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Brodnica
Market Square
Flag Coat of arms
Brodnica
Coordinates: 53°15′N 19°24′E / 53.250°N 19.400°E / 53.250; 19.400
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Kuyavian-Pomeranian
County	Brodnica County
Gmina	Brodnica (urban gmina)
Established	13th century
Town rights	1298
Government
• Mayor	Jarosław Radacz
Area
• Total	22.87 km2 (8.83 sq mi)
Population (2014)
• Total	28,574
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	87–300 to 87–302
Area code(s)	+48 56
Car plates	CBR
Climate	Dfb
Website	http://www.brodnica.pl

Brodnica [brɔdˈɲit͡sa] (listen) (German: Strasburg in Westpreußen or Strasburg an der Drewenz) is a town in north-central Poland with 28,574 inhabitants as of 2014^[update]. Previously part of Toruń Voivodeship province, from 1975 to 1998, Brodnica is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999. It is the seat of Brodnica County. The nearby Brodnica Landscape Park, a protected area, gets its name from Brodnica.

Brodnica is the capital of the district whose present quarter Michałowo, a settlement mentioned as early as in 1138 and then in 1240 as castrum Michałowo, hides relics from Neolithic era. As it is confirmed in old documents Michałowo was the capital of the Masovian Castellany. The town was chosen owing to its good position on the Drwęca (on the trade route leading from Masovia to Prussia) and a customs house between Dobrzyń and Chełmno Land (mentioned in 1252).

History

The first reference to the town of Brodnica dates from 1263. In 1285–1370 the construction of the Gothic Church of St. Catherine took place. Brodnica received town privileges in 1298. Although the Teutonic rule ended here with the Treaty of Toruń 1466 (as on the entire Chełmno Land), Brodnica remained in the hands of Teutonic Knights until 1479. A favourable location on the intersection of important routes used for transportation of different goods (wood, fish, furs, animal skin, grain, wool) accelerated the development of the town, making it an important trading centre, the status still reflected in the number of well-preserved granaries along the Drwęca. In the Teutonic state Brodnica was the seat of the Commander: in the Polish Republic it was the capital of the district starosty, and the former Commander's lands were then royal property. Between 1486 and 1604 the town belonged to the Działyński family, then between 1604 and 1625 to Anna Vasa of Sweden who was the royal sister of Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland, Lithuania, and Sweden. In later years it was the property Queen Cecily Renata, Chancellor Jerzy Ossoliński, Queen Maria Casimira, and Marshal Franciszek Bieliński.

Castle in Brodnica (tower)

Brodnica was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia in 1772, during the First Partition of Poland, but in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars, Brodnica became part of the Duchy of Warsaw. Between 1815–1920 Brodnica was again under a Prussian administration as part of the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871.

The 19th century saw 20 thousand Polish soldiers interned after the failure of the November Uprising (1830–1831) and many townspeople and noblemen involved in the January Uprising (1863). It is in Brodnica region too that Masovian insurgents sought refuge from Russian persecution after the failure of the January Uprising.

Between 1886 and 1910 Brodnica received railway connections with Działdowo, Grudziądz, Iława, Sierpc and Jabłonowo Pomorskie, which made it an important railway junction and triggered the industrial progress. In the 19th century the Chełmno Land (and Brodnica in particular) was a refuge of Polish patriots who contributed greatly to social, cultural and economic life of the region, like Ignacy Łyskowski.

In 1920, after the end of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles was established, the town of Brodnica became part of Poland.

During World War II approximately 1,000 Jews and Gypsies inhabitants were murdered by the SS and the Selbstschutz, and, after the war ended, most of German inhabitants were expelled or killed by the Polish and Red Army during the expulsion of the Germans.

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb". (Marine West Coast Climate).^[1]

Location

Town Hall
Number of inhabitants by year
Year	Number
1772	1,283	in 228 households (Feuerstellen)[2]
1783	1,853	with the garrison (315 persons belonging to two squadrons of a hussar regiment founded in 1773), mostly Lutherans, 27 Jews[3]
1807	2,113	[2]
1816	1,994	[2]
1826	2,669	[2]
1831	2,585	mostly Germans[4]
1875	5,454	[5]
1880	5,801	[5]
1890	6,122	incl. 2,587 Protestants, 3,048 Catholics and 480 Jews (2,000 Poles)[5]
1905	7,217	incl. 2,702 Protestants and 318 Jews[6]
1931	8,521	approx. 800 Germans[7]
2006	32,588
2010	27,731
2014	28,574

Brodnica is located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship on an important route transit over the small river Drewenz, about 48 kilometres (30 miles) south-east of Grudziądz, 90 kilometres (56 miles) south-west of Olsztyn and 98 kilometres (61 miles) south of Elbląg.

