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116-604: Bydgoszcz metropolitan area comprising the city and several adjacent communities is inhabited by half a million people, and forms a part of an extended polycentric Bydgoszcz-Toruń metropolitan area with the population of approximately 0.8 million inhabitants. Since the Middle Ages, Bydgoszcz served as a royal city of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland until partitions and experienced the industrialisation period bolstered by

232-475: A Brandenburgian invasion; however, the Teutonic Knights themselves began to occupy the city and the region. The Teutonic Knights then carried out a massacre of the inhabitants of the city, killing up to 10,000 people according to medieval sources, although the exact number of victims is a subject of disputes. In September 1309, Margrave Waldemar of Brandenburg-Stendal sold his claim to the territory to

348-540: A Rose or the Holy Virgin of Beautiful Love from the 16th century. The colourful 20th-century polychrome is also especially worthy of note. The Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin , commonly referred to as "The Church of Poor Clares ," is a famous landmark of the city. It is a small, Gothic-Renaissance (including Neo-Renaissance additions), single-aisle church built between 1582 and 1602. The interior

464-862: A canal, which would connect the Vistula via the Brda with the Noteć river. Józef Wybicki , Polish jurist and political activist best known as the author of the lyrics of the national anthem of Poland , worked at the Crown Tribunal in Bydgoszcz. In 1772, in the First Partition of Poland , the town was acquired by the Kingdom of Prussia as Bromberg and incorporated into the Netze District in

580-580: A conflict with the rest of the Hansa, which was in a heavy argument with Richard II of England , over levies of higher dues. The Merchants struggled to achieve an unsatisfactory compromise. Dissatisfied Richard II's navy suddenly attacked six Prussian ships in May 1385 – and those of more Hanse members – in the Zwin , Grand Master Conrad Zöllner von Rothenstein immediately terminated all trade with England. When in

696-777: A diet in Cologne in 1367 and convening the afore-mentioned non-member cities including Amsterdam and Brielle . The upshot was the founding of the Cologne Federation as a war alliance to counter the Danish threat. More cities, from the Lower Rhine area in the west to Livonia in the east, joined. Of the major players only Bremen and Hamburg refused to send forces, but contributed financially. Besides Prussia, three more territorial partners, Henry II of Schauenburg and Holstein-Rendsburg , Albert II of Mecklenburg , and

812-443: A fortified enclosure, and the quadrangular red-brick structure would come to typify convent buildings, single-wing castles would continue to be built alongside timber towers. Where they followed the conventional layout, castles included a connected set of communal spaces such as a dormitory, refectory, kitchen, chapter house, a chapel or church, an infirmary, and tower projecting over the moat. Construction began on Marienburg during

928-589: A lesser status. The Teutonic Order's annexation and possession of Gdańsk (Danzig) and the surrounding region was consistently disputed by the Polish kings Władysław I and Casimir III the Great – claims that led to the Polish–Teutonic War (1326–1332) and, eventually, lawsuits in the papal court in 1320 and 1333, which ruled in favor of Poland, however, the Teutonic Knights did not comply and continued to occupy

1044-585: A major power in Central and Eastern Europe . The Order assigned Heinrich von Plauen to defend Teutonic-held Eastern Pomerania ( Pomerelia ), who moved rapidly to bolster the defence of Marienburg Castle in Pomesania . Heinrich von Plauen was elected vice-grand master and led the Teutonic Knights through the Siege of Marienburg in 1410 . Eventually von Plauen was promoted to Grand Master and, in 1411, concluded

1160-493: A stronghold on the Vistula trade routes . The gród of Bydgoszcz was built between 1037 and 1053 during the reign of Casimir I the Restorer . In the 13th century it was the site of a castellany , mentioned in 1238, probably founded in the early 12th century during the reign of Bolesław III Wrymouth . In the 13th century, the church of Saint Giles was built as the first church of Bydgoszcz. The Germans later demolished it in

1276-554: A supposed formal meeting in the city hall, from where they were taken to a nearby forest and exterminated. The Kreisleiter also ordered the execution of their family members to "avoid creating martyrs". By decision from September 5, 1939, one of the first three German special courts in occupied Poland was established in Bydgoszcz. The Germans established several camps and prisons for Poles. As of September 30, 1939, over 3,000 individuals were imprisoned there, and in October and November,

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1392-527: A very prestigious Academy of Music . Bydgoszcz is also an important place for contemporary European culture; one of the most important European centers of jazz music, the Brain club, was founded in Bydgoszcz by Jacek Majewski and Slawomir Janicki. Bydgoszcz was a candidate for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2016. It joined the list of UNESCO 's Cities of Music in 2023. Muzeum Okręgowe im. Leona Wyczółkowskiego ( Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum )

1508-623: A war alliance against Denmark, accepted with some reluctance only by the important cities forming the Wendish- Saxon third of the Hanse. Since Valdemar IV had also attacked ships of the Dutch city of Kampen and other destinations in the Zuiderzee , Prussia and Dutch cities, such as Kampen, Elburg and Harderwijk , allied themselves against Denmark. This resulted in the Hansa calling up

1624-567: Is a municipally-owned museum. Apart from a large collection of Leon Wyczółkowski 's works, it houses permanent as well as temporary exhibitions of art. It is based in several buildings, including the old granaries on the Brda River and Mill Island and the remaining building of the Polish royal mint. Exploseum , a museum built around the World War II Nazi Germany munitions factory, is also part of it. In Bydgoszcz,

