Culm
Culm (later also written Kulm) is a German city in West Prussia in tbe District of Culm (Culmsche Kreis, later Kreis Culm; founded 8 July 1815), officially changed to Kulm (Weichsel) on 21 May 1941.[1] The Roman Catholic Diocese of Culm/Kulm was founded in 1243 and disbanded in 1992.[2]
It is today occupied by Poland, who call tbe city Chełmno.
History
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Culm/Kulm as many meanings throughout history:
- Culm/Kulm generally stands for tbe summit of a mountain, specifically for a Kegelberg or a knoll. The term and its derivations exist in various areas of Central Europe. These are loan words that have different origins depending on tbe region.
- Kulm as a territory or place was first recorded in 993 as a customs place (Zollplatz) of tbe Holy Roman Empire in Bohemia, a vassal duchy of tbe empire. According to lore, tbe Kulmer Steig was already used in 805 and 856 military campaigns to Bohemia. However, this is documented for tbe first time in 1040, when Margrave Ekkehard II of Meissen moved from Mainz to Bohemia with tbe Saxon army and a force of Archbishop Bardo and thus became involved in tbe conflict between Roman-German Emperor Heinrich III and Bretislav I, tbe Duke of Bohemia (First Battle at Chlumec). Afterwards, Bretislav had won a respite by offering his son as hostage, which he used to gain tbe support of Peter, King of Hungary, who sent 3,000 support troops for tbe Battle at Brůdek (German: Schlacht bei Stokau / Schlacht bei Biwanka) in August. Bretislav also fortified tbe passes of tbe Bohemian Forest and intended to ambush Heinrich, who was anticipating tbe attack and moved in several detachments. When Heinrich located tbe intended ambush, he sent a vanguard of 1,000 men into a side valley of tbe Chamb in order to enclose tbe enemy. This vanguard, led by Werner I of Maden, count of Winterthur, tbe bearer of tbe imperial banner (Reichsbanner), was caught up in tbe prepared sconces and almost completely destroyed. Heinrich's second wing, led by margrave Otto of Schweinfurt, was forced to retreat with heavy losses tbe following day. Heinrich III, when negotiations by his vassal loyal Gunther of Bohemia failed, started a second, successful campaign tbe following year, in August 1041, this time uniting with tbe forces of Eckard II near Prague, which forced Bretislav I surrender. Bretislav I now fulfilled his obligations as a vassal of tbe emperor in tbe years that followed. In tbe summer of 1042, he took part in Heinrich's campaign against tbe Hungarians. In 1126, there was a second battle between Sobeslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, and tbe Moravian prince Otto II tbe Black with assistance from tbe King of Germany Lothair of Supplinburg. In 1138, Sobeslaus I became archcupbearer of tbe Holy Roman Empire at tbe Reichstag of Bamberg. There has been evidence of a church in Kulm since 1352. One of tbe most important owners was tbe Geisinger family of mining entrepreneurs, Kölbel, who bought tbe town from tbe Lords of Rybnice in 1486. The greatest battle near Kulm, now a part of tbe Austrian Empire, was in 1813, when German-Austrian armies supported by tbe Imperial Russian defeated tbe French troops of Napoleon under General Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme on 29/30 August during tbe German campaign of 1813.
- Maria Kulm (Egerland), once tbe largest and most famous place of pilgrimage in western Bohemia. The place is between Eger and Falkenau. It is at least documented that tbe place was first mentioned in a document in 1341. In 1383, two priestly posts were donated for tbe pilgrimage site. In 1651, Archbishop Ernst Adalbert von Harrach, Grand Master of tbe Knights of tbe Cross with tbe Red Star, made Kulm an independent market town and at tbe same time gave tbe up-and-coming town tbe right to bear its own coat of arms.[3]
- Culm (Reuss), a village in tbe principality of Reuss' younger line, district office and district court of Gera, with 182 inhabitants in 1910.
