Wałbrzych Explained

Wałbrzych
Coordinates:50.7667°N 33°W
Pushpin Map:Poland#Poland Lower Silesian Voivodeship#Europe
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Label Position:right
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Voivodeship
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:city county
Established Title:Established
Established Date:9th century
Established Title3:City rights
Established Date3:1400 to 1426
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Roman Szełemej (KO)
Area Total Km2:84.70
Elevation M:350
Population Total:108,222 (33rd)[1]
Population As Of:31 December 2021
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:58-300 to 58-309, 58-316
Area Code:+48 74
Blank Name:Car number plates
Blank Info:DB, DBA

Wałbrzych (pronounced as /pl/; German: Waldenburg; Wałbrzich; label=[[Silesian German|Lower Silesian]]|Walmbrig or Walmbrich; Czech: Valbřich or Czech: Valdenburk) is a city located in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in southwestern Poland, seat of Wałbrzych County. Wałbrzych lies approximately 70km (40miles) southwest of the voivodeship capital Wrocław and about 30km (20miles) from the Czech border. Wałbrzych has the status of municipality. Its administrative borders encompass an area of 85km2 with 110,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the voivodeship and the 33rd largest in the country.

Wałbrzych was once a major coal mining and industrial center alongside most of Silesia. The city was left undamaged after World War II and possesses rich historical architecture; among the most recognizable landmarks is the Książ Castle, the largest castle of Lower Silesia and the third-largest in Poland.

In 2015 Wałbrzych became widely known due to the search for an allegedly buried Nazi gold train, which however was not found.

Etymology

According to the city's official website, the earliest Polish name of the settlement was ('forest castle').[2] The German name is also the exact translation of the original Polish ‘forest castle’ (also referred to the castle Nowy Dwór, translated into German as:), whose ruins stand south of the city; the name came to be used for the entire settlement.[3] It first appeared in the 15th century.[4] The modern Polish name Wałbrzych comes from the German name, a late medieval variation of the older names or .[5]

History

Middle Ages

Polish sources indicate the city's predecessor, Lasogród, was an early medieval Slavic settlement[6] whose inhabitants engaged in hunting, honey gathering, and later agriculture. Lasogród eventually developed into a defensive fort, the remains of which were destroyed in the 19th century during expansion of the city.[7] However, some German sources say no archaeological or written records support notions of an early West Slavic or Lechitic settlement nor the existence of a castle before the late 13th century.[8] [9] They also denounce the idea that during the Middle Ages the area of Wałbrzych was part of an unpopulated Silesian forest, known as the Silesian Przesieka.[10] [11] [12] In April 2022, a coin hoard was discovered near Wałbrzych dating from the first half of the 13th century.[13]

According to 17th-century Polish historian Ephraim Naso, Wałbrzych was a small village by 1191.[14] This assertion was rejected by 19th-century German sources[15] and by German historian Hugo Weczerka,[16] who says the city was founded between 1290 and 1293, and was mentioned as Waldenberc in 1305.He places the city near Nowy Dwór (German: link=no|Neuhaus), built by Bolko I the Strict of the Silesian Piasts. The city website, however, cites the building of the castle as a separate event in 1290.[2] A part of Nowy Dwór castle, a manor built in the 17th century, was destroyed in the 19th century.[17] Nevertheless, the region became part of Poland after the establishment of the state under the Piast dynasty in the 10th century and during the fragmentation of the realm, it was part of various Polish-ruled duchies, the last of which was the Duchy of Świdnica[18] until 1392, later it was also part of the Bohemian Crown and Hungary.

The settlement was first mentioned as a town in 1426, but it did not receive the rights to hold markets or other privileges due to the competition of nearby towns and the insignificance of the local landlords. Subsequently, the city became the property of the Silesian knightly families, initially the Schaffgotsches in 1372, later the Czettritzes, and from 1738, the Hochberg family, owners of Książ Castle.

Modern era

Coal mining in the area was first mentioned in 1536. The settlement was transformed into an industrial centre at the turn of the 19th century, when coal mining and weaving flourished.

As a result of the First Silesian War the city was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1742, and subsequently became part of Germany in 1871. In 1843 the city obtained its first rail connection, which linked it with Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland). In the early 20th century a glassworks and a large china tableware manufacturing plant, which are still in operation today, were built. During World War I, the Germans operated three forced labour camps for Allied prisoners of war in the city.[19] In 1939 the city had about 65,000 inhabitants. During World War II, the Germans established and operated labour units for Italians from the Stalag VIII-A prisoner-of-war camp,[20] a forced labour subcamp of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp,[21] a forced labour camp for Jewish men and women,[22] two subcamps of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp, intended for Jews, located in the present Gaj and Książ districts,[23] and a Nazi prison.[24] It was conquered by the Soviet Red Army on 8 May 1945 – coincidentally, the day World War II in Europe ended.