1740-413: Is among the most spectacular and atmospheric places in Bydgoszcz. What makes it unique is the location in the very heart of the city centre, just a few steps from the old Market Square. It was the 'industrial' centre of Bydgoszcz in the Middle Ages and for several hundred years thereafter, and it was here that the famous royal mint operated in the 17th century. Most of the buildings which can still be seen on

1856-570: Is rather austere since the church has been stripped of most of its furnishings. This is not a surprising fact, considering that in the 19th century the Prussian authorities dissolved the Order of St Clare and turned the church into a warehouse, among other uses. Nonetheless, the church is worth visiting. In particular, the original wooden polychrome ceiling dating from the 17th century draws the attention of every visitor. Wyspa Młyńska ( Mill Island )

1972-516: Is served by an international airport and is a member of Eurocities . Bydgoszcz is an architecturally rich city, with gothic , neo-gothic , neo-baroque , neoclassicist , modernist and Art Nouveau styles present, for which, combined with extensive green spaces, it has earned the nickname Little Berlin . The notable granaries on Mill Island and along the riverside belong to one of the most recognized timber-framed landmarks in Poland. In 2023,

2088-581: Is the largest church in Bydgoszcz and one of the biggest in Poland. It can accommodate around 12,000 people. This monumental church, modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, was designed by the Polish architect Adam Ballenstaedt. The most characteristic element of the neo-classical temple is the reinforced concrete dome 40 metres in diameter. The three granaries in Grodzka Street , picturesquely located on

2204-597: The Archbishopric of Riga under the mother city of Visby on Gotland . Each diocese was fiscally and administratively divided into one-third reserved for the maintenance of the capitular canons, and two-thirds were where the Order collected the dues. The cathedral capitular canons of Culm, Pomesania and Samland were simultaneously members of the Teutonic Order since the 1280s, ensuring a strong influence by

2320-601: The Battle of Grunwald in 1410 the Teutonic Order fell into decline, the region of Samogitia was restored to Lithuania . The Prussian branch of the Teutonic Order returned Pomerelia (the previously Polish regions of Chełmno Land and Gdańsk Pomerania ) and ceded the western part of Prussia ( Warmia , as well as parts of Pomesania and Pogesania ) to Poland after the Peace of Thorn in 1466. The territories ceded to

2436-761: The Battle of Nations in 1813, the town was re-annexed by Prussia as part of the Grand Duchy of Posen (Poznań), becoming the capital of the Bromberg Region . During the November Uprising , a Polish insurgent organization was active in the city and local Poles helped smuggle volunteers, weapons and ammunition to the Russian Partition of Poland. After the fall of the uprising, one of the main escape routes for surviving insurgents and civilian insurgent authorities from partitioned Poland to

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2552-623: The Brda and Vistula and the right to mint coins, and ordered the construction of the castle, which became the seat of the castellan. Bydgoszcz was an important royal city of Poland located in the Inowrocław Voivodeship . The city increasingly saw an influx of Jews after that date. In 1555, however, due to pressure from the clergy, the Jews were expelled and returned only with their annexation to Prussia in 1772. After 1370, Bydgoszcz castle

2668-696: The Burzenland . In 1225, Andrew II expelled the Teutonic Knights from Transylvania , and they had to transfer to the Baltic Sea . Early in 1224, Emperor Frederick II announced at Catania that Livonia , Prussia with Sambia , and a number of neighboring provinces were under imperial immediacy . This decree subordinated the provinces directly to the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Emperor as opposed to being under

2784-455: The Duchy of Courland and Semigalia , as well as the Duchy of Livonia in 1561, both duchies being fiefs of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . The Old Prussians had withstood many attempts at conquest preceding that of the Teutonic Knights. Bolesław I of Poland began the series of unsuccessful conquests when he sent Adalbert of Prague in 997. In 1147, Bolesław IV of Poland attacked Prussia with

2900-535: The First Treaty of Thorn with King Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland. The next major Polish–Teutonic war was fought in 1431–1435, after the Teutonic Knights invaded Poland again, and was ended in the Peace of Brześć Kujawski , which was favorable for Poland. In March 1440, gentry (mainly from Culmerland ) and the Hanseatic cities of Danzig, Elbing , Kneiphof , Thorn and other Prussian cities founded

3016-567: The German invasion of Poland and the Holocaust . The city's Jewish citizens, who constituted a small community in the city (about two percent of the prewar population) and many of whom spoke German, were sent to extermination camps or murdered in the town itself. The city renamed Bromberg was the site of Bromberg-Ost , a women's subcamp of the Stutthof concentration camp . A deportation camp

3132-718: The Great Emigration led through the city. In 1871 the Province of Posen, along with the rest of the Kingdom of Prussia, became part of the newly formed German Empire . During German rule, the oldest church of the city (church of Saint Giles), the remains of the castle, and the Carmelite church and monastery were demolished. In the mid-19th century, the city saw the arrival of the Prussian Eastern Railway . The first stretch, from Schneidemühl ( Piła ),

3248-615: The Jesuits came to the city, and subsequently established a Jesuit college. During the year of 1629, shortly before the end of the Polish-Swedish War of 1626–29 , the town was conquered by Swedish troops led by king Gustav II Adolph of Sweden personally. During this war, the town suffered destruction. The town was conquered a second and third time by Sweden in 1656 and 1657 during the Second Northern War . On

3364-479: The Kingdom of Poland formed the Polish province of Royal Prussia , while the eastern part remained under Teutonic Order rule, known thereafter as the Monastic Prussia ( Polish : Prusy zakonne ) or Teutonic Prussia ( Polish : Prusy krzyżackie ), as a feudal fief and integral part of the Kingdom of Poland. The monastic state of the Order's main (Prussian) branch was secularized in 1525 during

