Inowrocław | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Inowrocław | |
| Coordinates:52°47′35″N18°15′40″E / 52.79306°N 18.26111°E /52.79306; 18.26111 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Kuyavian-Pomeranian |
| County | Inowrocław |
| Gmina | Inowrocław(urban gmina) |
| First mentioned | 1185 |
| Town rights | 1238 |
| Government | |
| • City Mayor | Arkadiusz Fajok |
| Area | |
• Total | 30.42 km2 (11.75 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 100 m (330 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 85 m (279 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2022) | |
• Total | 68,101 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 88-100 to 88-115 |
| Area code | (+48) 52 |
| Car plates | CIN |
| Website | http://www.inowroclaw.pl |
Inowrocław (Polish pronunciation:[inɔˈvrɔtswaf]ⓘ;German:Hohensalza; before 1904: Inowrazlaw; archaic: Jungleslau, Junges Leslau, Junge Leszlaw,[1]Yiddish:לעסלא,romanized: Lesle or Lessle)[1][2] is a city in centralPoland[3] with a total population of 68,101 (as of December 2022).[4] It is situated in theKuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is one of the largest and most historically significant cities within the historic region ofKuyavia.
Inowrocław is an industrial town located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast ofBydgoszcz known for its saltwater baths andsalt mines. The town is the 5th largestagglomeration in its voivodeship, and is a major railway junction, where the west–east line (Poznań–Toruń) crosses thePolish Coal Trunk-Line fromChorzów toGdynia.
The town was first mentioned in 1185 as Novo Wladislaw, possibly in honor ofWładysław I Herman or after the settlers fromWłocławek. Many inhabitants of Włocławek settled in Inowrocław fleeing flooding. In 1236, the settlement was renamed Juveni Wladislawia. It wasincorporated two years later byCasimir Konradowic. In medieval Latin records, the town was recorded asJuniwladislavia.[5] As a result of the fragmentation of Poland into smaller duchies, after 1230 Inowrocław was the capital of the Duchy of Kuyavia,[6] and from 1267 to 1364 it was the capital of theDuchy of Inowrocław, before it became part and capital of Poland'sInowrocław Voivodeship, which covered northernKuyavia along with theDobrzyń Land. The voivodeship later also formed part of the largerGreater Poland Province. Inowrocław was aroyal city of theKingdom of Poland. The town's development was aided by the discovery of extensive salt deposits in the vicinity during the 15th century.
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It was an important city oflate medieval Poland. In 1321, a Polish-Teutonic trial was held in Inowrocław regarding the Teutonic occupation ofGdańsk Pomerania, while the city itself was occupied by theTeutonic Knights from 1332 to 1337.[6] KingCasimir III the Great often stayed in the city, and in 1337 he held a meeting with KingJohn of Bohemia in the local castle.[6] A strong garrison was located in the city during thePolish-Teutonic War (1409–1411), and it was the main base of KingWładysław II Jagiełło after his victory in theBattle of Grunwald.[6]
Inowrocław was occupied and plundered bySwedish troops during theDeluge in the 1650s,[6] and was annexed to theKingdom of Prussia in February 1772 during theFirst Partition of Poland and added to theNetze District. Following theFranco-Prussian Treaty in July 1807, Inowrocław was transferred to the newly createdDuchy of Warsaw, which was aclient state of theFrench Empire. The city was a headquarters forNapoleon Bonaparte during his 1812invasion of Russia. Following theCongress of Vienna in 1815, Inowrocław (as first Inowraclaw and later Inowrazlaw) was transferred back to Prussia as part of theGrand Duchy of Posen. Initially, until 1838 the mayors were stillPoles, thenGermans.[6] DespiteGermanisation attempts, the city was an important center of thePolish resistance during the partitions.[6] It flourished after the establishment of a railway junction in 1872 and a spa in 1875. The city and the region were given the Germanized nameHohensalza on December 5, 1904.[6] It was electrified in 1908.
After the end ofWorld War I, in November 1918, Poland regained independence and Polish insurgents re-captured the city in January 1919.[6] Restoration to there-established sovereign Polish state was confirmed in theTreaty of Versailles (which came into effect on January 10, 1920), and the historic name Inowrocław was restored. High unemployment resulting from trade embargoes led to violent confrontations between workers and the police in 1926 and hunger strikes killed 20 in 1930. Inowrocław was part ofPoznań Voivodeship until 1925, when it became an independent urban district. This district was briefly assigned toGreat Pomerania during thereform of Polish regional administration just beforeWorld War II.
