Żmigród [ˈʐmiɡrut] ( German : Trachenberg ) is a town in Trzebnica County , Lower Silesian Voivodeship , in south-western Poland . It is the seat of the administrative district ( gmina ) called Gmina Żmigród .
88-464: The town lies in the historic Lower Silesia region on the Barycz River, approximately 22 kilometres (14 mi) north-west of Trzebnica , and 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the regional capital Wrocław . Its name is derived from Old Polish Żmij , " dragon " ( German : Drachen ) and gród , "castle" ( German : Burg ), displayed in the town's coat of arms. As of 2019, the town had
176-479: A camp for kidnapped Polish children up to 5 years of age, who were deemed " racially worthless " in Wąsosz , where many died. Kamieniec Ząbkowicki was the place of Aktion T4 murders of mentally ill children by involuntary euthanasia . The Project Riese construction project, which cost the lives of many forced laborers of various nationalities, was conducted by Germany in the region. The Polish resistance movement
264-674: A culture centre in 1953. In 1966, Żmigród took part in the nationwide celebrations of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland , and in 1980 local workers joined the Solidarity protests. In the 1990s, the Test Track Centre near Żmigród was built as the only railway test track in Poland and one of just eight such facilities in the world. In 2018 a monument commemorating the 100th anniversary of regaining independence by Poland
352-510: A new castle with a tower was built and later upgraded under the rule of the House of Schaffgotsch , who had acquired the estates in 1592. During the Thirty Years' War , the owner Hans Ulrich von Schaffgotsch , a loyal supporter of the assassinated generalissimo Albrecht von Wallenstein was executed in 1635 and his estates seized by Emperor Ferdinand II . Trachenberg Castle was enfeoffed to
440-577: A population of 6,435. It is part of the larger Wrocław metropolitan area . The oldest sources say the settlement existed in the third period of the Bronze Age . The first records of a former Slavic settlement named Zunigrod (present-day Żmigródek ) on the north bank of the Barycz River, then held by the Bishop of Wrocław , appear in the library of Pope Adrian IV in 1155. The current city on
528-848: A result of deforestation and cultivation. The largest forest complexes are Bory Dolnośląskie (3,150 km or 1,220 sq mi), Bory Stobrawskie in Stobrawa and Widawa areas, and smaller fragments of forests in Barycz and Oder River valleys. These forests are kind of multi-species deciduous forests, occurring in fertile grounds. The Oder River valley is reach in groups of mixed forests ( beech , oak , hornbeam , sycamore maple , and pine ). These forests, with protected status, are: Zwierzyniec , Kanigóra near Oława , Dublany, Kępa Opatowicka near Wrocław , Zabór near Przedmoście , and Lubiąż . The other forest areas are The Natural Park in Orsk,
616-575: A result of the fragmentation of Poland , it was part of various Polish duchies of Lower Silesia : the Duchy of Silesia until 1290, the Duchy of Głogów until 1312 and the Duchy of Oleśnica afterwards, held by the Piast dynasty until 1492. In 1492, Trachenberg was elevated to an autonomous state country of the Bohemian Crown . About 1555 the population turned Protestant . After a fire in 1579
704-697: A result of the Local Government Reorganisation Act of 1998, these four provinces were joined into the Lower Silesian Voivodeship (effective 1 January 1999), whose capital is Wrocław. Trachenberg Plan Day: days gone since 5 April 1813, Battle of Möckern Losses: French soldiers killed+wounded+captured Red dot: French tactical victory Day: days gone since 24 Jan 1814, Bar-sur-Aube(1) Losses: French soldiers killed+wounded+captured Red dot: French tactical victory The Trachenberg Plan
792-497: A small Polish-speaking area in the northeastern part of the district of Namslau (Namysłów) , Groß Wartenberg (Syców) and Militsch (Milicz) and a Czech-speaking minority in the rural area around Strehlen (Strzelin) . There were also Polish communities in large cities such as Breslau (Wrocław) and Grünberg (Zielona Góra) . During World War I , the Germans operated at least 24 forced labour camps for Allied prisoners of war in
880-463: Is honey mushroom , with edible specimen , which grows in pulp, between the bark and timber , causing the death of tree. The other damaging fungus is bracket fungus , which destroys roots and trunks from the inside. The honey mushroom devastates the tree within a few months, and the bracket fungus, within a few years, as a result of mechanic changes in wood structure. At the close of the Ice Age ,
