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54-560: The camp was established as a temporary camp Dulag L on a military training ground in September 1939 to detain Polish soldiers and civilians taken prisoner during the German September 1939 offensive, which started World War II. For the first few months they lived in the open or in tents during a very cold winter, while they built the wooden and brick huts for the permanent camp. In October 1939

108-588: A French companion on 23 March 1942. A Polish civilian worker at the farm had helped them by hiding civilian clothes for them. It was a dark night and they successfully reached a freight train that was switching cars at the station that was close to the farm. They successfully hid in one box-car full of boxes. But then the train stopped in Stettin for unloading, they switched to another car loaded with sacks of barley destined for Aachen in western Germany, which they reached four days later. There again they got out to search for

162-478: A car going to the Netherlands. Unfortunately the driver of a vehicle noticed two persons moving hesitantly along the train and alerted the military police. Recaptured they were returned to Stargard and spent 24 days in solitary confinement. It could have ended much worse. Polish people Polish people , or Poles , are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation who share a common history , culture ,

216-498: A farm, but much more difficult to evade recapture. Prisoners working on farms did not have the essential assistance that was provided in Oflags by teams of dedicated specialists who forged documents and prepared maps. Without these it was extremely difficult to traverse hundreds of miles past frequent checks by the Nazi police. Gabriel Regnier, a French prisoner, describes his failed attempt with

270-485: A multi purpose stadium that existed from 1949 to circa 1996. It hosted football and motorcycle speedway and held qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Championship in 1964 and 1965. The current mayor of Neubrandenburg is independent politician Silvio Witt since 2015. The most recent mayoral election was held on 16 January 2022, and the results were as follows: The most recent city council election

324-565: A total number of 120,000, making Poles the largest immigrant group in Norway. Only in recent years has the population abroad decreased, specifically in the UK with 116.000 leaving the UK in 2018 alone. There is a large minority of Polish people in Ireland that makes up approximately 2.57% of the population. Neubrandenburg Neubrandenburg (lit. New Brandenburg , IPA: [nɔʏˈbʁandn̩bʊʁk] )

378-669: A trade centre until the Thirty Years' War (1618–48), when this position was lost due to incessant warfare. During the dramatic advance of the Swedish army of Gustavus Adolphus into Germany, the city was garrisoned by Swedes, but it was retaken by Imperial Catholic League forces in 1631. During this campaign, it was widely reported that the Catholic forces killed many of the Swedish and Scottish soldiers while they were surrendering. Later, according to

432-562: Is a city in the southeast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , Germany . It is located on the shore of a lake called Tollensesee and forms the urban centre of the Mecklenburg Lakeland . The city is famous for its rich medieval heritage of Brick Gothic architecture, including the world's best preserved defensive wall of this style as well as a Concert Church (Saint Mary), the home venue of the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic. It

486-437: Is an economical node of northeastern Germany, featuring one of the highest national ranks in employment density and GDP per capita . The closest greater urban areas are the regiopolis of Rostock and the metropolises of Szczecin , Berlin and Hamburg . Since 1991, Neubrandenburg has hosted a University of Applied Sciences that offers international exchanges, guest programs and study programs. The first Christian monks in

540-643: Is hearty and Poles are one of the more obese nations in Europe – approximately 58% of the adult population was overweight in 2019, above the EU average. According to data from 2017, meat consumption per capita in Poland was one of the highest in the world, with pork being the most in demand. Alcohol consumption is relatively moderate compared to other European states; popular alcoholic beverages include Polish-produced beer , vodka and ciders . Poles have traditionally adhered to

594-606: Is part of the European Route of Brick Gothic , a route which leads through seven countries along the Baltic Sea coast. Neubrandenburg is nicknamed for its four medieval city gates - "Stadt der Vier Tore" ("City of Four Gates"). Since 2011, Neubrandenburg has been the capital of the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district. It is the third-largest city and one of the main urban centres of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The city

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648-608: Is the Stargarder Tor (pictured), with its characteristic gable-like shape and the filigree tracery and rosettes on the outer defence side. Another place of interest is the Brick Gothic Marienkirche (Church of the Virgin Mary or St. Mary's Church, Konzertkirche ), completed 1298. The church was nearly destroyed in 1945, but it was restored in 1975 and now houses a concert hall (opened 2001). The tallest highrise in

