Alternate names: Kłodawa [Pol], Klodava [Yid, Rus], Tonningen [Ger, 1940-45]. Russian: Клодава. קלודאווה-Hebrew. 52°15' N, 18°55' E, 42 miles NW of Łódź, 50 miles NE of Kalisz, between Koło and Kutno. 1900 Jewish population: 874. This town in central Poland with 6,874 inhabitants in 2004in the Greater Poland Voivodship since 1999 previously was in Konin Voivodship (1975-1998).On the Rgielewka (a tributary of the Warta River), the town contains the largest operating salt mine in Poland, extracting halite and salts of potassium and magnesium. Kłodawa was settled in the 11th century by craftsmen building the Church of St. Giles and gained municipal rights in 1430. Much of the town was destroyed in a 17th century war with Sweden and WWII. Once home to a vibrant Jewish community, the Holocaust ended their presence. A Jewish settlement existed in 1487 as documented by the Jewish poll tax levied by Jan Chelmski. At the beginning of the 19th century, Jewish residence in Klodawa supposedly had been excluded by a privilege de non tolerandis Judaeis dated 1647; however, in privileges issued to the town of 1720 and 1739, confirming those granted by kings Ladislas Jagello (1386-1434) and Sigismund II Augustus (1548-72), no mention is made of a prohibition on Jewish residence. A privilege was granted to the guilds by King Michael Wisnowiecki (1660-73). All restrictions were abolished at the end of the 18th century. The 1789 census shows a number of Jews engaged in crafts. Under Prussian rule, the increasing Jewish population was restricted to a special residential quarter called Dziadowice. In 1808, they numbered 221 (22%). After 1815 the town was within Congress Poland. In 1860 the old wooden synagogue located in the Dziadowice quarter was replaced by a stone building. Jewish population 443 in 1827, 585 in 1857, 874 in 1897, 1,148 (29.4%) in 1921, and 1,350 in 1939. During the Nazi occupation, the town was renamed Tonningen (1940-1945). In 1941, more than 1500 Kłodawan Jews were killed by the Nazis in the Chelmno. Before WWII about 1,350 Jews lived in Klodawa. German occupation Klodawa within the "Hohensalza district" found 1,186 Jews there in December 1940 including 108 refugees nearby settlements. Nearly 300 Jews fled Klodawa or were deported by the Nazis to the General Government in 1939-40. On January 2-4, 1942, 46 Jews from Klodawa were killed in the Kazimierzow forest near the town of Zagorow. From January 9-12, 1942, the remainder were deported to the nearby Chelmno. The Kłodawa parish priest, Father Teofil Choynowski, was killed in Dachau in 1943. Kłodawa was liberated on January 19, 1945 by the Red Army. Memorial website for the Jewish community and personal website. Map. [June 2009]
US Commission No. POCE000705
Alternate names: Dziadowice, Polish - K³odawa. Klodawa is located in Koninskie (Konin region) at 52°15 18°55, 50 km from Konin. Cemetery location: Leczycka St., lot no. 986, the place called Dziadowicach. Present town population is 5,000-25,000 with no Jews.
- Town: (Mayor) Burmistrz Jozef Chundy Urzad Miejski, ul. Dabska, Klodawa, tel. 30-101. Jolanta Bubinska Urzad Miejski (same address as above).
- Regional: Irena Sobierojska, PSOZ, Konin.
- Other individual: J. Grzegorzewicz (the retired teacher), ul. Bohaterow Wrzesnia 9/6 Klodawa.
Earliest known Jewish community was 1487. At the beginning of the reign of August II, Jews were accused of murdering two children. They were chased out of town and not allowed to settle up to 1790. Jews resettled at the beginning of the 19th century in the quarter called Dziadowice. Living here was Professor Opoczynski, who died in Canada after the war. The Jewish cemetery was established at end of 18th century with last burial in 1939. 1862 total population was 2489 with 621 Jews. 1939 Jewish population was 1350. Orthodox (Sephardic) and Progressive/Reform Jews used the isolated suburban crown of a hill with no sign or marker. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. The size of the cemetery before WWII and now is 75x13 m. There are no gravestones. Removed stones were used in Primary School no. 2 and elsewhere in Klodawa. The granite tombstones have Hebrew inscriptions. Municipality owns site used for agriculture. Properties adjacent are agricultural and residential. Local residents visit rarely. The cemetery, vandalized during WWII, has no maintenance or care. A pre-burial house was destroyed during WWII. Security is a moderate threat.
Lucja Pawlicka Nowak, ul. 11 Listopoda 15/76, 62-510 Konin, tel. 43-48-56 completed survey on 2 Sep 1992. Documentation: Literature, PSOZ papers. Nowak visited 28 Sep 1992. J. Grzegorzawiez, ul. Bohaterow Wrzesmia 9/6 Klodawa, was interviewed.