968-688: Is Jezioro Kunickie (95 hectares or 230 acres), Jezioro Koskowickie (50 ha or 120 acres), Jezioro Jaśkowickie (24 ha or 59 acres) and Tatarak (19.5 ha or 48 acres). In contrast to the number of lakes, there are large groups of artificial ponds founded in the Barycz basin, in the Middle Ages. Their total area amounts around 80 square kilometres (31 square miles), and the largest ponds (Stary Staw, Łosiowy Staw, Staw Niezgoda, Staw Mewi Duży, and Grabownica) come to 200–300 ha (490–740 acres). The primeval flora has been transformed significantly as
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#17327976094841056-585: Is a historical and geographical region mostly located in Poland with small portions in the Czech Republic and Germany . It is the western part of the region of Silesia . Its largest city is Wrocław . The first state to have a stable hold over the territory of what will be considered Lower Silesia was the short-lived Great Moravia in the 9th century. Afterwards, in the Middle Ages , Lower Silesia
1144-472: Is formed by species deriving from various geographic regions. Particular regions are represented by: Lower subalpine forest ( Polish : Regiel Dolny ), 450–1,000 m (1,480–3,280 ft), is characterized by deciduous or mixed forest. The fragments of forests similar to natural complexes of pine - fir - beech with admixture of larch , sycamore maple and lime occur near the Szklarski waterfall, in
1232-408: Is located in the northern part, within the hills. The region of the lowlands is coated with a thick layer of glacial elements ( sand , gravel , clay ) that covers more diverse relief of the older ground. Generally flat and wide bottoms of the valleys are padded with river settlements. Slopes of the hills over 180–200 m (590–660 ft) are coated with fertile clays and therefore, to begin with,
1320-576: Is located mostly in the basin of the middle Oder River with its historic capital in Wrocław . The southern border of Lower Silesia is mapped by the mountain ridge of the Western and Central Sudetes , which since the High Middle Ages formed the border between Polish Silesia and the historic Bohemian region of the present-day Czech Republic. The Bóbr and Kwisa rivers are considered being
1408-489: Is shared between Lower Silesian Voivodeship (except for the Upper Lusatian counties of Lubań and Zgorzelec , and former Bohemian Kłodzko ), the southern part of Lubusz Voivodeship (i.e. the counties of Krosno Odrzańskie , Nowa Sól , Świebodzin , Żagań and Zielona Góra with the city of Zielona Góra , as well as western Opole Voivodeship (the counties of Brzeg , Namysłów and Nysa ). The tiny part of
1496-420: Is specific and different for each zone. From the bottoms to the top, plants form groups that are arranged in wide or narrow belts, called floral zones. Subsequently, these zones are divided into narrower belts, called vegetation belts. The zone of mountain forest is divided into two belts: subalpine and lower subalpine forest. Above, there is a forestless zone divided into the subalpine belt with dwarf pine, and
1584-615: The Bronze Age (1700–1500 BC), the evolution of different cultures developed to the existence of Unetice culture that affected the existence of Trzciniec culture . In the next periods since c. 750 BC , it encompasses all of Europe. In the La Tène culture period, Lower Silesia was inhabited by the Celts , who had their main place of cult on the Mount Ślęża . Their stony statues situated on and around this hill were later worshipped by
1672-697: The Brzeg Castle , as the last male member of the Piast dynasty , which founded the Polish state in the 10th century. He was buried in Legnica . Two main routes connecting Warsaw and Dresden ran through the region in the 18th century and Kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland often traveled that route. Most of Lower Silesia, except for the southern part of the Duchy of Nysa, became part of
1760-724: The Diocese of Wrocław , which, together with the Bishoprics of Kraków and Kołobrzeg , was placed under the Archbishopric of Gniezno in Greater Poland , founded by Emperor Otto III at the Congress of Gniezno in the same year. The ecclesial suzerainty of Gniezno over Wrocław lasted until 1821. After a temporary shift to Bohemia in the first half of the 11th century, Lower Silesia continued to be an integral part of
1848-699: The January Uprising of 1863–1864 in the Russian Partition of Poland. Local Poles took part in Polish national mourning after the Russian massacre of Polish protesters in Warsaw in February 1861, and also organized several patriotic Polish church services throughout 1861. Secret Polish correspondence, weapons, gunpowder and insurgents were transported through the region. In June 1863 Wrocław
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#17327976094841936-596: The Kaczawskie Mountains ( Skopiec , 724 m or 2,375 ft) with Ostrzyca , 501 m or 1,644 ft - they surround the Jelenia Góra valley , 420–450 m or 1,380–1,480 ft; Ślęża Massif ( Mount Ślęża 718 m or 2,356 ft), massive of Orlické hory , Králický Sněžník south of Kłodzko , Rychlebské hory and Jeseníky (English: Ashes mountains ; Praděd , 1,492 m or 4,895 ft). The adjacent Silesian Lowland includes
