Bydgoszcz : Poland
Bydgoszcz (in Polish pronounce: [:bidg???], German: Bromberg, Latin: Bydgostia) is a city in northern Poland, on Brda and Vistula rivers, with a population of 369,151 (2004). It has been the capital of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship since 1999, and was previously the capital of the Bydgoszcz Voivodship (1947-1998) and before that, of the Pomeranian Voivodship (1939-1947).
In German, it is traditionally known as Bromberg, the city name under Prussian and German rule.
Bydgoszcz is a part of the metroplex Bydgoszcz-Torun with Torun, only 30 km away, and over 700,000 inhabitants. In September 2004 Medical Academy in Bydgoszcz joined Torun University as Collegium Medicum UMK in Bydgoszcz.
History
Originally it was a fishers’ settlement called Bydgoszcza (spelled Bydgostia in Latin), next a stronghold for the Vistula trade routes. In the 13th century it was a site of castellany, first mentioned in 1238. Bydgoszcz was occupied by the Teutonic Knights in years 1331-1337, recovered by the king Casimir the Great, who granted the municipal rights in 1346/1349.
