Złotów
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 Złotów
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| Coordinates: 53°21′37″N 17°2′27″E / 53.36028°N 17.04083°E | |||
| Country |  Poland |
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| Voivodeship | Greater Poland | ||
| County | Złotów County | ||
| Gmina | Złotów (urban gmina) | ||
| Established | 8th century | ||
| Town rights | before 1370 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Stanisław Wełniak | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 11.58 km2 (4.5 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 110 m (361 ft) | ||
| Population (2011) | |||
| • Total | 18,303 | ||
| • Density | 1,580.6/km2 (4,093.7/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 77-400 | ||
| Area code(s) | +48 067 | ||
| Car plates | PZL | ||
| Website | http://www.zlotow.eu | ||
Złotów [ˈzwɔtuf] (German: Flatow, also Flathow) is a town in northern Wielkopolska in Poland with a population of 18,303 inhabitants (2011). It is today part of Wielkopolska Province (Greater Poland Voivodeship), but was previously in Piła Voivodeship (1975–1998). Since 1999 Złotów has been the seat of Złotów County.
The town is located on the river Głomia and is surrounded by five lakes. A railway line connects it to Piła and Chojnice, with buses operating locally. It has three parish churches, one of them being located in an old Lutheran church built in 1831.
Today the town has been extensively expanded with many blocks of flats to meet the rising population. Unemployment is high, even though some of the inhabitants use family ties to migrate regularly to Germany and the Netherlands as seasonal workers. The local Metaplast windows fitting factory is the biggest industrial employer.
The Euro Eco Meeting is organized regularly there each July.
Neighbouring villages include: Święta (Schwente), Blękwit (Blankwitt), Nowy Dwór (Neuhof), Kujan, Górzna (Gursen), Zakrzewo (Buschdorf), Stara Wiśniewka (Lugetal), Skic (Skietz), and Sławianowo (Steinmark).
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[edit] History
Złotów is the historical centre of the northern part of Krajna. Human activity in the region goes as far back as the 8th century BC. Around 700 AD, a hill fort on the shore of the Babbensee was the residence of a Pomeranian tribal chief. The land belonged to the dukes of Pomerelia from the house of the Samborides until the dukedom came to an end in 1294. Later, the Teutonic Knights ruled but found themselves continuously in disputes with the Polish over the Złotów lands. Złotów was first mentioned in 1370 in the chronicle of Janko of Czarnkow. In 1370, Złotów was recognized as a city with Magdeburg rights but was under Polish rule. Around 1375, the Polish king Casimir III relinquished to his grandson, Casimir IV, the city as a fee.
The city was destroyed in 1455 during the war with the Teutonic Knights. The town later belonged to the Potulicki family which provided it with a new Gothic castle in Renaissance style at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1619, Jan Potulicki issued a founding document for the church and parish of the Holy Assumption of Mary. Later it passed to the Grudziński family. The castle was destroyed during the Swedish invasion in 1657. The bombardment also destroyed other parts of the city including the city hall. A new church, still standing today, was founded there in 1664 by Andrzej Karol Grudziński. After the rule of the Grudziński family came to an end in 1688, the Działyński family came into power.
From 1709 to 1711, a plague known as the Black Death affected the area. According to incomplete church records, approximately 1650 people died as a result of the epidemic. After the first partition of Poland in 1772, Złotów was incorporated into Prussia and was given county (Kreis) town status in 1818. From 1772 to 1945 as part of Prussia (later Germany) it was known as Flatow. In 1871, a railway line from Schneidemühl was completed. Around this time many local people emigrated to America, including many members of the local Polish minority.
In 1919 it was decided that while most of the Kreis Flatow was ceded to the restored Polish Republic, the city of Flatow would remain inside Germany. This caused huge protests from the large Polish minority of the city and the surrounding rural lands. From 1922 until 1939 Flatow was part of the Grenzmark Posen-West Prussia inside Germany. The local synagogue was destroyed during the Kristallnacht in 1938. The town was taken by Soviet forces on January 31, 1945.
After World War II, with the German–Polish border moved westwards to the Oder–Neisse line, Złotów and its surroundings became part of Poland. The German population was expelled by the new communist Polish authorities.
[edit] Notable residents
- Michal Hube, a well-known penal expert during the 18th century
- Ministerialrat von Flath, favored by Ludwig I of Bavaria, Germany
- Walter Krueger (1881–1967), a United States army general
[edit] Sport
The local women's volleyball team, Sparta Złotów, plays in the third national league.
[edit] International relations
[edit] Twin towns — Sister cities
Złotów is twinned with:
There has also been some cooperation with:
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 53°22′N 17°02′E / 53.367°N 17.033°E
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Złotów |
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