Zlotów
Encyclopedia
Złotów ' is a town in northern Wielkopolska in Poland
with a population of 18,303 inhabitants (2011). It is today part of Wielkopolska Province (Greater Poland Voivodeship
), but was previously in Piła Voivodeship (1975–1998). Since 1999 Złotów has been the seat of Złotów County.
The town is located on the river Głomia and is surrounded by five lakes. A railway line connects it to Piła and Chojnice
, with buses operating locally. It has three parish churches, one of them being located in an old Lutheran church built in 1831.
Today the town has been extensively expanded with many blocks of flats to meet the rising population. Unemployment is high, even though some of the inhabitants use family ties to migrate regularly to Germany
and the Netherlands
as seasonal workers. The local Metaplast windows fitting factory is the biggest industrial employer.
The Euro Eco Meeting is organized regularly there each July.
Neighbouring villages include: Święta (Schwente), Blękwit
(Blankwitt), Nowy Dwór (Neuhof), Kujan
, Górzna
(Gursen), Zakrzewo (Buschdorf), Stara Wiśniewka
(Lugetal), Skic
(Skietz), and Sławianowo (Steinmark).
. Human activity in the region goes as far back as the 8th century BC. Around 700 AD, a hill fort
on the shore of the Babbensee was the residence of a Pomeranian tribal chief. The land belonged to the dukes of Pomerelia
from the house of the Samborides
until the dukedom came to an end in 1294. Later, the Teutonic Knights
ruled but found themselves continuously in disputes with the Polish over the Złotów lands. Złotów was first mentioned in 1370 in the chronicle of Janko of Czarnkow. In 1370, Złotów was recognized as a city with Magdeburg rights
but was under Polish rule. Around 1375, the Polish king Casimir III relinquished to his grandson, Casimir IV, the city as a fee.
The city was destroyed in 1455 during the war with the Teutonic Knights. The town later belonged to the Potulicki family which provided it with a new Gothic castle in Renaissance style at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1619, Jan Potulicki issued a founding document for the church and parish of the Holy Assumption of Mary. Later it passed to the Grudziński family. The castle was destroyed during the Swedish invasion in 1657. The bombardment also destroyed other parts of the city including the city hall
. A new church, still standing today, was founded there in 1664 by Andrzej Karol Grudziński. After the rule of the Grudziński family came to an end in 1688, the Działyński family came into power.
From 1709 to 1711, a plague known as the Black Death
affected the area. According to incomplete church records, approximately 1650 people died as a result of the epidemic. After the first partition of Poland in 1772, Złotów was incorporated into Prussia and was given county (Kreis) town status in 1818. From 1772 to 1945 as part of Prussia
(later Germany
) it was known as Flatow. In 1871, a railway line from Schneidemühl was completed. Around this time many local people emigrated to America, including many members of the local Polish minority.
In 1919 it was decided that while most of the Kreis Flatow was ceded to the restored Polish Republic
, the city of Flatow would remain inside Germany. This caused huge protests from the large Polish minority of the city and the surrounding rural lands. From 1922 until 1939 Flatow was part of the Grenzmark Posen-West Prussia inside Germany. The local synagogue was destroyed during the Kristallnacht
in 1938. The town was taken by Soviet forces on January 31, 1945.
After World War II
, with the German–Polish border moved westwards to the Oder–Neisse line, Złotów and its surroundings became part of Poland. The German population
was expelled
by the new communist Polish authorities.
team, Sparta Złotów, plays in the third national league.
with: Rathenow
, Germany Eggesin
, Germany Gifhorn
, Germany
There has also been some cooperation with: Goole
, United Kingdom
Nieśwież, Belarus
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...
with a population of 18,303 inhabitants (2011). It is today part of Wielkopolska Province (Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Wielkopolska Voivodeship , or Greater Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. It was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Poznań, Kalisz, Konin, Piła and Leszno Voivodeships, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998...
), but was previously in Piła Voivodeship (1975–1998). Since 1999 Złotów has been the seat of Złotów County.
The town is located on the river Głomia and is surrounded by five lakes. A railway line connects it to Piła and Chojnice
Chojnice
Chojnice is a town in northern Poland with 39 670 inhabitants , near famous Tuchola Forest, Lake Charzykowskie and many other water reservoirs. It is the capital of the Chojnice County....
, with buses operating locally. It has three parish churches, one of them being located in an old Lutheran church built in 1831.
Today the town has been extensively expanded with many blocks of flats to meet the rising population. Unemployment is high, even though some of the inhabitants use family ties to migrate regularly to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
as seasonal workers. The local Metaplast windows fitting factory is the biggest industrial employer.
The Euro Eco Meeting is organized regularly there each July.
Neighbouring villages include: Święta (Schwente), Blękwit
Blekwit
Blękwit is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Złotów, within Złotów County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland....