2024-909: The Kingdom of Prussia after the First Silesian War by the 1742 Treaty of Breslau . In 1813, several battles of the War of the Sixth Coalition were fought in the region, including the Battle of the Katzbach . In 1815, it became part of the Prussian Silesia Province , which was divided into the three Lower Silesian administrative regions ( Regierungsbezirke ) of Liegnitz , Breslau and Reichenbach [ de ] , and Upper Silesian Oppeln (including
2112-733: The Kingdom of Prussia in the Treaty of Berlin , except for the southern part of the Duchy of Neisse . Within the Prussian kingdom, the region became part of the Province of Silesia . In 1871, the Prussian-controlled portion of Lower Silesia was integrated into the German Empire . After World War I , Lower Silesia was divided, as small parts were reintegrated with Poland and Czechoslovakia, which both regained independence. In
2200-470: The Kingdom of Saxony after the Napoleonic Wars , as well as some small areas transferred from Crossen ( Rothenburg an der Oder , Polnisch Nettkow , Drehnow ); the exclave of Schwiebus in the north, as well as few other small exclaves in the west, were transferred to Brandenburg Province . The formerly Bohemian County of Kladsko , which had been annexed along with Silesia in 1742, was attached to
2288-594: The Late Middle Ages the region fell under the overlordship of the Bohemian Crown , but large parts remained under the rule of local Polish dukes of the Piast, Jagiellonian and Sobieski dynasties, some up to the 17th and 18th century. Briefly under the suzerainty of the Kingdom of Hungary , it fell to the Austrian Habsburg monarchy in 1526. In 1742, Austria ceded nearly all of Lower Silesia to
2376-673: The Migration Period , a number of new peoples arrived in Silesia from Sarmatia , Asia Minor , and the Asian steppes from the beginning of the sixth century. The Bavarian Geographer ( c. 845 ) referred to the West Slavic Ślężanie (the other possible source of the region's Śląsk and later Silesia name), centered on Niemcza , and Dziadoszanie tribes, while a 1086 document issued by Bishop Jaromir of Prague listed
2464-467: The Paleozoic era, they became the lands for people to settle and cultivate intensively. The later form of the economy caused almost complete deforestation of the slopes. Not only fertile grounds, but also the mild climate is conductive to the development of agriculture and market gardening. The annual average temperature of the Wrocław area is 9.5 °C (49.1 °F ). The average temperature of
2552-643: The Potsdam Agreement , in which the Soviet Union annexed eastern Poland, Lower Silesia went to the Republic of Poland . These border shifts were agreed on pending a final peace conference with Germany which eventually never took place. Germany retained the small portion of the former Prussian Province of Lower Silesia to the west of the Oder-Neisse line . The remaining German population
2640-516: The Reichenbach region in 1818, becoming part of the central Breslau region upon Reichenbach 's dissolution in 1820. The Polish secret resistance movement was active in the region in the 19th century. On 5 May 1848, a convention of Polish activists from the Prussian and Austrian partitions of Poland was held in Wrocław. Wrocław was the seat of a Polish uprising committee before and during
2728-1179: The Silesian Lowlands and the Silesian-Lusatian Lowlands . These two lowlands are separated with each other by Dolina Kaczawy , and from the Sudetes by a steep morphological edge located along the Sudeten Marginal Fault, extended from Bolesławiec (the Northwest) to Złoty Stok (the Southeast). The southern part of the Lowland includes The Sudeten Foreland , consisting of quite low Wzgórze Strzegomskie , 232 m or 761 ft, Grupa Ślęży ( Mount Ślęża , 718 m or 2,356 ft), and Wzgórza Niemczańsko-Strzelińskie ( Gromnik Mountain , 392 m or 1,286 ft). Lower hills occur also in areas of Obniżenie Sudeckie, Świdnik , and Kotlina Dzierżoniowska . The eastern part of Silesian Lowland consists of
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2816-791: The Slavic tribes that came here around the sixth century AD. Magna Germania (second century) records that between the Celtic and the Slavic period, Lower Silesia was inhabited by a number of Germanic tribes . Among them, are the Vandals , the Lugii , and the Silingi , who might have given the Silesia region its name, though it is unclear and thus disputed. With the Germanic tribes leaving westward during
2904-682: The Zlasane , Trebovane , Poborane , and Dedositze . At the same time, Upper Silesia was inhabited by the Opolanie , Lupiglaa , and Golenshitse tribes. In the late 9th century, the territory was subject to the Great Moravian realm of Prince Svatopluk I and from about 906 came under the rule of the Přemyslid duke Spytihnev I of Bohemia and his successors Vratislaus I , the alleged founder of Wrocław ( Czech : Vratislav ), and Boleslaus
