| Gryfów Śląski | |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Voivodeship |
| Subdivision Name1: | Lower Silesian |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lwówek Śląski |
| Subdivision Type3: | Gmina |
| Subdivision Name3: | Gryfów Śląski |
| Coordinates: | 51.0272°N 15.4192°W |
| Pushpin Map: | Poland |
| Established Title2: | Town rights |
| Established Date2: | 1242 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Olgierd Poniźnik |
| Area Total Km2: | 6.63 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population As Of: | 2019-06-30[1] |
| Population Total: | 6636 |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 59-620 |
| Area Code: | +48 75 |
| Registration Plate: | DLW |
| Blank Name: | Climate |
| Blank Info: | Dfb |
| Website: | http://www.gryfow.pl |
Gryfów Śląski, simplified to Gryfów (German: Greiffenberg), is a historic town in Lwówek Śląski County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Gryfów Śląski. As of 2019, the town has a population of 6,636. The town is located between Zgorzelec and Jelenia Góra, on the Kwisa river. It lies approximately 16km (10miles) south-west of Lwówek Śląski, and 114km (71miles) west of the regional capital Wrocław.
The region formed part of Poland since the 10th century and the first ruler Mieszko I of Poland.[2] The settlement of Gryfów Śląski arose from a castle built by the Piast Duke Bolesław I the Tall of Silesia near the border with Upper Lusatia. It received town privileges by Polish Duke Bolesław II the Bald in 1242 and became home of German-speaking burghers. The ruins of the medieval Gryf Castle, a possession of the House of Schaffgotsch from 1400 on, are still visible south of the town. In 1274 Gryfów became part of the Silesian Duchy of Jawor, which finally was incorporated by the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1392.
Floods hit the city in 1469, 1550 and 1609, droughts in 1472, 1590 and 1616, and epidemics in 1582, 1585 and 1633.[2] In 1589 the town's first pharmacy was founded.[2] In 1617 the first big fair took place.[2] During the Thirty Years' War, the town was plundered twice by the Swedes, in 1639 and 1645.[2] After the First Silesian War it was annexed by Prussia in 1742. In 1865 the Greiffenberg station opened on the Silesian Mountain Railway line from Görlitz to Reibnitz (Rybnica).
From 1871 to 1945 the town was part of the German Empire. After World War II, the town was part of the region that became part of Poland under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement.
The historic sights of Gryfów Śląski include:
See twin towns of Gmina Gryfów Śląski.