Kujawy – Gmina Aleksandrow – Kujawski History

Hello,

This is my fourth post that will deal with the history of the Kujawy region of Poland. The Gmina Aleksandrow-Kujawski is located in Powiat Aleksandrow. I have tried to translate the history of this gmina with various translating tools, which include books and online tranlation websites. Any errors in this translation are my own. The translation of the gmina’s history, from the Aleksandrow-Kujawski website is below:

The area which is currently located within the rural Gmina Aleksandrow has been historically associated with Kujawy, which has been identified as an area of Poland since the end of the twelfth century, initially with the capital in Wloclawek and then in Inowrocław. After splitting the districts during the XII and XIII century, these lands were then ruled by Wladyslaw Łokietka. In the first half of XIII century, the current lands of the Gmina Aleksandrow were within the limits of the Castle Slonski, then falling in the area of Konrad Mazowiecki and his son Casimir Konradowica. After the death of Kazimierz Konradowica in the 1267 year, Kujawy was divided into two administrative regions: Inowrocław-Kujawy which covered the northern districts of the two Bydgoski and Inowrocław provinces and Brzesko-Kujawski which included the counties of: Brzeski, Kowalski, Przedecki, Radziejowski and Kruszwicki.

The age of development of the region began in the XIII century and lasted until the XIV century. During this time there was also numerous internal and external unrest that was to a large extent associated with the settlement of the Krzyżakami (Teutonic Knights) in Chelmno as their lands centerpiece. Conflicts with the Krzyżakami led to the Polish-Teutonic war in the years 1327 – 1332. As a result, the Teutonic Knights took control of most of the totally destroyed Kujawian province. After learning of the Brzesko-Kujawski, the Teutonic Knights created command sites in Brzeski and Kowalski and their command center(Grand Master) in Przedecki. In the year 1343, Kujawy returned to the Polish Crown only as a result of the peace Treaty of Kalisz. Kujawy was then divided into two administrative regions: Inowrocław and Brzesko–Kujawski. In 1377, the area remained in the hands of the castellan of Slonski, Wladyslaw Białego. Inowrocław Kujawy and the lands of Dobrzyń were then transmitted to Wladyslaw Opolczyk as a fief, who had gotten it back in 1393 from Władysław Łokietka, but without land of Dobrzyń. During this period, the particular role of defense for this site was the fortified tower of Służewo by Sędziwoja of Szubina. On 6 August 1409 during the strengthening of the border of Służewo Zbigniew Brzezia commandeded the banner of the Marshall of the Crown and on June 24 the Kujawski force gathered in a forest and attacked the Służewo Teutonic possessions in the vicinity of Torun. In January 1411, the vicinity of Służewa stayed with Wladyslaw Jagiello and eventually in 1454 with Kazimierz Jagiellończyk. The Second Poland – Tuetonic Knights War continued in the years 1409 – 1435 and completed after the conclusion of peace in Brzesko – Kujawski on December 31,1435. This was a definitive end of the conflict with the Tuetonic Knights, securing the peace in Torun in 1466.

In the fifteenth century Służewo was a small town, one of the smallest cities in Kujawy. The infantry quota which was issued on the city during the 1458 Malbork expedition lists 2 people and refers to Służewo as an “oppidum” or town. Compared with the quotas of the following cities: Radziejowski 10, Inowrocław 20, and Brzeski 30 armed men. After comparing, Służewo was one of the smallest cities in Kujawy.

In the sixteenth century, the Służewo area was still the main center of the of the palace, with the church from 1560 to 7 hospital beds in 2 houses. Służewo’s key assets were then the largest in the Inowrocław region. The next years of the first half of the XVII century were a period of re-development for the region. The crisis of the beginning of the second half of XVII century, which then imposed the destruction of war primarily associated with the Swedish Deluge War and the Lubomirski Rokosz(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubomirski_Rokosz), caused impoverishment and devastation to Kujawy. The subsequent destruction that was brought about during the first years of the eighteenth century was associated with the Polish, Swedish, Saxon, and Russian militaries marching through Kujawy related to the wars in the north. In 1707 year, the Kazakhs (Cossacks) won Wloclawek and then the surrounding areas had devastating consequences. In this time of war, epidemic disease also caused significant widespread destruction.

After 1710, the political situation in the country had begun to normalize over the previous 60 years and Kujawy suffered a relative calm. However, the prevailing general lack of political stability and the national events related to the Confederation of Bar, led to the Prussian army entering Kujawy and the First Partition of Poland. As a result of the Russian discussions during the Second Partition of Poland the District of Nieszawa was moved into the Warsaw Gubernia (I am very unclear if this sentences translation is correct).

During the times of the Duchy of Warsaw, the area became a land border. Initially, the chamber of commerce was located in Służewo. This resulted in a huge developmental explosion in the city. During the first 50 years of the nineteenth-century, industrialist groups of Polish and foreigners (German, Belgian et al.) began efforts to build a railway line linking the Kingdom of Poland, Prussia, and Russia to other countries in Western Europe. A proposal was to extend the Warsaw – Skierniewice line with the new line of Łowicz, having already been through the combinations of Kutno, Włocławek, and Torun to Bydgoszcz. The Russian authorities initially regarded this initiative negatively and only after the construction of a railway line from Bydgoszcz to Otłoczyna – which was the last station before the Prussian border – did the Russians agree to start the construction of “Nadwislanska” railways. To this end, the Towarzystwo Kolei Żelaznych (Iron Railway Stock Society), had considered various options for the railway line, including Włocławek, Nieszawa, and Ciechocinek or Brzesk – Kujawski and Służewo. The selected sites for the construction of the border stations had been offered by Wladyslaw Trojanowski – which was the village Białe Błota that was located at a distance of 2 km from the border along the Tążyny river.
After building the rail lines and stations in Białe Błota (later named Trojanów and then Aleksandrow) the chamber of commerce was moved from Służewo to Trojanów. This has led to the collapse of the city of Służewo and consequently in 1867, the loss of civic rights.

In 1915 Kujawy found themselves in the General – Gubernia of Warsaw. After the end of World War I occurred, subsequent amendments to the country’s administrative systems, so that the area municipalities included in the order of years: administrative region of the Warsaw district Nieszawsa (although from years 1932 – 1975 it was the county seat of Aleksandrow); from the year 1937 it was in the administrative region of Poznan; from the year 1938 it was in Pomerania. During World War II municipalities sites were incorporated into the Third Reich. In 1945, the discussed areas in the administrative regions were integrated into Bydgoszcz, but in 1948 the name of the district changed from Nieszawsa to Aleksandrow. The Gmina of Aleksandrow Kujawski belonged to Włocławek Province from the years 1975 – 1999, however, from the year 1999 it belonged to Kujawsko – Pomerskie Province and establish Alekandrow Kujawski as the headquarters of (seat of) self-governed administrative district (Powiat).

Since 1975, the municipality Amnat Włocławskiego belonged to the administrative region, but since 1999 of the Kujawsko – Pomeranian, and the Aleksandrow-based self-government established the district.In terms of church administration, these areas have always been associated with the Diocese of Włocławek. The city of Aleksandrow was founded June 24, 1976 as a result of the new administrative divisions of the country, from the former municipalities of Służewo and parts of the municipality of Raciążek. The headquarters of the municipality of the city was Aleksandrow. Before the year 1976 the municipality was established in Służewo. This goes back to its beginnings in the 1286 year. The only monument of Służewo’s past is the parish church that still retains, from the XVI century, an eternal figure that was built with red bricks in the Gothic-Renaissance style.

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