2992-553: The 17th and 18th century. In 1469, Lower Silesia passed to Hungary , and in 1490 it fell back to Bohemia, then ruled by the Jagiellonian dynasty . In 1476, the Duchy of Krosno (Crossen) became part of the Margraviate of Brandenburg , when the widow of the Piast ruler, Barbara von Brandenburg, daughter of Elector Albert Achilles , inherited Crossen. This made the area around Schwiebus (Świebodzin) an exclave separated from
3080-550: The Austrian chief of staff of the Sixth Coalition, Joseph Radetzky von Radetz . Charles John had given a great deal of military advice to Tsar Alexander I of Russia during the 1812 Russian Campaign (after having turned down Alexander's offer of generalissimo of the Russian armies) on how to defeat the French invasion, and was able to see the successful practical outcomes of some of his theories and strategies that had been used by
3168-421: The Cruel . Meanwhile, the West Slavic Polans had established the first duchy under the Piast dynasty in the adjacent Greater Polish lands in the north. About 990 Silesia was conquered and incorporated into the first Polish state by the Piast duke Mieszko I , who had gained the support of Emperor Otto II against the Bohemian duke Boleslaus II . In 1000 his son and successor Bolesław I Chrobry founded
3256-429: The German garrison of Trachenberg and captured the town. The town was destroyed, except for the castle, which was set afire after the battle. After Germany's defeat in the war, the town under the restored Polish name Żmigród came under Polish administration. End of June 1945, the German population was ordered to leave their home for Germany west of the Oder-Neisse line , in accordance to the Potsdam Agreement . About 20 of
3344-413: The German part, and already in 1920 a Polish consulate in Wrocław was attacked and demolished by German nationalists. In the 1930s Poles and Jews were increasingly persecuted in the German-controlled part of the region. Many place names were Germanized in order to erase traces of Polish origin, even streets, squares, buildings and enterprises with the name Piast were forced to change their names (including
3432-473: The Imperial field marshal Count Melchior von Hatzfeldt in 1641. It was besieged several times and finally captured by the Swedish army under the command of General Lennart Torstensson in 1642. The Swedes occupied the castle until 1650. After the war, the area was subjected to stern Counter-Reformation measures. Another expansion of the castle took place in the years 1655–1657 on the initiative of Count Hatzfeld. In 1691, new fortifications were erected. In
3520-408: The Jagniątkowski complex, and Chojnik Mountain. Particular species of trees have different climatic requirements. The lowest parts are covered with oak and ash, up to 500 m (1,600 ft). On the level of 500–600 m (2,000 ft) occurs pine; in the higher parts, up to 800 m (2,600 ft), there occurs European larch ; and above 800 m, fir and beech. Despite transformation of
3608-596: The Lower Silesian districts of Neisse and Grottkau ). Reichenbach , which covered the southern part of Lower Silesia, was dissolved and its territories split between Liegnitz and Breslau in 1820; Breslau , which thereafter covered the central part of Silesia is sometimes also referred to as Middle Silesia . The western Liegnitz region was enlarged by the incorporation of the Upper Lusatian Landkreise (districts) of Lauban [ de ] ( Lubań ), Görlitz [ de ] , Rothenburg and, after 1825, Hoyerswerda [ de ] , all seized from
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3696-399: The Oder River beyond Lower Silesian borders. The majority of the rivers is regulated and their basins are improved, which is conductive to the proper water economy. The characteristic feature of the landscape of the lowland is the lack of lakes. The region of Legnica is the only place where a dozen or so of small lakes survived, but the majority of them is already disappearing. The largest one
3784-433: The Piast castles in Brzeg and Wołów ). In September 1939, at the start of World War II , Germany invaded and occupied the Polish part of the region. Already in 1939, the Germans carried out the first expulsions of Poles , and some died during their deportation to the more-eastern part of German-occupied Poland. During the war, the Germans established the Gross-Rosen concentration camp with around 100 subcamps in
3872-398: The Polish state until the end of its fragmentation period when all Polish claims on this land were finally renounced in favor of the Bohemian kingdom in 1348. Various Polish defensive battles against the invading Germans took place in the region in the Middle Ages, including the victorious battles of Niemcza in 1017 and Głogów and Psie Pole in 1109. In the early 12th century, Wrocław
