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42-660: Kociewie is bordered by the Chełmno Land in the south, Powiśle in the east, Kashubia and Żuławy Wiślane in the north, and other parts of historic Pomerania in the west. The earliest inhabitants of what is now Kociewie are believed to have been from the Upper Paleolithic period. Evidence of the Linear Pottery culture has been unearthed in the region, and a neolithic settlement discovered at Barłożno . Archeological evidence from Tczew County indicates that

84-543: A minority in the town, comprising only around 1,000 (33.2%) out of a total population of 3,010. During World War II , from 1939 to 1945 it was occupied and annexed by Germany and was administered as part of the Berent district in Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia . Hundreds of Poles from Skarszewy and surrounding villages were imprisoned in the town, and later massacred in various places during

126-514: A part of the Duchy of Masovia governed by his son Bolesław IV the Curly and his descendants during the feudal fragmentation of Poland . By the 13th century the territory was subject to raids by pagan Old Prussians , who sacked Chełmno , the province's main town, in 1216. In 1220 Conrad I of Masovia , with the participation of the other dukes of Poland, led a partial reconquest of the province, but

168-529: Is a small town in Starogard Gdański County , Pomeranian Voivodeship , northern Poland . It is located within the ethnocultural region of Kociewie , 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Gdańsk . Population: 6 809 (30 June 2005). In 2005 the town was given the title the Pearl of Pomerania. It is the seat of the urban-rural administrative district Gmina Skarszewy . The old town is enclosed by fragments of

210-713: Is classified as part of Pomerania, due to strong connections with Gdańsk Pomerania in recent centuries, with which it is collectively called the Vistula Pomerania ( Pomorze Nadwiślańskie ), although it also has close ties with neighboring Kuyavia . As a result it forms part of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship , although a small part of the Chełmno Land is located in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship . Initially it

252-686: Is named after the city of Chełmno (historically also known as Culm). The largest city in the region is Toruń ; another bigger city is Grudziądz . It is located on the right bank of the Vistula river, from the mouth of the Drwęca (southern boundary) to the Osa (northern). Its eastern frontier is Lubawa Land . The region, depending on the period and interpretation, may be included in other larger regions: Mazovia , Pomerania or Prussia . Currently in Poland it

294-630: The Intelligenzaktion in October and November 1939. Over 240 Poles, previously imprisoned in Skarszewy, including teachers, merchants, local officials, priests, activists, craftsmen, workers, farmers, were murdered in the nearby forest by the SS , Gestapo and Selbstschutz . Over 100 Poles were murdered in the forest between Skarszewy and Więckowy . The wójt of Gmina Skarszewy, Emil Więcki,

336-471: The Intelligenzaktion , a planned mass murder of the local Polish elites. Major sites of massacres of Poles in the region included Klamry , Łopatki , Barbarka , Brzezinki , Małe Czyste , Płutowo and Nawra . Already in autumn of 1939, about 23,000 Poles of the pre-war Pomeranian Voivodeship were murdered. Nevertheless, the Polish resistance movement was still organized in the region, with Toruń being

378-719: The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Pelplin and Gniew Castle . John III Sobieski often resided in Gniew as a local starost before he became King of Poland. Main museums of the region include: Che%C5%82mno Land Chełmno land ( Polish : ziemia chełmińska , German : Culmer Land or Kulmerland, reconstructed Old Prussian : Kulma ) is a part of the historical region of Pomerelia , located in central-northern Poland . Chełmno land

420-764: The Polans , came to be populated by the Lechitic Kuyavians and tribes from Greater Poland. The Masovians were led by Masos, who left the Polish duke Boleslaw I and sought refuge with the Prussians . When this area was subdued by the rulers of the Polans Chełmno became a local centre of castellany (kasztelania). Chełmno Land was Christianised in the 11th century. According to the will of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth , Chełmno Land, after his death in 1138 became