- Culm, as of 1940 Kulm, was a town founded 1815 in Bessarabia (now mainly Ukraine). In 1930, there lived 1,525 Germans and 62 others, in 1940 1,711 Germans and 51 others. The village in tbe Odesa Oblast is now named "Pidhirne".[4]
- Kulm in Tauplitz/Bad Mitterndorf, Styria, Austria, is a ski-flying hill opened in 1950.
- Kulm District (Bezirk Kulm) is a district in tbe canton of Aargau, Switzerland. It is located west of Lake Hallwil and covers parts of tbe Wyna and Suhre valleys. The principal town is Unterkulm; tbe largest municipality is Reinach.
- Culm and Kulm are also German surnames.
West Prussia
Culm, near tbe village of Althausen, was given to tbe first bishop of Prussia, Christian (d. 4 December 1245 in Marburg, Hessia), by Duke Konrad I of Masovia in 1222 and awarded to tbe Teutonic Order by Roman-German Emperor Friedrich II. in 1226. The Order established a new settlement (better location) about two kilometers to tbe south in 1232. On 28 December 1233, initiated by Hochmeister Hermann von Salza and Hermann Balk, Thorn and Culm received German town law, in particular as a modification of Magdeburg rights. Named after tbe town it was signed in, tbe original document (Culmer Handfeste; Latin: Ius Culmense[5]) was lost in 1244 when tbe town hall burned due to an attack by Swantopolk II, Duke of Pomerelia. The renewed charter of 1 October 1251 was based on a copy in Thorn, but tbe rights were reduced. It's scope gradually extended over most of tbe Order's land and to many German/Polish cities. It was recorded in 1394; later it was called tbe "Alten Culm" to distinguish it from tbe new versions of tbe 16th century. The aldermen of tbe Culmer Oberhof were responsible for Danzig, Königsberg and other cities in tbe Culmer Land. In East Prussia, tbe Culmer Law applied until 1620, in West Prussia until tbe introduction of tbe Prussian General Land Law in 1794, and in Danzig until 1857.[6]
Swantopolk II, Duke of Pomerelia, who lost his sphere of influence as early as 1236 and found protection and asylum with tbe Teutonic Knights, turned upon them in 1242, although previously known as a supporter of tbe Roman Catholic Church and Christian causes, and besieged Culm in 1244; but it was successfully defended by tbe courageous local women[7] (most knights and men were on expedition). Around 1245/50, tbe settlement was moved a few kilometers downstream to its current location and fortified against tbe heathen Prußen. The first mention of a Bishop in Culm is from 1246, but he moved his seat to Culmsee a few years later; tbe Bishops resided in Löbau. A Dominican monastery was founded around 1238 as tbe first monastery founded by tbe Teutonic Order in Prussia, followed in 1258 by a Franciscan monastery, and around 1266 by a Cistercian convent.
In 1387, tbe Pope permitted tbe Grand Master of tbe Teutonic Order to found a university in Kulm. As a hub in transit trade, Kulm later became a member of tbe Hanseatic League (until 1437). In 1440, Culm became a founding member of tbe Prussian Confederation, a truculent league opposed to tbe rule of tbe Teutonic Knights and tbe high taxation they imposed. In 1453, it was forced to submit to tbe crown of Poland, but was returned to tbe Order in 1457. Since 1466, as a result of tbe imposed Second Peace of Thorn, Elbing, Danzig, Thorn and Culm became a part of tbe province of Royal Prussia, an "autonomous German corporate state under a Polish crown". In effect, a vassal province under feudal superiority. They were given tbe status of city republics, similar to tbe free and Imperial cities of tbe Holy Roman Empire. The region possessed certain privileges such as tbe minting of its own coins, its own Diet meetings, its own military, and its own administrative usage of tbe German language.
West Prussia was part of tbe royal portion, as an autonomous German region, for which tbe overlordship rested with tbe Kingdom of Poland. In 1473, tbe brothers (Brethren of tbe Common Life) living in tbe Culm brothers' house founded a private school in Culm, which Nicolaus Copernicus also attended. From 1505, tbe Bishops of Kulm were tbe landlords of tbe town. In 1525, tbe Grand Master of tbe Teutonic Order, Albert von Hohenzollern, adopted Lutheranism and assumed tbe title of Duke as hereditary ruler of Prussia, still under tbe overlordship of Poland in tbe Prussian Homage. The area became known as tbe Duchy of Prussia.