3480-486: The Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , with an area of 3,336 km . Its population totals 603,777 people. Defined as an area economically and geographically linked to Bydgoszcz, the agglomeration includes the city of Bydgoszcz and satellite towns of Nakło nad Notecią , Solec Kujawski , Żnin , Koronowo , Szubin , Barcin , Kcynia , Łabiszyn , Mrocza and Pruszcz . State of

3596-649: The Livonian Brothers of the Sword controlling Terra Mariana were incorporated into the Teutonic Order as its autonomous branch, the Livonian Order in 1237. In 1346, the Duchy of Estonia was sold by the King of Denmark for 19,000 Cologne marks to the Teutonic Order . The shift of sovereignty from Denmark to the Teutonic Order took place on 1 November 1346. At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries,

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3712-654: The Livonian Confederation and continued to exist as part of it until 1561. Established in Prussia and the Polish Masovian Chełmno Land in the 13th century, the state expanded mostly as a result of the 13th-century Prussian Crusade against the pagan Baltic Prussians and the 14th-century invasions of neighboring Christian countries of Poland and Lithuania . The conquests were followed by German and Polish colonization. In addition,

3828-527: The Livonian Order (while their state, Terra Mariana , covering present-day Estonia , Latvia , and a small part of Russia , became part of the State of the Teutonic Order). At its greatest territorial extent during the early 15th century, the State encompassed Chełmno Land , Courland , Gotland , Livonia , Estonia , Neumark , Pomerelia ( Gdańsk Pomerania ), Prussia and Samogitia . Following

3944-668: The Luxembourg dynasty , which ruled the Margraviate of Brandenburg , reached an agreement with Poland in Kraków , according to which Poland was to purchase and re-incorporate the region of New March (Neumark) . Later that year, however, the Luxembourgs gave the region in pawn to the Teutonic Order despite prior arrangements with Poland, and the Order kept it until Brandenburg redeemed it again in 1454 and 1455, respectively, by

4060-603: The Order of Dobrzyń , a small group of 15 knights. The Order, however, was soon defeated and, in reaction, Konrad called on the Pope for yet another crusade and for help from the Teutonic Knights . As a result, several edicts called for crusades against the Old Prussians. The crusades, involving many of Europe's knights , lasted for sixty years. In 1211, Andrew II of Hungary enfeoffed the Teutonic Knights with

4176-633: The Pomeranian Military Museum specializes in documenting 19th- and 20th-century Polish military history, particularly the history of the Pomeranian Military District and several other units present in the area. Bydgoszcz metropolitan area The Bydgoszcz metropolitan area (known in Polish as Metropolia Bydgoszcz ) is the metropolitan area of Bydgoszcz . The metropolitan area covers counties in

4292-732: The Protestant Reformation to become the Duchy of Prussia ruled by the House of Hohenzollern , remaining a fiefdom of the Polish Crown and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . The Livonian branch continued as part of the Livonian Confederation established in 1422–1435, which became a protectorate of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1559, and was finally secularised and split into

4408-563: The Protestant Reformation , endemic religious upheavals and wars occurred across the region. In 1525, during the aftermath of the Polish-Teutonic War (1519–1521) , Sigismund I the Old , King of Poland, and his nephew, the last Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach , a member of a cadet branch of the House of Hohenzollern , agreed that the latter would resign his position, adopt Lutheran faith and assume

4524-432: The Prussian Confederation to free themselves from the overlordship of the Teutonic Knights. Due to the heavy losses and costs after the war against Poland and Lithuania , the Teutonic Order collected taxes at steep rates. Furthermore, the cities were not allowed due representation by the Teutonic Order. In February 1454, the Prussian Confederation asked King Casimir IV of Poland to support their revolt and to incorporate

4640-463: The Prussian Homage . On 10 December 1525 at their session in Königsberg the Prussian estates established the Lutheran Church in Ducal Prussia by deciding the Church Order . The Habsburg -led Holy Roman Empire continued to hold its claim to Prussia and furnished grand masters of the Teutonic Order, who were merely titular administrators of Prussia, but managed to retain many of the Teutonic holdings elsewhere outside of Prussia Fortifications of

4756-415: The Thirteen Years' War , King Casimir IV of Poland often stayed in Bydgoszcz. At that time, the defensive walls were built and the Gothic parish church (the present-day Bydgoszcz Cathedral ). The city was developing dynamically thanks to river trade. Bydgoszcz pottery and beer were popular throughout Poland. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Bydgoszcz was a significant location for wheat trading, one of

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4872-422: The Treaties of Cölln and Mewe . Though the possession of this territory by the Order strengthened ties between the Order and their secular counterparts in northern Germany, it exacerbated the already hostile relationship between the Order and Polish–Lithuanian union . In March 1407, Konrad died from complications caused by gallstones and was succeeded by his younger brother, Ulrich von Jungingen . Under Ulrich,

4988-413: The Brda River near the old Market Square, are the official symbol of the city. Built at the turn of the 19th century, they were originally used to store grain and similar products, but now house exhibitions of the city's Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum. The building of the former Prussian Eastern Railway Headquarters erected between 1886 and 1889 in Dutch Mannierist style is another notable structure in

5104-436: The Duchy of Pomerelia. Unlike in English, German, Latin or Lithuanian language Polish uses the term Pomorze for Pomerania (a fief of Poland, Saxony and Denmark in the High Middle Ages , and first briefly in 1181, but since 1227 a permanent fief within the Holy Roman Empire) and Pomerelia alike. Both duchies were earlier ruled by related dynasties, thus the semantic title was Duke of Pomerania rather than Duke of Pomerelia, as it

