Bydgoszcz

Orientation

Virtually all interesting places are situated within the city centre. Map could be helpful, although is not necessarily needed.

People

People of Bydgoszcz were usually born there, as it is not a popular destination when moving from town to town, nor it is chosen frequently by students.

Inhabitants of the city are generally very friendly towards tourists and foreigners. This applies to younger part of population, especially, as Bydgoszcz participates in many youth exchange projects. One won't miss a chance to give tips to a tourist or even show them around, just to prove the old stereotype - that the city is not too pretty - wrong.

Talk

Foreign visitors should be aware that virtually all official information will usually be in Polish only. Street signs, directions, information signs, etc. are routinely monolingual, although schedules at bus and tram stations tend to be trilingual Polish, English and German, as do signs describing some landmarks in the Old Town. Menus at restaurants are usually monolingual, though it has changed a lot during last few years among bigger ones. At all times you should remember to talk slower and more carefully than you would in your native country. Also, learn how to pronounce the names of places.

Most of the young people and teenagers know English well enough. When asking for directions, your best aim would be a person in their twenties. Older people will often speak German.

History

City rights were granted to Bydgoszcz on April 19, 1346. The city increasingly saw an influx of Jewish population after that date. In the 15th-16th centuries Bydgoszcz was a significant site for wheat trading.

In 1772 it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the First Partition of Poland and incorporated into the Netze District as Bromberg and, later, West Prussia. During this time, a canal was built from Bromberg to Nakło.

In 1807, after the defeat of Prussia by Napoleon, and the signing of the Treaty of Tilsit, Bromberg became part of the Duchy of Warsaw. In 1815 it returned to Prussian rule as part of the autonomous Grand Duchy of Poznań the Province of Posen after 1848 and the capital of the Bromberg region. After 1871 the city was part of the German Empire. After World War I and the Great Poland Uprising, Bromberg was assigned to Poland in 1919. In 1938 it was made part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.

From 1939-45 during World War II, Bydgoszcz was retaken by Nazi Germany, in the Invasion of Poland and annexed to the Reichsgau Wartheland. On September 3, 1939, shortly after the war started, the Bromberg Bloody Sunday incident occurred in which numerous Germans and Poles were killed; the incident was used in Nazi propaganda and reprisals against the Poles followed after Bromberg was occupied by the Wehrmacht on September 9. The city's Jewish citizens were repressed and thousands of people were sent to concentration camps and/or executed.

In 1945 Bromberg was overrun by the Soviet army. After the Yalta Agreement, it was assigned to Poland, which later became a soviet satellite in the Warsaw Pact.