Człuchów

Człuchów [ˈt͡ʂwuxuf] ⓘ (Kashubian: Człuchòwò, Człochòwo, or Człëchòwò; German: Schlochauⓘ) is a town in the region of Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 13,350 inhabitants as of December 2021.

In 1454, King Casimir IV Jagiellon reincorporated the town to the Kingdom of Poland, and then the Teutonic Knights renounced any claims in the peace treaty of 1466.

From 1655-57 during the Swedish invasion of Poland, known as the Deluge, the previously impregnable castle was captured by the Kingdom of Sweden and the town was heavily damaged.

The town's hospital was established by 1865 and the district's Sparkasse (savings bank) opened in 1871, the year Schlochau became part of the German Empire.

Resulting from the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 following World War I, Schlochau became part of the German border zone with the Second Polish Republic, whose began 10 km (6 mi) east of the town.

This negatively impacted the town's trade and economy as it was cut off from much of its hinterland (East and West Prussia), although Schlochau's population grew through immigrants from Pomeranian lands restored to Poland.

The Soviet Red Army reached the district's borders by the end of January 1945, but German resistance prevented them from capturing Schlochau until 17 February 1945, with the town 60% destroyed in the process.

Its remaining German-speaking population was expelled to Germany after the war in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement as the town became again part of Poland under its historic Polish name Człuchów.

Człuchów Castle
Perspective map of the battle at Człuchów, 1656
Historical population of Człuchów