462-653: The Swedes . Large fires in the years 1708, 1714, 1731 destroyed almost all the buildings. In 1762–1765, Józef Wybicki , the author of the lyrics of the national anthem of Poland , studied law at the local court, located in the old castle. In 1772 the town, known in German as Schöneck, was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the First Partition of Poland . It was subjected to Germanisation policies. In 1871, with

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504-491: The archbishop of Riga , with the town becoming the nominal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chełmno (however, the cathedral and the residence of the bishop were located actually in the adjacent Chełmża ). The Teutonic Knights occupied the region, despite papal verdicts to restore the region to Poland. The region witnessed strong opposition to Teutonic wars of 1414 and 1431–1435 against Poland, with

546-742: The football club Wietcisa Skarszewy represent the town in the Liga okręgowa . In 2023 the club was the winner of the annual Złota Bala cup presented by the sports news website Kociewski Sport . Skarszewy is twinned with: Skarszewy was twinned with Sandy in Bedfordshire , England in 1996. Each year over summer, students from Sandy Secondary School , Stratton Upper School in Biggleswade and Bedford Girls' School in Bedford travel to Skarszewy for twelve days to teach English to some of

588-741: The interwar period it formed the southern part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship with the capital in Toruń . Following the invasion of Poland , which started World War II in September 1939, it was occupied by Nazi Germany and unilaterally annexed in October, however, lacking any international recognition. During the occupation , the Polish population was subjected to various crimes , incl. mass arrests, imprisonment, slave labor , kidnapping of children , deportations to Nazi concentration camps and extermination. The Germans carried out

630-669: The 14th century stone walls and a Gothic parish Church of St Michael the Archangel which dates from the 14th century with well-preserved furnishings from the baroque era. In the town square is the fountain Griffin Pomorski with three griffins holding the emblem of St. John Skarszew on a platter. At the top were placed reproductions of three coats Skarszew: from 1198 when the town belonged to the Knights Hospitaller ; from 1320 when Skarszewy acquired civic rights and

672-462: The Kociewian lands were inhabited by people from the prehistoric Funnelbeaker culture . Later Iron Age settlements and cemeteries have also been uncovered in the same area. The territory became part of the emerging Polish state in the 10th century during the rule of Mieszko I . Within the Kingdom of Poland and Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth it formed part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship with

714-608: The Old Town of Chełmno and the Grudziądz Granaries , both listed alongside Toruń as Historic Monuments of Poland , the most important cultural heritage monuments in the country. In 1772 as a result of the First Partition of Poland , Chełmno Land (with the exception of Toruń , annexed in 1793) was seized by the Kingdom of Prussia . Between 1807 and 1815 Chełmno Land was a part of the Polish Duchy of Warsaw and Toruń

756-715: The Polish King and the Kingdom of Poland in an official ceremony held in Toruń in 1454. The war ended in a Polish victory and by the Second Peace of Toruń in 1466, the return of Chełmno Land to the Polish Crown was confirmed. It administratively formed the Chełmno Voivodeship , located in the Royal Prussia province, later also in the larger Greater Poland Province . Its capital was Chełmno, while

798-638: The Prussian Partition of Poland. Following World War I , Poland regained independence and control of Kociewie. Following the Nazi German invasion of Poland , which started World War II in September 1939, Kociewie was declared part of the Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia on 8 October 1939, with its judicial institutions being incorporated into the German system of regional , national , and Higher National courts

840-716: The Prussian-led unification of Germany , Schöneck became part of the German Empire . Until 1920, the town was part of the Berent district in the Prussian Province of West Prussia in Germany . According to the census of 1910, Schöneck had a population of 3,494, of which 2,258 (64.6%) were German-speaking, 1,131 (32.4%) were Polish -speaking, 2 (0.1%) were Kashubian-speaking and 102 (2.9%) were bilingual. At

882-578: The Prussians alone, Conrad needed to safeguard and establish borders against the heathen Old Prussians , because his territory of Masovia was also in danger after the Prussians besieged Płock . Conrad awarded the already devastated Chełmno Land to the Teutonic Knights , giving them Nieszawa at first. He also brought in German settlers to Płock . In 1226 Duke Conrad I of Masovia enlisted

