| Koło | |||
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| Gothic church, built in the 15th century | |||
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Koło
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Poland | ||
| Voivodeship | Greater Poland | ||
| County | Koło County | ||
| Gmina | Koło (urban gmina) | ||
| Established | 13th century | ||
| Town rights | 1362 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Mieczysław Drożdżewski | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 13.85 km2 (5.3 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 110 m (361 ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| • Total | 23,034 | ||
| • Density | 1,663.1/km2 (4,307.4/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 62-600 to 62-602 | ||
| Area code(s) | +48 63 | ||
| Car plates | PKL | ||
| Website | http://www.kolo.pl | ||
Koło [ˈkɔwɔ] is a town on the Warta River in central Poland with 23,101 inhabitants (2006). It is situated in the Greater Poland Voivodship (since 1999), having previously been in Konin Voivodship (1975–1998), and it is the capital of Koło County.
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Koło (Colo) was granted town status in 1362 by King Casimir III.[1] It was situated in a safe place near the royal castle, on the island in the branches of the Warta River; the town had no walls but only two gates. It was a royal city and the seat of a land county (starostwo niegrodowe).
In 1410 Koło was a gathering place of the Greater Poland nobility, which called for a war with the Teutonic Order (see Battle of Grunwald). In 1452 the Royal Castle in Koło was the place of meeting between King Casimir the Jagiellonian and the representatives of the Prussian Union (see: the Thirteen Years' War).
From the early 15th century until 1716, Koło was the meeting place of the Provincial Parliament (Sejmik Generalny) for Greater Poland, comprising the Poznań Voivodship, Kalisz Voivodship, Sieradz Voivodeship, Łęczyca Voivodeship, Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship and Inowrocław Voivodeship)
The town evolved as a regional centre of trade and crafts, especially in metals and textiles, and in the 16th century a suburb of Zduny consisting mainly of potters developed on the right bank of the Warta river, receiving separate municipal autonomy in 1559. Koło was destroyed twice, once in 1622 by the Lisowski forces, and in 1655 by the Swedes; the economy managed to revive only at the end of the 17th century.
Until 1793 Koło belonged to Konin County of Kalisz Voivodeship, and in the years 1793-1806 it was occupied by Prussia, but during the Kościuszko insurrection in 1794 it was temporarily liberated by the insurgents. In the years 1807-1815 it belonged to the Duchy of Warsaw and later to Congress Poland.
In 1571 a contract was drafted with regard to the status of the Jews in Koło, in which the city's Christians have undertaken to provide protection to the Jews, in return for which the Jews were required pay a special annual municipal tax.[2]
In 1729 the Jewish community was asked to pay 150 gold coins as an annual poll tax, and in 1738 this sum was increased to 300 gold coins.[2]
In 1775 the Polish parliament imposed a special duty on books written in Hebrew and Yiddish, requiring each book to be stamped by the municipality. Despite heavy penalties imposed on owners of unstamped books, many books were concealed and unstamped.[2]
In the early 20th century, the Jewish population of Kolo made up almost 50 percent of the total population. When the Nazis occupied Poland, they captured Koło on September 18, 1939. On September 19, all Jewish males over the age of 14 were sent to forced labor. The Jewish synagogue was set on fire the following day.[3]
In December 1940, the Jews were rounded up in a ghetto, which was liquidated the following year, in December 1941.[4] The remaining Jews were deported to Chełmno nad Nerem, where they were shot or gassed to death and buried in mass graves. Kolo remained a transfer point for Jews deported to Łódź, and Nazi officials, including Heinrich Himmler, visited the town.[2][5]
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