Greater Poland , often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska ( pronounced [vjɛlkɔˈpɔlska] ; Latin : Polonia Maior ), is a Polish historical region of west-central Poland . Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz , the oldest city in Poland.
109-691: Bolesław the Pious (1224/27 – 14 April 1279) was a Duke of Greater Poland during 1239–1247 (according to some historians during 1239–1241, sole Duke of Ujście ), Duke of Kalisz during 1247–1249, Duke of Gniezno during 1249–1250, Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz during 1253–1257, Duke of the whole of Greater Poland and Poznań during 1257–1273, in 1261 ruler over Ląd , regent of the Duchies of Mazovia , Płock and Czersk during 1262–1264, ruler over Bydgoszcz during 1268–1273, Duke of Inowrocław during 1271–1273, and Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz from 1273 until his death. He
218-492: A dowry for his daughter Constance, Casimir I's second wife. This decision was not recognized by Władysław Odonic's sons, but eventually they reconciled and even signed an alliance with the Kuyavian Duke, which effectively ended any attempt to change the ownership of the disputed land. In 1249 Bolesław, dissatisfied with the tutelage of his older brother, persuaded him to make a new division of their patrimony. He received
327-543: A dowry, Brandenburg received the castellany of Santok (but without the important main city) with the consent of a wiec reunited in Greater Poland, which took place on 1 July 1260 in Poznań . However, the expected peace due to this marriage was short-lived. In early 1265 Brandenburg occupied the main city of Santok and broke the previous agreement. Thanks to an immediate diplomatic intervention, Bolesław soon signed
436-710: A fire destroyed much of the city centre. At various times, the 1st and 7th Infantry Regiments of the Polish Crown Army were stationed in Kalisz. In 1793, in the Second Partition of Poland , the Kingdom of Prussia absorbed the city, called Kalisch in German. That year Jews were 40% of the population. In 1801, Wojciech Bogusławski set up one of the first permanent theatre troupes in Kalisz. In 1806,
545-527: A high mortality rate. On the order of Heinrich Himmler , most of the camps were dissolved in 1943, and its surviving prisoners were sent to ghettos and death camps. Germany operated several prisoner-of-war camps , including Stalag XXI-B, Stalag XXI-C , Stalag XXI-D , Stalag XXI-E, Stalag 302, Oflag II-C , Oflag XXI-A, Oflag XXI-B , Oflag XXI-C and Oflag 64 , for Polish, French , British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, Belgian, Dutch, Serbian, American, Italian , South African and other Allied POWs in
654-672: A larger area than the Greater Poland region itself, also taking in Masovia and Royal Prussia . (This division of Crown Poland into two entities called Greater and Lesser Poland had its roots in the Statutes of Casimir the Great of 1346–1362, where the laws of "Greater Poland" – the northern part of the country – were codified in the Piotrków statute, with those of "Lesser Poland" in the separate Wiślica statute.) In 1655, Greater Poland
763-852: A new treaty with Brandenburg, under which Greater Poland burned the fortress built in Drezdenko , and Brandenburg also burned his fortress in Santok. But in 1269 war with Brandenburg erupted again. They built a fortress in Sulęcin , and in response Bolesław did the same thing in Międzyrzecz . The invasion of Międzyrzecz launched by the Margraves of Brandenburg was successfully repulsed by Bolesław, who in December 1269 could advance to Lubusz and in addition, during this expedition burned several fortresses, included
872-544: A provincial capital and notable royal city . It is one of the historical burial sites of medieval Polish monarchs and dukes of the Piast dynasty and the site of a number of significant events in Polish history as well as several battles. Since the 19th century it has been the center of an industrial district. It is the cultural, scientific, educational and administrative center of the eastern and southern Greater Poland region, and
981-739: A solemn Mass in honor of St. Adalbert of Prague in Gniezno, celebrated by Archbishop Pełka Liz. The indivisibility of the Duchy was not to Bolesław's liking, and in 1247 he persuaded his brother Przemysł I to provide territory for his sole leadership: the land between the Prosna River and Przemęt , north of the Warta River and thence to the Odra River; in short it was the Duchy of Kalisz . This division, though rather unjust for Bolesław,
1090-727: Is a home to the Henryk Melcer Music School. Although there is little heavy industry within the city limits, Kalisz is home to several large enterprises. It has the Winiary (part of the Nestlé group) and Colian food processing plants and the Big Star jeans factory. Two plane engine production factories, WSK-Kalisz and Pratt & Whitney Kalisz (a branch of Pratt & Whitney Canada ), are located in Kalisz. The Andruty kaliskie wafers originated in Kalisz, and are
1199-527: Is produced in various places, especially in the Noteć and Warta river valleys in the north and west. Notable centers of honey production include Pszczew , Wałcz , Tuczno , Lubiszyn and Stare Drawsko in northern and western Greater Poland and Kopaszewo and Witosław in southern Greater Poland. The Saint Michael's Honey Fair is held annually in Gorzów Wielkopolski . Grodzisk Wielkopolski
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#17327797135741308-480: Is the most accomplished speedway team in Poland, and other accomplished teams in the region are Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski and Polonia Piła . Main handball clubs are MKS Kalisz , KPR Ostrovia Ostrów Wielkopolski , Nielba Wągrowiec , Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski , Grunwald Poznań and KPR Wolsztyniak Wolsztyn . Field hockey enjoys less popularity, however, the region is dominant in the sport in Poland, with 80 of