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924-660: The aid of the Teutonic Order to protect Masovia and help convert the Prussians to Christianity. In return, the knights were to keep Chełmno Land as a fief . The land constituted the base of the Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights , and its later conquest of Prussia . The Teutonic Order obtained an Imperial bull from Emperor Frederick II before entering Prussia. In 1243 the papal legate William of Modena divided Prussia into four dioceses under

966-454: The beginning of the 20th century, Schöneck had a Protestant church, a Catholic church, a synagogue, a district court, an old castle (which at that time housed the dairy) and some medium-sized businesses. In 1906–1907, local Polish children joined the children school strikes against Germanisation that spread throughout the Prussian Partition of Poland. Under the Treaty of Versailles , Skarszewy

1008-648: The capital located in Skarszewy in Kociewie, and county seats located in Nowe , Skarszewy, Starogard , Świecie and Tczew . In the 16th and 17th centuries, there were instances of Scottish immigrants living in Gniew , Starogard Gdański and Tczew. In 1762–1765, Józef Wybicki , the author of the lyrics of the Polish national anthem , studied law at the court in Skarszewy. Following the First Partition of Poland in 1772,

1050-503: The current coat of arms. The town was first mentioned as a seat of Knights Hospitaller in 1198. It was part of the medieval Kingdom of Poland until the 14th century. In 1320 it obtained town rights, and in 1370 it was sold by the Order of St. John to the Teutonic Order . In 1454, upon the request of the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation , the town was re-incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland by King Casimir IV Jagiellon . During

1092-417: The following year. Under German occupation , the Polish population was subjected to various crimes , such as mass arrests, imprisonment, slave labor , expulsions , kidnapping of children , deportations to concentration camps and genocide, including the Intelligenzaktion . Major sites of massacres of Poles in the region included Szpęgawsk , Mniszek , Skarszewy and Grupa . The occupiers also murdered

1134-601: The knights of Chełmno Land were the official representatives of the confederation. In 1454 the confederation started an uprising against the Teutonic Order and turned to Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon with a request to reunite the region with Poland. The king agreed and signed the incorporation act, after which the Thirteen Years' War broke out. The representatives from the region, incl. nobility, knights, mayors and local officials, solemnly swore allegiance to

1176-465: The largest city was Toruń, which as a royal city became one of the largest and wealthiest cities of Poland, and was the site of numerous significant events in the history of Poland . In 1997 the Medieval Town of Toruń was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2007 Toruń's historic center was added to the list of Seven Wonders of Poland . Other most valuable heritage sites include

1218-527: The linguist Florian Ceynowa described the inhabitants of Kociewie; he named the people around Gniew and Pelplin as the Fetrów and Kociewiem respectively, distinguished by their melodic accents, who farmed pigs and horses. To their north were the Pola of the fields around Starogard Gdański. In 1906–1907, Polish children in Kociewie joined the children school strikes against Germanisation that spread throughout

1260-489: The nobility refusing to serve in the Teutonic army, some Polish nobles fighting on the side of Poland, and the city of Toruń refusing to pay taxes to the Teutonic Knights, not wanting to finance their war. In 1440 the anti-Teutonic Prussian Confederation was founded, and among its founders were cities of the Chełmno Land, including Toruń , Chełmno , Grudziądz and Brodnica . The city councils of Chełmno and Toruń, and

1302-403: The north, Masuria in the north-east, Dobrzyń Land in the south-east, and Kuyavia in the west. The first historical account of Chełmno and Chełmno Land dates back to 1065 when Bolesław II of Poland granted a tax privilege to an abbey in a nearby Mogilno . The document lists Chełmno ("Culmine") along with other towns which then belonged to the province of Masovia. The area, being closest to