3960-415: The Russians. Charles John refined his strategies over the next year, applied them to the probable theater of operations of Northern Germany, and presented them to Alexander and Frederick Wilhelm III of Prussia at the Trachenberg Conference held on July 9-12, 1813 during the Truce of Pläswitz . The Allied sovereigns, after modifications to take into account the various policy considerations necessary to keep
4048-406: The Silesian duchies were ruled by the Silesian Piast dukes under the feudal overlordship of the Bohemian kings , and thus became part of the Crown of Bohemia within the Holy Roman Empire , though in 1341–1356 Poland regained control of the towns of Byczyna , Kluczbork , Namysłów and Wołczyn . Many duchies remained Polish-ruled under the houses of Piast, Jagiellon and Sobieski , some up to
4136-599: The Sudetes comprises the Jizera Mountains (highest peak: Wysoka Kopa , 1,126 metres or 3,694 feet), where the tripoint with Upper Lusatia and Bohemia is located near the Smrk summit, along with the adjacent Giant Mountains (highest: border peak of Sněžka Śnieżka – highest mountain of Czech Republic, 1,602 m or 5,256 ft); Rudawy Janowickie ( Skalnik , 945 m or 3,100 ft); Owl Mountains ( Wielka Sowa , 1,015 m or 3,330 ft); Stone Mountains ( Waligóra 936 m or 3,071 ft); Wałbrzych Mountains ( Borowa 853 m or 2,799 ft) and
4224-402: The alpine belt without shrubs. This vegetation is glacial ; the former vegetation—from the Tertiary —was destroyed by the climate of the Ice Age . Along with glaciation from the North, some tundra plants appeared, for example downy willow ( Salix lapponum ) and cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus). The flora of Lower Silesia is strongly influenced by geological and climatic history. The vegetation
4312-449: The area. The greatest rivers are Nysa Kłodzka , which is the source of drinking water for Wrocław (the water is drawn by special channel); Stobrawa , Oława , Ślęza , Bystrzyca with its tributaries— Strzegomka and Piława ; Widawa , Średzka Woda , Kaczawa with Nysa Szalona and Czarna Woda . There is also the largest right-bank tributary of the area, Barycz . The other quite large rivers, Bóbr, Kwisa, and Lusatian Neisse, flow into
4400-420: The areas of Jodłowice, Wzgórze Joanny near Milicz, and Gola near Twardogóra. Such types of forest like those which are the mainstay for wild game or nurseries, are inaccessible because of permanent fire hazard. Territories partly accessible (marked specially) are located in areas of Góra Śląska, Oborniki Śląskie, Wołowa, in the Oder River valley, and in Wzgórza Niemczańsko-Strzelińskie. The flora of Lower Silesia
4488-835: The basic tree vegetation, the same form of undergrowth survived. There occurs: daphne mezereum , red elderberry , hazel , platanthera bifolia , sweet woodruff , Herb Paris , cranberry , wood sorrel , chickweed wintergreen , Common Cow-wheat and lily of the valley . The parts over 800 m are mainly covered with grasses, purple small-reeds, cranberries, and willow gentian . In highlighted places, on meadows, and along roads, there occurs: spotted orchid , bugleweed , yellow archangel , arnica montana , sword-leaved helleborine , rosebay willowherb , groundsel , and foxglove . Along riversides, there occurs white butterbur . Pine forests are rich in spruces, which are permanently weakened by atmospheric factors. Frayed roots are easily infected by harmful fungus and insects . The most damaging
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#17327976094844576-401: The disparate coalition partners happy, adopted Charles John's proposals as the basis of the general Coalition campaign plan. Meanwhile, Radetzky and the Austrians had been developing their own campaign plan in parallel, despite not officially joining the Sixth Coalition until August 12, 1813, based on the presumed theater of Saxony and Northeast Germany with a final decisive battle as its climax,
4664-568: The entire pre-war German population was expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement . Poles displaced from the former Polish lands incorporated into the USSR settled in Lower Silesia after the war, as well as Polish settlers from other parts of Poland. The region is known for an abundance of historic architecture of various styles, including many castles and palaces, well preserved or reconstructed old towns , numerous spa towns , and historic burial sites of Polish monarchs and consorts (in Wrocław, Legnica and Trzebnica ). Lower Silesia
4752-420: The first man appeared at the Silesian Lowland . In the Mesolithic (7,000 years ago), the first nomadic people settled in Lower Silesia, living in caves and primitive chalets. They were collectors, hunters, and fishers, and used weapons and other tools made of stone and wood. In the Upper Paleolithic , the oldest human remains of the nomadic people, which were 40,000 years old, were found in a tomb in Tyniec on