1417-641: Is the place of origin of the Grodziskie beer style. Other traditional Polish beers , officially protected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland, are produced in Bojanowo , Czarnków , Miłosław , Nakło nad Notecią and Wschowa . Football and speedway enjoy the largest following in Greater Poland. The most accomplished football teams are Lech Poznań and Warta Poznań . 18-times Team Polish Champions (as of 2023), Unia Leszno ,
1526-670: The Chronicle of Greater Poland : The conflict certainly was not trivial, since Bolesław did not regain his freedom until 20 April 1253, thanks to the pressures of the powerful Greater Poland clergy. The final reconciliation between the brothers occurred in May of that year at a meeting in Pogorzelica near Giecz , where thanks to the mediation of Pełka, the Archbishop of Gniezno Bolesław recovered his Duchy of Kalisz-Gniezno. After that
1635-598: The Chronicle of the Chapter of Poznań . In 1264, Bolesław granted the first written privilege to the Jews of Greater Poland. The first years of Bolesław saw him share the fierce dispute of his father against Władysław III Spindleshanks (his own uncle) for his inheritance. However, Władysław Odonic took care properly for the upbringing of his offspring, evidenced by the fact that Bolesław, like his older brother Przemysł I ,
1744-786: The Drzymała's wagon became a regional folk hero . In the Russian Partition, Russification policies were enacted, and Polish resistance was also active. The largest uprisings in Russian-controlled eastern Greater Poland were the November Uprising of 1830–31 and January Uprising of 1863–64. During World War I , Germany also occupied eastern Greater Poland, and in August 1914, the German Army carried out
1853-512: The Gestapo carried out arrests of Polish activists, teachers and entrepreneurs, closed various Polish organizations and enterprises and seized their funds. The Poles tried to resist German persecution, but some were forced to escape German arrest and thus fled to Poland. In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland starting World War II . During the attack the German army, Einsatzgruppen and Selbstschutz perpetrated various crimes against
1962-583: The Kalisz Region . Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of Greater Poland , the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce . Kalisz is one of the oldest cities in Poland and one of the two traditional capitals of Greater Poland (alongside Poznań ). It has served as an important regional center in Poland since the Middle Ages as
2071-580: The Polish–Teutonic War of 1431–1435 . In the reunited kingdom, and later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , the country came to be divided into administrative units called voivodeships . In the case of the Greater Poland region these were Poznań Voivodeship and Kalisz Voivodeship . The Commonwealth also had larger subdivisions known as prowincja , one of which was named Greater Poland . However, this prowincja covered
2180-489: The Rogalin Landscape Park is famous for about 2000 monumental oak trees growing on the flood plain of the river Warta , among numerous ox-bow lakes . Greater Poland formed the heart of the 10th-century early Polish state , sometimes being called the "cradle of Poland". Poznań and Gniezno were early centres of royal power and the seats of Poland's first Catholic diocese, est. in Poznań in 968, and
2289-740: The destruction of Kalisz . Germany planned the annexation of eastern Greater Poland as part of the so-called " Polish Border Strip " and expulsion of its Polish inhabitants to make room for German colonization in accordance with the Lebensraum policy. Following the end of World War I , the Greater Poland uprising (1918–19) ensured that most of the region became part of the newly independent Polish state, forming most of Poznań Voivodeship (1921–1939) . Northern and some western parts of Greater Poland remained in Germany, where they formed much of
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#17327797135742398-656: The expulsion of Poles , now also in pre-war Polish territory, with the Special Staff for the Resettlement of Poles and Jews ( Sonderstab für die Aussiedlung von Polen und Juden ) established in Poznań in November 1939, soon renamed to Office for the Resettlement of Poles and Jews ( Amt für Umsiedlung der Polen und Juden ), and eventually to Central Bureau for Resettlement (UWZ, Umwandererzentralstelle ). The place of
2507-520: The feudal fragmentation of Poland it formed a separate duchy ruled by a local branch of the Piast dynasty . In 1264, the Statute of Kalisz was issued in the city by Bolesław the Pious . It was a unique protective privilege for Jews during their persecution in Western Europe, which in the following centuries made Poland the destination of Jewish migration from other countries. After Poland
2616-536: The 0 °C (32 °F) isotherm. There are 19 Catholic churches , five Protestant churches , and one Eastern Orthodox church in Kalisz. The city contains the Cathedral of St. Nicholas . Synagogues were built in Kalisz beginning in 1698, and a New Synagogue was built in 1879. Before World War II there were 25,000 Jews in Kalisz, but most of them were murdered by Germans in the Holocaust in Poland and by
2725-456: The 14th century, Jews of the town were attacked during epidemics by mobs which accused them of poisoning the wells of the town. In 1574 the Jesuits came to Kalisz and in 1584 opened a Jesuit College, which became a centre of education in Poland; around this time, however, the importance of Kalisz began to decline somewhat, its place being taken by nearby Poznań . The economic development of
2834-519: The 1980 strikes in various cities and towns, which led to the foundation of the Solidarity organization, which played a central role in the end of communist rule in Poland. With the reforms of 1975 it was divided into seven provinces, partially or wholly located in Greater Poland (the voivodeships of Bydgoszcz , Gorzów , Kalisz , Konin , Leszno , Piła and Poznań ). The present-day Greater Poland Voivodeship , again with Poznań as its capital,
2943-497: The 86 men's Polish Championships won by local teams (as of October 2023). The following table lists the cities in proper Greater Poland with a population greater than 25,000 (2015): Kalisz Kalisz ( Polish: [ˈkaliʂ] ) is a city in central Poland , and the second-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship , with 97,905 residents (December 2021). It is the capital city of
