The Dynamical Systems school in Bedlewo is coming to an end. Today we took a trip to the Kórnik castle.
According to our tour guide, the town of Kórnik used to be called Kurnik, the Polish word for “henhouse”. In the 19th century, this part of Poland was occupied by Prussia. There was concern that the town might be renamed Hühnerhaus, the German word for “henhouse”. To prevent that, the residents decided to change the spelling to Kórnik. This is pronounced the same way as Kurnik (well, there is a slight difference if you pay very close attention), but it no longer derives from anything hen-related, nor does it mean anything else in Polish, so it couldn’t be translated into German. The town kept its name throughout the Prussian, then German, occupation.
More photos under the cut.
The Accidental Mathematician 