4840-407: The first-ever text printed in the Polish language . In 1526 Silesia became part of the Habsburg monarchy when Archduke Ferdinand I of Austria succeeded King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia . Brandenburg contested the inheritance, citing a treaty made with Frederick II of Legnica , but Silesia largely remained under Habsburg control until 1742. In 1675 Duke George William of Legnica died at
4928-411: The former Duchy of Żagań on the western shore of the Neisse is today part of the Krauschwitz municipality in the Görlitz district of Saxony , the larger Upper Lusatian parts of Prussian Silesia ("Silesian Upper Lusatia") west of the Neisse comprised the town of Görlitz and the former district of Hoyerswerda , which today forms the northern part of the Saxon Görlitz and Bautzen districts as well as
5016-494: The hottest month (July) is 19 °C (66 °F), and −0.5 °C (31.1 °F) of the coldest month (January). The average amount of rainfall is 500–620 millimetres (20–24 inches ), with its maximum in July and minimum in February. The snow layer disappears after 45 days. The winds, similar to those appearing in the West side of Poland, are West and Southwest. Sudeten rivers are characterized by changeable water rates, and high pollution resulting from large industrialization of
5104-409: The interbellum, the Polish population of the region was persecuted in the German-controlled part of the region. After Germany's defeat in World War II in 1945, most of the region became once again part of Poland, while a smaller part west of the Oder-Neisse line became part of East Germany and Czech Lower Silesia (Jesenicko and Opavsko regions) remained as a part of Czechoslovakia . By 1949, almost
5192-417: The men were interned. Żmigród was repopulated by Poles , many of whom were expelled from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union . The first transport of Poles from those territories arrived in June 1945 from Vilnius . Already in 1945 a forestry, a fire brigade and a scout troop were founded. Further establishments include the Piast Żmigród football club in 1946, a cooperative bank in 1950, and
5280-424: The mid-seventeenth century, the Polish-German language boundary ran near Trachenberg, including the city, to the territory of Polish language dominance. In the mid-18th century the town was annexed by Prussia . During the Napoleonic Wars , the town was captured by Bavarians , the French and Prussians. In 1813, in the baroque palace of the House of Hatzfeld (Princes, 1741, and Dukes of Trachenberg, 1900) there
5368-477: The north from the Bolesławiec-Zgorzelec road. From the North, the lowlands are delimited by Wał Trzebnicki, consisting of hills that are 200 km (120 mi) long and over 150 m (490 ft) high, in comparison to neighboring lowlands, Kobyla Mountain, 284 m (932 ft). The range of hills includes Wzgórza Dalkowskie, Wzgórza Trzebnickie, Wzgórza Twardogórskie, and Wzgórza Ostrzeszowskie. Obniżenie Milicko-Głogowskie, with Kotlina Żmigrodzka and Milicka,
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#17327976094845456-440: The north, Upper Silesia in the east, Moravia in the south-east, Bohemia and Kłodzko Land in the south, and Lusatia in the west. The Sudetes are a geologically diverse mountain range that stretches for 280 kilometres (170 miles) from the Lusatian Highlands in the west and to the Moravian Gate in the east. They are topographically divided into Western , Central and Eastern Sudetes . The Lower Silesian section of
5544-451: The original western border with the Lusatias , however, the Silesian Duchy of Żagań reached up to the Neisse river, including two villages ( Pechern and Neudorf) on the western shore, which became Silesian in 1413. The later Silesian Province of Prussia further comprised the adjacent lands of historic Upper Lusatia ceded by the Kingdom of Saxony after the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, its westernmost point could be found as far west as
5632-451: The other side of the river was invested according to German town law by one Tydricus dictus Deysenberc at the behest of the Piast duke Henry III the White in 1253, in a place where there was a ford. The castle near the border with Greater Poland was fortified , surrounded by a strong palisade, ramparts and a moat , there were built two gates, which were abolished only in 1819. The German name Trachinburg first appeared in 1287. As
5720-425: The region, as well as various subcamps of the Stalag VIII-B/344 POW camp. POWs of various nationalities were held in those camps, including Poles, Frenchmen , Belgians , Britons , Italians , Canadians , Americans , Greeks , Yugoslavians , Russians , Australians , New Zealanders , South Africans , Norwegians , Lithuanians , Slovaks , etc. There were also several Nazi prisons, other forced labour camps and
5808-419: The region, in which around 125,000 people of various nationalities, among them mostly Jews , Poles and citizens of the Soviet Union , were imprisoned, and around 40,000 died. Also several German prisoner-of-war camps , including Stalag VIII-A , Stalag VIII-C , Stalag VIII-E , Stalag Luft III , Oflag VIII-A, Oflag VIII-B, Oflag VIII-C, Oflag VIII-F , with numerous forced labour subcamps were located in
