Radzyń Chełmiński (; german: Rehden) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Grudziądz County Grudziądz County ( pl, powiat grudziądzki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local gove ...

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as Cuiavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship or simply Kujawsko-Pomorskie, or Kujawy-Pomerania Province ( pl, województwo kujawsko-pomorskie ) is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divide ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, with 1,946 inhabitants (2004).

History

Radzyń is located within the historic

Chełmno Land Chełmno land ( pl, ziemia chełmińska, or Kulmerland, Old Prussian: ''Kulma'', lt, Kulmo žemė) is a part of the historical region of Pomerelia, located in central-northern Poland. Chełmno land is named after the city of Chełmno (hist ...

, which became part of the emerging Polish state in the 10th century. It was annexed by

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

in the First Partition of Poland in 1772, and then restored to Poland after it regained independence following

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1918. During the German occupation of Poland (

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

), in autumn of 1939, the Germans carried out mass arrests of local

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in C ...

as part of the ''

Intelligenzaktion The ''Intelligenzaktion'' (), or the Intelligentsia mass shootings, was a series of mass murders which was committed against the Polish intelligentsia (teachers, priests, physicians, and other prominent members of Polish society) early in the ...

''. Arrested Poles were imprisoned in nearby Rywałd and then massacred in the forests of nearby Stara Ruda.

Points of interest

The town contains the ruins of Radzyń Chełmiński Castle, first built in 1234 by the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

. Other Gothic sights include the parish church of St. Anne, which construction started about 1310 and finished about 1340, and the chapel of St. George. A memorial dedicated to local Poles-victims of World War II and Nazi Germany-is located at the market square. Album widokow przedstawiajacych miejsca historyczne Ksiestwa Poznanskiego i Prus Zachodnich 1880 (5414533) (cropped).jpg, 19th-century view of the castle ruins Radzyń Chełminski, the church of St. Ann.jpg, Saint Anne church Radzyń Chełmiński, kaplica cmentarna św. Jerzego.jpg, Saint George chapel Radzyn Chelminski, monument, market square.jpg, Memorial to the local victims of World War II and Nazi Germany Radzyń Chełmiński, poczta.jpg, Polish Post office

Sports

The local football team is Radzynianka Radzyń Chełmiński. It competes in the lower leagues.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radzyn Chelminski Cities and towns in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Grudziądz County Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919–1939)