Śrem [ɕrɛm] ( German : Schrimm ) is a town on the Warta river in central Poland . It is the seat of Śrem County in the Greater Poland Voivodeship . As of 1995, the population of Śrem was 29,800.
137-431: Śrem is 45 kilometres (28 miles) to the south of Poznań , a local road junction on the road from Poznań to Rawicz ; other roads lead from the town to Września , Leszno and Głuchowo . The Śrem District has a population of 39,672, of which about 31,000 live in the town of Śrem. Śrem was founded in the second half of the 10th century in the cradle of the emerging Polish state, when a fortified settlement , which protected
274-621: A Peenemünde launch, a Special Report 1/R, no. 242 , photographs, eight key V-2 parts, and drawings of the wreckage. Polish agents also provided reports on the German war production, morale, and troop movements. The Polish intelligence network extended beyond Poland and even beyond Europe: for example, the intelligence network organized by Mieczysław Zygfryd Słowikowski in North Africa has been described as "the only [A]llied ... network in North Africa". The Polish network even had two agents in
411-587: A local dialect . Among its most important heritage sites are the Renaissance Old Town, Town Hall and Gothic Cathedral . Poznań is the fifth-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland . As of 2023, the city's population is 540,146, while the Poznań metropolitan area ( Metropolia Poznań ) comprising Poznań County and several other communities is inhabited by over 1.029 million people. It
548-529: A voivodeship (see Administrative division of Second Polish Republic ). There were three to five areas: Warsaw ( Obszar Warszawski , with some sources differentiating between left- and right-bank areas – Obszar Warszawski prawo- i lewobrzeżny ), Western ( Obszar Zachodni , in the Pomerania and Poznań regions), and Southeastern ( Obszar Południowo-Wschodni , in the Lwów area); sources vary on whether there
685-488: A branch of Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznań. The branch offers Bachelor of Science courses in material chemistry and tourism. In addition, there are cultural institutions such as the Śrem Museum, the public library, the Culture Centre, and local media including the press, television. There are also monuments to notable people connected with Śrem, including Józef Wybicki and Piotr Wawrzyniak , and memorials to
822-586: A controversial topic. As Polish–Soviet relations deteriorated, conflict grew between the Home Army and Soviet forces. The Home Army's allegiance to the Polish government-in-exile caused the Soviet government to consider the Home Army to be an impediment to the introduction of a communist -friendly government in Poland, which hindered cooperation and in some cases led to outright conflict. On 19 January 1945, after
959-586: A defining moment in the Christianization of the Polish state, may have taken place in Poznań. Following the baptism , construction began of Poznań's cathedral , the first in Poland. Poznań was probably the main seat of the first missionary bishop sent to Poland, Bishop Jordan . The Congress of Gniezno in 1000 led to the country's first permanent archbishopric being established in Gniezno (which
1096-608: A four-year term. The current council members were elected in 2023. The council consists of 37 members. The Chairman of the Poznań City Council is Grzegorz Ganowicz (KO), and the Vice-Chairpersons are Przemysław Alexandrowicz (PiS), Agnieszka Lewandowska (KO), and Halina Owsianna. The council members collaborate within 14 permanent committees. The office of the President of Poznań is held by Jacek Jaśkowiak , with
1233-555: A mainstay of polish tradition and culture, and as a sign of resistance against the restrictive policies of the Prussian partition authorities. However, the authorities made efforts to Germanize the region, particularly through the Prussian Settlement Commission founded in 1886. Germans accounted for 38% of the city's population in 1867, though this percentage would later decline somewhat, particularly after
1370-401: A major center for the fur trade by the late 16th century. Suburban settlements developed around the city walls, on the river islands, and on the right bank, with some (Ostrów Tumski, Śródka , Chwaliszewo, Ostrówek) obtaining their own town charters. However, the city's development was hampered by regular major fires and floods. On 2 May 1536 a fire destroyed 175 buildings, including the castle,
1507-666: A major resource; between the French capitulation and other Allied networks that were undeveloped at the time, it was even described as "the only [A]llied intelligence assets on the Continent". According to Marek Ney-Krwawicz [ pl ] , for the Western Allies, the intelligence provided by the Home Army was considered to be the best source of information on the Eastern Front. Home Army intelligence provided
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#17328021981331644-638: A number of places from German control—for example, the Lublin area, where regional structures were able to set up a functioning government—they ultimately failed to secure sufficient territory to enable the government-in-exile to return to Poland due to Soviet hostility. The Home Army also sabotaged German rail- and road-transports to the Eastern Front in the Soviet Union. Richard J. Crampton estimated that an eighth of all German transports to
1781-492: A sewer system unit. Many women participated in the Warsaw Uprising, particularly as medics or scouts; they were estimated to form about 75% of the insurgent medical personnel. By the end of the uprising, there were about 5,000 female casualties among the insurgents, with over 2,000 female soldiers taken captive; the latter number reported in contemporary press caused a "European sensation". Home Army Headquarters
1918-461: A space of 650,000 square metres it attracted around 4.5 million visitors. In the 1930s, the fair ranked as European fourth largest organiser of international trade events. The city's boundaries were again expanded in 1925 to include Główna, Komandoria , Rataje , Starołęka, Dębiec , Szeląg and Winogrady , and in 1933: Golęcin and Podolany . During the German occupation of 1939–1945, Poznań
2055-764: Is credited as the creation of the very first Polish state, the Duchy of Poland ), Poznań was an important cultural and political centre of the Western Polans . It consisted of a fortified stronghold between the Warta and Cybina rivers on what is now Ostrów Tumski . Mieszko I , the first historically recorded ruler of the West Polans and of the early Polish state which they dominated, built one of his main stable headquarters in Poznań. Mieszko's baptism in AD 966, seen as
2192-519: Is generally regarded as Poland's capital in that period), although Poznań continued to have independent bishops of its own. Poznań's cathedral was the place of burial of the early Piast monarchs, among them Mieszko I, Bolesław I the Brave , Mieszko II Lambert , Casimir I , and later of Przemysł I and Przemysł II . The pagan reaction that followed Mieszko II's death (probably in Poznań) in 1034 left
2329-405: Is home to over 1 million inhabitants. The complex infrastructure, population density, number of companies and gross product per capita of Poznań suburbs may be only compared to Warsaw suburbs. Many parts of closer suburbs such as Tarnowo Podgorne , Komorniki , Suchy Las , and Dopiewo produce more in terms of GDP per capita than the city itself. The relocation of Poznań from the right to