5896-473: The region. After the war, the bulk of Lower Silesia remained within Germany, the Bohemian part was included within Czechoslovakia , and a small part with Rychtal was reintegrated with Poland , which just regained independence. The German part was re-organized into the Province of Lower Silesia of the Free State of Prussia consisting of the Breslau and Liegnitz regions. In the interwar period , there were multiple instances of anti-Polish violence in
5984-407: The rest of Silesia. Crossen remained an important center of Polish culture. In 1475 Głogów -born Polish printer Kasper Elyan [ pl ] founded the Drukarnia Świętokrzyska [ pl ] ( Holy Cross Printing House ) in Wrocław, which published the Statuta synodalia episcoporum Wratislaviensium [ pl ] , the first incunable in Lower Silesia, which also contains
6072-437: The river Ślęża . In the Neolithic (4000–1700 BC), began the process of transformation into a settled way of life. The first rural settlements were made, as people began to farm and breed animals. Mining, pottery, and weaving are dated to this period. Serpentinite quarries came into existence, of which Silesian hatchets were made, and near Jordanów Śląski , people extracted nephrite that was transformed into diverse tools. In
6160-412: The small village of Lindenau (now belonging to the German state of Brandenburg ). To the north, Lower Silesia originally stretched up to Świebodzin and Krosno Odrzańskie , which was acquired by the Margraves of Brandenburg in 1482. The Barycz river forms the border with historic Greater Poland in the northeast, the Upper Silesian lands lie to the southeast. Administratively Polish Lower Silesia
6248-406: The southern part of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district in Brandenburg. The southern part of the former Duchy of Nysa, which fell to Austrian Silesia in 1742, namely the Jeseník District and Heřmanovice , Mnichov and Železná, as well as parts of Vrbno pod Pradědem in the Bruntál District , today belongs to the Czech Republic . Lower Silesia is bordered by Greater Poland and Lubusz Land in
6336-464: The town. The 19th-century synagogue was destroyed by the Germans during the Kristallnacht in 1938. During World War II , the Germans established the 5/111 forced labour camp in the town. The victims of the camp are commemorated by a monument at the local cemetery. On January 23, 1945, the 10th Guards Tank Corps of the 4th Guards Tank Army commanded by General Dmitry Lelyushenko defeated
6424-657: The wide Silesian Lowlands , located along banks of the Oder River . The eastern part includes also Równina Wrocławska with its surrounding lands: Równina Oleśnicka, Wysoczyzna Średzka, Równina Grodkowska and Niemodlińska. Dolina Dolnej Kaczawy (Kotlina Legnicka) separates the Silesian Lowlands from the Silesian-Lusatian Lowlands, which includes Wysoczyzna Lubińsko-Chocianowska, Dolina Szprotawy, and wide areas of Bory Dolnośląskie, located to
6512-660: Was a campaign strategy created by the Allies in the German Campaign of 1813 during the War of the Sixth Coalition , and named for the conference held at the palace of Trachenberg . The plan advocated avoiding direct engagement with French emperor, Napoleon I , which had resulted from fear of the emperor's now legendary prowess in battle. Consequently, the Allies planned to engage and defeat Napoleon's marshals and generals separately, and thus weaken his army while they built up an overwhelming force even he could not defeat. It
6600-544: Was a meeting of the Prussian king Frederick William III of the Russian Tsar Alexander I , in which the Trachenberg Plan was agreed on, to avoid major battles in the struggle with Napoleon Bonaparte . In the 19th century, many Jews settled in the town (then called Trach(t)enberg ), however, from the late 19th century, they emigrated, mainly to the west, and in 1939 there were no more Jews in
6688-660: Was active in the region, including the Home Army and Olimp organization. In the final stages of the war it was the site of several death marches perpetrated by Nazi Germany. In view of Polish claims to the area, a memorandum prepared by the United States Department of State in May 1945 recommended that the area stay with Germany because there was "no historic or ethnic justification" for granting this land to Poland. However, according to Soviet insistence at
6776-478: Was created in the region. In the Middle Ages , gold (Polish: złoto ) and silver (Polish: srebro ) were mined in the region, which is reflected in the names of the former mining towns of Złotoryja , Złoty Stok and Srebrna Góra . The city of Bolesławiec is a major center of pottery production since the Middle Ages, which the tradition of production of Bolesławiec pottery , also referred to as Polish pottery, cultivated to this day. The Duchy of Silesia
