| Karpacz | |||
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| Vang stave church in Karpacz | |||
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Karpacz
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Poland | ||
| Voivodeship | Lower Silesian | ||
| County | Jelenia Góra | ||
| Gmina | Karpacz (urban gmina) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 37.99 km2 (14.7 sq mi) | ||
| Highest elevation | 885 m (2,904 ft) | ||
| Lowest elevation | 480 m (1,575 ft) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| • Total | 5,063 | ||
| • Density | 133.3/km2 (345.2/sq mi) | ||
| Website | http://www.karpacz.pl | ||
Karpacz [ˈkarpat͡ʂ] (German Krummhübel) is a spa town and ski resort in Jelenia Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland, and one of the most important centres for mountain hiking and skiing, including ski jumping. Its population is about 5,000. Karpacz is situated in the Karkonosze mountains - a resort with increasing importance for tourism as an alternative to the Alps.
Karpacz is located at 480 to 885 metres (1,575–2,904 ft) above sea level. South of Karpacz on the border to the Czech Republic there is Mount Sněžka-Śnieżka (1,602 m).
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The first settlements in area of Karpacz are noted by the official website of the city as being of probable Celtic origin and date to IV-III BC[1] when they inhabited the region as part of gold digging taking place in the area. The first mention of permanent location within the current boundaries of the town is dated to the beginning of XV century[2] and connected to destruction of village called Broniów, whose inhabitants moved to settle the area currently located at the altitude of town's railway station.[3]
The settlement is mentioned in 1599 because of lead and iron mining. Since the construction of Krummhübel's first railway connection in 1895 history was connected with the development of metallurgy industries and with the progress of tourism. The village was part of Germany between 1871-1945. Krummhübel's German population was forcibly expelled from the village between 1945 and 1947. The town was subsequently repopulated with ethnic Poles and renamed Karpacz.
In Karpacz Górny a gravity hill is located where bottles appear to roll uphill. There is also a Norwegian stave church, moved here from Vang, Norway in the mid-19th century.
Karpacz is twinned with:
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