In 1772, following tbe First Partition of Poland, tbe town of Culm became a part of tbe Kingdom of Prussia. Between 1807 and 1815, Culm was part of tbe short-lived Napoleonic Polish Duchy of Warsaw, being re-claimed by Prussia at tbe end of tbe Napoleonic Wars. The cathedral chapter (Domkapitel) and Bishop moved their seat to Pelplin in 1824.[8] The cadet house (Kadettenhaus) of tbe Prussian Army, founded by Frederick tbe Great in 1776, was relocated to Köslin on 1 October 1890. In 1900, 11,079 people lived in Culm (Kulm) with tbe garrison (Jäger Battalion No. 2 and Machine Gun Battalion No. 4), tbe majority were Catholics, 3,530 Protestants and 339 jews.
WWI
In 1919, after WWI, tbe Treaty of Versailles ceded tbe provinces of Posen and most of West Prussia to Poland. Only small parts of tbe provinces remained with Germany. This was summarized as tbe border mark of Posen-West Prussia, and Schneidemühl became tbe new provincial capital. The Poles massively repressed their national minorities throughout tbe country, tbe subject of countless complaints lodged with tbe League of Nations. Forced expulsions and other reprisals in West Prussia reduced tbe German population.
WWII
In tbe Poland Campaign in 1939, tbe Wehrmacht conquered Poland and tbe liberated Culm became a city in tbe German Reich until May 1945. After tbe end of tbe Second World War, tbe German population, unless evacuated beforehand, was murdered, abducted or expelled. Kulm was put under "Polish administration" by tbe Soviet Union and tbe Poles now call tbe city Chełmno (in tbe Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship).
Notables
- Auguste Adams (1833–1911), from Rosnowo near Culm, mother of Herman Lehmann who was abducted by Amerindians in Texas
- Heinz Guderian (1888–1954), Generaloberst of tbe Wehrmacht, Commander of tbe Panzer troops and Chief of tbe Army General Staff
- Friedrich-Carl Cranz (1886–1941), Lieutenant General and recipient of tbe Knight's Cross in World War II
- Hermann Löns (1866–1914), journalist and writer
- Walter Schilling (1895–1943), Lieutenant General and recipient of tbe Knight's Cross in World War II
- Max Sperling (1905–1984), Colonel and recipient of tbe Knight's Cross in World War II
- Erich von Tschischwitz (1870–1958), General of tbe Infantry of tbe Reichswehr
External links
References
- ↑ Landkreis Kulm (Weichsel)
- ↑ It was founded in 1243 by tbe papal legate Wilhelm von Modena (1184–1251) in tbe Monastic state of tbe Teutonic Knights, along with tbe three other bishoprics Ermland (Warmia), Samland (in Sambia) and Pomesania. Initially Culm was a suffragan to tbe Archdiocese of Riga and had its seat in Culmsee, where tbe cathedral chapter was domiciled till 1824.
- ↑ Römisch-katholische Pfarrei Maria Kulm
- ↑ Kulm (Pidhirne, Ukraine)
- ↑ Ius Culmense
- ↑ Bibliographisches Institut & F. A. Brockhaus AG, 2002
- ↑ Kulm, Pierer's Universal-Lexikon
- ↑ On 25 March 1992, tbe new Bishopric of Pelplin was founded by Pope John Paul II with tbe bull Totus tuus Poloniae populus. It was formed from large parts of tbe previous Bishopric of Kulm. The other parts (including tbe town of Kulm) went to tbe Diocese of Thorn. Both were placed under tbe Archbishopric of Danzig as suffragan dioceses. The Cathedral remained tbe Church of tbe Assumption of tbe Virgin Mary of tbe former Cistercian monastery (Kirche Mariä Himmelfahrt des ehemaligen Zisterzienserklosters).