi)-long, right (or northern) tributary of the Warta in Poland. Its river basis covers an area of 355 km². It has its source near Piekary, a suburb of Gniezno. It meets the Warta near the village o ...

History

Września was first mentioned in 1256 in a document issued in

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...

. Early sources speak of Wressna (1317) or Wresna (1364). Września was granted

town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

before 1357. It was a private town, owned by various Polish nobles families, administratively located in the Kalisz Voivodeship of the Greater Poland Province of the Polish Crown. The coat of arms of Września is the Poraj coat of arms of the Poraj family, the first owners of the town. Annual fairs and weekly markets took place in the town. The town was burned down 1664 (other sources speak of 1656) in the war against Sweden. The majority of inhabitants were Poles, but since mid-17th century there have also been German settlers. The town was annexed by the

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

in 1793, following the

Second Partition of Poland The 1793 Second Partition of Poland was the second of three partitions (or partial annexations) that ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The second partition occurred in the aftermath of the Polish–Russian ...

. In 1807 it became part of the Duchy of Warsaw, but fell back to Prussia in 1815. To resist Germanisation policies local Poles founded numerous organizations, and also took part in the Greater Poland uprising (1848) and

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

(1863). On May 2, 1848, the Polish insurgents fought a victorious battle against the Prussians in the nearby village of Sokołowo, just north of Września. In 1875 Września gained a railway connection with

Gniezno Gniezno (; german: Gnesen; la, Gnesna) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. One of the Piast dynasty's chief cities, ...

and

Wrocław Wrocław (; , . german: Breslau, , also known by other names) is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, roughly ...

, and in 1882 also with Poznań. Wrzesnia

Września is known in Poland for a school strike by Polish children in May 1901 in response to the intensification of Germanization (i.e. prohibition of the

Polish language Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In add ...

at school). The Polish language had long been tolerated in the schools, so the introduction of German as mandatory language led to protests. The controversy led to drawn-out protests between parents and authorities. For refusing to speak German, Polish children were severely beaten by Prussian teachers for several hours. Parents who tried to break into the school and protect their children from Prussian teachers were punished later by a Prussian court stating that their actions were "atrocious acts against the state". The strike spread to neighboring cities and eventually ended in 1904. In 1905 the town was inhabited by about 7000 people of which 65.4% were Poles, 28.9% Germans and 5.5% Jews. In the surrounding county, Poles comprised 85.6% of the population. The hundred-year-long Prussian rule came to an end with the outbreak of the Wielkopolska Uprising in 1918, shortly after Poland regained independence, and in 1920, the town officially once again became part of

. About 800 local Poles formed the Września Volunteer Legion (''Legia Ochotnicza Wrzesińska'') under the command of Stanisław Mycielski to fight against the Soviet invasion. It was around this time that construction of the district office building was completed. The 68th Infantry Regiment was stationed in Września in the interbellum. Pomnik 68 Pułku Piechoty we Wrześni

With 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 af ...

and the outbreak of the

Second World War 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the German

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previou ...

occupied the city on September 10, 1939. It was incorporated into Reichsgau Wartheland as a part of the district or county (''kreis'') of Wreschen. The Germans carried out mass arrests of local Poles, who were afterwards imprisoned in the local prison, and soon murdered in large massacres in nearby forests in October and November 1939 (see also: ''

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 ...

''). Poles were also subjected to mass expulsions, however the Polish resistance movement remained active throughout the war. The synagogue was destroyed in 1940 and a camp for French prisoners of war operated in the area. Additionally, from April 1941 to 1943 a forced labor camp for Jews operated in the vicinity of the town. Following the arrival of the

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

and the end of the war the town was made part of the

People's Republic of Poland The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...

. In Września there is an antique coach house at the Kosciuszko Street. In 1979, the Maria Konopnicka Monument designed by Mieczysław Welter was unveiled to pay tribute to poet and writer

Maria Konopnicka Maria Konopnicka (; ; 23 May 1842 – 8 October 1910) was a Polish poet, novelist, children's writer, translator, journalist, critic, and activist for women's rights and for Polish independence. She used pseudonyms, including ''Jan Sawa''. Sh ...

for her support of the Września schoolchildren during the Września school strike (1901-1904).

