POLSKA	POLAND
województwo: Wielkopolskie	voivodship: Greater Poland (Posnania)
powiat: Piła	county: Piła

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Piła (German: Schneidemühl) is situated on the Gwda (Küddow) river in the Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland) voivodship in northwest Poland. The origins of the town go back to at least the 13th century. Important privileges were presumably given to the place in 1380 due to its favourable location on a trading route from Szczecin (Stettin) to Bydgoszcz (Bromberg). The first mention as Snydemole dates from 1456. Documents of 1506 and 1511 mention it to be a town, before it was formally chartered in 1513.

After the 1st Partition of Poland in 1772 (see map) the area became part of Brandenburg-Prussia. During the Napoleonic times, Piła in 1807 became part of the newly-established Duchy of Warsaw (see map). Although the Congress of Vienna in 1815 re-established the Kingdom of Poland (as autonomous within Russia, see map), Schneidemühl was returned to Prussia. During the late 19th century, especially after 1885, Schneidemühl became important as a railway junction. In 1914 Schneidemühl obtained the status of an independent city. Between 1922 and 1938 it was the capital of the province Grenzmark Posen-Westpreußen. When the province was dissolved in 1938, Schneidemühl became the seat of the administrative district Grenzmark Posen-Westpreußen within the Prussian province of Pomerania. After World War II, during which the town had been largely destroyed, Piła became part of Poland.

The picture on glass no. 1637 shows the old railway station. The town was an important railway junction at the railroad section from Krzyż Wielkopolski (Kreuz) to Bydgoszcz (Bromberg), which had been opened in 1851. The branch line to Chojnice (Konitz) and Tczew (Dirschau) was opened in 1871. In 1879 it was connected to the railroad from Poznań (Posen) to Szczecinek (Neustettin).

The Prussian Eastern Railroad (Preußische Ostbahn, completed in 1860) was one of the most important means of traffic in Prussia. It connected the Prussian capital, Berlin, with East Prussia. Its main stations were: Küstrin (now Kostrzyn, PL), Landsberg an der Warthe (now Gorzów Wielkopolski), Schneidemühl (Piła) (with branch lines to Bromberg/Bydgoszcz and Thorn/Toruń), Konitz (Chojnice), Dirschau (Tczew), Marienburg (Malbork), Elbing (Elbląg), Braunsberg (Braniewo), Heiligenbeil (Мамоново/Mamonowo, RUS), Königsberg (Калининград (Kaliningrad), RUS), Insterburg (Черняховск/Černjahovsk, RUS), Gumbinnen (Гусев/Gusev, RUS) and Eydtkuhnen (Чернышевское/Černyševskoe, RUS)