702-698: Is usually used in Poland to refer to people of Polish origin who live outside Polish borders. There is a notable Polish diaspora in the United States , Brazil , and Canada . France has a historic relationship with Poland and has a relatively large Polish-descendant population. Poles have lived in France since the 18th century. In the early 20th century, over a million Polish people settled in France , mostly during world wars, among them Polish émigrés fleeing either Nazi occupation (1939–1945) or Communism (1945/1947–1989). In

756-598: The Coat of arms of Poland ( godło ). The national colours are white and red, which appropriately appear on the flag of Poland ( flaga ), banners, cockades and memorabilia. Personal achievement and education plays an important role in Polish society today. In 2018, the Programme for International Student Assessment ranked Poland 11th in the world for mathematics, science and reading. Education has been of prime interest to Poland since

810-647: The European Union in 2004 and with the opening of the EU's labor market; an approximate number of 2 million, primarily young, Poles taking up jobs abroad. It is estimated that over half a million Polish people went to work in the United Kingdom from Poland. Since 2011, Poles have been able to work freely throughout the EU where they have had full working rights since Poland's EU accession in 2004 . The Polish community in Norway has increased substantially and has grown to

864-605: The Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Central Europe . The preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland defines the Polish nation as comprising all the citizens of Poland, regardless of heritage or ethnicity. The majority of Poles adhere to Roman Catholicism . The population of self-declared Poles in Poland is estimated at 37,394,000 out of an overall population of 38,512,000 (based on

918-518: The Polish tribes ( Lechites ); the names of many tribes are found on the list compiled by the anonymous Bavarian Geographer in the 9th century. In the 9th and 10th centuries the tribes gave rise to developed regions along the upper Vistula (the Vistulans ), the Baltic Sea coast and in Greater Poland . The ultimate tribal undertaking (10th century) resulted in a lasting political structure and

972-648: The Proto-Indo European *pleh₂- , which means flat or flatland and corresponds to the topography of a region that the Western Polans initially settled. The prefix pol- is used in most world languages when referring to Poles (Spanish polaco , Italian polacche , French polonais , German Pole ). Among other foreign exonyms for the Polish people are Lithuanian Lenkai ; Hungarian Lengyelek ; Turkish Leh ; Armenian : Լեհաստան Lehastan ; and Persian : لهستان ( Lahestān ). These stem from Lechia ,

1026-589: The Warsaw Uprising of 1944, many Polish civilians, including women and children, were deported to the camp. The POWs were often used for forced labour in over 1,500 subcamps located in the region. Many died during the work, and were buried near the labour sites. Late arrivals were Americans, NCOs from the Battle of the Bulge , who left Stalag XIIA Limburg on January 15, 1945, by rail to arrive on January 19, 1945. The camp

1080-533: The end of Communism in Poland in 1989 . In Brazil, the majority of Polish immigrants settled in Paraná State. Smaller, but significant numbers settled in the states of Rio Grande do Sul , Espírito Santo and São Paulo (state) . The city of Curitiba has the second largest Polish diaspora in the world (after Chicago) and Polish music , dishes and culture are quite common in the region. A recent large migration of Poles took place following Poland's accession to

1134-412: The mazurka , krakowiak and polonaise , were popularized by Polish composer Frédéric Chopin , and they soon spread across Europe and elsewhere. Latin songs and religious hymns such as Gaude Mater Polonia and Bogurodzica were once chanted in churches and during patriotic festivities, but the tradition has faded. According to a 2020 study, Poland ranks 12th globally on a list of countries which read

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1188-616: The 2011 census), of whom 36,522,000 declared Polish alone. A wide-ranging Polish diaspora (the Polonia ) exists throughout Eurasia , the Americas , and Australasia . Today, the largest urban concentrations of Poles are within the Warsaw metropolitan area and the Katowice urban area . Ethnic Poles are considered to be the descendants of the ancient West Slavic Lechites and other tribes that inhabited