Jewish community

Among the members of the community special mention may be made of

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

Ẓebi Hirsch, and his father Rabbi

Aaron Mirels According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

, and the Bible commentator Rabbi

Meïr Löb Malbim Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser (March 7, 1809 – September 18, 1879), better known as the Malbim ( he, מלבי"ם), was a rabbi, master of Hebrew grammar, and Bible commentator. The name ''Malbim'' was derived from the Hebrew initial ...

. Ẓebi Mirels, was the author of the "'' Mispar Ẓeba'am''", and presented a

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

to General Möllendorf when the latter was sent by king

Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II (german: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inherita ...

to receive the allegiance of the new province of

southern Prussia South Prussia (german: Südpreußen; pl, Prusy Południowe) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1793 to 1807. History South Prussia was created out of territory annexed in the Second Partition of Poland and in 1793 included: *the Poz ...

. Rabbi Aaron Mirels, the author of the "''

Bet Aharon Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los An ...

''", is buried in the cemetery at Jelenia Góra in

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spli ...

. In Września, Malbim wrote his first work, the collection of

annotation An annotation is extra information associated with a particular point in a document or other piece of information. It can be a note that includes a comment or explanation. Annotations are sometimes presented in the margin of book pages. For anno ...

s on the first chapters of the

Shulḥan 'Aruk The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in Is ...

, Oraḥ Ḥayyim, which laid the foundation of his renown as a scholar. The musical director,

Louis Lewandowski Louis Lewandowski (April 3, 1821 – February 4, 1894) was a Polish-Jewish and German-Jewish composer of synagogal music. He contributed greatly to the liturgy of the Synagogue Service. His most famous works were composed during his tenure as ...

was also born in Września on April 3, 1821.

Sights and monuments

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 ...

Church of the Assumption of Mary * Holy Cross Church * Town Hall * ''Rynek'' (Market Square) filled with colourful historic townhouses * Park im. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego * Monument to Września Children * Poniński Palace with the Children of Września Park * Maria Konopnicka Monument * World War II memorials, including the Katyń massacre memorial, 68th Infantry Regiment Monument, and the Monument to the scouts of Września killed during the war * Graves of Polish insurgents of

1848 1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...

and 1918–1919 at the local cemetery * Wrzesińskie Lake * Holy Spirit church * District office building * Courthouse

Education

* Wyższa Szkoła Handlu i Rachunkowości w Poznaniu, Wydział Zamiejscowy we Wrześni

Transport

The

Września railway station Września railway station (German: ''Wreschen'') is a railway station serving the town of Września, in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland. The station is located on the Warsaw–Kunowice railway and Oleśnica–Chojnice railway. The train ...

is located in the town, and there are also two defunct narrow-gauge railway stations, Września Miasto and .

Cuisine

Września is one of the production sites of the Greater Poland liliput cheese (''ser liliput wielkopolski''), a traditional regional Polish

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During product ...

, protected as a traditional food by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland.

Sports

Notable people

* Friedrich-Wilhelm Bock (1897–1978), general *

Zygmunt Gorgolewski Zygmunt Gorgolewski (14 February 1845 in Solec – 6 July 1903 in Lviv) was a Polish architect, renowned for his construction of the Grand Theatre in Lviv. Jakub Lewiński. ''Między tradycją, a nowoczesnością; Architektura Lwowa lat ...

(1845–1903), architect *

Łukasz Koszarek Łukasz Koszarek (born 12 January 1984) is a Polish professional basketball player for Legia Warszawa of the Polish Basketball League. He is a point guard. Professional career Koszarek has spent most of his career in the Polish Basketball Lea ...

(born 1984), basketball player *

Jarosław Kukulski Jarosław Kazimierz Kukulski (25 May 1944 – 13 September 2010) was a Polish composer. He was the husband of late singer Anna Jantar and the father of singer Natalia Kukulska. Early life Kukulski was born on May 25, 1944, in Września to Maria ...

(1944–2010), composer *

(1821–1894), musician * Malbim (1809–1879), rabbi and Bible commentator

References

* Marian Torzewski (red.): ''Września. Historia miasta.'' Muzeum Regionalne im. Dzieci Wrzesińskich we Wrześni, Września, 2006, *

External links

Września

Poland-wide competition for school children, dedicated to the one-hundredth anniversary of the school strike in Września
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrzesnia Cities and towns in Greater Poland Voivodeship Poznań Voivodeship (1921–1939) Holocaust locations in Poland