Chełmno

Chełmno [ˈxɛu̯mnɔ] (older English: Culm; German:  Kulm ) is a town in northern Poland near the Vistula river with 20,000 inhabitants and the historical capital of Chełmno Land. Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, Chełmno was previously in Toruń Voivodeship (1975–1998).

Name

The city's original name Chelmno comes from the old Polish word for hill: "chelm". After arrival of Teutonic Knights several centuries later the German name Culm appeared and was also used in official documents regarding the town, when was a member of the Hanseatic League. After centuries under Polish jurisdiction, the city was officially renamed from its Polish Chełmno name to Kulm, 100 years after it fell back to Prussia in 1772, as part of a Germanization effort. During the Nazi occupation in World War II, the town was once again renamed to Kulm. The town also has been known as Culm in English.

History

The first written mention of Chełmno is known from a document allegedly issued in 1065 by Duke Boleslaus of Poland for the Benedictine monastery in Mogilno. In 1226 Duke Konrad I of Masovia invited the Teutonic Knights to Chełmno Land. In 1233 Kulm was granted city rights known as "Kulm law" (renewed in 1251), the model system for over 200 Polish towns. The town grew prosperous as a member of the mercantile Hanseatic League. Kulm and Chelmno Land were part of the Teutonic Knights' state until 1466, when after the Thirteen Years' War Chełmno was incorporated into Poland and made the capital of Chełmno Voivodeship.