(Blankwitt), Nowy Dwór (Neuhof), Kujan
Kujan
Kujan is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Zakrzewo, within Złotów County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Zakrzewo, east of Złotów, and north of the regional capital Poznań....
, Górzna
Górzna
Górzna is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Złotów, within Złotów County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately west of Złotów and north of the regional capital Poznań....
(Gursen), Zakrzewo (Buschdorf), Stara Wiśniewka
Stara Wisniewka
Stara Wiśniewka is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Zakrzewo, within Złotów County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Zakrzewo, north of Złotów, and north of the regional capital Poznań.Before 1945 the area was part of...
(Lugetal), Skic
Skic
Skic is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Złotów, within Złotów County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Złotów and north of the regional capital Poznań....
(Skietz), and Sławianowo (Steinmark).
History
Złotów is the historical centre of the northern part of KrajnaKrajna
Krajna is a forested historical region in Poland, situated in the border area between the Greater Poland, Kuyavian-Pomeranian and Pomeranian Voivodeships...
. Human activity in the region goes as far back as the 8th century BC. Around 700 AD, a hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
on the shore of the Babbensee was the residence of a Pomeranian tribal chief. The land belonged to the dukes of Pomerelia
Pomerelia
Pomerelia is a historical region in northern Poland. Pomerelia lay in eastern Pomerania: on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and west of the Vistula and its delta. The area centered on the city of Gdańsk at the mouth of the Vistula...
from the house of the Samborides
Samborides
The Samborides or House of Sobiesław were a ruling dynasty in the historic region of Pomerania. They were first documented about 1155 as governors in the eastern Pomerelian lands serving the royal Piast dynasty of Poland, and from 1227 ruled as autonomous princes until 1294, at which time the...
until the dukedom came to an end in 1294. Later, the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
ruled but found themselves continuously in disputes with the Polish over the Złotów lands. Złotów was first mentioned in 1370 in the chronicle of Janko of Czarnkow. In 1370, Złotów was recognized as a city with Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg rights
Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...
but was under Polish rule. Around 1375, the Polish king Casimir III relinquished to his grandson, Casimir IV, the city as a fee.
The city was destroyed in 1455 during the war with the Teutonic Knights. The town later belonged to the Potulicki family which provided it with a new Gothic castle in Renaissance style at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1619, Jan Potulicki issued a founding document for the church and parish of the Holy Assumption of Mary. Later it passed to the Grudziński family. The castle was destroyed during the Swedish invasion in 1657. The bombardment also destroyed other parts of the city including the city hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
. A new church, still standing today, was founded there in 1664 by Andrzej Karol Grudziński. After the rule of the Grudziński family came to an end in 1688, the Działyński family came into power.
From 1709 to 1711, a plague known as the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
affected the area. According to incomplete church records, approximately 1650 people died as a result of the epidemic. After the first partition of Poland in 1772, Złotów was incorporated into Prussia and was given county (Kreis) town status in 1818. From 1772 to 1945 as part of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
(later Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) it was known as Flatow. In 1871, a railway line from Schneidemühl was completed. Around this time many local people emigrated to America, including many members of the local Polish minority.
In 1919 it was decided that while most of the Kreis Flatow was ceded to the restored Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, the city of Flatow would remain inside Germany. This caused huge protests from the large Polish minority of the city and the surrounding rural lands. From 1922 until 1939 Flatow was part of the Grenzmark Posen-West Prussia inside Germany. The local synagogue was destroyed during the Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
in 1938. The town was taken by Soviet forces on January 31, 1945.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with the German–Polish border moved westwards to the Oder–Neisse line, Złotów and its surroundings became part of Poland. The German population
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
was expelled
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
by the new communist Polish authorities.
Notable residents
- Michal Hube, a well-known penal expert during the 18th century
- Ministerialrat von Flath, favored by Ludwig I of BavariaLudwig I of BavariaLudwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - Walter KruegerWalter KruegerWalter Krueger was an American soldier of German descent and General in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his command of the Sixth United States Army in the South West Pacific Area during World War II...
(1881–1967), a United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
army general
Sport
The local women's volleyballVolleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team, Sparta Złotów, plays in the third national league.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Złotów is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Rathenow
Rathenow
Rathenow is a town in the district of Havelland in Brandenburg, Germany, with a population of 26,433 .-Overview:The Protestant church of St. Marien Andreas, originally a basilica, and transformed to the Gothic style in 1517-1589, and the Roman Catholic Church of St...
, Germany Eggesin
Eggesin
Eggesin is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Greifswald district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated on the river Uecker, 7 km southeast of Ueckermünde, and 42 km northwest of Szczecin.-Transport:...
, Germany Gifhorn
Gifhorn
Gifhorn is a town and capital of the district Gifhorn in the east of Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of about 42,000 and is mainly influenced by the small distance to the industrial and commercially important cities nearby, Brunswick and Wolfsburg...
, Germany
There has also been some cooperation with: Goole
Goole
Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Nieśwież, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...