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Tychowo

Coordinates: 53°55′49″N 16°15′39″E / 53.93028°N 16.26083°E / 53.93028; 16.26083
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Tychowo
Town
Aerial view of Tychowo
Aerial view of Tychowo
Coat of arms of Tychowo
Tychowo is located in Poland
Tychowo
Tychowo
Coordinates: 53°55′49″N 16°15′39″E / 53.93028°N 16.26083°E / 53.93028; 16.26083
Country Poland
VoivodeshipWest Pomeranian
CountyBiałogard
GminaTychowo
First mentioned1250
Town rights2010
Population
 • Total
2,500
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Websitehttp://www.tychowo.pl

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] The town has an approximate population of 2,500.

Tychowo is a place with early medieval origins. It is known as the location of Trygław, the largest glacial erratic in Poland and one of the largest in Europe, and the location of a German-operated prisoner-of-war camp for Allied airmen of various nationalities during World War II.

Geography

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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.

History

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Timber-framed Our Lady of Perpetual Help church

Tychowo dates back to an early medieval Slavic settlement.[2] The territory became part of the emerging Polish state under its first ruler Mieszko I around 967.[3] 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.[4] In February 1945, a German-perpetrated death march of Allied prisoners-of-war from the Stalag XX-B POW camp passed through the settlement.[5] 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

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Among the town's sights are the 15th-century timber-framed church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a manor park, dating back to the 18th century, Trygław, i.e. the largest glacial erratic in Poland and one of the largest in Europe, listed as a natural monument,[2] and the memorial to Allied prisoners-of-war of the Stalag Luft IV German World War II POW camp.

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "Central Statistical Office (GUS) - TERYT (National Register of Territorial Land Apportionment Journal)" (in Polish). 2008-06-01.
  2. ^ a b c d "Historia". Urząd Miejski w Tychowie (in Polish). Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  3. ^ Labuda, Gerard (1993). "Chrystianizacja Pomorza (X–XIII stulecie)". Studia Gdańskie (in Polish). Vol. IX. Gdańsk-Oliwa. p. 47.
  4. ^ "Report of the International Committee of the Red Cross Visit of Oct. 5 & 6, 1944 by Mr. Biner". stalagluft4.org. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  5. ^ 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.