3052-424: The 8th Polish Infantry Regiment was formed in Kalisz and the 6th Polish Infantry Regiment was formed in the present-day district of Dobrzec. After the successful Greater Poland uprising of 1806 , it was regained by Poles and became a provincial capital within the short-lived Duchy of Warsaw . During Napoleon's invasion of Russia , following Yorck 's Convention of Tauroggen of 1812, von Stein's Treaty of Kalisz
3161-630: The Black , except for Radziejów and Kruszwica, which remained in Greater Poland. From the beginning of his sole rule, Bolesław established contacts with the Margraviate of Brandenburg , ruled by the House of Ascania ; in this, he followed the policy of his brother Przemysł I, who even betrothed his eldest daughter Constance with Conrad , son of Margrave John I . Three years after Przemysł I's death (in 1260), Constance and Conrad were formally married. As
3270-592: The Catholic Church. In 1997 Kalisz was visited by Pope John Paul II . The city was the site of the former 'Calisia' piano factory, until it went out of business in 2007. The factory building was transformed into the Calisia One Hotel, which opened in 2019. Kalisz has an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cfb ) using the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm or a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfb ) using
3379-547: The Chaste . In September of that year Bolesław participated in an expedition against Henry III the White launched by his brother and Konrad I of Głogów. On 4 June 1257 Przemysł I died, aged only 36. With his brother's death, new horizons opened to Bolesław. He became in the undisputed sole ruler over the whole of Greater Poland . Although the posthumous son of his brother, Przemysł II , was born on 14 October of that year, Boleslaw
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3488-456: The Duchies of Kalisz and Gniezno , with the addition of Wieluń , which had recently been returned to the rule of Władysław Odonic's sons. This new division was apparently made peacefully, because later in that same year the brothers together gave support to Konrad I of Głogów against his brother Bolesław II the Bald . However, on 19 May 1250 an unexplained event took place, which was related in
3597-479: The First Border Battalion, composed of volunteers from Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski , was sworn in Kalisz, before joining the ongoing Greater Poland uprising (1918–19) against Germany. The reconstruction continued and in 1925 a new city hall was opened. In the 1931 Polish census, Kalisz had a population of 15,300 Jews, nearly 30% of the city's total population. In 1939 the population of Kalisz
3706-477: The German army, rescued Polish children kidnapped by the Germans, and facilitated escapes of Allied prisoners of war from German POW camps. The Germans cracked down on the resistance several times, and even kidnapped children of the resistance members and sent them to a camp for Polish children in Łódź , nicknamed "little Auschwitz " due to its conditions, where many died. From August 1944 to January 1945,
3815-605: The German police and Einsatzgruppe VI carried out mass public executions of some 300 Poles in various towns in the region, i.e. Gostyń , Kostrzyn , Kościan , Kórnik , Krobia , Książ Wielkopolski , Leszno , Mosina , Osieczna , Poniec , Śmigiel , Śrem , Środa and Włoszakowice , to terrorize and pacify the Poles. The Polish and Jewish population was classified by Nazis as subhuman and subjected to organized genocide, involving mass murder and ethnic cleansing, with many former officials and others considered potential enemies by
3924-434: The Germans established a Germanisation camp for Polish children taken away from their parents ( Gaukinderheim ). The children were given new German names and surnames, and were punished for any use of the Polish language, even with death ( e.g. , a 14-year-old boy Zygmunt Światłowski [ pl ] was murdered). After their stay in the camp, the children were deported to Germany; only some returned to Poland after
4033-441: The Germans used hundreds of thousands of Poles as forced labour to build fortifications in the region ahead of the advancing Eastern Front . In January 1945, before and during their retreat, the Germans committed several further massacres of Polish civilians, prisoners and Polish and other Allied POWs, including at Pleszew , Marchwacz , Żabikowo, Łomnica and Kuźnica Żelichowska and perpetrated several death marches . Poznań
4142-621: The Greater Poland Duchy passed to his only nephew Przemysł II , who was crowned King of Poland in 1295 but murdered the following year. With his death the Greater Poland branch of the Piast dynasty became extinct. Greater Poland The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history. Since the Late Middle Ages , Wielkopolska proper has been split into the Poznań and Kalisz voivodeships . In
4251-643: The Greater Poland region possesses its own folk costumes, architecture, cuisine, that make the region touristically and culturally interesting. Due to the fact that Greater Poland was the settlement area of the Polans and the core of the early Polish state , the region was at times simply called "Poland" (Latin Polonia ). The more specific name is first recorded in the Latin form Polonia Maior in 1257 and in Polish w Wielkej Polszcze in 1449. Its original meaning
4360-637: The House of Ascania wasn't limited to the border areas of Greater Poland. By 1272 Bolesław entered in an alliance with Mestwin II, Duke of Pomerania - Gdańsk ; one year later (in 1273), he renewed his homage to Brandenburg and promised his help to the Margraviate against all his enemies, except the Duke of Greater Poland. In the same year was launched another expedition against Brandenburg. Although nominal leadership of
