| Węgliniec | |
| Pushpin Map: | Poland Lower Silesian Voivodeship#Poland |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Voivodeship |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Zgorzelec |
| Subdivision Type3: | Gmina |
| Subdivision Name3: | Węgliniec |
| Established Title2: | Town rights |
| Established Date2: | 1967 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Mariusz Wieczorek |
| Area Total Km2: | 8.71 |
| Population As Of: | 2019-06-30[1] |
| Population Total: | 2846 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Coordinates: | 51.2883°N 15.2256°W |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 59-940 |
| Area Code: | +48 75 |
| Blank Name: | Car plates |
| Blank Info: | DZG |
| Blank1 Name: | Climate |
| Blank1 Info: | Cfb |
| Website: | http://www.wegliniec.pl |
Węgliniec (German: Kohlfurt) is a town in Zgorzelec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, close to the border with Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Węgliniec.
The town lies approximately 22km (14miles) north-east of Zgorzelec, and 128km (80miles) west of the regional capital Wrocław. As of 2019, the town has a population of 2,846.
The oldest known historical mention of the settlement dates back to 1502 [2] in the context of medieval German Ostsiedlung, receiving the name Kohlfurt.[3] In 1742 it was annexed by Prussia. It was plundered by different armies during the Third Silesian War (1756–1763).[4] In 1846 a railway line connecting Wrocław and Berlin, running through the village, was opened.[2] In 1847 a line to Dresden was built, and in 1865 to Lubań.[2] The settlement became an important railway junction.During World War II, the Germans located there two prisoner-of-war labor subcamps and a forced labor camp.[2] Near the end of World War II, in February 1945, the almost completely abandoned village was captured by the Soviets.[4] After World War II the region was placed preliminary under Polish administration according to the post-war Potsdam Agreement. It was repopulated with Poles, some of whom were from the Eastern Borderlands, which were annexed by the Soviet Union.
Węgliniec was granted town rights in 1967.[2]
Węgliniec railway station remains a major railway junction, located on strategic passenger and freight routes between Poland and Germany, with regular cross-border passenger services to Görlitz/Dresden and a limited service to Cottbus/Berlin.
See twin towns of Gmina Węgliniec.