6864-616: Was decided upon after a series of defeats and near disasters at the hands of Napoleon at Lützen , Bautzen and Dresden . The plan was successful, and at the Battle of Leipzig , where the Allies had a considerable numerical advantage, Napoleon was soundly defeated and driven out of Germany, back to the Rhine . The plan held elements of a number of other plans developed over the past two years by men such as Russian generals Karl Wilhelm von Toll , Barclay de Tolly and former French General, and Napoleon's erstwhile rival, Jean Victor Moreau , who
6952-424: Was divided into as many as 17 duchies . Main duchies of Lower Silesia: In 1319, Duchy of Jawor , the southwesternmost duchy of Lower Silesia and fragmented Poland, under Duke Henry I of Jawor , expanded westward, reaching the towns of Zgorzelec , Zły Komorów (Senftenberg), Żytawa (Zittau) and Ostrowiec (Ostritz). With the 1335 Treaty of Trentschin ( Trenčín ) and the 1348 Treaty of Namysłów , most of
7040-906: Was expelled from the bulk of Lower Silesia east of the Neisse in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement. Poles from Central Poland and the Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union came to the region. From 1945 to 1975 Lower Silesia was administered within the Wrocław Voivodeship . As a result of the Local Government Reorganisation Act (1975), Poland's administration was reorganized into 49 voivodeships , four of them in Lower Silesia: Jelenia Góra , Legnica , Wałbrzych , and Wrocław Voivodeships (1975–1998). As
7128-559: Was first split into lower and upper parts in 1172 during the period of Poland's feudal fragmentation , when the land was divided between two sons of former High Duke Władysław II . The elder Bolesław the Tall ruled over Lower Silesia with his capital in Wrocław, and younger Mieszko Tanglefoot ruled over Upper Silesia with his capital at first in Racibórz , from 1202 in Opole . Later Silesia
7216-528: Was granted such rights in 1211 by Henry the Bearded . Medieval municipal rights modeled after Lwówek Śląski and Środa Śląska , both established by Henry the Bearded, became the basis of municipal form of government for several cities and towns in Poland, and two of five local Polish variants of medieval town rights. In the 13th century the Book of Henryków , a chronicle containing the oldest known text in Polish,
7304-684: Was in correspondence with Charles John and en route to Sweden in summer 1813. However, the final plan was primarily an amalgam of two prior works that had been developed in parallel: the Trachenberg Protocol and the Reichenbach Plan, created by Crown Prince Charles John of Sweden (formerly Napoleon's Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte) whose experience with the tactics and methods of the Grande Armée , as well as personal insight on Napoleon's strategies, proved invaluable, and
7392-512: Was named one of the three major cities of the Polish Kingdom alongside Kraków and Sandomierz in the oldest Polish chronicle, Gesta principum Polonorum . One of the largest battles of medieval Poland, the Battle of Legnica , during the first Mongol invasion of Poland was fought in the region 1241. Also a leading region of medieval Poland. The first-ever granting of town privileges in Polish history happened there, when Złotoryja
7480-408: Was officially confirmed as the seat of secret Polish insurgent authorities. The Prussian police arrested a number of members of the Polish insurgent movement. From 1871, Lower Silesia was part of the German Empire . As a result of long lasting German colonization and Germanisation , by the beginning of the 20th century Lower Silesia had a majority German-speaking population, with the exception of
7568-528: Was part of Piast-ruled Poland . It was one of the leading regions of Poland, and its capital Wrocław was one of the main cities of the Polish Kingdom. Lower Silesia emerged as a distinctive region during the fragmentation of Poland in 1172, when the Duchies of Opole and Racibórz , considered Upper Silesia since, were formed of the eastern part of the Duchy of Silesia, and the remaining, western part
7656-482: Was since considered Lower Silesia. During the Ostsiedlung , German settlers were invited to settle in the region, which until then had a Polish majority. As a result, the region became largely Germanised in the following centuries. Nonetheless, it remained a pioneering center of Polish culture, where the oldest Polish writing and first Polish print were created, and the first town rights were granted. In
7744-488: Was unveiled. See twin towns of Gmina Żmigród . Lower Silesia Lower Silesia ( Polish : Dolny Śląsk [ˈdɔlnɨ ˈɕlɔ̃sk] ; Czech : Dolní Slezsko ; German : Niederschlesien [ˈniːdɐˌʃleːzi̯ən] ; Silesian : Dolny Ślōnsk ; Upper Sorbian : Delnja Šleska [ˈdɛlnʲa ˈʃlɛska] ; Lower Sorbian : Dolna Šlazyńska [ˈdɔlna ˈʃlazɨnʲska] ; Lower Silesian : Niederschläsing ; Latin : Silesia Inferior )
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