Points of interest

Worth noting is the War cemetery in Brodnica established by the Germans during the World War I. 15 November saw a burial of 25 German soldiers killed in the Russian offensive. In 1920 31 Polish soldiers killed during the battle of Brodnica with the Bolsheviks on 18 August were laid to rest here. In 1943 German soldiers who died in the local hospital together with those who lost their lives on 21 January 1945 during the Soviet offensive were put in the ground. A curiosity is that the Red Army soldiers who died on the same day were buried here as well. It is also a burial place for UB people notorious for waging war with Polish anti-communist partisans after 1945.

Sport in Brodnica

The sports teams in the city include the football club Sparta Brodnica,^[8] the handball MKS Brodnica club,^[9] the Karate Shotokan Brodnica club,^[10] the Aikido Brodnicka Akademia Aikido club,^[11] the boxing Klub Bokserski Gladiator Brodnica,^[12] and the MMA Fight Team MMA Brodnica.^[13]

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Crests based on partnership towns

Brodnica is twinned with:

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  Strasburg, Germany
  


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  Brørup, Denmark


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  Kėdainiai, Lithuania
  


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  Kristinehamn, Sweden


• 
  Chamalières, France


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  Koprivnica, Croatia
  


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  Hummelo en Keppel, Netherlands


• 
  Sevan, Armenia
  

Famous people who were born or lived in Brodnica and Brodnica County

Anna Vasa of Sweden

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  Martin Truchseß von Wetzhausen – Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights
  


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  Simon Syrenius – Polish botanist and academic


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  Anna Vasa of Sweden – Swedish princess made starosta of Brodnica in 1605 by Sigismund III Vasa
  


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  Wojciech Dębołęcki – Polish monk, writer and composer


• 
  Ignacy Łyskowski (1820-1886) – Polish writer, educator and agronomist, patron of library in Brodnica


• 
  Paul von Krause – German jurist and politician


• 
  Robert Garrison – German film actor


• 
  Stanisława Walasiewicz – Polish athlete, who became a women's Olympic champion.


• 
  Jan Zumbach – Polish fighter pilot who became an ace during the Second World War


• 
  Małgorzata Birbach – Polish long-distance runner


• 
  Łukasz Fabiański – Polish footballer
  


• 
  Jakub Wawrzyniak – Polish footballer
  


• 
  Robert Kłos – Polish footballer
  


• 
  Jakub Zabłocki – Polish footballer
  


• 
  Daniel Trojanowski – Polish rower


• 
  Patryk Kuchczyński – Polish team handball player

Gallery

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  Brodnica (1738-1745)
  

  
  

  
  


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  Old Town
  

  
  

  
  


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  Old Town
  

  
  

  
  


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  Mazurska Tower
  

  
  

  
  


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  Chełmińska Gate
  

  
  

  
  


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  Castle in Brodnica (tower)
  

  
  

  
  


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  Palace of Anna Vasa
  

  
  

  
  


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  Granary
  

  
  

  
  


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  Granary
  

  
  

  
  


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  Gothic Church of St. Catherine
  

  
  

  
  


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  Gothic Church of St. Catherine
  

  
  

  
  


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  Gothic Church of St. Catherine
  

  
  

  
  


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  Franciscan Monastery
  

  
  

  
  


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  Medical helicopter landing pad
  

  
  

  
  


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  Railway station in Brodnica
  

  
  

  
  


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  Railway station in Brodnica
  

  
  

  
  


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  Drwęca river
  

  
  

  
  


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  Niskie Brodno lake
  

  
  

  
  

See also

• Brodnica Castle


• Brodnica Landscape Park


• Royal Prussia


• History of Prussia

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brodnica.

Notes

References

• Town council Brodnica (EN)


• Visit Brodnica (EN)

Coordinates: 53°15′N 19°24′E / 53.250°N 19.400°E / 53.250; 19.400