1242-548: The Christian faith; an overwhelming majority belongs to the Roman Catholic Church , with 87.5% of Poles in 2011 identifying as Roman Catholic . According to Poland's Constitution , freedom of religion is ensured to everyone. It also allows for national and ethnic minorities to have the right to establish educational and cultural institutions, institutions designed to protect religious identity, as well as to participate in

1296-535: The Dulag L camp was transformed into the Stalag II-D camp. Polish military officers were imprisoned in the camp until December 1939, and Polish civilians until January 1940. Later also other groups of Polish soldiers were held in the camp. In May and June 1940 American, French, Dutch and Belgian soldiers taken prisoner during the Battle of France arrived. These were followed by Soviet prisoners from Operation Barbarossa in

1350-544: The Kommandant for the safety of the men who were too sick for the march. Many of the sick and infirmed were left behind in the Lazzarett (camp clinic) and were transported by rail or truck at a later date. Almost a thousand men struggled into formation. There were about five-hundred Russians, two-hundred Frenchmen, one-hundred Americans and twenty-five Canadians in the march. Other reports have the number at as many as two-thousand in

1404-620: The Polish authorities in 1995, are the Native Polish Church ( Rodzimy Kościół Polski ), which represents a pagan tradition going back to Władysław Kołodziej 's 1921 Holy Circle of Worshippers of Światowid ( Święte Koło Czcicieli Światowida ), and the Polish Slavic Church ( Polski Kościół Słowiański ). There is also the Native Faith Association ( Zrzeszenie Rodzimej Wiary , ZRW ), founded in 1996. Polish people are

1458-598: The Polish territories during the late antiquity period. Poland's recorded history dates back over a thousand years to c. 930–960 AD, when the Western Polans – an influential tribe in the Greater Poland region – united various Lechitic clans under what became the Piast dynasty , thus creating the first Polish state. The subsequent Christianization of Poland by the Catholic Church , in 966 CE, marked Poland's advent to

1512-452: The Republic of Poland can register their institution with the Ministry of Interior and Administration creating a record of churches and other religious organizations who operate under separate Polish laws. This registration is not necessary; however, it is beneficial when it comes to serving the freedom of religious practice laws. Slavic Native Faith ( Rodzimowiercy ) groups, registered with

1566-679: The Scottish soldier of fortune Robert Munro, 18th Baron of Foulis , when the Swedes themselves adopted a "no prisoners" policy, they would cut short any pleas for mercy with the cry of "New Brandenburg!". The city, therefore, played an unconscious role in the escalation of brutality of one of history's most brutal wars. During the Second World War , two German prisoner-of-war camps for Allied POWs of various nationalities were located in Fünfeichen within

1620-734: The United States, a significant number of Polish immigrants settled in Chicago (billed as the world's most Polish city outside of Poland), Milwaukee, Ohio, Detroit, New Jersey , New York City, Orlando , Pittsburgh , Buffalo , and New England . The highest concentration of Polish Americans in a single New England municipality is in New Britain, Connecticut . The majority of Polish Canadians have arrived in Canada since World War II. The number of Polish immigrants increased between 1945 and 1970, and again after

1674-519: The Warsaw Uprising, was discovered in 2022. The lower ranks prisoners at this camp fared much better than those in many other camps further south. They worked predominately on farms and had the possibility to obtain better nourishment. The first evacuation occurred on 29 January 1945 in blizzard conditions. The count was held up the morning of the march as the MOC (Man of Confidence) was in negotiation with

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1728-553: The ancient name for Poland, or from the tribal Lendians . Their names are equally derived from the Old Polish term lęda , meaning plain or field. Slavs have been in the territory of modern-day Poland for over 1500 years. During the Migration Period , central Europe was becoming increasingly settled by the early Slavs (500–700 AD). They organized into tribal units , of which the larger ones further west were later known as

1782-527: The area were Premonstratensian in Broda Abbey, a monastery at the shore (about 1240). The foundation of the city known as of Neubrandenburg took place in 1248, when the Margrave of Brandenburg decided to build a settlement in the northern part of his fief, naming it after the older city of Brandenburg further south. In 1292, the city and the surrounding area became part of Mecklenburg . The city flourished as

