Roztoka, Lower Silesian Voivodeship Explained

Roztoka
Settlement Type:Village
Total Type: 
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Voivodeship
Subdivision Name1:Lower Silesian
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Świdnica
Subdivision Type3:Gmina
Subdivision Name3:Dobromierz
Coordinates:50.9664°N 16.2317°W
Pushpin Map:Poland
Population Total:1098

Roztoka is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobromierz, within Świdnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland.[1]

It lies approximately 7km (04miles) north of Dobromierz, 20km (10miles) north-west of Świdnica, and 60km (40miles) west of the regional capital Wrocław.

The German name of the village, Rohnstock, originates from Old High German "rono", Middle High German "rone" = tree trunk and “stoc" = stock of trees and came about because the trees were felled at this point and the (root) stocks were cleaned. An earlier city seal shows a wooden stick with two axes (rode).

In 1305 the name of the place was first mentioned in the "Liber Foundationis..." as Rostock.

The place is best known for the Rohnstock Castle of the same name, where Frederick the Great stayed in 1745 during the Battle of Hohenfriedberg. The castle was owned by the Counts of Hochberg til 1945. Until 1945, Rohnstock, which had around 1,600 inhabitants at the time, belonged to the district of Jauer in the German province of Lower Silesia. The last German inhabitants were expelled in July 1946 after the ethnic cleansing of the region by Polish authorities after the annexation of Silesia.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Central Statistical Office (GUS)  - TERYT (National Register of Territorial Land Apportionment Journal). 2008-06-01. Polish.