5220-690: The German explosives factory built in World War II occupy an area which has its own rail lines, internal communication and housing, plus a large forested area. An open-air museum , the Exploseum , is located here as well. Since 2001, Bydgoszcz has been annually subjected to international 'verification' ratings. In February 2008 the ' Fitch Ratings ' Agency recategorised the city, increasing its rating from BBB-(stable forecast) to BBB (stable estimate). In 2004, Bydgoszcz launched an Industrial and Technology Park of 283 hectares, an attractive place for doing business as companies that relocate there receive tax breaks, 24-hour security, access to large plots of land and to

5336-426: The Germans at the local train station. The Polish resistance was active in Bydgoszcz. Activities included distribution of underground Polish press, sabotage actions, stealing German ammunition to aid Polish partisans, espionage of German activity and providing shelter for British POWs who escaped from the Stalag XX-A POW camp. The Gestapo cracked down on the Polish resistance several times. In spring 1945, Bydgoszcz

5452-597: The Germans carried out further mass arrests of over 7,200 people. Many of those people were then murdered. Poles from Bydgoszcz were massacred at various locations in the city, at the Valley of Death and in the nearby village of Tryszczyn . The victims were both men and women, including activists, school principals, teachers, priests, local officials, merchants, lawyers, and also boy and girl scouts, gymnasium students and children as young as 12. The executions were presented as punishment for supposedly "murdering Germans" and "destroying peace", and were used by Nazi propaganda to show

5568-466: The Hansa members decided in the Hanseatic Diet on 1 May 1388 for an embargo against the Flemish cities. Meanwhile, Prussia could not prevail with its plea for further negotiations. The Order's Großschäffer was one of the leading functionaries of the order. The word translates roughly as "chief sales and buying officer" with procuration. This officer was in charge of the considerable commerce, import, export, crediting, real estate investment etc., which

5684-411: The Hanseatic trade privileges, Prussia once again permitted merchant adventurers, granting permissions to remain; for this action they were renounced once again by the Grand Master Conrad of Jungingen in 1398. In the conflict with the Burgundian Philip the Bold on the Hansa privileges in the Flemish cities the positions of the Hanseatic cities and Prussia were again reversed. Here the majority of

5800-407: The Holy Roman Empire, to whom they granted lands in return. This gradually created a new class of landed nobility. Due to several factors, among which was the high rate of early death in battle, these lands became concentrated over time in the hands of a relatively small number of noblemen each having a vast estate. This nobility would evolve to what is known as the Prussian Junker nobility . During

5916-578: The Monastic State. In 1234, the Teutonic Order assimilated the remaining members of the Order of Dobrzyń and, in 1237, the Order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword . The assimilation of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (established in Livonia in 1202) increased the Teutonic Order's lands with the addition of the territories known today as Latvia and Estonia . In 1243, the Papal legate William of Modena divided Prussia into four bishoprics : Culm (Chełmno) , Pomesania , Ermland (Warmia) and Samland (Sambia) . The bishoprics became suffragans to

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6032-564: The Order block exports of salt and herring into Russia. While the relations had eased by 1371 so that trade resumed, they soured again until 1388. During the Lithuanian Crusade of 1369/1370, ending with the Teutonic victory in the Battle of Rudau , Prussia enjoyed considerable support from English knights. The Order welcomed English Merchant Adventurers , starting to cruise in the Baltic, competing with Dutch, Saxon and Wendish Hanseatic merchants, and allowed them to open outposts in its cities of Danzig and Elbing. This necessarily brought about

6148-452: The Order carried out, using its network of bailiwicks and agencies which spanned much of Central, Western and Southern Europe as well as the Holy Land. The other Großschäffer in Marienburg had the grain export monopoly. As to imports, neither was bound to any particular merchandise. From Königsberg, holding the monopoly in amber export, achieved the exceptional permission to continue amber exports to Flanders and textile imports in return. On

6264-516: The Order. Only Warmia 's diocesan chapter maintained independence, enabling to establish its autonomous rule in the capitular third of Warmia's diocesan territory ( Prince-Bishopric of Warmia ). At the beginning of the 14th century, the Duchy of Pomerania , a neighboring region, plunged into war with Poland and the Margraviate of Brandenburg to the west. The Teutonic Knights seized the Polish port city of Gdańsk in November 1308 . The Order had been called by King Władysław I of Poland to help repel

6380-400: The Teutonic Knights were supported by the Duchy of Pomerania , and the Polish-Lithuanian alliance was supported by Ruthenian , Tatar and Moldavian allies and auxiliary forces. Poland and Lithuania triumphed following a victory at the Battle of Grunwald ( Tannenberg ), which marked the start of the decline of the State of the Teutonic Order, and the rise of the Polish–Lithuanian union as

6496-454: The Teutonic Order The State of the Teutonic Order ( Latin : Civitas Ordinis Theutonici ) was a theocratic state located along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea in northern Europe. It was formed by the knights of the Teutonic Order during the early 13th century Northern Crusades in the region of Prussia . In 1237, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword merged with the Teutonic Order of Prussia and became known as its branch –

6612-399: The Teutonic Order for the sum of 10,000 Marks in the Treaty of Soldin . This marked the beginning of a series of conflicts between Poland and the Teutonic Knights as the Order continued incorporating territories into its domains. While the Order promoted the Prussian cities by granting them extended surrounding territory and privileges, establishing courts, civil and commercial law, it allowed

6728-425: The Teutonic Order temporarily acquired the territories of Gotland and Neumark , which, however, it sold in the following decades. Throughout its history, the Teutonic state waged numerous wars with Poland and Lithuania, encouraging the two countries to form a close alliance and personal union , which eventually led to the creation of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th century. Following its defeat in