After World War II, Waldenburg became again part of Poland under border changes demanded by the Soviet Union at the Potsdam Conference and was renamed to its historic Polish name[25] [26] Wałbrzych. Many of the Germans living in the city fled or were expelled in accordance to the Potsdam Agreement. The town was repopulated by Poles expelled from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union, particularly from Borysław, Drohobycz and Stanisławów, as well as Poles returning from France and Belgium and from forced labour in Germany.[18] Wałbrzych was one of the few areas where a number of Germans[27] were held back as they were deemed indispensable for the economy, e.g. coal mining.[28] Also Greeks, refugees of the Greek Civil War, settled in Wałbrzych in the 1950s.[29]

After the Treaty of Zgorzelec, remaining Germans were treated less harshly and an ethnic German society was established in 1957. The cultural activities however disappeared by the 1960s and the schools with German as the language of instruction gradually closed. The remaining German-speakers had little contact with the German spoken and written language and the local German-Silesian dialect became moribound.[30]

The city was relatively unscathed by the Second World War, and as a result of combining the nearby administrative districts with the town and the construction of new housing estates, Wałbrzych expanded geographically. From 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of Wałbrzych Voivodeship. At the beginning of the 1990s, because of new social and economic conditions, a decision was made to close down the town's coal mines. In 1995, a Museum of Industry and Technology was set up on the facilities of the oldest coal mine in the area, KWK THOREZ. The 2005 the film The Collector was filmed in and around Wałbrzych.

Geography

Wałbrzych is located in the Central Sudeten Mountains, near the border with the Czech Republic and Germany. The city is located by the Pełcznica River at 450–500 m above sea level in a picturesque structural basin of Wałbrzych above which there are wooded ranges of the Wałbrzych Mountains. The highest elevation in the city is Mount Borowa, also known as the Black Mountain, 853 m (2798 ft) above sea level, with an observation tower since 2007, which is the highest peak of the Wałbrzych mountains.[31] [32]

There are seven city parks in the city, and in the main city park (King Jan III Sobieski Park) is the only mountain shelter in Poland, located in the city center PTTK Harcówka.

Nature protection

Protected areas in Wałbrzych

There are several natural monuments in the city; among them is the coat of arms oak, a descendant of the oak which was the inspiration for the coat of arms of the city, as evidenced by a nearby stone with the inscription "" ('City oak planted in 1933 in place of the coat of arms oak').[33] The mildest winter in the city was in 2006/2007 and 1992/1993

Sights

Transport

Roads

National roads

(A4 autostrada/ Bielany Wrocławskie-Świdnica-Wałbrzych-Golińsk- Czech border)

Voivodeship roads

Public transport

There are 14 bus lines in the city[36]

Railway

There are two main directions of passenger railways in the city, which include:

There are railway stations throughout the city: Wałbrzych Miasto, Wałbrzych Fabryczny, Wałbrzych Szczawienko, Wałbrzych Centrum, and Wałbrzych Główny, from which from May to the end of September, the starting station for weekend holiday connections to Meziměstí / Adršpach-Teplice Rocks.[37]

Aviation

The nearest airport is Wrocław airport located 70 km from the city, in the closer distance, about 10 km, is located light aircraft landing ground in Świebodzice.

City districts

Including date of incorporation into the city

  • Biały Kamień (1951)
  • Konradów (1958)
  • Kozice (1958)
  • Glinik Stary (1973)
  • Książ (1973)
  • Lubiechów (1973)
  • Glinik Nowy (1973)
  • Podzamcze (1976)
  • Osiedle Wanda

Education

Politics

Wałbrzych constituency

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Wałbrzych constituency:

Sports

There are many semi-professional or amateur football clubs (like Czarni Wałbrzych, Juventur Wałbrzych, Podgórze Wałbrzych, Gwarek Wałbrzych and one basketball club (KS Dark Dog plays in the Polish 3rd league).

Media

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland.

Wałbrzych is twinned with:[38] [39]