2466-440: Is known as Posen in German , and was officially called Haupt- und Residenzstadt Posen (Capital and Residence City of Poznań) between 20 August 1910 and 28 November 1918. The Latin names of the city are Posnania and Civitas Posnaniensis . Its Yiddish name is פּױזן , or Poyzn . In Polish, the city's name has masculine grammatical gender . For centuries before the Christianization of Poland (an event that essentially
2603-489: Is one of four historical capitals of medieval Poland and the ancient capital of the Greater Poland region, currently the administrative capital of the province called Greater Poland Voivodeship . Poznań is a centre of trade, sport, education, technology and tourism. It is an important academic site, with about 130,000 students and Adam Mickiewicz University , the third largest Polish university. The city serves as
2740-455: Is one of the most business-friendly cities in Poland. It also ranks highly in safety and healthcare quality . The city of Poznań has also, many times, won the prize awarded by " Superbrands " for a very high quality city brand. In 2012, the Poznań's Art and Business Centre " Stary Browar " won a competition organised by National Geographic Traveler and was given the first prize as one of the seven "New Polish Wonders". Companies headquartered in
2877-535: Is the seat of many firms with private and foreign capital, which have invested in metallurgy, furniture production, transport, window and door production, textiles and food processing. The Śrem Iron Foundry is the biggest plant in Śrem and Śrem County. Business activity in the area is supported by such institutions as the Craftsmen's Guild, the Śrem Centre for Support of Small Business, and the County Branch of
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#17328021981333014-427: Is within the transition zone between a humid continental and oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb to Dfb although it just fits in the second in the 0 °C isotherm) and with relatively cold winters and warm summers. Snow is common in winter, when night-time temperatures are typically below zero. In summer temperatures may often reach 30 °C (86 °F). Annual rainfall is more than 500 mm (20 in), among
3151-453: The Kubuś armored car ). Even these light-infantry units were as a rule armed with a mixture of weapons of various types, usually in quantities sufficient to arm only a fraction of a unit's soldiers. Home Army arms and equipment came mostly from four sources: arms that had been buried by the Polish armies on battlefields after the 1939 invasion of Poland , arms purchased or captured from
3288-662: The Eastern Front in the Soviet Union, destroying German supplies and tying down substantial German forces. It also fought pitched battles against the Germans, particularly in 1943 and in Operation Tempest from January 1944. The Home Army's most widely known operation was the Warsaw Uprising of August–October 1944. The Home Army also defended Polish civilians against atrocities by Germany's Ukrainian and Lithuanian collaborators . Its attitude toward Jews remains
3425-667: The German occupation , the Polish population was subjected to mass arrests, imprisonment, executions, expulsions , and deportations to Nazi concentration camps . In September 1939, the Einsatzgruppe VI carried out mass arrests of Poles, many of whom were immediately murdered. The Einsatzgruppe VI carried out public executions of Poles from Śrem and nearby villages on 20 September and 20 October 1939, killing 20 and 19 people respectively, including former Polish insurgents of 1918–1919, local administration and court officials, merchants, and landowners. The Polish resistance movement
3562-524: The Greater Poland region. In the late 18th century, Józef Wybicki , Polish jurist, poet, political and military activist, best known as the author of the lyrics of the Polish national anthem , settled in nearby Manieczki , and in 1791 became a burgher and honorary citizen of Śrem. The town was annexed by Prussia in the Second Partition of Poland in 1793, regained by Poles and included in
3699-548: The Greater Poland uprising (1918–19) broke out, during which in December 1918, the local German garrison surrendered without resistance and the town was finally restored to the Second Polish Republic . In the interbellum new factories were opened and new housing districts were built. Śrem was bombed by Germany on 1 September 1939, the first day of the invasion of Poland , which began World War II . During
3836-420: The Greater Poland uprising (1918–19) participants and the victims of World War II. There are multiple sports facilities in Śrem: pitches, a stadium, a swimming pool, bowling alleys, gyms, and a yacht club with a landing stage on Lake Grzymisławskie. Śrem is the starting point of almost all major marked cycling routes in the region. The local football club is Warta Śrem [ pl ] . It competes in
3973-479: The Greater Poland uprising of 1806 , Polish soldiers and civilian volunteers assisted the efforts of Napoleon by driving out Prussian forces from the region. The city became a part of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807, and was the seat of Poznań Department – a unit of administrative division and local government. However, in 1815, following the Congress of Vienna , the region was returned to Prussia, and Poznań became
4110-708: The Katyn massacre of 1940. Until the major rising in 1944, the Home Army concentrated on self-defense (the freeing of prisoners and hostages, defense against German pacification operations) and on attacks against German forces. Home Army units carried out thousands of armed raids and intelligence operations, sabotaged hundreds of railway shipments, and participated in many partisan clashes and battles with German police and Wehrmacht units. The Home Army also assassinated prominent Nazi collaborators and Gestapo officials in retaliation against Nazi terror inflicted on Poland's civilian population; prominent individuals assassinated by
4247-523: The Polish local government reforms of 1999, Poznań again became the capital of a larger province entitled Greater Poland Voivodeship . It also became the seat of a powiat Poznań County , with the city itself gaining separate powiat status. Post-communism infrastructural developments include the opening of the Pestka Fast Tram route in 1997, and Poznań's first motorway connections in 2003 as Poland's east–west A2 highway runs south of
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4384-568: The Prussian Royal Residence Palace ( Zamek ) which was completed in 1910, and other grand buildings around it, including today's central university buildings and the opera house. The city's boundaries were also significantly extended to take in former suburban villages: Piotrowo and Berdychowo in 1896, Łazarz, Górczyn, Jeżyce and Wilda in 1900, and Sołacz in 1907. In 1910, Poznań had 156,696 inhabitants, of which nearly 60% were Poles (over 91,000 Polish inhabitants of
4521-466: The Red Army had cleared most Polish territory of German forces, the Home Army was disbanded. After the war, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, communist government propaganda portrayed the Home Army as an oppressive and reactionary force. Thousands of ex-Home Army personnel were deported to gulags and Soviet prisons, while other ex-members, including a number of senior commanders, were executed. After
4658-555: The Warsaw Uprising began, only a sixth of Home Army fighters in Warsaw were armed. Home Army members' attitudes toward Jews varied widely from unit to unit, and the topic remains controversial. The Home Army answered to the National Council of the Polish government-in-exile, where some Jews served in leadership positions (e.g. Ignacy Schwarzbart and Szmul Zygielbojm ), though there were no Jewish representatives in