6844-422: The Teutonic Order's cession of its rights over the western half of its territories to the Polish Kingdom, which became the Polish province of Royal Prussia and the remaining part of the Order's land became a fief and protectorate of Poland , considered part of one and indivisible Kingdom of Poland. In accordance to the peace treaty, from now on, every Grand Master was obliged to swear an oath of allegiance to

6960-418: The Teutonic State fell from its precarious height and became mired in internal political strife, near-constant war with Polish–Lithuanian union, and crippling war debts. In 1408, Conrad Letzkau served as a diplomat to Queen Margaret I and arranged that the Order sell Gotland to Denmark. In 1409, the Teutonic Order invaded Poland's Dobrzyń Land again, and the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War broke out, in which

7076-452: The Teutonic State have been examined through archaeological excavation since the end of World War II , especially those built or expanded during the 14th century. Fortifications are generally the best preserved material legacy of the Order's presence in the Baltic today, and timber and earth, as well as brick examples, are attested in the archaeological record. The earliest castles in the Teutonic State consisted of simple buildings attached to

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7192-444: The Yotvingians was situated in the area of what is today the Podlaskie Voivodeship of Poland. The Prussians attempted to oust Polish or Masovian forces from Yotvingia , which by now was partially conquered, devastated and almost totally depopulated. Konrad of Masovia had already called a crusade against the Old Prussians in 1208, but it was not successful. Konrad, acting on the advice of Christian, first bishop of Prussia, established

7308-426: The aid of Kievan Rus' but was unable to conquer it. Numerous other attempts followed, and, under Duke Konrad I of Masovia , were intensified, with large battles and crusades in 1209, 1219, 1220 and 1222. The West Baltic Prussians successfully repelled most of the campaigns and managed to strike Konrad in retaliation. However, the Prussians and the Yotvingians in the south had their territory conquered. The land of

7424-421: The annexed Polish territories. The Teutonic Knights even invaded Poland further and briefly occupied the regions of Kuyavia and Dobrzyń Land . A peace was concluded at Kalisz in 1343 , Kuyavia and Dobrzyń Land were restored to Poland, and the Teutonic Order agreed that Poland should rule Pomerelia as a fief and Polish kings, therefore, retained the right to the title Duke of Pomerania . The title referred to

7540-429: The battles of Grunwald in 1410 and Wilkomierz in 1435 , the State fell into decline. After losing extensive territories in the imposed Peace of Thorn in 1466, the extant territory of its Prussian branch became known as Monastic Prussia ( Polish : Prusy zakonne ) or Teutonic Prussia (Polish: Prusy krzyżackie ) and existed until 1525 as a part and fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland . The Livonian branch joined

7656-427: The church in the Old Market Square and the Municipal Theatre . Additionally, the Old Town lost a few characteristic tenement houses, including the western frontage of the Market Square. The city also lost its Gothic castle and defensive walls. In Bydgoszcz, there are a great number of villas in the style of typical garden suburbs . In the city, there are 38 banks represented through a network of 116 branches (including

7772-400: The cities less outward independence than free imperial cities enjoyed within the Holy Roman Empire . The members of the Hanseatic League did consider merchants from Prussian cities as their like, but also accepted the Grand Master of the Order as the sole territorial ruler representing Prussia at their Hanseatic Diets . Thus Prussian merchants, along with those from Ditmarsh , were

7888-427: The city entered the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and was named UNESCO City of Music . The name Bydgoszcz , originally Bydgoszcza , derives from Bydgost , a personal name, and the suffix - ja , denoting ownership. The German name Bromberg is an alteration of Braheberg , meaning "hill on the Brahe River" (Polish: Brda ). The Latin names for the city is Bidgostia and Civitas Bidgostiensis . In Polish ,

8004-445: The city limits and became the easternmost district of Bydgoszcz. In March 1981, Solidarity 's activists were violently suppressed in Bydgoszcz . With the Polish local government reforms of 1999, Bydgoszcz became the seat of the governor of a province entitled Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship . In 2005, Casimir the Great University was opened in Bydgoszcz. Currently, Bydgoszcz is the biggest center of NATO headquarters in Poland,

8120-430: The city to commit atrocities against the Polish population , and afterwards some of its members co-formed the local German police. Many of the murders were carried out as part of the Intelligenzaktion , aimed at exterminating the Polish elites and preventing the establishment of a Polish resistance movement , which emerged regardless. On September 24, the local German Kreisleiter called local Polish city officials to

8236-408: The city was briefly recaptured by Poles, commanded by General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski , and the local Polish administration was co-organized by Józef Wybicki . In 1807, after the defeat of Prussia by Napoleon and the signing of the Treaty of Tilsit , Bydgoszcz became part of the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw , within which it was the seat of the Bydgoszcz Department . With Napoleon's defeat at

8352-652: The city's historic buildings to erect new structures in the Nazi style . The Germans built a huge secret dynamite factory ( DAG Fabrik Bromberg ) hidden in a forest in which they used the slave labor of several hundred forced laborers, including Allied prisoners of war from the Stalag XX-A POW camp in Toruń. In 1943, local Poles managed to save some kidnapped Polish children from the Zamość region, by buying them from

8468-646: The city's name has feminine grammatical gender. In ancient times, there was a development of settlements related to lively trade contacts with the Roman Empire , as a convenient location of today's Bydgoszcz laid on the Amber Road heading northwest to the Baltic coastline avoiding crossing the Vistula river. During the early Slavic period a fishing settlement called Bydgoszcza ("Bydgostia" in Latin) became