4469-724: The Museum of Polish State Origins in Gniezno, and the National Museum and Wielkopolska Museum of Independence in Poznań. Several castles and palaces house museums, such as those in Dobrzyca, Gołuchów , Jarocin , Kołaczkowo , Koźmin Wielkopolski , Kórnik, Poznań , Rogalin and Śmiełów . Poland's largest church, the Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń , is located in the region. The oldest preserved European signpost beyond
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4578-638: The Nazis being imprisoned or executed, including at the notorious Fort VII concentration camp in Poznań. Major sites of massacres of Poles in the region included Dopiewiec , Dębienko , Winiary , Mędzisko , Paterek , Łobżenica , Górka Klasztorna , Kobylniki and Bukowiec . During Aktion T4 , the SS-Sonderkommandos gassed over 2,700 mentally ill people from the psychiatric hospitals in Owińska , Dziekanka and Kościan . The Germans continued
4687-410: The Pious issued the Statute of Kalisz in the region. It was a unique protective privilege for Jews during their persecution in Western Europe , which in the following centuries made Poland the destination of Jewish migration from other countries. From the late 13th century, the region experienced first German invasions and occupations. In the late 13th century, the northwestern part of Greater Poland
4796-420: The Poles was taken by German colonists in accordance with the Lebensraum policy. Many Poles were also enslaved as forced labour and either sent to forced labour camps or German colonists in the region or deported to Germany and other German-occupied countries. Over 270,000 Polish children aged 10–18 were subjected to forced labour in Greater Poland, which, in addition to German profits of 500 million marks ,
4905-600: The Polish people in the occupied areas, whereas the persecution of Poles of northern and western Greater Poland reached its climax with mass arrests of Polish activists, who were detained in temporary camps in Piła and Lipka , and then deported to concentration camps , expulsions and closure of Polish schools and enterprises. The invading troops committed multiple massacres of Polish civilians and prisoners of war , including at Kłecko , Zdziechowa , Mogilno , Trzemeszno , Niewolno , Winiary , Wągrowiec , Mielno , Jankowo Dolne , Podlesie Kościelne and Obora . Afterwards,
5014-407: The Prussian Partition, western Greater Poland became the Grand Duchy of Posen (Poznań), which theoretically held some autonomy. Following an unrealized uprising in 1846 , and the more substantial but still unsuccessful uprising of 1848 (during the Spring of Nations ), the Grand Duchy was replaced by the Province of Posen . The authorities made efforts to Germanize the region, particularly after
5123-410: The Russians near the city. In 1881, Russian authorities expelled Jewish residents who lacked Russian citizenship. In 1897, the Jewish population of the town was 7,580, about one-third of the total population. In 1902, a new railway linked Kalisz to Warsaw and Łódź . Since the 19th century, Kalisz has been one of the leading Polish centers of piano manufacturing. In the early 20th century, it became
5232-449: The Winiary forest. In November 1939, the Einsatzgruppe VI Nazi paramilitary killing squad murdered 41 Poles at the local Jewish cemetery; among the victims was pre-war Polish mayor of Kalisz, Ignacy Bujnicki. In April and May 1940, many Poles arrested in the region, especially teachers, were imprisoned in the local prison, and afterwards deported to the Mauthausen and Dachau concentration camps, where they were murdered. In Kalisz,
5341-415: The area was aided by a large number of Protestant Czech Brothers , who settled in and around Kalisz after being expelled from Bohemia in 1620. In the 18th century, one of two main routes connecting Warsaw and Dresden ran through the city, and Kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland often traveled that route. In 1789, 881 Jews lived in Kalisz, 29% of the city’s population. In 1792,
5450-456: The boundaries of the former Roman Empire is located in Konin . In addition to traditional nationwide Polish cuisine , Greater Poland is known for its variety of regional and local traditional foods and drinks, which include especially various meat products (incl. various types of kiełbasa ), cheeses , honeys , beverages and various dishes and meals, officially protected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland . Among
5559-493: The brothers cooperated without problems, but Bolesław was still removed from the foreign policy of Greater Poland. On 8 May 1254, Bolesław took part in the national Congress of Piast princes at Kraków on the occasion of the canonization of St. Stanislaus , where they decided to form a coalition against Swantopolk II, Duke of Pomerania . Among the princes who participated were his brother Przemysł I, Casimir I of Kuyavia , Siemowit I of Masovia , Władysław of Opole and Bolesław V
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#17327797135745668-425: The brothers regained most of the Duchies of Poznań and Gniezno , in 1244 Kalisz , in 1247 Santok , and in 1249 Wieluń . In 1244, Bolesław supported his brother in a conflict between the local nobility and the clergy led by the Bishop of Poznań Bogufał II for the privileges their father had granted shortly before his death. On 24 April 1245 Przemysł I acknowledged Boleslaw's coming of age by knighting him during
5777-493: The capital of a province – Kalisz Voivodeship ; the province was abolished in 1998, however, and since then Kalisz has been the county seat of a separate powiat within the Greater Poland Voivodeship . In 1976, the city limits were greatly expanded by the incorporation of the surrounding settlements of Majków, Nosków, Piwonice and Szczypiorno as new districts. The Polish anti-communist resistance Movement for Defence of Human and Civic Rights issued independent underground press in
5886-426: The castle in Bydgoszcz ; however, rapid action by Ziemomysł regained temporary control of this lands. Despite this success, Ziemomysł continued with his German-Pomeranian politics, which caused a new revolt by his subjects, who called again Bolesław for help: in 1271 he invaded the Duchy of Inowrocław and forced Ziemomysł to flee. Bolesław retained the Duchy until 1273, when he gave it to Ziemomysł's brother Leszek II
