On The Verge of Independence

The outbreak of the First World War brought a real chance for Poland to regain its independence. On the night of 1 to 2 August 1914, the Russian troops stationed in the town withdrew, and on 5 August German troops entered the town. At this time, the inhabitants of Włocławek established the local Citizens' Militia and the Committee of Citizens to maintain order and control the city.

Until November 1914, the city was taken over alternately by Russian and German troops.  Finally, the Germans seized the city as a result of a major battle fought on 11-13 November 1914. It remained under German occupation until 12 November 1918.

Towards the end of the war, there were conflicts with the administration in the city, caused by the difficult situation of provisioning. The Germans' ruthless policy of looting and exporting Polish property led to clashes between the inhabitants and the army and police on 12 February 1918, when a detachment of soldiers tried to remove the “Hieronymus” bell from the cathedral tower. The situation repeated on 15 February, when the text of the Treaty of Brest was published, ceding Chełmszczyzna and part of Podlasie to Ukraine.

The liberation of Włocławek was preceded by a mutiny that spread out on
9 November 1918 in the German garrison. Faced with the failure of talks with enemy soldiers, members of The Polish Military Organisation /in Polish: Polska Organizacja Wojskowa / proceeded to disarm the garrison on 12 November. An exchange of fire took place around the boulevards, where the Germans were defending access to barges loaded with military equipment. Finally, on the night of 12-13th November 1918, the occupants left the city.