Captured by theGerman 4th Army during theinvasion of Poland on September 11, 1939, Inowrocław was again renamed Hohensalza[6] and initially administered under themilitary district (Militärbezirk)of Posen before being incorporated intoNazi Germany first as part of theReichsgau of Posen (1939) and then as part ofReichsgau Wartheland (1939–1945).
TheEinsatzgruppe IV entered the city on September 12–15, 1939, to commit variousatrocities against Poles.[7] Poles arrested during theIntelligenzaktion were held in the local prison and in a transit camp, and afterwards mostly murdered in the prison or in the nearbyGniewkowo forest, while some were deported toNazi concentration camps.[8][9] In a large massacre, on the night of October 22–23, 1939, the Germans murdered 56 Poles in the prison, including numerous teachers.[8] Families of the victims wereexpelled, alike local Polish activists and craftsmen, whose workshops were handed over to German colonists in accordance to the NaziLebensraum policy.[10] In total, the Germans expelled a few thousand Poles from the city, including over 2,900 already in 1939.[6][9] Several Poles from Inowrocław were also murdered by the Russians in the largeKatyn massacre in April–May 1940.[11] Multiple local members of theHome Army, a majorPolish resistance organization, were imprisoned and murdered by the Germans in the prison camp inŻabikowo in 1944–1945.[12]
Between 1940 and 1945, Hohensalza was used as a resettlement camp for Poles and an internment camp for Soviet,French andBritishprisoners of war. Germany also operated aforced labour camp in the city.[13]
Inowrocław returned to Poland and its original name following the arrival of the Soviet Red Army on January 21, 1945. The last German air raid occurred on April 4, 1945, when a single aircraft dropped four fragmentation bombs and fired on travelers waiting at the Inowrocław train platform. Between 1950 and 1998, the town was part ofBydgoszcz Voivodeship, but the 1999 reforms left it part ofKuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship.
The first recorded instance ofJews in Inowroclaw was in 1447. By the end of the 16th century, there was an established Jewish community with arabbi. However, by the end of the 16th century, many of these Jews were murdered byStefan Czarniecki's army in 1656. In 1680,John III Sobieski restored the rights of Jews in Inowroclaw that had been lost during the previous siege.[14] By 1765, there were 980 Jews living in Inowroclaw, but in 1774 there was a fire that destroyed many Jewish homes, causing many to flee elsewhere.
The ongoingemancipation of Jews in the 18th and 19th centuries lifted restrictions on Jews. Nevertheless, the Jews of Inowroclaw remained devoted to their traditions. They were increasingly allowed into public life, and Jews were even allowed to run for seats in the Municipal Council. In the 1830s, illiteracy was abolished amongst Jewish boys in Inowroclaw as they were made to take German classes.[15] However, there was a disparity between the young and old Jewish generations as many older Jews were interested in staying true to their traditions and did not want to beGermanized.
A synagogue was created on 9 September 1836. However, in 1908, this synagogue closed and was turned into a beth midrash, house of prayer, and the seat of the community administration. Anew synagogue, funded byLeopold Levy, one of the wealthiest Jews in the town, was created in its place.[15]
The community steadily lost its population in second half of the 19th century as many moved to Germany and the United States. In 1921, there were only 252 Jews left in the town.[15]
On 14 September 1939, theNazis seized Inowroclaw. The synagogue was plundered and set on fire. The next day, the Jews were ordered to stand in the synagogue, where Leopold Levy was executed. Both the old and new Jewish cemeteries were destroyed. The Inowroclaw Jews went through a selection process. The people chosen for extermination were sent to the Inowroclaw prison. In October, they were taken to the forest in Gniewkowo and shot dead. By the end of 1940, there were no Jews left in Inowroclaw, with few surviving the war. The few Jews who survived came back to Inowroclaw after the war; however, there was no attempt to re-establish a Jewish community.[15]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 54,900 | — |
| 1980 | 66,100 | +20.4% |
| 1990 | 77,700 | +17.5% |
| 2000 | 79,400 | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 77,647 | −2.2% |
| 2014 | 74,803 | −3.7% |
| 2019 | 72,561 | −3.0% |
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The most popular sports in the city arebasketball andfootball. Notable teams:
Seat:Inowrocław (urban gmina) | ||
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