References

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Local Data Bank. 7 August 2022. Statistics Poland. Data for territorial unit 0265000.
  2. Web site: Portal Urzędu Miejskiego w Wałbrzychu. um.walbrzych.pl.
  3. Weczerka, p.555.
  4. Web site: Witamy w PORADNI JĘZYKOWEJ . us.edu.pl.
  5. Barbara Czopek, Adaptacje niemieckich nazw miejscowych w języku polskim, 1995, p.55,
  6. Słownik geograficzno-krajoznawczy Polski Maria Irena Mileska 1994 page 781 Wydawn. Nauk. PWN, 1994
  7. Web site: Historia Wałbrzycha. Wałbrzych City Office. 2 April 2009.
  8. Vorgeschichtliche Funde innerhalb des Stadtgebietes sind spärlich und zweifelhaft in der Deutung, so daß eine frühe Dauersiedlung nicht angenommen werden kann. Für die Existenz einer "Waldenburg" im Bereich der Altstadt gibt es keinerlei Anhaltspunkte. Weczerka, p.555
  9. Book: Die Deutschen und der Osten: das versunkene Jahrtausend. Hermann Schreiber. Südwest Verlag. 1984. 143. de.
  10. Auch der Grenzwald spricht dagegen. Weczerka, pp.416 and 555
  11. Badstübner, p.2.
  12. Petry, p.11.
  13. Web site: 2022-04-21 . Bracteate treasure hoard found near Wałbrzych . 2022-04-29 . HeritageDaily - Archaeology News . en-US.
  14. Kronika wałbrzyska Wałbrzyskie Towarzystwo Kultury, Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe 1985 page 231
  15. Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, Band 23, page 261, Markgraf, Duncker & Humblot, 1886
  16. Die Behauptung, die "Waldenburg" sei 1191 erbaut worden (Naso), ist nicht haltbar. Weczerka, p.555
  17. Weczerka, p.341.
  18. Web site: Historia. Portal Urzędu Miejskiego w Wałbrzychu. 7 March 2020. pl.
  19. Kujat. Janusz Adam. 2000. Pieniądz zastępczy w obozach jenieckich na terenie rejencji wrocławskiej w czasie I i II wojny światowej. Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny. Opole. pl. 23. 13. 0137-5199.
  20. Sula. Dorota. 2010. Jeńcy włoscy na Dolnym Śląsku w czasie II wojny światowej. Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny. Opole. pl. 33. 66.
  21. Web site: Working Parties. Lamsdorf.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20201029103834/https://www.lamsdorf.com/working-parties.html. 7 November 2021. 29 October 2020.
  22. Web site: Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Waldenburg. Bundesarchiv.de. 7 November 2021. de.
  23. Web site: Subcamps of KL Gross- Rosen. Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica. 7 March 2020.
  24. Web site: Gerichtsgefängnis Waldenburg. Bundesarchiv.de. 7 November 2021. de.
  25. Polski Kalendarz Katolicki dla Kochanych Wiarusów Prus Zachodnich page 77 http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=259791&from=&dirids=1&ver_id=&lp=2&QI=
  26. Katalog Prowincyonalnej wystawy przemysłowej w Poznaniu 1895 page 71 Werbebeilage http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=130018&from=&dirids=1&ver_id=&lp=7&QI=
  27. Werner Besch, Dialektologie: Ein Handbuch zur Deutschen und allgemeinen Dialektforschung, Walter de Gruyter, 1982, p.178,
  28. Stefan Wolff, German Minorities in Europe: Ethnic Identity and Cultural Belonging, Berghahn Books, 2000, p.79,
  29. Book: Kubasiewicz, Izabela. Dworaczek. Kamil. Kamiński. Łukasz. 2013. Letnia Szkoła Historii Najnowszej 2012. Referaty. pl. Warszawa. IPN. 117. Emigranci z Grecji w Polsce Ludowej. Wybrane aspekty z życia mniejszości.
  30. Sprachwissenschaft und Daf. 10.18778/2196-8403.2018.08. Katarzyna Dulat-Lewicz. Wie stirbt eine Sprache aus? Überlegungen zu sozialpolitischen, wirtschaftlichen und kulturellen Faktoren des Sprachtodes am Beispiel der deutsch-schlesischen Varietät aus dem ehemaligen Kreis Waldenburg (powiat wałbrzyski). free. 11089/30886. free.
  31. Web site: Wałbrzych - location . 2022-08-31 . Oficjalny Serwis Miasta Wałbrzycha.
  32. Web site: Borowa Tower – Jedlina-Zdrój – Poland . 2022-08-31 . tropter.com . en.
  33. Web site: Tajemnica dębu z herbu Wałbrzycha . 2022-08-31 . Radio Wrocław . pl.
  34. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/totenburg-mausoleum "Totenburg Mausoleum"
  35. What on Earth, season 8, episode 7, first aired 8 October 2020, "Nazi Occult Temple"
  36. Web site:

    Rozkład Jazdy

    . 2021-12-10. rozklad.walbrzych.eu.
  37. Web site: Wrocław Główny - Wałbrzych Główny - Meziměstí - Adršpach . 2022-08-31 . kolejedolnoslaskie.pl . pl.
  38. Web site: Miasta partnerskie. poznaj.um.walbrzych.pl. Wałbrzych. pl. 28 February 2020.
  39. Web site: Umowa z Cape Breton podpisana. poznaj.um.walbrzych.pl. Wałbrzych. pl. 14 January 2019. 28 February 2020.

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