5995-456: The city and in the nearby settlement of Winiary (today, a district of Kalisz). Over 1,000 people were arrested as hostages. Numerous Poles were arrested and murdered during the Intelligenzaktion aimed at annihilation of the Polish intelligentsia . Around 750 Poles from Kalisz, Ostrów Wielkopolski , and other nearby settlements were imprisoned in the Kalisz prison from September 1939 to March 1940, and most were murdered in large massacres in
6104-402: The city was set on fire and the remaining inhabitants were expelled. Out of roughly 68,000 citizens in 1914, only 5,000 remained in Kalisz a year later. By the end of the Great War, however, much of the city centre had been more or less rebuilt and many of the former inhabitants had been allowed to return. After the war Kalisz became part of the newly independent Poland . On December 13, 1918,
6213-423: The city was successfully defended by the Poles during a siege [ pl ] by the Teutonic Knights . Because of its strategic location, King Casimir III the Great signed a peace treaty with the Teutonic Order there in 1343. As a royal city , Kalisz managed to defend many of its initial privileges, and in 1426 a new town hall was built. The Polish Duke Mieszko III the Old was buried in Kalisz. In
6322-420: The city. 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. In 1991 the city festival was inaugurated on 11 June to commemorate the confirmation of the incorporation of the city in 1282. In 1992, Kalisz became the seat of a separate diocese of
6431-421: The country's establishment in the 10th century. In 1106, Bolesław III Wrymouth captured the town, and made it a part of his feudal domain. Between 1253 and 1260 the town was incorporated according to the German town law called the Środa Śląska Law [ pl ] (after Środa Śląska ), a local variation of the Magdeburg Law , and soon began to grow. One of the richest towns of Greater Poland , during
6540-420: The devastation of Greater Poland during the winter of 1267-1268 by troops of King Ottokar II of Bohemia during his return from an expedition against the Prussians . One of the stages of this war was also the trip taken by Bolesław together with Bolesław V the Chaste and Leszek II the Black in the autumn of 1273 in order to visit Władysław of Opole, an ally of the Přemyslid dynasty . During 1258-1261 Bolesław
6649-423: The first archdiocese, est. in Gniezno in 1000, but following devastation of the region by pagan rebellion in the 1030s, and the invasion of Bretislaus I of Bohemia in 1038, the capital was moved by Casimir I the Restorer from Gniezno to Kraków . In the Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth , which initiated the period of fragmentation of Poland (1138–1320), the western part of Greater Poland (including Poznań)
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#17327797135746758-457: The founding of Germany in 1871, and from 1886 onwards the Prussian Settlement Commission was active in increasing German land ownership in formerly Polish areas. The Germans imposed Germanisation and Kulturkampf policies, and the Poles organized resistance . In the early 20th century, the Września children strike against Germanisation started, which quickly spread to other places in Greater Poland and beyond, whereas Michał Drzymała with
6867-515: The imprisonment of Henry IV in 1277, tried to force financial concessions. Bolesław supported this policy with the marriage of his firstborn daughter Elisabeth with Henry V the Fat , Duke of Legnica . Bolesław died on 14 April 1279 in Kalisz and was buried in the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in Poznań . In 1258 Bolesław married Jolenta (Helena) (b. 1244 – d. 16/17 June aft. 1304), daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary . They had: After Bolesław died without male heirs, all of
6976-445: The leading and fastest developing regions of Poland, with municipal rights modeled after Poznań and Kalisz becoming the basis of municipal form of government for several towns in the region, as two of five local Polish variants of medieval town rights. The region came under the control of Władysław I the Elbow-high in 1314, and thus became part of the reunited Poland of which Władyslaw was crowned king in 1320. In 1264, Duke Bolesław
7085-547: The leading center, surpassing Warsaw. With the outbreak of World War I , the proximity of the border proved disastrous for Kalisz; it was one of the first cities destroyed in 1914. Between 2 and 22 August, Kalisz was shelled and then burned to the ground by German forces under Major Hermann Preusker, even though Russian troops had retreated from the city without defending it and German troops – many of them ethnic Poles – had initially been welcomed peaceably. Eight hundred men were arrested and then several of them slaughtered, while
7194-445: The most known local snacks are the St. Martin's croissant from Poznań and Kalisz andruts . Notable centers of traditional meat production include Grodzisk Wielkopolski , Krotoszyn , Kruszewnia , Nowy Tomyśl , Rawicz , Trzcianka and Złotniki , whereas centers of traditional cheese and quark production include Wągrowiec , Gniezno , Oborniki , Witkowo , Witoldzin and Września . A plethora of traditional Polish honey
7303-566: The most well-known traditional food from the city in Poland. Another officially protected traditional specialty of the area (as designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland ) are homemade cold pressed juices from fresh fruits of the Kalisz Region, produced according to traditional recipes without any additional ingredients. These include juices from apples , pears , cherries , blackcurrant , redcurrant , strawberries and raspberries . The tradition dates back several centuries. The district of Szczypiorno , as
7412-493: The next two years, until 1264, when Konrad II obtain his freedom and return to Masovia. In 1268 Bolesław interfered again in the Kuyavian affairs. Casimir I's son, Duke Ziemomysł of Inowrocław , followed a policy of close contacts with the Teutonic Order and Duke Sambor II of Pomerania , who became in his father-in-law. This caused a deep dissatisfaction among the local nobility, who called on Bolesław for help. The Duke of Greater Poland quickly took Radziejów , Kruszwica and