8584-595: The city. Initially it served as a headquarters of the Prussian Eastern Railway and later it belonged to the Polish State Railways. Since 2022 it is privately owned. The city is mostly associated with water, sports, Art Nouveau buildings, waterfront, music, and urban greenery. Bydgoszcz boasts the largest city park in Poland (830 ha). The city was also once famous for its industry. Some great monuments have been destroyed, for example,

8700-768: The construction of the Bydgoszcz Canal in the late 18th century. Its academic and cultural landscape is shaped by Casimir the Great University , Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology , the Medical College of Nicolaus Copernicus University , Feliks Nowowiejski Music Academy , the Pomeranian Philharmonic , and the Opera Nova . Bydgoszcz also plays a role of the biggest centre of NATO headquarters in Poland . The city

8816-538: The country. This led to a drastic decline in ethnically German residents , whose number within the town decreased from over 40.000 in 1910 to 11,016 in 1926. A Nazi German youth organization was subsequently founded, which distributed Nazi propaganda books from Germany among the German minority. The city's boundaries were greatly expanded in 1920 to include the surrounding suburbs of Okole, Szwederowo, Bartodzieje, Kapuściska, Wilczak, Jachcice and more, which made Bydgoszcz

8932-539: The end of the German Empire, a large majority of the city's inhabitants spoke German as their main language, and the city woud later acquire the nickname "little Berlin" from its similar architectural appearance to the prewar image of the German capital and the work of shared architects such as Friedrich Adler , Ferdinand Lepcke , Heinrich Seeling , or Henry Gross . During the Kościuszko Uprising , in 1794

9048-475: The headquarters of the Bank Pocztowy SA ), whilst 37 insurance companies also have offices in the city. JP Morgan Chase , one of the largest financial institutions in the world, has established a branch in Bydgoszcz. Most industrial complexes are scattered throughout the city. Of note are the 'Zachem' chemical works , covering dozens of square kilometers in the south-east of the city. These remnants of

9164-480: The island date from the 19th century, but the so-called Biały Spichlerz (the White Granary) recalls the end of the 18th century. However, it is the water, footbridges, historic red-brick tenement houses reflected in the rivers, and the greenery, including old chestnut trees, that create the unique atmosphere of the island. "Hotel pod Orłem" (The Eagle Hotel), an icon of the city's 19th-century architecture,

9280-577: The island of Gotland in 1398. At the beginning of the 15th century, the State of the Teutonic Order stood at the height of its power under Konrad (Conrad) von Jungingen . The Teutonic navy ruled the Baltic Sea from bases in Prussia and Gotland, and the Prussian cities provided tax revenues sufficient to maintain a significant standing force composed of Teutonic Knights proper, their retinues, Prussian peasant levies, and German mercenaries. In 1402,

9396-852: The jurisdiction of local rulers. At the end of 1224, Pope Honorius III announced to all Christendom his appointment of Bishop William of Modena as the Papal Legate for Livonia, Prussia, and other countries. As a result of the Golden Bull of Rimini in 1226 and the Papal Bull of Rieti of 1234, Prussia came into the Teutonic Order's possession. The Knights began the Prussian Crusade in 1230. Under their governance, woodlands were cleared and marshlands made arable, upon which many cities and villages were founded, including Marienburg (Malbork) and Königsberg ( Kaliningrad ). Unlike

9512-412: The largest in Poland. The first mention of a school in Bydgoszcz is from 1466. In 1480, a Bernardine monastery was established in Bydgoszcz. The Bernardines erected a new Gothic church and founded a library, part of which has survived to this day. A Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland was held in Bydgoszcz in 1520. In 1522, after a decision taken by the Polish king, a salt depot was established in Bydgoszcz,

9628-417: The late 19th century. The first bridge was constructed at the reign of Casimir I of Kuyavia . In the early 14th century, the Duchy of Bydgoszcz and Wyszogród was created, with Bydgoszcz serving as its capital with Wyszogród, a settlement today within its borders. During the Polish–Teutonic War (1326–1332) , the city was captured and destroyed by the Teutonic Knights in 1330. Briefly regained by Poland, it

9744-436: The latter occasion, the castle was destroyed completely and has since remained a ruin. After the war only 94 houses were inhabited, 103 stood empty and 35 had burned down. The suburbs had also been considerably damaged. The Treaty of Bromberg , agreed in 1657 by King John II Casimir Vasa of Poland and Elector Frederick William II of Brandenburg-Prussia , created a military alliance between Poland and Prussia while marking

9860-625: The latter's son Albert of Sweden , joined the alliance, attacking via land and sea, forcing Denmark to sign the Treaty of Stralsund in 1370. Several Danish castles and fortresses were then taken by Hansa forces for fifteen years in order to secure the implementation of the peace conditions. The invasions of the Teutonic Order from Livonia to Pskov in 1367 had caused the Russians to recoup themselves on Hansa merchants in Novgorod , which again made

9976-500: The media, the railway line Chorzów Batory – Tczew (passenger, coal), the DK5 and DK10 national roads, and future freeways S10 and S5 . Bydgoszcz Airport is also close by. Bydgoszcz is a major cultural centre in the country, especially for music. Traditions of the municipal theatre date back to the 17th century, when the Jesuit college built a theatre. In 1824, a permanent theatre building

10092-547: The most known being the Joint Force Training Centre . In May 2023, debris of a Russian Kh-55 air-sol missile was found in the forest of the near village Zamość . The oldest building in the city is the Cathedral of St Martin and St Nicolas , commonly known as Fara Church. It is a three-aisle late Gothic church, erected between 1466 and 1502, which boasts a late-Gothic painting entitled Madonna with

