this area. Also Napoleon's Grande Armée passed the Kalisz County at the French invasion of Russia (1812). After the Vienna Congress 1815, the area became part of so-called Congress Poland in the Russian Partition. Industrial Revolution and the 19th century Beginning of the 19th century the industrial revolution did not stop at Poland. Several German industrialist's started running branches cross border. Cities on both sides of the border started booming. With the foundation of the big weaving mill by Adolf Gottlieb Fiedler, a Saxon industrialist, Opatówek started booming. Fiedler established one of the biggest weaving mills in Congress Poland in 1824-26. The government of Congress Poland created very good conditions for the development of industry. Adolf Gottlieb Fiedler received a big loan from the Polish government to build the factory in Opatowek. Also in spite of lower salaries he followed other cloth producers to eastern regions at the time of the German industrial revolution. The German investments in Poland were followed by Saxon and Bohemian specialists to run the factories. There they found cheap workers, water power and they brought in their knowhow. The factory of Opatówek employed 600 workers and the company won several international prizes with their products. The Opatówek factory was the cash cow of Fiedler's company. The town grew with great speed. During the January Uprising, on February 25, 1863, it was the site of a battle between Polish insurgents and Russian troops, which ended in a Polish victory. In 1870, Opatówek lost its municipal rights as a result of the suppression after the January Uprising and because of the economical decay. In the end of the 19th century a Wooden Toys Factory was established in Opatowek, whose products won numerous prizes at European expositions. The profit-making, well organised property yielded a big profit to the next owners. The 20th century At the end of 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, Opatówek was, like most cities of Greater Poland, touched by independence movements against Prussia and Russia. After World War I, in 1918, Poland regained independence and control of Opatówek. After the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in September 1939, it was occupied by Germany until 1945. There have been several resistance movements, most of them were detected by the Gestapo. After World War II there have been several regional changes. During the Gomułka government (1956–1970) the economy of