7521-459: The north, Ostrów Wielkopolski to the south-east, Gniezno (the earliest capital of Poland) to the north-east, and Leszno to the south-west. An area of 75.84 square kilometres (29.28 sq mi) of forest and lakeland south of Poznań is designated the Wielkopolska National Park ( Wielkopolski Park Narodowy ), established in 1957. The region also contains part of Drawa National Park , and several designated Landscape Parks . For example,
7630-456: The northwestern and northern outskirts remained part of Prussia. However, following the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Greater Poland was again partitioned, with the western part (including Poznań) going to Prussia. The eastern part (including Kalisz) joined the Russian-controlled Kingdom of Poland , where it formed the Kalisz Voivodeship until 1837, then the Kalisz Governorate (merged into the Warsaw Governorate between 1844 and 1867). Within
7739-486: The occupiers launched the Intelligenzaktion genocidal campaign against the Polish population, and annexed the entire region into Nazi Germany . Administratively, most of Greater Poland was included within the Reichsgau Posen , later renamed Reichsgau Wartheland ( Warthe being the German name for the Warta river), whereas northern and western parts were located in the provinces of Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia , Pomerania and Brandenburg . On 20–23 October 1939,
7848-461: The one newly built in Sulęcin. Both sides made a new agreement and were restored the fortress in Santok (from Brandenburg) and Drezdenko (from Greater Poland). The latter was captured by Brandenburg in 1270. For this reason, in the spring of 1271 Bolesław organized a major military expedition against Santok and Neumark , ravaging this land terribly, but he could not recover the lost domains. The war with
7957-416: The place of pioneering games of handball in Poland , is the namesake for szczypiorniak , the Polish name of the sport. Other popular sports in Kalisz include football and volleyball . Notable sports teams include: Kalisz is also the location of Kaliskie Towarzystwo Wioślarskie [ pl ] , one of the oldest Polish rowing clubs, founded in 1894. Kalisz railway station was built in 1902 as
8066-594: The policy of Przemysł I and maintained in their positions the nobles appointed by him. He also developed good relations with the Church while also trying to influence the appointment of the most important religious posts. His generosity to the clergy, allowed the Franciscans to establish a post in 1259 in Gniezno . Also during his rule the monastery of Poor Clares in Gniezno was started, which remained unfinished even at
8175-596: The powerful pressure, Bolesław agreed to this and given his nephew the district of Poznań . To bind Przemysł II with his politics, Bolesław arranged the marriage of his nephew with Ludgarda, daughter of Henry I the Pilgrim , Lord of Mecklenburg . In addition, Ludgarda was a granddaughter of Duke Barnim I of Pomerania , and thanks to this union the alliance with Western Pomerania was reinforced. Dukes of Greater Poland political path, however, soon spread, as Przemysł II became involved with Henry IV Probus , and Bolesław, using
8284-837: The province of Posen-West Prussia (1922–1938), whose capital was Schneidemühl ( Piła ). To maintain contact with the Poles of German-controlled northern and western Greater Poland, Poland opened a consulate in Piła in 1922. From 1933, the Polish Głos Pogranicza i Kaszub newspaper was issued in Złotów . Under the Nazi government , repressions of Poles intensified. In January 1939, Germany resumed expulsions of Poles and many were also forced to flee. The Sturmabteilung , Schutzstaffel , Hitler Youth and Bund Deutscher Osten launched attacks on Polish institutions, schools and activists. In mid-1939
8393-686: The province of South Prussia . It remained so in spite of the first Greater Poland uprising (1794) , part of the unsuccessful Kościuszko Uprising directed chiefly against Russia . More successful was the Greater Poland Uprising of 1806 , which led to the bulk of Greater Poland becoming part of the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw (forming the Poznań Department and parts of the Kalisz and Bydgoszcz Departments), whereas
8502-832: The region. There were also multiple forced labour subcamps of the Stalag II-B , Stalag II-D and Stalag XX-A POW camps in the region, a subcamp of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp in Owińska, a subcamp of the Stutthof concentration camp in Obrzycko , a subcamp of the Ravensbrück concentration camp in Kalisz Pomorski , and a camp for Sinti and Romani people in Piła. A particularly notorious prison camp
8611-707: The remainder of Brandenburg-annexed northwestern Greater Poland, which in 1373 became part of the Bohemian (Czech) Crown , ruled by the House of Luxembourg . In 1402, Poland and the Luxembourgs reached an agreement, according to which Poland was to buy and re-incorporate the afforementioned territory, but eventually the Luxembourgs sold it to the Teutonic Order. Allied Poles and Czech Hussites captured several towns of Teutonic-held northwestern Greater Poland, including Dobiegniew and Strzelce Krajeńskie , during
8720-601: The seat of Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalisz . There are many artefacts from Roman times in the area of Kalisz, indicating that the settlement had once been a stop of the Roman caravans heading for the Baltic Sea along the trade route of the Amber Trail . Calisia had been mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD, although the connection is doubted by some historians who claim that the location mentioned by Ptolemy
8829-463: The strict meaning, it covers an area of about 33,000 square kilometres (13,000 sq mi), and has a population of 3.5 million. In the wider sense, it has almost 60,000 square kilometres (23,000 sq mi), and 7 million inhabitants. The region's main metropolis is Poznań , near the centre of the region, on the Warta. Other cities are Kalisz to the south-east, Konin to the east, Piła to