10208-500: The newly established province of West Prussia . At the time, the town was seriously depressed and semi-derelict. Under Frederick the Great the town revived, notably with the construction of a canal from Bromberg to Nakel (Nakło) which connected the north-flowing Vistula River via the Brda to the west-flowing Noteć , which in turn flowed to the Oder via the Warta . From this period until

10324-652: The newly formed province of Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia as the seat of the district or county ( kreis ) of Bromberg. However, the annexation was not recognised in international law. Extermination of the inhabitants continued throughout the war, and in total, around 10,000 inhabitants, mostly Poles , but also Polish Jews , were killed. Some Polish inhabitants were also murdered in the village of Jastrzębie in January 1940, and local teachers were also among Polish teachers murdered in both Mauthausen and Dachau concentration camps. The history of Jews in Bydgoszcz ended with

10440-554: The newly-founded cities between the Rivers Elbe and Oder , the cities founded by the Teutonic Order had a much more regular, rectangular sketch of streets, indicating their character as planned foundations. The cities were heavily fortified, accounting for the long lasting conflicts with the resistive native Old Prussians, with armed forces under command of the knights. Most cities were prevailingly populated with immigrants from Central Germany and Silesia , where many knights of

10556-478: The northern part of which was soon separated to form Gdańsk Voivodship . The remaining part of the Pomeranian Voivodship was renamed Bydgoszcz Voivodeship in 1950. In 1951 and 1969, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology and Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz were founded respectively. In 1973, the former town of Fordon , located on the left bank of the Vistula, was included in

10672-527: The occasion of the ban on Flemish trade, the Hansa urged Prussia and Livonia again to interrupt the exchange with Novgorod as well, but with both blockades Russian and Flemish commodities could not reach their final destinations. In 1392 it was Grand Master Conrad of Wallenrode who supported the Flemish to achieve an acceptable agreement with the Hansa resuming the bilateral trade; while a Hanseatic delegation under Johann Niebur reopened trade with Novgorod in

10788-404: The only beneficiaries of a quasi membership within the Hansa, although lacking the background of citizenship in a fully autonomous or free city. Only merchants from the six Prussian Hanseatic cities of Braunsberg (Braniewo) , Culm (Chełmno) , Danzig (Gdańsk) , Elbing, Königsberg and Thorn (Toruń) were considered fully fledged members of the league, while merchants from other Prussian cities had

10904-463: The order had their homelands. The cities were usually given Magdeburg law town privileges , with the one exception of Elbing (Elbląg) , which was founded with the support of Lübeckers and thus was awarded Lübeck law . While the Lübeckers provided the Order important logistic support with their ships, they were otherwise, with the exception of Elbing, rather uninvolved in the establishment of

11020-619: The region to the Kingdom of Poland . King Casimir IV agreed and signed the act of incorporation in Kraków on 6 March 1454. The Thirteen Years' War , the longest of the Polish–Teutonic wars, (also known as the War of the Cities ) broke out. Various cities of the region pledged allegiance to the Polish King in 1454. The Second Peace of Thorn in October 1466 ended the war and provided for

11136-495: The reigning Polish king within six months of taking office, and any new territorial acquisitions by the Teutonic Order, also outside Prussia, would also be incorporated into Poland. The Grand Master of the Teutonic Order became a prince and counselor of the Polish king and the Kingdom of Poland. While the Knights of the Teutonic Order formed a thin ruling class by themselves, they extensively used mercenaries, mostly German, from

11252-544: The same year the Hansa evacuated all their Danish castles in fulfillment of the Treaty of Stralsund, Prussia argued in favour of a renewal of the Cologne Federation for the deeply concerned about the ensuing conflict with England, but could not prevail. The cities preferred to negotiate and take retaliatory actions, such as counter-confiscation of English merchandise. So when in 1388 Richard II finally reconfirmed

11368-465: The same year, after reconfirmation of the previous mutual privileges. Since the late 1380s grave piracy by privateers , promoted by Albert of Sweden and Mecklenburg actually directed against Margaret I of Denmark , blocked seafaring to the herring supplies at the Scania Market ; thus fish prices tripled in Prussia. The Saxon Hansa cities urged Prussia to intervene, but Conrad of Jungingen

11484-487: The second in the region after Toruń . In 1594, Stanisław Cikowski founded a private mint , which in the early 17th century was transformed into a royal mint, one of the leading mints in Poland . In 1621, on the occasion of the Polish victory over the Ottoman Empire at Chocim , one of the most valuable and largest coins in the history of Europe was minted in Bydgoszcz – 100 ducats of Sigismund III Vasa . In 1617

11600-560: The third largest city in the Second Polish Republic in terms of area. In 1938, the city was made part of the Polish Greater Pomerania . During the invasion of Poland , at the beginning of World War II , on September 1, 1939, Germany carried out air raids on the city. The Polish 15th Infantry Division , which was stationed in Bydgoszcz, fought off German attacks on September 2, but on September 3

11716-498: The third quarter of the 13th century, and work continued on it until the mid-15th century. A settlement developed alongside the castle, which together enclosed 25 hectares. Granted town rights in 1286, its castle is larger than any other built by the Order. Since 1997, the outer bailey has been thoroughly excavated and dates to the mid-1350s. Preserved at Marienburg was a polychrome statue of Mary about 8 m high, made of artificial stone and originally decorated with mosaic tiles. Sinc Mary

11832-500: The title of Duke of Prussia . Thereafter referred to as Ducal Prussia ( German : Herzogliches Preußen, Preußen Herzoglichen Anteils ; Polish : Prusy Książęce ), remaining a Polish fief. Thus in a deal partially brokered by Martin Luther , Roman Catholic Teutonic Prussia was transformed into the Duchy of Prussia , the first Protestant state. Sigismund's consent was bound to Albert's submission to Poland, which became known as