4795-433: The Warta . Then in 1253, Przemysł issued a charter to Thomas of Gubin for the founding of a town under Magdeburg law , between the castle and the river. Thomas brought a large number of German settlers to aid in the building and settlement of the city – this is an example of the German eastern migration ( Ostsiedlung ) characteristic of that period. The city, which covered the area of today's Old Town neighbourhood,
4932-599: The fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe, the portrayal of the Home Army was no longer subject to government censorship and propaganda. The Home Army originated in the Service for Poland's Victory ( Służba Zwycięstwu Polski ), which General Michał Karaszewicz-Tokarzewski set up on 27 September 1939, just as the coordinated German and Soviet invasions of Poland neared completion. Seven weeks later, on 17 November 1939, on orders from General Władysław Sikorski ,
5069-693: The "London government" fully aware of the other's situation. After Germany started its invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, the Soviet Union joined the Allies and signed the Anglo-Soviet Agreement on 12 July 1941. This put the Polish government in a difficult position since it had previously pursued a policy of "two enemies". Although a Polish–Soviet agreement was signed in August 1941, cooperation continued to be difficult and deteriorated further after 1943 when Nazi Germany publicised
5206-687: The 14th century, it became a royal town of the Polish Crown and the seat of local royal officials ( starosta ). Administratively it was located in the Poznań Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province of the Polish Crown . Its heyday was in the first half of the 15th century and the second half of the 16th century. Later, lengthy wars, epidemics and natural catastrophes caused Śrem to decline, like many other towns in
5343-623: The 15th century. Home Army The Home Army ( Polish : Armia Krajowa , pronounced [ˈarmja kraˈjɔva] ; abbreviated AK ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II . The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the aftermath of the German and Soviet invasions in September 1939. Over
5480-460: The 1980s. From 1975 to 1998 it was administratively part of the Poznań Voivodeship . In August 1980, employees of local factories joined the nationwide anti-communist strikes, which led to the foundation of the Solidarity organization, which played a central role in the end of communist rule in Poland. At present, the town has a population of about 30,000, with a fast-developing economy. It
5617-521: The Allied armed effort much more effectively than subversive and guerilla activities". The Home Army also conducted psychological warfare . Its Operation N created the illusion of a German movement opposing Adolf Hitler within Germany itself. The Home Army published a weekly Biuletyn Informacyjny (Information Bulletin), with a top circulation (on 25 November 1943) of 50,000 copies. Sabotage
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5754-785: The Allies with information on German concentration camps and the Holocaust in Poland (including the first reports on this subject received by the Allies ), German submarine operations, and, most famously, the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket . In one Project Big Ben mission ( Operation Wildhorn III ; Polish cryptonym , Most III , "Bridge III"), a stripped-for-lightness RAF twin-engine Dakota flew from Brindisi , Italy , to an abandoned German airfield in Poland to pick up intelligence prepared by Polish aircraft-designer Antoni Kocjan , including 100 lb (45 kg) of V-2 rocket wreckage from
5891-583: The Allies; 48 per cent of all reports received by the British secret services from continental Europe between 1939 and 1945 came from Polish sources. The total number of those reports is estimated at 80,000, and 85 per cent of them were deemed to be high quality or better. The Polish intelligence network grew rapidly; near the end of the war, it had over 1,600 registered agents. The Western Allies had limited intelligence assets in Central and Eastern Europe. The extensive in-place Polish intelligence network proved
6028-532: The Bogdanka, and Rusałka , an artificial lake formed in 1943 further down the Bogdanka river. The latter two are popular bathing places. Kiekrz lake is much used for sailing , while Malta is a competitive rowing and canoeing venue. The city centre – including the Old Town , the former islands of Grobla and Chwaliszewo, the main street Święty Marcin and many other important buildings and districts – lies on
6165-631: The Deputy Presidents being Mariusz Wiśniewski, Jędrzej Solarski, and Natalia Weremczuk. The position of City Treasurer is occupied by Barbara Sajnaj, while Stanisław Tamm serves as the City Secretary. Administrative services for citizens are managed by 30 departments and equivalent organizational units of the City of Poznań Office. Additionally, the city operates 328 municipal organizational units to fulfill various public tasks. Throughout
6302-448: The Eastern Front were destroyed or substantially delayed due to Home Army operations. The Polish Resistance carried out dozens of attacks on German commanders in Poland, the largest series being that codenamed " Operation Heads ". Dozens of additional assassinations were carried out, the best-known being: As a clandestine army operating in an enemy-occupied country and separated by over a thousand kilometers from any friendly territory,
6439-624: The German high command itself. The researchers who produced the first Polish–British in-depth monograph on Home Army intelligence ( Intelligence Co-operation Between Poland and Great Britain During World War II: Report of the Anglo-Polish Historical Committee , 2005) described contributions of Polish intelligence to the Allied victory as "disproportionally large" and argued that "the work performed by Home Army intelligence undoubtedly supported
6576-449: The Germans (the forest people are estimated at some 40 groups, numbering 1,200–4,000 persons in early 1943, but their numbers grew substantially during Operation Tempest ). The third, largest group were "part-time members": sympathisers who led "double lives" under their real names in their real homes, received no payment for their services, and stayed in touch with their undercover unit commanders but were seldom mustered for operations, as
6713-419: The Germans and their allies, arms clandestinely manufactured by the Home Army itself, and arms received from Allied air drops. From arms caches hidden in 1939, the Home Army obtained 614 heavy machine guns, 1,193 light machine guns, 33,052 rifles, 6,732 pistols, 28 antitank light field guns, 25 antitank rifles, and 43,154 hand grenades. However, due to their inadequate preservation, which had to be improvised in
6850-584: The Germans expelled hundreds of Poles, who were deported to the General Government in the more-eastern part of German-occupied Poland, and their houses were then handed over to German colonists as part of the Lebensraum policy. After the end of German occupation, the town was restored to Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the Fall of Communism in
6987-454: The Germans in 1943, was Stefan Rowecki ( nom de guerre " Grot ", "Spearhead"). Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (Tadeusz Komorowski, nom de guerre " Bór ", "Forest") commanded from July 1943 until his surrender to the Germans when the Warsaw Uprising was suppressed in October 1944. Leopold Okulicki , nom de guerre Niedzwiadek ("Bear"), led the Home Army in its final days. The Home Army
