Nakło nad Notecią (<small>Polish pronunciation:</small> ) () is a town in north-central Poland on the river Noteć with 23,687 inhabitants (2007). It is the seat of Nakło County, and also of Gmina Nakło nad Notecią, situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is located in the ethnocultural region of Krajna.

History

thumb|left|Historical and ethnographic museum located in an old granary

Nakło began to develop as a Pomeranian settlement by the middle of the 10th century. It was initially called Nakieł, and its name comes from the Old Polish word nakieł. The name morphed into Nakło in the 16th century.

During the course of 19th-century industrialization, Nakło developed further after being connected with the Prussian Eastern Railway in 1851. It became part of the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871, and was the largest city, though not the capital, of Kreis Wirsitz. According to the 1910 census, the population of the town was 8,787, of whom 5,014 (57%) reported German as their sole mother tongue, while 3,662 (42%) reported Polish; the Jewish population was 306 (3.5%).

After World War I, in 1918, Poland regained independence and many inhabitants joined the Greater Poland uprising (1918–19) with the aim to reintegrate the town with the reborn state. The Germans then brought reinforcements to the town. Many Poles from Nakło, including teachers, craftsmen, merchants and children, were murdered in large massacres in the nearby village of Paterek. In November 1939, the commander of the SD-EK 16 declared that all Polish intelligentsia capable of resistance had been eliminated. Many Polish families expelled by the Germans from the region were deported to Nakło and then marched from the town to the nearby Potulice concentration camp. 73 Poles from the Nakło County, including 20 policemen, were also murdered by the Russians in the large Katyn massacre in April–May 1940. In August 1944, the Germans brought around 300 Polish forced labourers aged 15–50 from the Wyrzysk area to the town, and then deported them to a newly established forced labour camp in Jajkowo.

The town was administratively part of the Bydgoszcz Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998.

Sports

The local football club is . It competes in the lower leagues.

Notable residents

  • Elizabeth Granowska (c. 1372–1420), Queen consort of Poland, wife of King Władysław II Jagiełło
  • Seymour (United States)
  • Elsterwerda (Germany)
  • Naklo (Slovenia)

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Naklo haven p3.jpg|Nakło haven

Naklo sStanislaw church6.jpg|Saint Stanislaus church

Naklo starostwo1.jpg|County office

Naklo13.JPG|Saint Lawrence church

Naklo sWawrzyniec church1.jpg|Katyn massacre memorial

Naklo Liceum.jpg|General education liceum (high school)

</gallery>

References