11948-786: The withdrawal of Prussia from its alliance with Sweden. After the Convocation Sejm of 1764 , Bydgoszcz became one of three seats of the Crown Tribunal for the Greater Poland Province of the Polish Crown alongside Poznań and Piotrków Trybunalski . In 1766 royal cartographer Franciszek Florian Czaki , during a meeting of the Committee of the Crown Treasury in Warsaw , proposed a plan of building

12064-550: The world that it was alleged "Polish terror" that forced Hitler to start the war. On the Polish National Independence Day , November 11, 1939, the Germans symbolically publicly executed Leon Barciszewski, the mayor of Bydgoszcz. On November 17, 1939, the commander of the local SD - EK unit declared there was no more Polish intelligentsia capable of resistance in the city. The city was annexed to

12180-541: Was designed by the distinguished Bydgoszcz architect Józef Święcicki, the author of around sixty buildings in the city. Completed in 1896, it served as a hotel from the very beginning and was originally owned by Emil Bernhardt, a hotel manager educated in Switzerland. Its façade displays forms characteristic of the Neo-baroque style in architecture. Saint Vincent de Paul's Basilica , erected between 1925 and 1939,

12296-495: Was erected, and this was rebuilt in 1895 in a monumental form by the Berlin architect Heinrich Seeling. The first music school was established in Bydgoszcz in 1904; it had close links to the very well-known European piano factory of Bruno Sommerfeld. Numerous orchestras and choirs, both German (Gesangverein, Liedertafel) and Polish (St. Wojciech Halka, Moniuszko), have also made the city their home. Since 1974, Bydgoszcz has been home to

12412-502: Was forced to retreat. During the withdrawal of Poles, as part of the diversion planned by Germany, local Germans opened fire on Polish soldiers and civilians. Polish soldiers and civilians were forced into a defensive battle in which several hundred people were killed on both sides. The event, referred to as the Bloody Sunday by the propaganda of Nazi Germany , which exaggerated the number of victims to 5,000 "defenceless" Germans,

12528-490: Was more worried about a Danish victory. So only after the cities, led by Lübeck's burgomaster Hinrich Westhof , had liaised the Treaty of Skanör (1395), Albert's defeat manifested , so that Prussia finally sent out its ships, led by Danzig's city councillor Conrad Letzkau . Until 1400 the united Teutonic-Hanseatic flotilla then thoroughly cleared the Baltic Sea of pirates, the Victual Brothers , and even took

12644-441: Was occupied by the Teutonic Knights from 1331 to 1337 and annexed to their monastic state as Bromberg . In 1337, it was recaptured by Poland and was relinquished by the Knights in 1343 at their signing of the Treaty of Kalisz along with Dobrzyń and the remainder of Kuyavia . King Casimir III of Poland granted Bydgoszcz city rights (charter) on 19 April 1346. The king granted a number of privileges, regarding river trade on

12760-542: Was occupied by the advancing Red Army . Those German residents who had survived were expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement and the city was returned to Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the 1980s. The Polish resistance remained active in Bydgoszcz. In the same year 1945, the city was made the seat of the Pomeranian Voivodship ,

12876-561: Was opened in July 1851. At the time of World War I , Poles in Bydgoszcz formed secret organizations, preparing to regain control of the city in the event of Poland regaining its independence. After the war, Bydgoszcz was assigned to the recreated Polish state by the 1919 Versailles Treaty . Now officially Bydgoszcz again, the city belonged to the Poznań Voivodeship . The local populace was required to acquire Polish citizenship or leave

12992-464: Was referred to in other languages. In the conflict between the Hanse and Denmark on the trade in the Baltic, King Valdemar IV of Denmark had held the Hanseatic city of Visby to ransom in 1361 . However, the members of the Hanseatic league were undecided whether to unite against him. But when Valdemar IV then captured Prussian merchant ships in the Øresund on their way to England , Grand Master Winrich of Kniprode travelled to Lübeck to propose

13108-580: Was situated in Smukała village, now part of Bydgoszcz. On February 4, 1941, the first mass transport of 524 Poles came to the Potulice concentration camp from Bydgoszcz. The local train station was one of the locations, where Polish children aged 12 and over were sent from the Potulice concentration camp to slave labor. The children reloaded freight trains. During the occupation , the Germans destroyed some of

13224-483: Was the favourite residence of the grandson of the king and his would-be successor Duke Casimir IV , who died there in 1377. In 1397 thanks to Queen Jadwiga of Poland , a Carmelite convent was established in the city, the third in Poland after Gdańsk and Kraków . During the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War in 1409 the city was briefly captured by the Teutonic Knights. In the mid-15th century, during

13340-422: Was the most important patron of the knights and central to the liturgy of the Teutonic Order, it is not surprising to find such striking representations of her at its most prominent castle. Coins were minted from the late 1250s. They were often simple in design, stamped with the cross of the Order on one side, but support the notion that crusading, colonisation, and a supporting infrastructure went hand in hand from

13456-726: Was used as an excuse to carry out dozens of mass executions of Polish residents in the Old Market Square and in the Valley of Death . Between September 3–10, 1939, the Germans executed 192 Poles in the city. On September 5, while the Wehrmacht entered the city, German-Polish skirmishes still took place in the Szwederowo district, and the German occupation of the city began. The German Einsatzgruppe IV , Einsatzkommando 16 and SS -Totenkopf-Standarte "Brandenburg" entered

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