| Kórnik | |
| Pushpin Map: | Poland |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Voivodeship |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Poznań |
| Subdivision Type3: | Gmina |
| Subdivision Name3: | Kórnik |
| Area Total Km2: | 6.08 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Total: | 9931 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Coordinates: | 52.2367°N 17.0986°W |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Blank Name: | Climate |
| Blank Info: | Cfb |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 62-035 |
| Registration Plate: | POZ, PZ |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Primary airport |
| Blank Info Sec2: | Poznań–Ławica Airport |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Highways |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Voivodeship roads |
| Website: | http://www.kornik.pl |
Kórnik is a town with about 7,600 inhabitants (2018), located in western Poland, about 25km (16miles) south-east of the city of Poznań. It is one of the major tourist attractions of the Wielkopolska region and the Greater Poland Voivodeship because of the historical castle and arboretum, which is amongst the oldest and richest collections of trees and shrubs in Poland, and one of Europe's largest arboretums.
Until 1961 Kórnik was separate from Bnin, situated just 1 km apart. Both towns were founded in the Middle Ages (Bnin gained town rights in 1395, and Kórnik in 1426), but Bnin lost its town rights in 1934, and in 1961 it became part of Kórnik. The enlarged town also includes the former settlement of Prowent, birthplace of the Nobel Prize-winning poet Wisława Szymborska.
Mieszko I of Poland founded an early Polish stronghold in present-day Bnin in the 10th century. Kórnik was first mentioned in documents in the 12th century, while the town of Bnin started to develop in the 13th century, and a castellany was located in Bnin since 1232. After granting town rights, both Kórnik and Bnin were private towns of Polish nobility, administratively located in the Pyzdry County in the Kalisz Voivodeship in the Greater Poland Province.[1] Kórnik was initially owned by the Górka family until 1592. The Łodzia coat of arms of the Górka family is the coat of arms of Kórnik since. Afterwards the town was held by the Czarnkowski, Grudziński and Działyński families.
On 11 November 1918, an infantry company, which later became part of the Polish 69th Infantry Regiment, was founded in Kórnik.[2] On 27 December, the company left Kórnik to aid Polish insurgents in Poznań.[2]
After the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, the town was occupied and annexed by Nazi Germany from 1939 to 1945 as part of Landkreis Schrimm, Reichsgau Wartheland. It was renamed Burgstadt in attempt to erase traces of Polish origin. Already on 27 September 1939 the Germans confiscated and robbed the rich museum and library of the Kórnik Castle.[3] On 20 October 1939, the German Einsatzgruppe VI carried out a public execution of 16 Poles at the Market Square as part of Operation Tannenberg.[4] Among the victims was pre-war mayor Teofil Wolniewicz.[4] Inhabitants of Kórnik were also among 15 Poles murdered on the same day in a public execution in nearby Mosina.[5] The purpose of the executions was to pacify and terrorize Poles.[6] Nevertheless, the Polish resistance movement was still organized in the town. Polish underground press was printed in Kórnik.[7] Local teachers were also among Polish teachers murdered in the Mauthausen concentration camp.[8]
The town's notable sites include:
The local football club is . It competes in the lower leagues.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland.
Kórnik is twinned with:
Uman, Ukraine