Summary
Tychowo [tɨˈxɔvɔ] (Kashubian: Tëchòwò; German: Groß Tychow) is a town in Białogard County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Tychowo.[1] It lies approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south-east of Białogard and 125 km (78 mi) north-east of the regional capital Szczecin. It is located in the historic region of Pomerania.
Tychowo | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Church | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Tychowo | |
| Coordinates: 53°55′49″N 16°15′39″E / 53.93028°N 16.26083°E | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | West Pomeranian |
| County | Białogard |
| Gmina | Tychowo |
| First mentioned | 1250 |
| Town rights | 2010 |
| Population | |
| • Total | 2,500 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Website | http://www.tychowo.pl |
The town has an approximate population of 2,500. It gained town status on 1 January 2010, and was the newest city in Poland as at July 2012.
History edit
Tychowo dates back to an early medieval Slavic settlement,[2] which became part of the emerging Polish state in the 10th century. From the 12th century it was part of the Duchy of Pomerania, which split off from Poland as a result of the fragmentation of Poland into smaller duchies. The oldest known mention of the village comes from 1250.[2] In the 15th century, the timber-framed church was built.[2]
From 1701 the village was part of the Kingdom of Prussia, and from 1871 to 1945 it was part of Germany. During World War II the Germans established the Stalag Luft IV prisoner-of-war camp. The prisoners were mainly Americans, but also the British, Canadians, Russians, Poles, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Czechs, French and one Norwegian.[3] In February 1945, a German-perpetrated death march of Allied prisoners-of-war from the Stalag XX-B POW camp passed through the settlement.[4] After the war the region became part of Poland again according to the post-war Potsdam Agreement.
Tychowo was granted town rights in 2010.
Sights edit
Among the town's landmarks are the 15th-century timber-framed church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a manor park, dating back to the 18th century and Trygław, i.e. the largest glacial erratic in Poland and one of the largest in Europe, listed as a natural monument.[2]
Notable people edit
- Karl Wilhelm von Kleist (1707-1766), German oberst
- Hans Jürgen von Kleist-Retzow (1771-1844), German politician
- Wolf Friedrich von Kleist-Retzow (1868-1933), German politician
- Darius Kaiser (born 1961) a Polish-born German racing cyclist
References edit
- ^ "Central Statistical Office (GUS) - TERYT (National Register of Territorial Land Apportionment Journal)" (in Polish). 2008-06-01.
- ^ a b c d "Historia". Urząd Miejski w Tychowie (in Polish). Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- ^ "Report of the International Committee of the Red Cross Visit of Oct. 5 & 6, 1944 by Mr. Biner". stalagluft4.org. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- ^ Kaszuba, Sylwia. "Marsz 1945". In Grudziecka, Beata (ed.). Stalag XX B: historia nieopowiedziana (in Polish). Malbork: Muzeum Miasta Malborka. pp. 102, 109. ISBN 978-83-950992-2-9.