Wałbrzych

Wałbrzych
Wałbrzych Main Square

Flag
Coat of arms
Wałbrzych is located in Poland
Wałbrzych
Coordinates:
Country  Poland
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 (2009)
 - Total 121,919
 - Density 1,439.4/km2 (3,728.1/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/
Seal of Bolko I, showing him as the duke of Vistenberch (Fürstenberg) = Fürstenstein
Książ Castle in Wałbrzych

Wałbrzych [ˈvau̯bʐɨx] ( listen) (German: Waldenburg, Czech: Valbřich or Valdenburk) is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland, with 121,919 inhabitants (June 2009). 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 (43.5 miles) south-west of the regional capital Wrocław, and about 10 km from the Czech border.

Contents

Etymology

According to the official page of the city the early Polish name of the settlement was named "Lasogród"[1]. The German name Waldenburg (meaning "forest castle") refers to the castle Nowy Dwór, whose ruins stand south of the city; the name came to be used for the entire settlement.[2] It first appeared in XV century coming from the words Wald ‘forest’ and Berg ‘mountain’ later associated with castle[3] The modern Polish name for the settlement "Wałbrzych" comes from the German name Walbrich, a late medieval linguistic variation of the older names "Wallenberg" or "Walmberg".[4]

History

Middle Ages

According to the Geographical Dictionary of Poland published by Polish Scientific Publishers PWN, the city's predecessor was an early medieval Slavic settlement[5], the city website states it was named Lasogród ("forest castle"), whose inhabitants engaged in hunting, honey gathering, and later agriculture; Lasogród lated developed into a defensive fort, the remains of which were destroyed in the 19th century during expansion of the city.[6] Some German publications argue that no archaeological or written records support a Slavic settlement or the existence of a castle before the late 13th century.[7][8] and that during the Middle Ages the area of Wałbrzych was part of the unpopulated Silesian Przesieka,[9][10][11][12][13] According to a writing from 1667 by jurist and historian Ephraim Ignatius Naso, Wałbrzych already existed as a small village in 1191,[14], a publication from German Empire from 1886 rejected this claim[15], and a German historian Hugo Weczerka rejects it as well.[16] claiming the ctiy founded between 1290 and 1293 and mentioned as Waldenberc in 1305.[2] Wieczerka places the city near Nowy Dwór (German: Neuhaus)built by Bolko I of the Polish royal Piast dynasty(Silesian branch) of Świdnica-Jawor (German: Schweidnitz-Jauer)[2].The city website however mentions the building of the castle as a separate event in 1290[17]. A part of Nowy Dwór castle, a manor built in the 17th century, was destroyed in the 19th century.[18]

The city was chartered in 1426, but it did not receive the rights to hold markets or many 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 Fürstenstein 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. 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.

After World War II, became once more part of a Polish state, and as in all of post-war Poland most of the German population was expelled. However, Walbrzych was one of the few areas where several Germans[19] were held back as they were deemed indispensable for the economy.[20] A continuous post-war German society has been maintained in Walbrzych since 1957.[20]

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.

Sights

City districts

City hall
Guardian Angels' Church
Courthouse
TD Centrum shopping centre

Including date of incorporation into the city

  • Glinik Stary (1973)
  • Stary Zdrój (1905, 1919)
  • Konradów (1958)
  • Podgórze II- former Dzietrzychów (1934)
  • Książ (1973)
  • Lubiechów (1973)
  • Glinik Nowy (1973)
  • Podzamcze
  • Kozice (1958)
  • Nowe Miasto
  • Sobięcin- former Węglewo (1951)
  • Szczawienko (1951)
  • Podgórze I (1931)
  • Rusinowa (1951)
  • Piaskowa Góra (1951)
  • Poniatów- former(U)Stronie (1929, 1973)
  • Biały Kamień (1951)
  • Osiedle Wanda

Education

Politics

Wałbrzych constituency

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Wałbrzych constituency

Sports

Last time Górnik played in PLK - the Polish top basketball league in 2009. Unfortunately, since the 2009/2010 season the team is playing in the Polish 1st league.