8938-519: The summer of 1942 the Jewish community in Kalisz was entirely destroyed. Kalisz is a centre of education in the region. It is home to 29 primary schools, 15 junior high schools, and five high schools . Seven colleges and a dozen or so vocational schools are also located there. The city is also home to branches of Poznań University , Poznań University of Economics , and Poznań University of Technology , as well as other institutions of higher education. It
9047-592: The time of Przemysł II's death. On 16 August 1264 Bolesław granted the first written privilege to the Jews of Greater Poland (the Statute of Kalisz ). It regulated the judicial authority over the Jewish population, and Jewish credit and trading activity. The comparatively liberal statute served as a basis for Jewish privileges in Poland until 1795. In 1273, after the victorious expedition against Brandenburg, Przemysł II began to claim his own separated Duchy. Unable to face
9156-710: The town in 1835. The proximity to the Prussian border accelerated economic development of the city and Kalisz ("Калиш" in Russian Cyrillic ) began to attract many settlers, not only from other regions of Poland and other provinces of the Russian Empire , but also from German states . In 1860, 4,423 Jews lived in the town, 34.5% of its residents. During the January Uprising , on April 15, 1863, Polish insurgents fought two victorious clashes against
9265-477: The troops was given by Bolesław to his young nephew Przemysł II , the expedition was actually headed by experienced commanders such as the voivode of Poznań, Przedpełk Łodzia, and the castellan of Kalisz Janek. They successfully reconquered both Drezdenko and Strzelce . The last campaign against Brandenburg during Bolesław's lifetime took in the summer of 1278, when Greater Poland troops advanced to Myślibórz and eventually recovered Santok. Bolesław continued
9374-414: The war, while the fate of many remains unknown to this day. By the end of World War II approximately 30,000 local Jews had been murdered, and 20,000 local Catholics were either murdered or expelled to the more eastern part of German-occupied Poland ( General Government ) or to Germany as slave workers . In 1945 the population of the city was 43,000 – approximately half the pre-war figure. In 1945, Kalisz
9483-429: The war, while the fate of many remains unknown to this day. Jews from the region were also expelled and deported to other locations, including to Nazi ghettos , concentration camps and forced labour camps. From 1940, the occupiers also operated several forced labour camps for Jews in the region. Due to poor feeding and sanitary conditions, epidemics spread in those camps, which, combined with frequent executions, led to
9592-516: The wider sense, it also encompassed Sieradz , Łęczyca , Brześć Kujawski and Inowrocław voivodeships, which were situated further east, and the Santok Land , located to the northwest. The region in the proper sense roughly coincides with the present-day Greater Poland Voivodeship ( Polish : województwo wielkopolskie ). Like all the historical regions of Poland, i.e Pomerania , Warmia , Silesia , Mazovia or Lesser Poland and others,
9701-641: Was invaded by Sweden , and several battles were fought in the region, including at Ujście , Kłecko and Kcynia . In the 18th century kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland often resided in Wschowa , and sessions of the Senate of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were held there, thus the town being dubbed the "unofficial capital of Poland". In 1768 a new Gniezno Voivodeship
9810-720: Was the Older Poland to contrast with Lesser Poland (Polish Małopolska , Latin Polonia Minor ), a region in south-eastern Poland with its capital at Kraków that later became the main centre of the state. Greater Poland comprises much of the area drained by the Warta River and its tributaries, including the Noteć River . The region is distinguished from Lesser Poland with the lowland landscape, and from both Lesser Poland and Mazovia with its numerous lakes. In
9919-407: Was able to read and write Latin. Because Bolesław was a minor when Władysław Odonic died on 5 June 1239, his elder brother Przemysł I ruled alone at first. Historians agree the territory the brothers inherited started out small, but disagree as to whether it extended beyond Ujście and Nakło in northern Poland. In 1241, Przemysł and Boleslaw began reclaiming the lands their father had lost. By 1243
10028-434: Was aimed at the children's biological destruction. The Germans also operated Germanisation camps for Polish children taken away from their parents in Kalisz, Poznań, Puszczykowo and Zaniemyśl . The children were given new German names and surnames, and were punished for any use of the Polish language, even with death. After their stay in the camp, the children were deported to Germany; only some returned to Poland after
10137-405: Was approved by the Church, and after he protested, he was threatened with the excommunication. Despite the fact that he now had his own district, Bolesław did not pursue a foreign policy; this would continue to be the responsibility of his brother. This was revealed during the dispute with Duke Casimir I of Kuyavia regarding the possession of Ladzka, which was given to him by Henry II the Pious as
10246-583: Was approximately 81,000. The Jewish population of Kalisz at the time was 27,000. After the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, the proximity of the border once again proved disastrous. Kalisz was captured by the Wehrmacht after Polish resistance, and the city was annexed by Germany . In revenge for resistance, the Wehrmacht carried out massacres of Polish defenders, who were executed both in
10355-471: Was created in 1999, however, parts of Greater Poland are located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian , Lubusz , Łódź and West Pomeranian voivodeships. The region is rich in historical architecture of various styles from Romanesque and Gothic through Renaissance and Baroque to Neoclassical and Art Nouveau . Greater Poland boasts 13 Historic Monuments of Poland : Major museums include
