city, Kujawsko-Pomorskie województwo (province), north-central Poland, in the Kujawy region. First mentioned in 1185 as a trading settlement, Inowrocław lay on an ancient trade route between southern Europe and the Baltic Sea. It became capital of the autonomous principality of Kujawy, which, despite its separate status, professed allegiance to the Polish crown in the 15th century.

An industrial city with good road and rail connections, Inowrocław has salt deposits that have established it as a health spa. They also are the basis of a chemical industry. The 12th-century Church of the Blessed Virgin contains some of Poland's oldest sculpture. Pop. (2002) 77,986.