1836-703: The city is the 56m Haus der Kultur und Bildung (HKB, House of Culture & Education), opened in 1965. Its slender appearance has earned it the nickname Kulturfinger ("culture finger"). Other attractions include Neubrandenburg Regional Museum . Neubrandenburg is known as city of sports ( Sportstadt ). The city is famous for being home to various Olympic medal winners and talents in sports, especially in canoeing ( Andreas Dittmer , Martin Hollstein ), discus throwing and shotputting ( Astrid Kumbernuss , Ralf Bartels , Franka Dietzsch ) and running ( Katrin Krabbe ). Neubrandenburg

1890-543: The city limits: the large Stalag II-A and the adjacent Oflag II-E/67 for officers. The town was also the location of a forced labour camp for Sinti and Romani people . In 1945, few days before the end of the Second World War, 80% of the old town was burned down by the Red Army in a great fire, and about 600 people committed suicide as a result. Since then, most buildings of historical relevance have been rebuilt. After

1944-411: The column. They were marched twenty-five or thirty kilometers that day. Then were put into a barn, under guard, and slept for the night. Every evening the guards would dump out the meal for the day on the muddy earth. Everyone would scramble for what they could get. In the morning, they were given two slices of bread, counted, and the march began again for twenty-five or thirty kilometers until they reached

1998-554: The community of Western Christendom . However, throughout its existence, the Polish state followed a tolerant policy towards minorities resulting in numerous ethnic and religious identities of the Poles, such as Polish Jews . The Polish endonym Polacy is derived from the Western Polans , a Lechitic tribe which inhabited lands around the River Warta in Greater Poland region from the mid-6th century onward. The tribe's name stems from

2052-556: The country's current linguistic homogeneity. The culture of Poland is closely connected with its intricate 1,000-year history , and forms an important constituent in the Western civilisation . Strong ties with the Latinate world and the Roman Catholic faith also shaped Poland's cultural identity. Officially, the national and state symbol is the white-tailed eagle ( bielik ) embedded on

2106-461: The country, while Orthodox Christians can be found mostly in the far north-eastern corner, in the area of Białystok , and Protestants in Cieszyn Silesia and Warmia-Masuria regions. A growing Jewish population exists in major cities, especially in Warsaw , Kraków and Wrocław . Over two million Jews of Polish origin reside in the United States, Brazil, and Israel. Religious organizations in

2160-547: The course of history. Poland is linguistically homogeneous – nearly 97% of Poland's citizens declare Polish as their mother tongue. Polish-speakers use the language in a uniform manner throughout most of Poland, though numerous dialects and a vernacular language in certain regions coexist alongside standard Polish. The most common lects in Poland are Silesian , spoken in Upper Silesia , and Kashubian , widely spoken in historic Eastern Pomerania ( Pomerelia ), today in

2214-515: The creation of a Polish state . Polish is the native language of most Poles. It is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group and the sole official language in the Republic of Poland. Its written form uses the Polish alphabet , which is the basic Latin alphabet with the addition of six diacritic marks , totalling 32 letters. Bearing relation to Czech and Slovak , it has been profoundly influenced by Latin , German and other languages over

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2268-783: The early 12th century, particularly for its noble classes . In 1364, King Casimir the Great founded the Kraków Academy , which would become Jagiellonian University , the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Central Europe. People of Polish birth have made considerable contributions in the fields of science, technology and mathematics both in Poland and abroad, among them Vitello , Marie Skłodowska–Curie , Rudolf Modrzejewski , Rudolf Weigl , Bronisław Malinowski , Stefan Banach , Stanisław Ulam , Leonid Hurwicz , Benoit Mandelbrot and Alfred Tarski . Poland's folk music , especially

2322-527: The majority of the rest were moved on to Stalag 2A, Neubrandenburg where they arrived on 7 February 1945. The eight-day total distance of the march was 70–90 miles (120-150 Kilometers). On 25 February 1945 most of the remaining prisoners were forced to march westward in advance of the Soviet offensive and endured great hardships before they were freed by Allied troops in April 1945. It was relatively easy to escape from