10464-532: Was declared a fortress in the closing stages of the war, being taken by the Red Army in the Battle of Poznań , which ended on 22 February 1945. After the war, Greater Poland was fully reintegrated with Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the 1980s. The region experienced several waves of anti-communist protests and strikes, including the 1956 Poznań protests and
10573-454: Was established in Poznań. Activities included secret Polish schooling , secret Catholic services, printing and distribution of Polish underground press , sabotage actions, espionage of German activity, military trainings, production of false documents, preparations for a planned uprising, and even secret football games. The Polish resistance provided aid to people in need, including prisoners, escapees from camps and ghettos and deserters from
10682-521: Was formed out of the northern part of Kalisz Voivodeship. However more far-reaching changes would come with the Partitions of Poland . In the first partition (1772), northern parts of Greater Poland along the Noteć (German Netze ) were taken over by Prussia , becoming the Netze District . In the second partition (1793) the whole of Greater Poland was absorbed by Prussia, becoming part of
10791-622: Was granted to Mieszko III the Old . The eastern part, with Gniezno and Kalisz , was part of the Seniorate Province centered in Kraków , granted to Władysław II . However, for most of the period the two parts were under a single ruler, and were known as the Duchy of Greater Poland (although at times there were separately ruled duchies of Poznań, Gniezno, Kalisz and Ujście ). It was one of
10900-413: Was his guardian until he was declared an adult. The first of Bolesław's new foreign politics was his marriage in 1258 to Princess Jolenta (Helena) , daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary . This union resulted in a permanent bond between Bolesław and Hungary , reflected in the assistance given in the conflict with Bohemia after the extinction of the House of Babenberg . For Bolesław, this alliance cost him
11009-480: Was involved in a long and destructive war against Casimir I of Kuyavia and his ally Swantopolk II for the castellanie of Ladzka. To this end, the Greater Poland Duke allied with Wartislaw III , Duke of Pomerania - Demmin , Siemowit I of Masovia , Bolesław V the Chaste and Roman Danylovich , Prince of Navahradak . The war ended in a full victory and Ladzka returned to Greater Poland. The formal treaty
11118-564: Was occupied by the Margraviate of Brandenburg . In 1331, during the Polish–Teutonic War of 1326–1332 , the Teutonic Knights invaded central and eastern Greater Poland, however, the Poles defeated the invaders at Kalisz and an indecisive battle was fought at Konin . The Teutonic Knights soon retreated. King Casimir III the Great regained parts of northwestern Greater Poland, including Drezdenko in 1365 and Wałcz , Czaplinek and Człopa in 1368. Poland still attempted to recover
11227-569: Was operated in Żabikowo , where mostly Poles were imprisoned, but also Luxembourgers, Dutch, Hungarians, Slovaks, Americans, Russians and deserters from the Wehrmacht , and many were tortured and executed. The Polish resistance movement was active in the region, including the Union of Armed Struggle , Bataliony Chłopskie , Gray Ranks and Home Army . The Polish Underground State was organized, and in July 1940, even an underground Polish parliament
11336-495: Was restored to Poland, although with a Soviet -installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the Fall of Communism in the 1980s. Following the war, Jewish Holocaust survivors returned to the city, by 1946 numbering some 500. By the late 1940s only some 100 remained, and those few who stayed blended into Polish society. In 1975, after Edward Gierek 's reform of the administrative division of Poland , Kalisz again became
11445-525: Was reunited, the town became a centre of weaving and wood products, as well as one of the cultural centres of Greater Poland. In 1282 the city laws were confirmed by Przemysł II of Poland , and in 1314 it was made the capital of the Kalisz Voivodeship by King Ladislaus the Short . Located roughly in the centre of Poland (as its borders stood in that era), Kalisz was a centre of trade. In 1331,
11554-577: Was signed between Russia and Prussia in 1813, confirming that Prussia now was on the side of the Allies. After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte , Kalisz became a provincial capital of Congress Poland and then the capital of a province of the Russian Empire . In the 1820s a special Jewish quarter was created where the third of the town that was Jewish was required to live; it existed until 1862. Fryderyk Chopin visited Kalisz in 1826, 1828 and 1830. Prussia and Russia held joint military exercises near
11663-526: Was signed on 29 November 1259; however, Casimir I delayed in fulfilled the provisions of the agreement, which led in 1261 to a new military expedition. On 23 June 1262 Siemowit I was killed at the hands of the Lithuanian troops and his eldest son Konrad II was taken prisoner. Both Konrad II and his younger brother Bolesław II were minors at that time; for this reason, Bolesław became regent of their domains (Duchies of Masovia , Płock and Czersk ) for
11772-537: Was situated in the territory of the Diduni in Magna Germania . Archaeological excavations have uncovered early medieval settlement from the Piast dynasty period, c. 9th–12th centuries. Modern Kalisz was most likely founded in the 9th century as a provincial capital castellany and a minor fort. As part of the region of Greater Poland , i.e. the cradle of the Polish state, the town formed part of Poland since
11881-478: Was the second son of Władysław Odonic , Duke of Greater Poland by his wife Jadwiga , who was probably the daughter of Mestwin I, Duke of Pomerania , or a member of the Přemyslid dynasty . His name was very popular in the Piast dynasty , so it's unknown exactly after whom he was named. Very soon Bolesław received the nickname of "the Pious" ( Latin : Pius , Polish : Pobożny ), given to him during his lifetime by
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