Działdowo

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Działdowo

	(Coat of arms)


Basic Information
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Warmian-Masurian
Population	24,830 (2006)
City rights	1344
Latitude Longitude	53°14'N 20°11'E
Area	13.35 km²
Density	1871,5/km²
Area code	+48 23
Car plates	NDZ
Economy and Traffic
Administration
Mayor	Bronisław Mazurkiewicz
Municipal Website

Działdowo (German: Soldau) is a town in north-central Poland with 24,830 inhabitants (2006), the capital of Działdowo County. Situated in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (since 1999), Działdowo previously belonged to Ciechanów Voivodeship (1975-1998).

1 History
2 Notable residents
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

The first settlement in the vicinity was by a tribe of Old Prussians known as Sassen in German and Sasinowie in Polish. The Teutonic Knights conquered the region and built a castle named Soldau, a wing of which still remains. Grand Master Ludolf König granted the settlement near the castle town privileges in 1344.

The town converted to Lutheranism during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The following communes belonged to the Evangelical parish of Soldau: Amalienhof, Borowo, Bursch, Cämmersdorf, Gajowken, Hohendorf, Kyschienen, Königshagen, Kurkau, Niederhof, Pierlawken, Pruschinowo, and Rudolfsfelde.

Within the Kingdom of Prussia and later German Empire, Soldau developed into an important railway junction in the second half of the 19th century. It was part of Neidenburg District in East Prussia; Soldau was the southernmost town in the province.

Resulting from the Treaty of Versailles following World War I, Soldau together with a few neighboring villages were transferred from Weimar Germany to the Second Polish Republic on January 17, 1920, and the town was officially renamed from the German Soldau to the Polish Działdowo. Działdowo's rail connections to the nearby towns Deutsch Eylau (Iława), Osterode (Ostróda), and Neidenburg (Nidzica) in East Prussia were broken by the border changes.

During the Polish-Soviet War, Działdowo was briefly occupied by the Red Army before being being recovered by the Polish Army. After the invasion of Poland beginning World War II in 1939, the town was annexed by Nazi Germany back into Neidenburg District. The Soldau concentration camp was built nearby, at which 13,000 out of 30,000 prisoners were murdered. Działdowo was heavily damaged during fighting on the Eastern Front. The destroyed town was restored to Poland after the war.