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The town has a very rich and interesting past. Already in the early-historic time was here a settlemenl - the huge, fortitied Pomeranian stronghold (till X century) which had a strategical meaning on the Poznan - Pomerania route. In Czarnków this route debouched in natural ravine between the Jewish Mount and the Cross Mount called "Czarnkow's Gates" (in Middle Ages: Porta Czarncoviensis). In the reign of Mieszko I, Czarnków temporarily belonged to Poland, but after Boles3aw Chrobry's (the Brave) death it belonged to Pomerania again. Only in 1108 with the help of siegetrains the Boles3aw Krzywousty's forces captured this powerfully forutified castle. In 1192 Mieszko III the Old gave the Czarnków castle to Dzier?ykraj Na3ecz. Since then Czarnków was a property of Na3ecz's noble stock which assumed the name "Czarnkowski" from the town's name. They were the town's possessors till a half of XVII century. After the Czrnkowski family the next possessors of Czarnków was the Leszczynski family, and the next one was Stanis3aw Poniatowski - father of the last Polish King Stanis3aw August (XVIII century). The last owner of the town was the Swinarski family, which had a residence in property till the I partition of Poland. The fundation of this town probably took place in the reign of Kazimierz Wielki in XIV century. In those days next to the old stronghold was built a new castle. In 1645 in the town lived 1100 people, the new part of town called "new town" came into existence and the cloth industry started to develop. In XVIII century in Czarnków lived 1600 habitants, and major, chief officer of town, the town's writer and ten councillers were there in authority. In the time of the tirst partition of Poland, in 1772, Czarnków was included into Prussia. In 1816 became Czarnków the capital city of administrative district. In the end of XIX century Czarnków had already a good road connection wilh the nearest cities and in 1897 it got a railway conection with Goraj. In 1906 all over Czarnków's administrative district the school strikes erupted. After 147 years of slavery, on January 8 th, 1919 the detachments of Wielkopolska's insurgents brought freedom to the town. In virtue of Versal's treaty, in this region, along Notea River the Polish and German border was settled. On September 1939 the German army had invaded a town and a long time of German occupation, displacements, and bloody terror started. On January 24 th, 1945 the town obtained freedom from German occupation. Czarnków was the seat of an administrative district and a part of the Province of Poznan till 1975. It has been a part of the Province of PI3a Since then.