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#17328021981337124-700: The Government Delegation for Poland. Traditionally, Polish historiography has presented the Home Army interactions with Jews in a positive light, while Jewish historiography has been mostly negative; most Jewish authors attribute the Home Army's hostility to endemic antisemitism in Poland . More recent scholarship has presented a mixed, ambivalent view of Home Army–Jewish relations. Both "profoundly disturbing acts of violence as well as extraordinary acts of aid and compassion" have been reported. In an analysis by Joshua D. Zimmerman , postwar testimonies of Holocaust survivors reveal that their experiences with
7261-626: The Główna, flowing through the neighbourhood of the same name in north-east Poznań; and the Rose Stream (Strumień Różany) flowing east from Morasko in the north of the city. The course of the Warta in central Poznań was formerly quite different from today: the main stream ran between Grobla and Chwaliszewo, which were originally both islands. The branch west of Grobla (the Zgniła Warta – "rotten Warta")
7398-518: The Holocaust to the Western powers, after having personally visited the Warsaw Ghetto and a Nazi concentration camp. Another crucial role was played by Witold Pilecki , who was the only person to volunteer to be imprisoned at Auschwitz (where he would spend three and a half years) to organize a resistance on the inside and to gather information on the atrocities occurring there to inform
7535-419: The Home Army faced unique challenges in acquiring arms and equipment, though it was able to overcome these difficulties to some extent and to field tens of thousands of armed soldiers. Nevertheless, the difficult conditions meant that only infantry forces armed with light weapons could be fielded. Any use of artillery, armor or aircraft was impossible (except for a few instances during the Warsaw Uprising, such as
7672-590: The Home Army had closer ties and ideological similarities. Antoni Chruściel , commander of the Home Army in Warsaw, ordered the entire armory of the Wola district transferred to the ghetto. In January 1943 the Home Army delivered a larger shipment of 50 pistols, 50 hand grenades, and several kilograms of explosives, along with a number of smaller shipments that carried a total of 70 pistols, 10 rifles, 2 hand machine guns, 1 light machine gun, ammunition, and over 150 kilograms of explosives. The number of supplies provided to
7809-576: The Home Army in its own secret workshops, and by Home Army members working in German armaments factories. In this way the Home Army was able to procure submachine guns (copies of British Stens , indigenous Błyskawicas and KIS ), pistols ( Vis ), flamethrowers, explosive devices, road mines, and Filipinka and Sidolówka hand grenades . Hundreds of people were involved in the manufacturing effort. The Home Army did not produce its own ammunition, but relied on supplies stolen by Polish workers from German-run factories. The final source of supply
7946-509: The Home Army in order to survive in hiding, but Jews serving in the Home Army were the exception rather than the rule. Most Jews in hiding could not pass as ethnic Poles and would have faced deadly consequences if discovered. In February 1942, the Home Army Operational Command's Office of Information and Propaganda set up a Section for Jewish Affairs, directed by Henryk Woliński . This section collected data about
8083-478: The Home Army included Elżbieta Zawacka , an underground courier who was sometimes called the only female Cichociemna . Grażyna Lipińska [ pl ] organised an intelligence network in German-occupied Belarus in 1942–1944. Janina Karasiówna [ pl ] and Emilia Malessa were high-ranking officers described as "holding top posts" within the communication branch of
8220-473: The Home Army included Igo Sym (1941) and Franz Kutschera (1944). In February 1942, when the Home Army was formed from the Armed Resistance, it numbered around 100,000 members. Less than a year later, at the start of 1943, it had reached a strength of around 200,000. In the summer of 1944, when Operation Tempest began, the Home Army reached its highest membership: estimates of membership in
8357-402: The Home Army planned to use them only during a planned nationwide rising. The Home Army was intended to be representative of the Polish nation, and its members were recruited from most parties and social classes. Its growth was largely based on integrating scores of smaller resistance organisations into its ranks; most of the other Polish underground armed organizations were incorporated into
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#17328021981338494-644: The Home Army were mixed even if predominantly negative. Jews trying to seek refuge from Nazi genocidal policies were often exposed to greater danger by open resistance to German occupation. Members of the Home Army were named Righteous Among the Nations for risking their lives to save Jews, examples include Jan Karski , Aleksander Kamiński , Stefan Korboński , Henryk Woliński , Jan Żabiński , Władysław Bartoszewski , Mieczysław Fogg , Henryk Iwański , and Jan Dobraczyński . However, Polish historian Ewa Kołomańska noted that many individuals associated with
8631-708: The Home Army, involved in rescuing the Jews, did not receive the Righteous title. A Jewish partisan detachment served in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising , and another in Hanaczów [ pl ] . The Home Army provided training and supplies to the Warsaw Ghetto 's Jewish Combat Organization . It is likely that more Jews fought in the Warsaw Uprising than in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, some fought in both. Thousands of Jews joined, or claimed to join,
8768-460: The Home Army, though they retained varying degrees of autonomy. The largest organization that merged into the Home Army was the leftist Peasants' Battalions ( Bataliony Chłopskie ) around 1943–1944, and parts of the National Armed Forces ( Narodowe Siły Zbrojne ) became subordinate to the Home Army. In turn, individual Home Army units varied substantially in their political outlooks, notably in their attitudes toward ethnic minorities and toward
8905-447: The Jewish resistance would be futile. This reasoning was the norm among the Allies , who believed that the Holocaust could only be halted by a significant military action. The Home Army provided the Warsaw Ghetto with firearms, ammunition, and explosives, but only after it was convinced of the eagerness of the Jewish Combat Organization ( Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa , ŻOB) to fight, and after Władysław Sikorski 's intervention on
9042-436: The Jews. The fact remains that its leadership did not want to do so." Rowecki's attitudes shifted in the following months as the brutal reality of the Holocaust became more apparent, and the Polish public support for the Jewish resistance increased. Rowecki was willing to provide Jewish fighters with aid and resources when it contributed to "the greater war effort", but had concluded that providing large quantities of supplies to
9179-415: The Marshal of Greater Poland. Poznań, which holds the status of both a municipality and a county city, is home not only to the local authorities of Poznań but also to the authorities of the Poznań County . Additionally, the city hosts the[Union of Polish Cities and the Association of Municipalities and Counties of Greater Poland . The Poznań City Council is the legislative and supervisory body, elected for