2376-872: The most, and approximately 79% of Poles read the news more than once a day, placing it 2nd behind Sweden . As of 2021, six Poles received the Nobel Prize in Literature . The national epic is Pan Tadeusz (English: Master Thaddeus), written by Adam Mickiewicz . Renowned novelists who gained much recognition abroad include Joseph Conrad (wrote in English; Heart of Darkness , Lord Jim ), Stanisław Lem (science-fiction; Solaris ) and Andrzej Sapkowski (fantasy; The Witcher ). Various regions in Poland such as Greater Poland , Lesser Poland , Mazovia , Silesia , and Pomerania developed their own distinct cultures, cuisines, folk costumes and dialects. Also, Poland for centuries

2430-402: The next appointed village. Those who fell to the side of the road were rumored to have been shot, but were more likely to have been loaded onto the “dead cart” at the end of the column used to carry the dead, dying, and sick all piled into the cart together and carried to the next stopping point. After two, maybe three days, the column reached Settin. The sick and the dead were left at Settin while

2484-446: The northwestern part of Poland. Kashubian possesses its own status as a separate language. The Goral people in the mountainous south use their own nonstandard dialect, accenting and different intonation . The geographical distribution of the Polish language was greatly affected by the border changes and population transfers that followed the Second World War – forced expulsions and resettlement during that period contributed to

2538-464: The resolution of matters connected with their cultural identity. There are smaller communities primarily comprising Protestants (especially Lutherans ), Orthodox Christians (migrants), Jehovah's Witnesses , those irreligious , and Judaism (mostly from the Jewish populations in Poland who have lived in Poland prior to World War II) and Sunni Muslims ( Polish Tatars ). Roman Catholics live all over

2592-608: The sixth-largest national group in the European Union (EU). Estimates vary depending on source, though available data suggest a total number of around 60 million people worldwide (with roughly 18-20 million living outside of Poland, many of whom are not of Polish descent, but are Polish nationals). There are almost 38 million Poles in Poland alone. There are also strong Polish communities in neighbouring countries, whose territories were once occupied or part of Poland – Czech Republic , Slovakia , Lithuania , Latvia , western Ukraine , and western Belarus . The term " Polonia "

2646-643: The summer of 1941. In September and October 1943 Italian prisoners arrived after the Italian capitulation . Canadian prisoners from the Dieppe Raid of August 1942 were transferred to Stargard from Stalag VIII-B in January 1944. Germans introduced racial segregation , and Poles, Africans, Arabs, Jews and Soviet troops were separated from POWs of other nationalities. There were about 4,600 prisoners from Africa , specifically Moroccans , Tunisians and Senegalese , and there

2700-415: The war, from 1945 to 1948, the special NKVD -camp Nr. 9 was operated at the site of the former Stalag II-A. Neubrandenburg was a bezirk centre between 1952 and 1990. Neubrandenburg has preserved its medieval city wall in its entirety. The wall, 7 m high with a perimeter of 2.3 km, has four Brick Gothic city gates , dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Of these, one of the most impressive

2754-441: Was a high mortality rate among them, although from summer 1940 they were gradually transported to other camps located in southern France . Germans carried out medical experiments on the Senegalese. Serbs also faced noticeably more severe treatment. Hundreds of Soviet POWs were deported to concentration camps . Italian POWs were deported to Meppen , to a subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp , in November 1943. Following

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2808-399: Was a refuge to many Jews and to Armenians , who became an important part of Polish society and similarly developed their own unique cultures. Popular everyday foods in Poland include pork cutlets ( kotlet schabowy ), schnitzels, kielbasa sausage, potatoes, coleslaw and salads, soups ( barszcz , tomato or meat broth ), pierogi dumplings, and bread rolls . Traditional Polish cuisine

2862-443: Was liberated by the Soviet Red Army in mid-April 1945. In 2021–2022, new research was conducted at the site of the former camp, co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland . In 2021, a mass grave of dozens of POWs, most of whom died of exhaustion, was discovered. Another mass grave of more than 100 people, including dozens of civilians, even women and children, most likely Poles deported from Warsaw after

2916-401: Was the location of both of the world record throws in Discus , by Jürgen Schult in 1986 and by Gabriele Reinsch in 1988. The Jahnstadion , the Jahnsportforum stadium, the Stadthalle and adjacent sport parks offer vast options for large sport and culture events. The city is also home to a dedicated sports elite school, the Sportgymnasium Neubrandenburg . The Günter Harder Stadion was

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