Czarnków

Czarnków
View of the Old town
Coat of arms
Czarnków
Coordinates: 52°54′N 16°34′E / 52.900°N 16.567°E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Greater Poland
County	Czarnków-Trzcianka
Gmina	Czarnków (urban gmina)
Area
• Total	9.7 km^2 (3.7 sq mi)
Population (2006)
• Total	11,356
• Density	1,200/km^2 (3,000/sq mi)
Postal code	64-700
Website	http://www.czarnkow.pl

Czarnków [ˈt͡ʂarŋkuf] (German until 1940: Czarnikau, between 1940-1945: German-nazi Scharnikau) is a town in Poland in Czarnków-Trzcianka County in Greater Poland Voivodeship, previously in Piła Voivodeship (1975-1998). It has 12,000 inhabitants.

The town lies on the Noteć river. Because there are many hills around the town, the area is called Szwajcaria Czarnkowska ("Czarnków's Switzerland").

History

First time noted in early 12th century in Gallus Anonymus Chronicle. At this time Czarnków was grad of pagan Pomeranians and was ruled by local Pomeranian ruler Gniewomir. It was conquered by Polish prince Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1108. From 1244 until 1407 Czarnków was the seat of a castellany. From early 14th until the middle of the 17th century Czarnków was in the hands of the noble family of Nałęcz (they changed name for "Czarnkowski"). The Czarnkowski family build a new castle (first time noted 1331 and destroyed at the end of the 17th century) and established before 1369 town privileges. From 1772-1919 the town belonged to the Kingdom of Prussia and Imperial Germany.

After World War I the town became part of the Second Polish Republic and lay on the German-Polish border. The western part of the town remained within Weimar Germany and was renamed "Deutsch Czarnikau" in 1920 and "Scharnikau" in 1937

Historical attractions

• medieval plan of city
• 16th-century church of Saint Mary Magdalene
• 19th-century city hall
• 18-19th-century houses
• remnants of 19th-century Jewish cemetery

People

• Wilfried Erdmann (born 1940), sailor
• Wincenty I Niałek - 13th-century archbishop of Gniezno
• Jan of Czarnków - Polish 14th-century chronicler and Deputy Chancellor of the Crown
• Reinhold Sadler - A former Governor of Nevada.
• Adam Słodowy - Author and TV host.
• Kamila Switalska - Famous Zigane Female DJ.
• Frieda Riess (1890 – c. 1955), photographer

International relations

District municipal offices in Czarnków

Twin towns — Sister cities

Czarnków is twinned with:

• Coevorden in Netherlands
• Gadebusch in Germany

Coordinates: 52°54′N 16°34′E / 52.900°N 16.567°E

References