9316-403: The Organization's behalf. Zimmerman describes the supplies as "limited but real". Jewish fighters of the Jewish Military Union ( Żydowski Związek Wojskowy , ŻZW) received from the Home Army, among other things, 2 heavy machine guns, 4 light machine guns, 21 submachine guns, 30 rifles, 50 pistols, and over 400 grenades. Some supplies were also provided to the ŻOB, but less than to ŻZW with whom
9453-412: The Poles receiving no aid from the approaching Red Army, the Germans eventually defeated the insurrectionists and burned the city, quelling the Uprising on 2 October 1944. Other major Home Army city risings included Operation Ostra Brama in Wilno and the Lwów Uprising . The Home Army also prepared for a rising in Kraków but aborted due to various circumstances. While the Home Army managed to liberate
9590-461: The Poles to regain their national sovereignty, particularly after Hitler attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941 and the Soviets joined the Western Allies in the war against Germany. In the end, despite all efforts, most Home Army forces had inadequate weaponry. In 1944, when the Home Army was at its peak strength (200,000–600,000, according to various estimates), the Home Army had enough weaponry for only about 32,000 soldiers." On 1 August 1944, when
9727-439: The Prussian authorities intended to make Poznań into a fortress city, building a ring of defensive fortifications around it. Work began on the citadel with Fort Winiary in 1828, and in subsequent years the entire set of defenses called Festung Posen was completed. A Greater Poland Uprising during the Revolutions of 1848 was ultimately unsuccessful, and the Grand Duchy lost its remaining autonomy, Poznań becoming simply
9864-570: The Service for Poland's Victory was superseded by the Armed Resistance ( Związek Walki Zbrojnej ), which in turn, a little over two years later, on 14 February 1942, became the Home Army. During that time, many other resistance organisations remained active in Poland, although most of them, merged with the Armed Resistance or with its successor, the Home Army, and substantially augmented its numbers between 1939 and 1944. The Home Army
10001-512: The Soviets. The largest group that completely refused to join the Home Army was the pro-Soviet, communist People's Army ( Armia Ludowa ), which numbered 30,000 people at its height in 1944. Home Army ranks included a number of female operatives. Most women worked in the communications branch, where many held leadership roles or served as couriers. Approximately a seventh to a tenth of the Home Army insurgents were female. Notable women in
10138-517: The Warta. Other tributaries of the Warta within Poznań are the Junikowo Stream (Strumień Junikowski) , which flows through southern Poznań from the west, meeting the Warta just outside the city boundary in Luboń ; the Bogdanka and Wierzbak, formerly two separate tributaries flowing from the north-west and along the north side of the city centre, now with their lower sections diverted underground;
10275-655: The West (the Silent Unseen ). The basic organizational unit was the platoon, numbering 35–50 people, with an unmobilized skeleton version of 16–25; in February 1944, the Home Army had 6,287 regular and 2,613 skeleton platoons operational. Such numbers made the Home Army not only the largest Polish resistance movement, but one of the two largest in World War II Europe. Casualties during the war are estimated at 34,000 to 100,000, plus some 20,000 –50,000 after
10412-601: The Western Allies about the fate of the Jewish population . Home Army reports from March 1943 described crimes committed by the Germans against the Jewish populace. AK commander General Stefan Rowecki estimated that 640,000 people had been murdered in Auschwitz between 1940 and March 1943, including 66,000 ethnic Poles and 540,000 Jews from various countries (this figure was revised later to 500,000). The Home Army started carrying out death sentences for szmalcowniks in Warsaw in
10549-472: The Wielkopolska Chamber of Industry and Commerce. For attractions, promoters cite the scenery, palaces and manors with surrounding parks, domestic and religious architecture, as well as nature sanctuaries. Infrastructure includes accommodation, restaurants, and sports and leisure facilities (see below). Śrem is also the seat of education facilities: vocational and secondary schools as well as
10686-684: The capital of the Prussian Province of Posen . It would become part of the German Empire with the unification of German states in 1871. Polish patriots continued to form societies such as the Central Economic Society for the Grand Duchy of Poznań , and Polish Theatre opened in 1875. It became a national stage for the inhabitants of the province of Posen, and even in whole Greater Poland region , acting as
10823-521: The capital of the semi-autonomous Grand Duchy of Posen . Around 1820, Poznań had over 20,000 inhabitants, 70% of whom were Poles, 20% Jews, and 10% Germans. The city continued to expand, and various projects were funded by Polish philanthropists, such as the Raczyński Library and the Bazar hotel. The city's first railway, running north-west to Stargard , opened in 1848. Due to its strategic location,
10960-470: The centre. Older residential and commercial districts include those of Wilda, Łazarz and Górczyn to the south, and Jeżyce to the west. There are also significant areas of forest within the city boundaries, particularly in the east adjoining Swarzędz , and around the lakes in the north-west. For more details on Poznań's geography, see the articles on its five main districts: Stare Miasto , Nowe Miasto , Jeżyce , Grunwald , and Wilda . The climate of Poznań
11097-557: The chaos of the September Campaign, most of the guns were in poor condition. Of those that had been buried in the ground and had been dug up in 1944 during preparations for Operation Tempest, only 30% were usable. Arms were sometimes purchased on the black market from German soldiers or their allies, or stolen from German supply depots or transports. Efforts to capture weapons from the Germans also proved highly successful. Raids were conducted on trains carrying equipment to
11234-425: The city boundaries, making the walled city and its closest suburbs into a single administrative unit. Left-bank suburbs were incorporated in 1797, and Ostrów Tumski, Chwaliszewo, Śródka, Ostrówek and Łacina (St. Roch) in 1800. The old city walls were taken down in the early 19th century, and major development took place to the west of the old city, with many of the main streets of today's city center being laid out. In
11371-409: The city centre it divides into two branches, flowing west and east of Ostrów Tumski Cathedral island, and meeting again further north. The smaller Cybina river flows through eastern Poznań to meet the east branch of the Warta, which is also called Cybina – its northern section was originally a continuation of that river, while its southern section has been artificially widened to form a main stream of
11508-613: The city centre, serving also as a bypass. In 2006 country's first F-16 Fighting Falcons came to be stationed at the 31st Air Base in Krzesiny in the south-east of the city. Poznań continues to host regular trade fairs and international events, including the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2008. It was one of the host cities for UEFA Euro 2012 . Poznań covers an area of 261.3 km (100.9 sq mi), and has coordinates in
11645-438: The city in 1974. Another infrastructural change, which was completed in 1968, was the rerouting of the river Warta to follow two straight branches either side of Ostrów Tumski. The most recent expansion of the city's boundaries took place in 1987, with the addition of new areas mainly to the north, including Morasko , Radojewo and Kiekrz . The first free local elections following the fall of communism took place in 1990. With
