Wałbrzych | |||
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![]() ![]() Wałbrzych
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Coordinates: | |||
Country | ![]() |
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Voivodeship | Lower Silesian | ||
County | Wałbrzych County | ||
Gmina | Wałbrzych (urban gmina) | ||
Established | 9th century | ||
City rights | 1400 | ||
Government | |||
- Mayor | Piotr Kruczkowski | ||
Area | |||
- Total | 84.70 km² (32.7 sq mi) | ||
Elevation | 350 m (1,148 ft) | ||
Population (2006) | |||
- Total | 125,773 | ||
- Density | 1,484.9/km² (3,845.9/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
- Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Postal code | 58-300 to 58-309, 58-316 | ||
Area code(s) | +48 074 | ||
Car plates | DB | ||
Website: http://www.um.walbrzych.pl/ |
Wałbrzych [ˈvau̯bʐɨx] ( listen) (German: Waldenburg) is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland, with 125,773 inhabitants (2006). From 1975–1998 it was the capital of Wałbrzych Voivodeship; it is now the seat of Wałbrzych County. Wałbrzych is by far the largest city in Poland that does not itself form a separate county (powiat), having given up that status in 2003. (The next largest such town is Inowrocław, population 77,313.) Wałbrzych lies approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) south-west of the regional capital Wrocław, and about 10 km from the Czech border.
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The Polish name Wałbrzych comes from the Silesian dialect name (Walbrich) for the German name Waldenburg. Waldenburg means "forest castle".
The oldest historical records of the city date back to the 12th century. Between the 12th and 14th centuries, during the rule of the Piast princes from the Świdnica-Jawor (Schweidnitz-Jauer) lineage, the Książ Castle (Fürstenstein Castle), (in Polish Zamek Książ) and the Nowy Dwór fortress were built. Waldenburg was chartered in the 15th century. After the Piast family died out, Waldenburg became the property of the Silesian knightly families, initially the Schaffgotsches, later the Czettritzes, and from 1738, the Hochberg family, owners of the Fürstenstein Castle until 1941. Coal mining in the area was first mentioned in 1536. Waldenburg was transformed into an industrial centre in Eastern Germany at the turn of the 19th century, when coal mining and weaving flourished. In 1843 the city obtained its first rail connection, which linked it with Breslau (Wrocław). In the early 20th century a glassworks and a large china tableware manufacturing plant, which are still in operation today, were built. In 1939 the city had about 65,000 inhabitants.
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. 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 Komornik was filmed in and around Wałbrzych.
Polish name including date of incorporation into the city
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Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Wałbrzych constituency
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