Kłodawa

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kłodawa, 18th century

Coat of arms

Kłodawa

Coordinates: 52°15′2″N 18°54′56″E / 52.25056°N 18.91556°E

Country

Poland

Established

11th century

Town rights

1430-1867, 1925

Government

• Mayor

Józef Chudy

Area

• Total

4.32 km² (1.67 sq mi)

Population (2014)

• Total

6,699

• Density

1,600/km² (4,000/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

62-650

Area code(s)

+48 63

Car plates

PKL

Website

http://klodawa.wlkp.pl

Kłodawa [kwɔˈdava] (German: Tonningen) is a town in central Poland with 6,699 inhabitants (2014). It is situated in the Greater Poland Voivodship (since 1999), having previously been in Konin Voivodship (1975–1998).

Kłodawa lies on the Rgielewka (a tributary of the Warta River). The town contains the largest operating salt mine in Poland, extracting halite and salts of potassium and magnesium.

Kłodawa was settled in the 11th century by craftsmen building the Church of St. Giles. It gained municipal rights in 1430. Much of the town was destroyed in the wars of the 17th century and World War II. It was once home to a vibrant Jewish community wiped out during the German occupation. On the outskirts there is a cemetery from the Lusatian culture.

Four-thousand-year-old traces of settlements in the area of Kłodawa can be found in the nearby village of Słupeczka. Remains of the Lusatian culture, about 2500 years old, can be found in Old Kłodawa.

The settlement gained municipal rights on August 9, 1430 by the decree of King Władysław II Jagiełło. The town was badly damaged in the 1650s by the invading Swedes during “The Deluge”. Despite outside assistance, reconstruction took a very long time. Kłodawa was ruled by Prussia after the second partition of Poland in 1793. From 1806 until 1815, the town was part of the Duchy of Warsaw, and Congress Poland afterwards. In 1867, Kłodawa lost its municipal charter. After World War I it was returned to Poland and in 1925 regained its charter.

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Wikipedia