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

Media

Notable people

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Wałbrzych is twinned with:

  • Germany Freiberg, Saxony in Germany (since 26 June 1991)
  • Russia Tula in Russia (since 30 September 1991)
  • Czech Republic Hradec Králové in Czech Republic (since 6 November 1991)
  • Poland Jastarnia in Poland (since 9 May 1997)

References

Bibliography

  • Badstübner, Ernst; Dietmar Popp, Andrzej Tomaszewski, Dethard von Winterfeld (2005). Dehio - Handbuch der Kunstdenkmäler in Polen: Schlesien. München, Berlin: Deutscher Kunstverlag 2005. ISBN 342203109X. 
  • Koch, John (2006). Schloss Fürstenstein. Würzburg: Bergstadt. ISBN 0973157941. 
  • Petry, Ludwig; Josef Joachim Menzel, Winfried Irgang (2000). Geschichte Schlesiens. Band 1: Von der Urzeit bis zum Jahre 1526. Stuttgart: Jan Thorbecke Verlag Stuttgart. ISBN 3-7995-6341-5. 
  • Thum, Gregor (2003). Die fremde Stadt. Breslau 1945. Berlin: Siedler. ISBN 3-88680-795-9. 
  • Weczerka, Hugo (2003). Handbuch der historischen Stätten: Schlesien, Second Edition. Stuttgart: Kröner Stuttgart. ISBN 3-520-31602-1. 

Notes

  1. ↑ Official Page of Wałbrzych History section
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Weczerka, p.555.
  3. ↑ [1]
  4. ↑ Barbara Czopek, Adaptacje niemieckich nazw miejscowych w języku polskim, 1995, pp.55, ISBN 8385579338
  5. ↑ Słownik geograficzno-krajoznawczy Polski Maria Irena Mileska 1994 page 781 Wydawn. Nauk. PWN, 1994
  6. ↑ "Historia Wałbrzycha". Wałbrzych City Office. http://www.um.walbrzych.pl/strony/nasze_miasto_poznaj_historia.htm. Retrieved 2 April 2009. 
  7. ↑ 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
  8. ↑ Die letzten Dörfer des flachen Landes am Fuße der auf der äußersten Kette der Vorsudetenberge thronenden Burg Fürstenstein waren Zirlau und Polsnitz, beide schon in frühester Zeit erwähnt. Koch, p.11
  9. ↑ An der Westgrenze des Piastenherzogtums Schweidnitz gelegen, bewachte Fürstenstein den Handelsweg der, von Breslau und Schweidnitz über das Städtchen Freiburg führend, sich hinter Fürstenstein durch den dichten Grenzwald, Preseka genannt, zwang. Koch, p.11
  10. ↑ Auch der Grenzwald spricht dagegen. Weczerka, p.555
  11. ↑ Weczerka, p.416
  12. ↑ Badstübner, p.2.
  13. ↑ Petry, p.11.
  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. ↑ http://www.um.walbrzych.pl/strony/nasze_miasto_poznaj_historia.htm
  18. ↑ Weczerka, p.341.
  19. ↑ Werner Besch, Dialektologie: Ein Handbuch zur Deutschen und allgemeinen Dialektforschung, Walter de Gruyter, 1982, p.178, ISBN 3110059770
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Stefan Wolff, German Minorities in Europe: Ethnic Identity and Cultural Belonging, Berghahn Books, 2000, p.79, ISBN 157181504
  21. ↑ PWSZ Górnik Wałbrzych Official Site

External links

Gminas of Wałbrzych County
Urban gminas
Wałbrzych (seat) • Boguszów-Gorce • Jedlina-Zdrój • Szczawno-Zdrój
 Coat of arms of Wałbrzych County
Urban-rural gminas
Gmina Głuszyca • Gmina Mieroszów
Rural gminas
Gmina Czarny Bór • Gmina Stare Bogaczowice • Gmina Walim