à »nin () is a town in central Poland with a population of 14,181 (June 2014). It is in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the capital of à »nin County.
Established in the 11th century, à »nin is a historical town with a preserved medieval urban layout containing heritage sites in various styles, including Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassical and Neo-Gothic. It is considered the capital of the historic and ethnocultural region of Paà Âuki, and contains the Museum of the Paà Âuki Land. à »nin is located in the Greater Poland Lake District on the river Gàsawka between the à »nià Âskie Duà ¼e and à »nià Âskie Maà Âe lakes.
The name originates from the Polish word "à ¼nieja", meaning harvest or a harvester. During World War II, à »nin's name was "Dietfurt".
The area was known in Roman times, especially the nearby fortification of Biskupin, a Lusatian culture site known as the "Polish Pompeii". Biskupin was an early Iron Age Hallstatt C fortified settlement of about 800-1000 people in the Warta River valley circa 800-650 and 650-475 BC.
By 1030, the area was included within the Archbishopric of Gniezno. The first mention of à »nin is in the Gniezno papal bull issued on 7 July 1136 by Pope Innocent II. The pope granted Archbishop Jacob of à »nin 29 villages in Paà Âuki and the town of à »nin, which also became property of the Roman Catholic Church.
à »nin was given town rights in 1263 (based on Magdeburg law). In the 13th century the town was given the right of coinage, which resulted in its dynamic expansion. à »nin was a major town located on the trade route from Silesia to Gdaà Âsk (the Amber Road). The Teutonic Knights, under command of the Order's Marshal Dietrich von Altenburg, sacked à »nin in 1331. After a few years, the town was rebuilt.
City walls were constructed in 1343. King Casimir the Great of Poland confirmed several privileges and duties to the city and visited it in 1343, 1361, 1365, and 1370. à »nin became a favourite residence of the Gniezno bishops in 1374. In 1447, fire destroyed large parts of the town. In the rebuilt town in 1459, the first wind-mill was constructed, while breweries, orchards, and workshops increased à »nin's prosperity. Another fire destroyed the town in 1494.
Swedish invaders did not attack à »nin during the Deluge (1655âÂÂ60), but disease and poverty depopulated the town; only 96 building were occupied and 151 buildings were left empty. By 1673, à »nin had 2,331 inhabitants. Fires again damaged à »nin in 1688, 1692, and 1700. People abandoned the town, searching quarters in other nearby towns and villages. After a partial reconstruction, another fire in 1751 destroyed 64 houses, the brewery and the town hall. Only the city-hall tower remained. The medieval part of à »nin constructed of wood was totally destroyed. However, tourists can still admire the historic centre of à »nin and its old structure dating back to the Middle Ages.
à »nin was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1772 during the First Partition of Poland and subsequently administered within the Netze District. In September 1794, during the unsuccessful Koà Âciuszko Uprising, Polish forces under General Jan Henryk Dàbrowski, passed Gàsawa from Poznaà  and liberated à »nin. The local garrison commander, Colonel Keszycki, established a recruitment center for volunteers in the town.
After the successful Greater Poland uprising of 1806, it was regained by Poles and included within the short-lived Duchy of Warsaw. With the dissolution of the Duchy of Warsaw in 1815, the town was restored to Prussia and administered within Kreis Schubin within the new Province of Posen. à »nin's economy developed rapidly by the end of the 19th century. By 1902, the town had fresh water pipe lines, gas works, macadam streets, and 4,500 inhabitants.
à »nin participated in the Greater Poland Uprising in January 1919 after World War I. At the time there was a garrison of 300 German soldiers in the city under Sub. Lt. Eckert. The Polish insurgents, supported by a cavalry unit from Gniezno, kept the Germans busy until another unit of 737 came from Poznaà  and occupied à »nin on 18 January. A new town council was elected and Polish was re-established as the official language. The city had 4,980 inhabitants.
In 1930, the growing town had 5,500 inhabitants. The processing plants increased their output and agriculture flourished. à »nin had two colleges, three hotels, and, since 1936, a local daily and a weekly newspaper. The county office and court of justice were located in the town.
On 1 September 1939, the first day of World War II, Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe bombed undefended à »nin. Nine days later, German troops marched into the town, which was renamed Dietfurt and administered within Landkreis Dietfurt (Wartheland). All street names were replaced by names of Nazi leaders or German sounding names. There was no school for the Poles; children had to walk to Góra, a village east of à »nin. 600 Poles were deported, with 200 taken to forced labour or Nazi concentration camps. In November and December 1939, hostages, mainly insurgents of 1919, were shot at different places around the town. During the occupation, the Germans also established and operated a Nazi prison in the town.
After the war, on 21 October 1945, a mass re-burial of 62 exhumed victims was held in Gàsawa. In the village Góra (now part of à »nin), a solemn burial of 100 Jewish citizens, killed in the nearby concentration camp Murczyn, was held and a monument created by à »nin craftsmen was unveiled on 11 December 1987.
à »nin is located on the Gàsawka river and between two lakes â the à »nin Great Lake and the à »nin Small Lake. Both these and the nearby forests are popular tourist attractions.
Other points of interest include:
Located to the north of à »nin, the Bydgoszcz Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport is the nearest one. Once you are in Bydgoszcz (possibly via Warsaw or London), you will need to catch a local bus or taxi to take you into à »nin. There is also the Poznaà Â-à Âawica Airport located in Poznaà  approx. south-west of à »nin.
Several companies dealing with public transport serve à »nin with bus services connecting the town with all major cities of the region (Bydgoszcz, Gniezno, Inowrocà Âaw, Poznaà Â, Toruà Â, Wàgrowiec) and also with Wrocà Âaw. For bus connections see:
à »nin is served by expressway S5 which runs from Wrocà Âaw via Poznaà Â, Gniezno to Bydgoszcz and à Âwiecie. It is about an hour's drive from Bydgoszcz and about 45 minutes drive from Gniezno.
The regional road no. 251 (droga wojewódzka nr 251) running from Inowrocà Âaw to Kaliska near to Wàgrowiec is another major road connection. It is about 45 minutes drive both from Inowrocà Âaw and Wàgrowiec.
à »nin is twinned with: