Chociwel

For other places with the same name, see Chociwel (disambiguation).
Chociwel
Lake Starzyca and Our Lady of Sorrows church
Lake Starzyca and Our Lady of Sorrows church
Coat of arms of Chociwel
Coat of arms
Chociwel is located in Poland
Chociwel
Chociwel
Coordinates: 53°27′58″N 15°20′23″E / 53.46611°N 15.33972°E / 53.46611; 15.33972
Country Poland
VoivodeshipWest Pomeranian
CountyStargard
GminaChociwel
Town rights1338
Government
 • MayorStanisław Szymczak
Area
 • Total
3.67 km2 (1.42 sq mi)
Population
 (31 December 2021[1])
 • Total
3,105
 • Density850/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
73-120
Area code+48 91
Vehicle registrationZST
Websitehttp://www.chociwel.pl

Chociwel [xɔˈt͡ɕivɛl] (Kashubian: Frinwôłd; German: Freienwalde in Pommern) is a town in northwestern Poland, in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in Stargard County. As of December 2021, it has 3,105 inhabitants.[1]

History

Our Lady of Sorrows church

In the Middle Ages it was a Slavic gród. In 967 it became part of Poland under first historic ruler Mieszko I of Poland.[2] The first church was built around 1124.[3] The settlement was mentioned in 1190 and 1321.[4] In 1338 it was granted Magdeburg town rights and was known as Freienwalde. In the 15th century the town's main landmark was built – the Gothic Our Lady of Sorrows church.[3]

After the dissolution of the Duchy of Pomerania, in the mid-17th century it fell to the Margraviate of Brandenburg, then from 1701 it was part of Prussia, and from 1871 to 1945 it was part of Germany. It had a population of 3,406 in 1939. In 1945 it was awarded to Poland, along with most of Western Pomerania, at the insistence of Josef Stalin, and its entire population was expelled.[citation needed] Because of this, the population in 1946 was only 402, all of them Polish newcomers.[5] After the war, the town was given the name Chociwel, which is a modern version of the Old Polish name of the nearby lake Kotzavil, as it appeared in medieval documents. Among the settlers were Poles displaced from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union, Poles returning from forced labour both from the USSR and Germany and soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces in the West.

Demographics

Detailed data as of 31 December 2021:[1]

Description All Women Men
Unit person percentage person percentage person percentage
Population 3105 100 1579 50.9% 1526 41.1%
Population density 846.0 430.2 415.8

Number of inhabitants by year

Year Population Source
1995 3254 Increase [1]
2000 3311 Increase
2005 3303 Decrease
2010 3300 Decrease
2015 3196 Decrease
2020 3123 Decrease
2021 3105 Decrease

Sports

The local football club is Piast Chociwel.[6] It competes in the lower leagues.

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 2022-06-03. Data for territorial unit 3214024.
  2. ^ "O powiecie". BIP Starostwo Powiatowe w Stargardzie (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b "O parafii, Parafia rzymskokatolicka pw MB Bolesnej w Chociwlu" (in Polish). Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Czesław Piskorski, Pomorze Zachodnie, mały przewodnik, Wyd. Sport i Turystyka, Warszawa, 1980, p. 116 (in Polish)
  5. ^ Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1952) p. 403
  6. ^ "Piast Chociwel - strona klubu" (in Polish). Retrieved 5 December 2020.