Destruction of Kalisz

Destruction Of Kalisz

The destruction and sacking of the city of Kalisz (Polish: zburzenie Kalisza) occurred in August 1914. It was perpetrated by the German Empire troops. From August 2 until August 22, 1914 at the beginning of World War I, one of the oldest towns in Poland (then under foreign Partitions), was shelled, bombed and burned down. The event is also known as Pogrom of Kalisz or Poland’s Louvain (see Schrecklichkeit atrocities).

Kalisz was founded in the 13th century on an ancient site encircled by Prosna river. It has a typical mediaeval urban structure. On February 13, 1793, Kalisz and the Kalisz region was annexed by Prussia during the partitions of Poland; but after Napoleon's defeat on the Eastern front, it was taken over by the Imperial Russia, which subsequently controlled the city for more than 100 years – from February 14, 1813, till August 2, 1914. The Prussian army invaded Kalisz from the nearby Ostrów Wielkopolski on August 2, 1914. Major Hermann Preusker, the commander of the second battalion of 155 Infantry Regiment gave an order to burn down the city. As a result, 95% of Kalisz was completely destroyed. Most of the houses within the mediaeval town area were levelled to the ground. Only churches and public offices survived. A significant number of citizens were shot. After the war, Kalisz which before the war had 65,000 citizens, was left with 5,000 inhabitants following the August exodus.

The recovery took years; however, even before the war ended, the Town's Council already decided to rebuild Kalisz in such a way as to reflect its long history. The reconstruction was based on a design which won the 1916 competition, though the German authorities opposed it. After the town was liberated from Germany in 1918 and became part of the reborn sovereign Poland, the reconstruction was pursued in energetic and enthusiastic way.

Read more about Destruction Of Kalisz:  Outbreak of World War I, Executions and Repressions, Shelling and Raids Into The City, Massacre of Civilian Population, See Also, Notes and References

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