Kikół

Kikół
Town
Saint Adalbert church in Kikół
Coat of arms
Kikół
Coordinates: 52°55′N 19°7′E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Kuyavian-Pomeranian
County	Lipno
Gmina	Kikół
First mentioned	1236
Population
• Total	1,500
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Vehicle registration	CLI
Website	http://www.kikol.pl

Kikół [ˈkikuu̯] is a town in Lipno County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland.[1] It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Kikół. It lies approximately 9 kilometres (6 mi) north-west of Lipno and 36 km (22 mi) east of Toruń. It is located on the eastern shore of Lake Kikolskie in the Dobrzyń Land.

History

Early 20th-century view of Kikół

The village was first mentioned in 1236.[2] It was located on a trade route connecting Płock and Płońsk with Toruń.[3] In 1685, it became a possession of Wojciech Jan Zboiński [pl] of Ogończyk coat of arms.[2] Kikół became the seat of the Zboiński family, and Ignacy Antoni Zboiński built a new palace.[2] In 1827, Kikół was visited by young Fryderyk Chopin, who gave a concert at the palace.[2]

During the German occupation of Poland (World War II), Poles from Kikół were among the victims of large massacres of Poles from the county carried out by the Germans in nearby Karnkowo as part of the Intelligenzaktion.[4] The local school principal was among Polish principals and teachers murdered in the Mauthausen concentration camp.[5]

Notable residents

• Meyer Wolf Weisgal (1894–1977), American journalist, publisher, and playwright; President of the Weizmann Institute of Science

References

1. "Central Statistical Office (GUS) - TERYT (National Register of Territorial Land Apportionment Journal)" (in Polish). 2008-06-01.
2. Andrzej Hermann. "Szlak Fryderyka Chopina Kikół". Kujawsko-pomorskie.travel (in Polish). Retrieved 3 December 2023.
3. Bartoszewicz, Henryk (1994). "Drogi handlowe ziemi dobrzyńskiej w XV–XVI w.". Miscellanea Historico-Archivistica (in Polish). Vol. IV. Warszawa: Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych, Wydawnictwo DiG. p. 168. ISSN 0860-1054.
4. Wardzyńska, Maria (2009). Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion (in Polish). Warsaw: IPN. p. 175.
5. Wardzyńska, p. 180