‎
Gmina Dobrcz is a rural gmina

Gmina

The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...

 (administrative district) in Bydgoszcz County

Bydgoszcz County

Bydgoszcz County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-central Poland. It was created on 1 January 1999 as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the city of Bydgoszcz, although...

, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

-Transportation:Transportation infrastructure is of critical importance to the voivodeship's economy. Kuyavia-Pomerania is a major node point in the Polish transportation system. Railway lines from the South and East pass through Bydgoszcz in order to reach the major ports on the Baltic Sea...

, in north-central Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. Its seat is the village of Dobrcz

Dobrcz

Dobrcz is a village in Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Dobrcz. It lies north-east of Bydgoszcz.-References:...

, which lies approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) north-east of Bydgoszcz.

The gmina covers an area of 130.41 square kilometres (50.4 sq mi), and as of 2006 its total population is 9,215. It contains 21 sołectwos. The area is mainly agricultural, although the gmina also has about 1,000 hectares of forest.

History

The first records of Dobrcz date from 1213 when the bishop of Kraków

Kraków

Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...

, Iwan Odrowąż, handed over his family estate to the Cistersian monastery in Sulejów. Later on, Dobrcz became the property of the Cistersian order in Byszewo. The area of the commune and the vicinity of Strzelce Dolne can be associated with the Dutch settlement of the mid-16th century. It contributed to the development of technical knowledge with respect to melioration and recovery of wet cropland.

During the Prussian annexation, Dobrcz and its vicinity became the place where the policy of Germanisation was implemented. Due to this fact, the most affluent regions in Włóki and Borówno passed to Germans. After Poland regained its independence, Dobrcz was incorporated into the rural commune Bydgoszcz II in 1928 and in 1933 Dobrcz commune was established. The remnants of Hitler's occupation and terror are places sanctified with Polish blood such as the cemetery in Borówno, where approximately one thousand victims are buried. The monument of Heroes, erected in Włóki in 1947, is a tribute to Polish soldiers killed in 1939 and buried here in a collective grave.

Historic buildings

Gmina Dobrcz has several historic buildings:

• The Church of St. Wawrzyniec, built in the mid 19th century and rebuilt after the fire at the end of the 19th century.
• In Włóki, St. Mary Magdalen's Church, built of wood towards the end of the 17th century.
• Mansion in Gąecz from the mid 19th century with a horse-chestnut avenue presently housing the State House of Social Welfare for Adults.
• Mansion in Trzęsacz with a landscape park, picturesque view on a steep slope descending towards the Vistula.
• Manor in Kotomierz built after 1850 with a new wing annexed towards the end of the 19th century, situated in a park next to farm buildings.
• 19th-century mansion complex with a brick mansion building in Strzelce Górne, now housing a primary school.

Natural amenities

The picturesque roads leading through the area of commune include the road from Bydgoszcz to Świecie, the road between Kotomierz and Sienno with over 270 trees including 260 oaks, the road near Strzelce Dolne with a beautiful view over the extensive preglacial valley of the Vistula

Vistula

The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....

.

The Borówno Lake is a popular local attraction, with an easily accessible season camp in the summer. There are also many recreational garden plots in Nekla.

Two tourist routes lead through the Lower Vistula valley (52 km), via Strzelce Górne, Gądecz, Chełmszczonka, Trzęsacz, Zła Wieś and Kozielec. The other is the route of along the Koronowo

Koronowo

Koronowo is a town on the Brda River in Poland, located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, 25 km from Bydgoszcz, with 10,818 inhabitants . It is located at N 53°19 - E 17°56...

 lakes.

Villages

Gmina DObrcz contains the villages and settlements of Aleksandrowiec

Aleksandrowiec, Gmina Dobrcz

Aleksandrowiec is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies north-west of Dobrcz and north of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 94....

, Aleksandrowo

Aleksandrowo, Bydgoszcz County

Aleksandrowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies south of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 50....

, Augustowo

Augustowo, Bydgoszcz County

Augustowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies south-west of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 190....

, Borówno

Borówno, Bydgoszcz County

Borówno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approximately south of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.-References:...

, Chełmszczonka, Dobrcz

Dobrcz

Dobrcz is a village in Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Dobrcz. It lies north-east of Bydgoszcz.-References:...

, Gądecz

Gadecz

Gądecz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland.-References:...

, Hutna Wieś

Hutna Wies

Hutna Wieś is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies south-east of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 30....

, Karczemka

Karczemka, Bydgoszcz County

Karczemka is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies west of Dobrcz and north of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 70.-References:...

, Karolewo

Karolewo, Bydgoszcz County

Karolewo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies north-west of Dobrcz and north of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 130.-References:...

, Kotomierz

Kotomierz

Kotomierz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies north-west of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 920....

, Kozielec

Kozielec, Bydgoszcz County

Kozielec is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland.-References:...

, Kusowo

Kusowo, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Kusowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies south of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 541.-References:...

, Linówiec

Linówiec

Linówiec is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland.-References:...

, Magdalenka

Magdalenka, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Magdalenka is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland.-References:...

, Marcelewo

Marcelewo

Marcelewo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies west of Dobrcz and north of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 60.-References:...

, Nekla

Nekla, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Nekla is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies south-west of Dobrcz and north of Bydgoszcz.-References:...

, Pauliny

Pauliny

Pauliny is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies south-west of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 200....

, Pyszczyn

Pyszczyn, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Pyszczyn is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies west of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 160.-References:...

, Sienno

Sienno, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Sienno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approximately north of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.-References:...

, Stronno

Stronno

Stronno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies west of Dobrcz and north of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 850.-References:...

, Strzelce Dolne

Strzelce Dolne

Strzelce Dolne is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies south of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.-References:...

, Strzelce Górne

Strzelce Górne

Strzelce Górne is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies south of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.-References:...

, Suponin

Suponin

Suponin is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland.-References:...

, Trzebień

Trzebien, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Trzebień is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland.-References:...

, Trzeciewiec

Trzeciewiec

Trzeciewiec is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies east of Dobrcz and north-east of Bydgoszcz.The village has a population of 520....

, Trzęsacz

Trzesacz, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Trzęsacz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland.-References:...

, Włóki, Wudzyn

Wudzyn

Wudzyn is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies north-west of Dobrcz and north of Bydgoszcz.-References:...

, Wudzynek

Wudzynek

Wudzynek is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies north of Dobrcz and north of Bydgoszcz.-References:...

, Zalesie

Zalesie, Bydgoszcz County

Zalesie is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrcz, within Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies approximately west of Dobrcz and north of Bydgoszcz.-References:...

 and Zła Wieś.

Neighbouring gminas

Gmina Dobrcz is bordered by the city of Bydgoszcz and by the gminas of Dąbrowa Chełmińska, Koronowo

Gmina Koronowo

Gmina Koronowo is an urban-rural gmina in Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. Its seat is the town of Koronowo, which lies approximately north of Bydgoszcz....

, Osielsko

Gmina Osielsko

Gmina Osielsko is a rural gmina in Bydgoszcz County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. Its seat is the village of Osielsko, which lies approximately north-east of Bydgoszcz....

 and Pruszcz

Gmina Pruszcz

Gmina Pruszcz is a rural gmina in Świecie County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. Its seat is the village of Pruszcz, which lies approximately south-west of Świecie and north-east of Bydgoszcz....

.