11782-413: The city include energy provider Enea , e-commerce company Allegro and convenience store chain Żabka . The official patron saints of Poznań are Saint Peter and Paul of Tarsus , the patrons of the cathedral. Martin of Tours – the patron of the main street Święty Marcin – is also regarded as one of the patron saints of the city. The name Poznań probably comes from a personal name Poznan , which
11919-559: The city of Poznań", for 1005). The city's name appears in documents in the Latin nominative case as Posnania in 1236 and Poznania in 1247. The phrase in Poznan appears in 1146 and 1244. The city's full official name is Stołeczne Miasto Poznań (The Capital City of Poznań), in reference to its role as a centre of political power in the early Polish state under the Piast dynasty . Poznań
12056-497: The city), and around 40% were Germans (over 65,000 German inhabitants of the city). Other nationalities accounted for 1-2% of the population (mainly Jews). Germans tended to settle in the newer western part of the city, the Kaiserviertel or Kaiser district, Poles in the older east side. And while there was tension between the two major populations there was also some overlap between them, particularly in cultural events. At
12193-495: The city, particularly the Old Town, in ruins. Many monuments were also destroyed, including Gutzon Borglum 's statue of Woodrow Wilson in Poznan. Due to the expulsion and flight of German population Poznań's post-war population became almost uniformly Polish. The city again became a voivodeship capital. In 1950, the size of Poznań Voivodeship was reduced, and the city itself was given separate voivodeship status. This status
12330-436: The city. The German population increased from around 5,000 in 1939 (some 2% of the inhabitants) to around 95,000 in 1944. The Jewish community's history in the city dates back to the 13th century. In the past, the Jewish council in Poznan became one of the oldest and most important Jewish councils in Poland. The pre-war Jewish population of at least about 2,000 were mostly murdered in the Holocaust . A concentration camp
12467-642: The communist party and secret police headquarters, where they were repulsed by gunfire. Riots continued for two days until being quelled by the army; 67 people were killed according to official figures. A monument to the victims was erected in 1981 at Plac Mickiewicza. The post-war years had seen much reconstruction work on buildings damaged in the fighting. From the 1960s onwards intensive housing development took place, consisting mainly of pre-fabricated concrete blocks of flats , especially in Rataje and Winogrady , and later Piątkowo , following its incorporation into
12604-508: The crucial confrontation that, it was assumed, would determine the fate of Poland. ... [However,] to the Home Army, the Jews were not a part of 'our nation' and ... action to defend them was not to be taken if it endangered [the Home Army's] other objectives." He added that "it is probably unrealistic to have expected the Home Army—which was neither as well armed nor as well organized as its propaganda claimed—to have been able to do much to aid
12741-476: The devastated suburbs. In 1778, a "Committee of Good Order" ( Komisja Dobrego Porządku ) was established in the city, which oversaw rebuilding efforts and reorganized the city's administration. However, in 1793, in the Second Partition of Poland , Poznań came under the control of the Kingdom of Prussia , becoming part of (and initially the seat of) the province of South Prussia . The Prussian authorities expanded
12878-572: The domain of Mieszko III the Old , the first of the Dukes of Greater Poland . This period of fragmentation lasted until 1320. Duchies frequently changed hands; control of Poznań, Gniezno and Kalisz sometimes lay with a single duke, but at other times these constituted separate duchies. In about 1249, Duke Przemysł I began constructing what would become the Royal Castle on a hill on the left bank of
13015-517: The end of World War I , the final Greater Poland Uprising in 1918–1919 brought Poznań and most of the region back to newly reborn Poland, which was confirmed by the Treaty of Versailles . The local German populace had to acquire Polish citizenship or leave the country. This led to a wide emigration of the ethnic Germans of the town's population – the town's German population decreased from 65,321 in 1910 to 5,980 in 1926 and further to 4,387 in 1934. In
13152-430: The end of the German occupation, a general armed rising to be prosecuted until victory. Home Army plans envisioned, at war's end, the restoration of the pre-war government following the return of the government-in-exile to Poland. The Home Army, though in theory subordinate to the civil authorities and to the government-in-exile, often acted somewhat independently, with neither the Home Army's commanders in Poland nor
13289-440: The first half and summer of 1944 range from 200,000, through 300,000, 380,000 and 400,000 to 450,000–500,000, though most estimates average at about 400,000; the strength estimates vary due to the constant integration of other resistance organisations into the Home Army, and that while the number of members was high and that of sympathizers was even higher, the number of armed members participating in operations at any given time
13426-459: The ford across the Warta on an important trade route from Silesia to Poznań, was erected on the right bank of the Warta river, and soon a trade settlement developed on the left bank. It is numbered among the oldest Lechitic settlements. Śrem received municipal rights from dukes Bolesław the Pious and Przemysł I of Greater Poland in 1253, the same year as Poznań. Śrem developed rapidly and in
13563-471: The front, as well as on guardhouses and gendarmerie posts. Sometimes weapons were taken from individual German soldiers accosted in the street. During the Warsaw Uprising, the Home Army even managed to capture several German armored vehicles, most notably a Jagdpanzer 38 Hetzer light tank destroyer renamed Chwat [ pl ] and an armored troop transport SdKfz 251 renamed Grey Wolf [ pl ] . Arms were clandestinely manufactured by
13700-421: The ghetto resistance has been sometimes described as insufficient, as the Home Army faced a number of dilemmas which forced it to provide no more than limited assistance to the Jewish resistance, such as supply shortages and the inability to arm its own troops, the view (shared by most of the Jewish resistance) that any wide-scale uprising in 1943 would be premature and futile, and the difficulty of coordinating with
13837-466: The internally divided Jewish resistance, coupled with the pro-Soviet attitude of the ŻOB. During the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Home Army units tried to blow up the Ghetto wall twice, carried out diversionary actions outside the Ghetto walls, and attacked German sentries sporadically near the Ghetto walls. According to Marian Fuks , the Ghetto uprising would not have been possible without supplies from
13974-480: The interwar Second Polish Republic , the city again became the capital of Poznań Voivodeship . Poznań's university, today called Adam Mickiewicz University , was founded in 1919, and in 1924 the Poznań International Fair began. In 1929, the fair site was the venue for a major National Exhibition ( Powszechna Wystawa Krajowa , popularly PeWuKa ) marking the tenth anniversary of independence; organized on
