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Nowa Ruda [ˈnɔva ˈruda] (German: Neurode) is a town in south-western Poland near the Czech border, lying on the Włodzica river in the central Sudetes mountains. As of 2007 it has 25,240 inhabitants. The town is located in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship (from 1975–1998 it was in the former Wałbrzych Voivodeship). It is the seat of the rural district of Gmina Nowa Ruda, but is not part of its territory (the town is a separate urban gmina in its own right).
[edit] History
Situated in the rich Kłodzko Valley, the area of the modern town has been inhabitated since the early Middle Ages by German settlers. Officially, the settlement was granted a city charter in 1363 and received the name of Newenrode. The city was rechartered under a local variant of the Magdeburg Law in 1434 and then again in 1596. Since then it has shared the history of the nearby town of Kłodzko (German Glatz). The town was the seat of Landkreis Neurode until 1932, when it was reincorporated into Landkreis Glatz.
Following World War II the region became part of Poland, and the town took on its present name, with the German population being expelled. Due to the Eastern Politics of German Chancellor Willy Brandt the former German inhabitants were allowed to travel to their hometowns and tried to establish relations with the current population.
The area was notable in the Middle Ages as a source of rich iron ore deposits. Until 2000 there was also a coal mine and a gabbro mine in Nowa Ruda's borough of Słupiec.
[edit] Notable inhabitants
- Franz Eckert, composer
- Edyta Geppert, singer
- Friedrich Kayssler, actor and writer
- Karol Maliszewski, poet
- Hans Albrecht Freiherr von Rechenberg, politician
- Werner Steinberg, writer
- Olga Tokarczuk, writer
- Krzysztof Tyniec, actor
- Robert Więckiewicz, actor
Coordinates: 50°35′N, 16°30′E
[edit] External links