| Wałbrzych | |||
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| Wałbrzych Main Square | |||
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Wałbrzych
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Poland | ||
| Voivodeship | Lower Silesian | ||
| County | Wałbrzych County | ||
| Gmina | Wałbrzych (urban gmina) | ||
| Established | 9th century | ||
| City rights | 1400 to 1426 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Roman Szełemej | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 84.70 km2 (32.7 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 350 m (1,148 ft) | ||
| Population (31.12.2010) | |||
| • Total | 120,197 | ||
| • Density | 1,419.1/km2 (3,675.4/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 74 | ||
| Car number plates | DB | ||
| Website | http://www.um.walbrzych.pl/ | ||
Wałbrzych [ˈvau̯bʐɨx] ( listen) (German: Waldenburg, Czech: Valbřich or Valdenburk) is a city in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland, with 120,197 inhabitants (31 December 2010). 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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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 15th 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]
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 the Strict, 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.
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.
Including date of incorporation into the city
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Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Wałbrzych constituency
Last time Górnik played in PLK - the Polish top basketball league in 2009.
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)
Wałbrzych is twinned with:
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