14111-546: The invading Swedish enemy , and as a result suffered pogroms carried out by both the city's non-Jewish residents and units of the Polish Crown Army . It was also hit by frequent outbreaks of plague , and by floods, particularly that of 1736, which destroyed most of the suburban buildings. The population of the conurbation declined from 20,000 around 1600 to 6,000 around 1730, and Bambergian and Dutch settlers ( Bambers and Olęders ) were brought in to rebuild
14248-571: The left bank of the Warta River occurred in the mid-13th century, during the height of the Gothic architecture . This significant urban shift led to the preservation of numerous Gothic structures, both religious and secular, on both sides of the Warta River, within the area of the former chartered town. The Gothic style in Poznań flourished from approximately the mid-13th century to the end of
14385-465: The lower leagues. Pozna%C5%84 Poznań ( Polish: [ˈpɔznaɲ] ) is a city on the River Warta in west Poland , within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's Fair ( Jarmark Świętojański ), traditional Saint Martin's croissants and
14522-543: The lowest in Poland. The rainiest month is July, mainly due to short but intense cloudbursts and thunderstorms. The number of hours of sunshine are among the highest in the country. The warmest temperature was recorded on 11 July 1959 at 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) The city of Poznań, serving as the administrative center of the Greater Poland Voivodeship , houses both the Voivode of Greater Poland and
14659-731: The next two years, the Home Army absorbed most of the other Polish partisans and underground forces. Its allegiance was to the Polish government-in-exile in London, and it constituted the armed wing of what came to be known as the Polish Underground State . Estimates of the Home Army's 1944 strength range between 200,000 and 600,000. The latter number made the Home Army not only Poland's largest underground resistance movement but, along with Soviet and Yugoslav partisans, one of Europe's largest World War II underground movements. The Home Army sabotaged German transports bound for
14796-603: The old division into five districts called dzielnica is used – although they ceased to be governmental units in 1990. These are: Many citizens of Poznań thanks to the strong economy of the city and high salaries started moving to suburbs of the Poznań County ( powiat ) in the 1990s. Although the number of inhabitants in Poznań itself was decreasing for the past two decades, the suburbs gained almost twice as many inhabitants. The Poznań metropolitan area Metropolia Poznań comprising Poznań County and several other communities
14933-482: The organisation. Wanda Kraszewska-Ancerewicz [ pl ] headed the distribution branch. Several all-female units existed within the AK structures, including Dysk [ pl ] , an entirely female sabotage unit led by Wanda Gertz , who carried out assassinations of female Gestapo informants in addition to sabotage. During the Warsaw Uprising , two all-female units were created—a demolition unit and
15070-451: The present-day area of the city; these boundaries were retained after the war. Poznań was captured by the Red Army , assisted by Polish volunteers, on 23 February 1945 following the Battle of Poznań , in which the German army conducted a last-ditch defense in line with Hitler's designation of the city as a Festung . The Citadel was the last point to be taken, and the fighting left much of
15207-454: The range 52°17'34''–52°30'27''N, 16°44'08''–17°04'28''E. Its highest point, with an altitude of 157 m (515 ft), is the summit of Morasko hill within the Morasko meteorite nature reserve in the north of the city. The lowest altitude is 60 m (197 ft), in the Warta valley. Poznań's main river is the Warta , which flows through the city from south to north. As it approaches
15344-484: The region returned to Poland. Another expansion of Festung Posen was planned, with an outer ring of more widely spaced forts around the perimeter of the city. Building of the first nine forts began in 1876, and nine intermediate forts were built from 1887. The inner ring of fortifications was now considered obsolete and came to be mostly taken down by the early 20th century, although the citadel remained in use. This made space for further civilian construction, particularly
15481-473: The region weak, and in 1038, Duke Bretislaus I of Bohemia sacked and destroyed both Poznań and Gniezno. Poland was reunited under Casimir I the Restorer in 1039, but the capital was moved to Kraków , which had been relatively unaffected by the troubles. In 1138, by the testament of Boleslaus III , Poland was divided into separate duchies under the late king's sons, and Poznań and its surroundings became
15618-688: The seat of the oldest Polish diocese , now being one of the most populous Catholic archdioceses in the country. The city also hosts the Poznań International Fair , the biggest industrial fair in Poland and one of the largest fairs in Europe. The city's other renowned landmarks include the National Museum , Grand Theatre , Fara Church and the Imperial Castle . Poznań is classified as a Gamma−global city by Globalization and World Cities Research Network . According to several rankings it
15755-567: The short-lived Duchy of Warsaw in 1807, re-annexed by Prussia in 1815, and from 1871 it was part of Germany . Despite the influx of German officials, Śrem remained a typical Polish town. During the Greater Poland uprising (1848) , a hospital for Polish insurgents was established in the town, and in the following decades the town remained a center of Polish resistance , and Poles established various organizations and enterprises. After World War I Poland regained independence in November 1918, and
15892-472: The situation of the Jewish population, drafted reports, and sent information to London. It also centralized contacts between Polish and Jewish military organizations. The Home Army also supported the Relief Council for Jews in Poland ( Żegota ) as well as the formation of Jewish resistance organizations . From 1940 onward, the Home Army courier Jan Karski delivered the first eyewitness account of
16029-457: The summer of 1943. Antony Polonsky observed that "the attitude of the military underground to the genocide is both more complex and more controversial [than its approach towards szmalcowniks ]. Throughout the period when it was being carried out, the Home Army was preoccupied with preparing for ... [the moment when] Nazi rule in Poland collapsed. It was determined to avoid premature military action and to conserve its strength (and weapons) for
16166-619: The town hall, the monastery, and the suburban settlement called St. Martin. In 1519, the Lubrański Academy had been established in Poznań as an institution of higher education, but without the right to award degrees, which was reserved to Kraków's Jagiellonian University . However, the Jesuits ' college, founded in the city in 1571 during the Counter-Reformation , had the right to award degrees from 1611 until 1773, when it
16303-490: The war (casualties and imprisonment). The Home Army was intended to be a mass organisation that was founded by a core of prewar officers. Home Army soldiers fell into three groups. The first two consisted of "full-time members": undercover operatives, living mostly in urban settings under false identities (most senior Home Army officers belonged to this group); and uniformed (to a certain extent) partisans, living in forested regions ( leśni , or "forest people"), who openly fought
16440-524: The war. Air drops were infrequent. Deliveries from the west were limited by Stalin 's refusal to let the planes land on Soviet territory, the low priority placed by the British on flights to Poland; and the extremely heavy losses sustained by Polish Special Duties Flight personnel. Britain and the United States attached more importance to not antagonizing Stalin than they did to the aspirations of
