Kujawy

For the ancient state in Ukraine, see Kuyaba. For Polish villages named "Kujawy", see Kujawy (disambiguation).

Kujawy region (outlined) within Poland

Kujawy ([kuˈjavɨ], sometimes referred to as Kuyavia or Cuyavia (from Latin: Cuiavia)^{[citation needed]}, is a historical and ethnographic region in the north-central Poland, situated in the basin of the middle Vistula and upper Noteć Rivers, with its capital in Włocławek.

Etymology

The origin of the name Kujawy was seen differently in history. The most probable explanation has been put forward by professor Stanisław Rospond who thinks the name Kujawy derives from the words kui, kuiati, meaning: gale and also flat, dune land which was at the risk of this gale. Though, the etymology of the name Kujawy is connected with the physiography of the land.

For the first time, the name Kujawy appeared in written sources in the 1136 Bull of Gniezno (Polish: Bulla Gnieźnieńska, Latin: Ex commisso nobis) issued by Pope Innocent II. Later, the name of the land was mentioned in many documents from medieval times. It is also mentioned in the chronicles of Wincenty Kadłubek.

Geography

In the north Kujawy borders with the historic regions of Gdańsk Pomerania (Pomerelia) and Old Prussian Chełmno Land, in the west with Greater Poland, and in the east with Masovia. The borders of Kuyawy stretch out on the left bank of Vistula River: from the mouth of Skrwa River in the south, to the mouth of the Wda River on the north. The borders of Kujawy spread out to the west from Koronowo and Nakło to the Noteć River where they turn west, cross Trląg Lake, and onto the Strzelneński Forests. They reach Skulski Lake and the upper Noteć River. They also include Brdowski Lake, Chodecz and Lubień Kujawski and go through the Skrwa River and finally end at the Vistula River.

General description

Kujawy lowland has an average high of 100-130 meters above sea level, is post-glacial landscape, slightly undulating, in some places there are moraine hills elevations and sandy gravel embankments. In deep dykes and depressions is about 600 lakes with surface higher than 1 kilometre, under ice formation there are layers of rock-salt and potassium, in the layers from the Tertiary Period there are layers of lignite and ceramic clay.

Since 1999, they are part of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (excluding some parts) and the northern outskirts of Koło County in Greater Poland province. In Kujawy there are black soils (also called black land, Polish: czarnoziem), one of the best soils in Poland. Thanks to the fertile soils, Kujawy is called “the granary of Poland”.

Capital

The episcopal see of Kujawy was Kruszwica, and later Włocławek (after the episcopal see in the early 12th century). The capital of this Duchy, and - from the late 14th century - the residences of the Voivode governors were Inowrocław, Brześć Kujawski, and Radziejów as the seat of the shared regional Sejmik council of the two Kujawy voivodeships.

Today, the biggest centres of Kujawy are Bydgoszcz, Włocławek and Inowrocław (Novo Wladislaw, i.e. "New Włocławek"). Also the southern part of Toruń (Podgórz) lies in the historical region of Kujawy. The region is divided into White Kujawy (west) with the capital in Inowrocław and Black Kujawy (east) with the capital in Włocławek.

Kujawy coat of arms

Regions

Some ethnographists and historians, for example Oskar Kolberg and Zygmunt Gloger, count the lands of Dobrzyń and Chełmno east of the Vistula as parts of the Kujawy region.

1. Kujawy szerokie:
2. Chełmno Land
3. Dobrzyń Land
4. Kujawy właściwe (ścisłe)
5. Bachorza
6. Białe Kujawy
7. Kujawy borowe
8. Kujawy czarne
9. Kujawy garbate
10. Kujawy leśne
11. Kujawy nadwiślańskie
12. Kujawy zagoplańskie

History

Eary Middle Ages

The beginnings of the state in Kujawy are connected with the tribal state of the West Slavic Goplans. The Goplans, which some researchers identify with the Mazowszanie-Kłobianie or simply with the Kujawianie, had created a country with the main centers in Kruszwica on the northern shore of Lake Gopło. During the 10th century, their territory was conquered by another West Slavic tribe, the Polans settling in the adjacent Greater Polish land around Poznań and Gniezno and upon the death of Duke Mieszko I of Poland in 992, the Kujawy lands were part of his Civitas Schinesghe as circumscribed in the Dagome iudex papal regesta.

According to Andrzej Bańkowski, the Polans had moved into the region of Greater Poland after they had to leave together with the Morawianie, their former Pannonian territories, conquered by the Avars. According to some sources, during the war with the Goplans, the Polans were supported by a Great Moravian army. As a result of occupation of the Goplans’ territory, the lands of Kujawy were under the strong influence of the Pannonian culture and they lost their primary Masovian spirit.