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1344-535: The patients of the psychiatric hospitals in Kocborowo (district of Starogard) and Świecie. In a 2013 study, Y-DNA haplogroups among the Polish population indigenous to Kociewie (n=158) were reported as follows: 56.3% R1a , 17.7% R1b , 8.2% I1 , 7.6% I2 , 3.8% E1b1b , 1.9% N1 , 1.9% J and 2% of other haplogroups. The region is rich in historic architecture of various styles, including Gothic , Baroque and Art Nouveau . Most notable Gothic landmarks are

1386-450: The project of establishing a Polish defense of the province failed due to conflicts between the dukes. He brought the crusading Knights of Dobrzyń to Masovia, where they built a castle at Dobrzyń in 1224 as a base for attacks against the Prussians. As a result, the territory was again sacked and devastated by Prussian raids, which led to depopulation of the province. Being involved in dynastic struggles elsewhere and too weak to deal with

1428-597: The region include motorcycle speedway teams KS Toruń and GKM Grudziądz , ice hockey team TKH Toruń and basketball teams Twarde Pierniki Toruń (men) and Energa Toruń (women). The Speedway Grand Prix of Poland , part of the Speedway Grand Prix , is held annually at the MotoArena Toruń in Toruń . Skarszewy Skarszewy [skarˈʂɛvɨ] ( German : Schöneck in Westpreußen )

1470-477: The region was annexed by Prussia . The first known mention of the region in the historical record dates to 10 February 1807 when the name Gociewie was used in correspondence between Jan Henryk Dąbrowski and one of his Lieutenant colonels’ during the Greater Poland Uprising . Although, it is likely that the name Kociewie had been in use since the late Middle Ages . In the mid-19 century

1512-522: The seat of one of the six main commands of the Union of Armed Struggle in all of occupied Poland. In January 1945 it was captured by the Red Army and the German occupation of this part of Poland ended. The region is currently inhabited by around 650,000 people. There are 14 cities and towns in the region. The largest are Toruń and Grudziądz . The most successful and popular sports clubs in

1554-482: The subsequent Thirteen Years' War , in 1455, it was ravaged by the Teutonic Knights , who finally renounced any claims to the town in 1466 . Again within Poland, administratively it was part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in the province of Royal Prussia in the Greater Poland Province . In 1613 Skarszewy became capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship . Between 1629 and 1655 it was devastated by

1596-548: The town and on March 8, 1945 the Red Army's East Pomeranian Offensive burned parts of the town, causing the destruction of up to 40% of the buildings in Skarszewy. After the war, the town was restored to Poland and the remaining German population was expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement . In 2012, the town limits of Skarszewy were expanded, by including the settlement of Pólko. Established in 1946,

1638-670: Was even the duchy's temporary capital in April and May 1809. In 1815 it was annexed by Prussia again, first it became part of the Grand Duchy of Posen , but in 1817 was incorporated into the province of West Prussia . Following the Treaty of Versailles , Chełmno Land was returned to Poland in January 1920, after the Poles regained independence in 1918. In August 1920, Poland repulsed a Soviet invasion at Brodnica  [ pl ] . In

1680-599: Was murdered in a massacre carried out in Mestwinowo . The local school principal was among Polish teachers and principals murdered in the Dachau concentration camp . In November 1939, around 1,000 Poles, mostly families of those murdered in the massacres, were expelled to the General Government in the more-eastern part of German-occupied Poland. Towards the end of the war, Soviet aircraft repeatedly bombed

1722-490: Was reassigned to Poland, after the country regained independence. The Blue Army of Poland commanded by General Józef Haller entered Skarszewy on 30 January 1920, ending 148 years of Prussian rule. As part of the Second Polish Republic , administratively it was located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship . After the town became part of Poland, many ethnic Germans emigrated to Germany and by 1921, Germans became

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1764-498: Was the westernmost part of Mazovia within medieval Poland, especially after the fragmentation of Poland . According to German historiography, it is classified as part of Prussia, although it did not form part of pre-Christian Prussia and was not inhabited by the Old Prussians , but by Slavic Lechites , who in the 10th century became part of the emerging Polish state. Chełmno Land borders Gdańsk Pomerania and Powiśle in

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