Chełmno

Chełmno
Church of St. James and St. Nicholas - a medieval gothic church in Chełmno.
Flag Coat of arms
Chełmno
Coordinates: 53°20′57″N 18°25′23″E / 53.34917°N 18.42306°E / 53.34917; 18.42306
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Kuyavian-Pomeranian
County	Chełmno County
Gmina	Chełmno (urban gmina)
Area
• Total	13.56 km2 (5.24 sq mi)
Elevation	75 m (246 ft)
Population (2006)
• Total	20,388
• Density	1,500/km2 (3,900/sq mi)
Postal code	86-200
Website	http://www.chelmno.pl/

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).

The city's name Chełmno comes from the old Polish word for hill: "chelm". After the arrival of the Teutonic Knights, the city was founded in 1232 using the Latin name Colmen. During the Middle Ages, the German name Culm was used in official documents regarding the town, as the city was a member of the Hanseatic League and part of the State of the Teutonic Order. Chełmno came under Prussian jurisdiction in 1772 and the German name Culm became again official. It was officially renamed Kulm in 1872. During the Nazi occupation in World War II, the town was again renamed from Chełmno to Kulm.

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.