Chelmno, Poland

CHELMNO (German Kulm or Kölln), Pomerania district, Poland. Jewish settlement began after the annexation to Prussia in 1772. By 1815, 11 Jewish families were living there under "protected" status, earning a livelihood in the grain trade. Despite the city's antisemitic atmosphere and stiff competition from German merchants, the Jewish population grew rapidly to 1,075 in 1855 and economic conditions improved. In the religious sphere, the Liberals were highly influential. Subsequently emigration was stepped up and the Jewish population fell to 463 in 1895 (of total of 10,523) and 74 in 1921. Those remaining were presumably expelled from the city immediately after its capture by the Germans in September 1939.