Duchy of Kujawy, 14th century

Duchy of Kujawy

When the name Cuiavia arose for the first time in the 1136 Bull of Gniezno, it referred to the lands east of Greater Poland around Kruszwica and Włocławek, bordering with the Vistula river. The bull confirmed the position of the Bishopric of Kujawy at Włocławek as a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Gniezno.

In the times of the Polish fragmentation upon the 1138 Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty, Kujawy at first became part of the Duchy of Masovia under Bolesław IV the Curly and his son Leszek; it was claimed by the Polish High Duke Casimir II the Just in 1186, contested by his elder brother Mieszko III the Old and his son Bolesław. Casimir's son Duke Konrad I of Masovia in 1233 created the Duchy of Kujawy for his second son Casimir I. When Casimir's elder brother Duke Bolesław I of Masovia died in 1248, he took the occasion and took Dobrzyń Land east of the Vistula River from the heritage of his younger brother Siemowit I. Upon Casimir's death 1267, the Duchy of Kujawy was divided by his sons Leszek II the Black (d. 1288), Ziemomysł (d. 1287) and Władysław I the Elbow-high into the two separate duchies of Inowrocław and Brześć-Kujawy.

In 1306 Ziemomysł's son Casimir II swore allegiance to his uncle Władysław I, who began to re-unite the Lands of the Polish Crown under his rule. The duchy was devastated during the Polish–Teutonic War of 1326–32, culminating in the 1331 Battle of Płowce, but was finally restored by the Teutonic Knights in the 1343 Treaty of Kalisz. With the death of Casimir's son Władysław the White in 1388, the Kujawy line of the Piast dynasty became extinct.

After the union of Polish lands in the 14th century, the division into provinces and counties was introduced. That division finalized in 15th century, existed until the dissolution of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795. Kujawy was divided into the two administrative divisions of Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship and Inowrocław Voivodeship. The voivodeship of Brześć-Kujawy was further divided into five powiats: Brześć, Kowal, Kruszwica, Przedecz and Radziejów, while the Inowrocław province was divided into the Bydgoszcz and Inowrocław powiats and Dobrzyń Land east of the Vistula.

Annexation

As a result of the First Partition of Poland in 1772 the Kingdom of Prussia took a considerable part of Inowrocław and the western part of Brześć-Kujawy as part of the Netze District. After the Second Partition of 1793 the whole of Kujawy was taken by Prussia and incorporated into the South Prussia province. Upon the 1807 Treaties of Tilsit, it was part of the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw and administrated within the Bydgoszcz Department.

In 1815 under the provisions of the Congress of Vienna, Kujawy was divided between the Kingdom of Poland (Congress Poland remaining in a personal union with the Russian Empire) and the Kingdom of Prussia. While the Brześć-Kujawy province (counties: Aleksandrów, Radziejów and Włocławek) remained with the Masovia Governorate of Congress Poland, Inowrocław (Hohensalza) was incorporated into the Prussian Grand Duchy of Posen.

That division outlasted the 1871 unification of Germany until the end of World War I. In 1909 the Kujawy and Dobrzyń District Museum in Włocławek was created. It was founded by the Polish Tourist Society.

Republic of Poland

In times of Second Polish Republic, from 1918, the western part of Kujawy belonged to province poznański, and the other part, eastern, belonged to the Warsaw province. In 1938 almost all Kujawy became a part of Pomeranian province. In 1934 the Muzeum Nadgoplańskie in Kruszwica was built. It was opened in 1939, and it had valuable collection of ethnographical objects, inter alia: furniture and clothing.

During World War II almost all of Kujawy was in the borders of Warta District “Warthegau”, except the region of Bydgoszcz that was joined to the Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia (German: Gau Danzig-Westpreussen)

In the years 1945-1975 Kujawy was in the borders of Bydgoszcz province. Włocławek province was created in 1975, and the western part of Kujawy remained in Bydgoszcz province. In 1999 almost the whole of Kujawy was joined to the Kujawy-Pomerania province. Furthermore, small parts of Kujawy were included in the borders of Masovia (regions between the border of the province and Skrwa River) and Wielkopolskie province (Przedecz, Wierzbinek).

See also

• History of Poland during the Piast dynasty
• Duchy of Greater Poland
• Duchy of Masovia

References

• Website of Kujawy-Pomeranian Voivodeship (in English)