Przedecz

Przedecz
Przedecz Castle and former Protestant church

Coat of arms
Przedecz
Coordinates: 52°20′02″N 18°53′56″E / 52.334°N 18.899°E / 52.334; 18.899Coordinates: 52°20′02″N 18°53′56″E / 52.334°N 18.899°E / 52.334; 18.899
Country  Poland
Voivodeship Greater Poland
County Koło
Gmina Przedecz
Area
 • Total 2.98 km2 (1.15 sq mi)
Elevation 112 m (367 ft)
Population (2006)
 • Total 1,771
 • Density 590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Postal code 62-635

Przedecz ([ˈpʂɛdɛt͡ʂ]; German: Moosburg) is a historic town in Koło County in the Greater Poland Voivodeship of Poland, with 1,779 inhabitants (2006).

Geography

Lake Przedecz

The town is situated in central Poland, midway between Chodecz and Kłodawa. It is located about 75 km (47 mi) northwest of Łódź, 150 km (93 mi) west of Warsaw and 130 km (81 mi) east of Poznań.

The southeast side of Przedecz borders on the shore of Lake Przedecz. Nearby is one of the sources of the Noteć river.

History

Przedecz is first mentioned in 1136 deed issued by Pope Innocent II, denoting the settlement as a possession held by the Polish Archbishops of Gniezno. With the historic Kujawy region, the fortified town was conquered by the Teutonic Knights during the First Polish–Teutonic War in 1329. Re-acquired by King Casimir III the Great upon the 1343 Treaty of Kalisz, municipal laws were introduced in 1365 and Przedecz obtained the status of a royal city of the Polish Crown. A castle with a round tower dating from that time was reconstructed in the 1970s.[1] The city rights were confirmed according to Magdeburg town law by King Władysław II Jagiełło in 1420.

Przedecz town hall

During the mid-17th-century Swedish Deluge campaigns, castle and town were burnt down completely. Upon the Second Partition of Poland in 1793, Przedecz was occupied by Prussian forces and incorporated into the South Prussia province; it passed to the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 and to Russian Congress Poland in 1815. From about 1824, a Protestant church was built by German settlers on the ruins of the medieval castle. The present town hall, a Neoclassical building, was erected in 1826. Other sites of interest comprise the early twentieth century Neo-Gothic parish church.[1]

During World War II, the Jewish community of Przedecz was wiped out by the Nazi occupants. There are no longer Jews living in the town, although several historic buildings used by the community remain.

Notable people

  • Władysław Umiński (1865–1954), author
  • Stefan Wyszynski (1901–1981), Cardinal, Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw, Primate of Poland.

References

  1. 1 2 Przedecz.net - Nieoficjalny Serwis Miasta Przedecz
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