16577-422: The west side of the Warta. Opposite it between the two branches of the Warta is Ostrów Tumski, containing Cathedral and other ecclesiastical buildings, as well as housing and industrial facilities. Facing the cathedral on the east bank of the river is the historic district of Śródka . Large areas of apartment blocks, built from the 1960s onwards, include Rataje in the east, and Winogrady and Piątkowo north of
16714-450: The year, the departments of the City of Poznań Office and municipal administrative units issue approximately 565,000 administrative decisions. Poznań is divided into 42 neighbourhoods called osiedle , each of which has its own elected council with certain decision-making and spending powers. The first uniform elections for these councils covering the whole area of the city were held on 20 March 2011. For certain administrative purposes,
16851-532: Was Allied air drops , which was the only way to obtain more exotic, highly useful equipment such as plastic explosives and antitank weapons such as the British PIAT . During the war, 485 air-drop missions from the West (about half of them flown by Polish airmen) delivered some 600 tons of supplies for the Polish resistance. Besides equipment, the planes also parachuted in highly qualified instructors ( Cichociemni ), 316 of whom were inserted into Poland during
16988-476: Was a Northeastern Area (centered in Białystok – Obszar Białystocki ) or whether Białystok was classified as an independent area ( Okręg samodzielny Białystok ). In 1943 the Home Army began recreating the organization of the prewar Polish Army, its various units now being designated as platoons, battalions, regiments, brigades, divisions, and operational groups . The Home Army supplied valuable intelligence to
17125-759: Was combined with the academy. In the second half of the 17th century and most of the 18th, Poznań was severely affected by a series of wars, attendant military occupations, lootings and destruction – the Second and Third Northern Wars, the War of the Polish Succession , the Seven Years' War and the Bar Confederation . During the Deluge , Poznań's Jewish community was accused of collaborating with
17262-634: Was coordinated by the Union of Retaliation and later by Wachlarz and Kedyw units. Major Home Army military and sabotage operations included: The largest and best-known of the Operation Tempest battles, the Warsaw Uprising, constituted an attempt to liberate Poland's capital and began on 1 August 1944. Polish forces took control of substantial parts of the city and resisted the German-led forces until 2 October (a total of 63 days). With
17399-440: Was divided geographically into regional branches or areas ( obszar ), which were subdivided into subregions or subareas ( podokręg ) or independent areas ( okręgi samodzielne ). There were 89 inspectorates ( inspektorat ) and 280 (as of early 1944) districts ( obwód ) as smaller organisational units. Overall, the Home Army regional structure largely resembled Poland's interwar administration division, with an okręg being similar to
17536-555: Was divided into five sections, two bureaus and several other specialized units: The Home Army's commander was subordinate in the military chain of command to the Polish Commander-in-Chief ( General Inspector of the Armed Forces ) of the Polish government-in-exile and answered in the civilian chain of command to the Government Delegation for Poland. The Home Army's first commander, until his arrest by
17673-419: Was filled in late in the 19th century, and the former main stream west of Chwaliszewo was diverted and filled in during the 1960s. This was done partly to prevent floods, which did serious damage to Poznań frequently throughout history. Poznań's largest lake is Kiekrz in the north-west end of the city. Other large lakes include Malta , an artificial lake formed in 1952 on the lower Cybina river, Strzeszyn on
17810-522: Was in turn derived from the Polish participle poznan(y) – "one who is known/recognized", and would mean "Poznan's town". It is also possible that the name comes directly from the verb poznać , which means "to get to know" or "to recognize", so it may simply mean "known town". The earliest surviving references to the city are found in the chronicles of Thietmar of Merseburg written between 1012 and 1018: episcopus Posnaniensis (" bishop of Poznań ", in an entry for 970) and ab urbe Posnani ("from
17947-464: Was incorporated into the Nazi Germany as the capital of Reichsgau Wartheland . Many Polish inhabitants, even children as young as 10, were executed, arrested, expelled to the General Government or used as forced labour . Polish children were also kidnapped and deported to an infamous camp for Polish children in Łódź . At the same time, many Germans and Volksdeutsche were settled in
18084-427: Was lost in the 1975 reforms, which also significantly reduced the size of Poznań Voivodeship. The Poznań 1956 protests are seen as an early instance of discontent with communist rule. In June 1956, a protest by workers at the city's Cegielski locomotive factory developed into a series of strikes and popular protests against the policies of the government. After a protest march on 28 June was fired on, crowds attacked
18221-480: Was loyal to the Polish government-in-exile and to its agency in occupied Poland, the Government Delegation for Poland ( Delegatura ). The Polish civilian government envisioned the Home Army as an apolitical, nationwide resistance organisation. The supreme command defined the Home Army's chief tasks as partisan warfare against the German occupiers, the re-creation of armed forces underground and, near
18358-701: Was quickly organized in the town, incl. the Dla Ciebie Polsko ("For You, Poland") organization founded by a local teacher in October 1939, and later also the Home Army . 12 Poles arrested in Śrem were executed in the nearby village of Zbrudzewo on 8 November 1939. Further mass arrests of 45 Poles, mostly teachers, were carried out in May 1940, and most were then deported to the Mauthausen and Dachau concentration camps, and murdered there. In 1939 and 1940,
18495-614: Was set up in Fort VII , one of the 19th-century perimeter forts. The camp was later moved to Żabikowo south of Poznań. Also the Stalag XXI-D German prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs of various nationalities was based in the city. The Polish resistance was active in Poznań with various organizations and activities, and even an underground Polish parliament was established in the city. The Nazi authorities significantly expanded Poznań's boundaries to include most of
18632-458: Was smaller—as little as one per cent in 1943, and as many as five to ten per cent in 1944 —due to an insufficient number of weapons. Home Army numbers in 1944 included a cadre of over 10,000–11,000 officers, 7,500 officers-in-training (singular: podchorąży ) and 88,000 non-commissioned officers (NCOs). The officer cadre was formed from prewar officers and NCOs, graduates of underground courses, and elite operatives usually parachuted in from
18769-586: Was surrounded by a defensive wall, integrated with the castle. The royal chancery and the university ensured a first flourishing of Polish literary culture in the city. In reunited Poland, and later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Poznań was the seat of a voivodeship . The city's importance began to grow in the Jagiellonian period, due to its position on trading routes from Lithuania and Ruthenia to western Europe. It would become
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