Głubczyce

Głubczyce
Reconstructed town hall and a plague column on main square
Coat of arms
Głubczyce
Coordinates: 50°12′4″N 17°49′29″E / 50.20111°N 17.82472°E / 50.20111; 17.82472
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Opole
County	Głubczyce County
Gmina	Gmina Głubczyce
Established	12th century
Town rights	13th century
Government
• Mayor	Jan Krówka
Area
• Total	12.52 km2 (4.83 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	13,157
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	48-100
Area code(s)	+48 77
Car plates	OGL
Website	www.glubczyce.pl

Głubczyce [ɡwupˈt͡ʂɨt͡sɛ] (Czech: Hlubčice or sparsely Glubčice, German: Leobschütz, Silesian German: Lischwitz) is a town in southern Poland, near the border with the Czech Republic. It is located approximately 62 kilometres (39 miles) from Opole, and just northwest of Ostrava. It is part of Opole Voivodeship, and is the seat of Głubczyce County.

Geography

Głubczyce is located on the Głubczyce Plateau (Polish: Płaskowyż Głubczycki; a part of the Silesian Lowlands) on the Psina/Cyna River (left tributary of the Oder River).

History

The former synagogue in Leobschütz and the still existing parish church in the background.

The Middle Ages

The town was historically mentioned for the first time in 1107. At the time, it was a small Moravian village, named Glubcici, and was dominated by a large wooden castle. The town stood on the right bank of the Psina River, which from 1137 on formed the border between Moravia (then part of Duchy of Bohemia) and Silesia (then part of Duchy of Poland). The exact date of the city's founding is unknown, but it is traceable, back to 1224, that the city is also Lubschicz, a settlement founded by king Ottokar I. However, the town was destroyed by invading Mongolian hordes. During the city's rebuilding, the left bank of the Psina was also settled, and in 1270, city rights were granted to the town by Ottokar II.

During this time, a wall stood around the city, complete with watchtowers and a moat. A large church was also constructed in the town, and was assigned by Ottokar II to the Order of Saint John. In 1298, the town received expanded rights from Venceslaus II. The rights extended to the town were to serve as an example for other towns in the years that followed. In 1365, the town became the seat of a principality, and in 1482, the town was the seat of cadet branch of the Přemyslids. However, the last member of the family entered a Franciscan cloister. The city lost its status as a principality seat in 1503, and the principality ceased to exist. The city was transferred to the control of the principality of Krnov (Jägerndorf, Karniów).

16th century-early 20th century

In 1523, the Protestant Reformation reached the town, and in 1558, a Lutheran church and school were built in the town. In response to this, Franciscans and Jews were expelled from the city. During the Thirty Years' War, the city was completely destroyed, most devastatingly by the Swedes in 1645. The city came under the rule of Prussia in 1743 and was made the capital city of its Landkreis, or district. In 1781, the town's population stood at only, 2,637. In order to accommodate the city's expansion, the parts of the city's wall were torn down. The population stood at 4,565 in 1825, and 9,546 in 1870. After World War I and the creation of the Republic of Poland, the Silesian plebiscite was held in Upper Silesia. The percentage of 99.5% of Leobschütz citizens voted for Germany. The Silesian Uprisings did not directly affect the city, which had almost exclusively German-speaking inhabitants.

1933-today

After Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, the town hosted schools and training grounds for both the SS and the SA, becoming the honorary centre of the Nazi Party in province of Upper Silesia. The town's synagogue was burned down in 1938, the same year as Kristallnacht. On March 18, 1945, Soviet troops began a siege of the city, which was resisted by the 18th SS Panzergrenadierdivision (Tank grenadiers) and the 371st Wehrmachtsdivision. The siege ended on March 24, and the Red Army occupied the town. Approximately forty percent of the town was destroyed in the siege or by Soviet plundering in the first weeks of the occupation. After the Soviet occupation, the name of the town was changed to Głubczyce, its current name. The city was transferred, like most of Silesia, to the People's Republic of Poland. The remaining German population was replaced by Polish colonists and refugees transferred from the Kresy in the former Polish east. The city became seat of a county, or Powiat. Głubczyce lost that distinction in 1975, but regained it in 1999.

Population

Climate

Notable people

• Max Filke, composer
• Joachim Gnilka, theologist and biblical critic
• Felix Hollaender, writer and dramatist
• Otfried Höffe, philosopher
• Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut, crystallographer
• Paul Ondrusch, sculptor
• Johannes Reinelt, poet and author (1858–1906), born in the nearby village of Kreuzendorf (Gołuszowice)
• Gerhard Skrobek, sculptor
• Karl Bulla, photographer
• Przemysław Wacha, badminton player
• Elżbieta Zapendowska, music critic, appeared as one of three judges for the reality television music competition show Polish Idol.
• Stefanie Zweig, writer

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Głubczyce is twinned with:

Town	Country	Since
Město Albrechtice	Czech Republic	2001
Krnov	Czech Republic	2001
Rusín	Czech Republic	2000
Rockenhausen	Germany	2003
Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre	France	2002
Zbarazh (Збараж)	Ukraine	2005

Gallery

• 

  Buildings adjoining the reconstructed town hall

• 

  Partial view on the tower of Głubczyce's reconstructed town hall

• 

  Church of the Nativity of Virgin Mary

• 

  Interior of parish church of the Nativity of Virgin Mary

• 

  Wall tower near Wiosenny Square

• 

  Front of the franciscan church

• 

  One of Głubczyce's newly built apartment buildings that have room for shops and institutions on its first floor

• 

Notes and references

External links

• Municipal website (Polish)
• Leobschuetz committee (German)
• Jewish Community in Głubczyce on Virtual Shtetl

Coordinates: 50°12′N 17°49′E / 50.200°N 17.817°E / 50.200; 17.817

Głubczyce County Seat: Głubczyce Urban-rural gminas Gmina Baborów Gmina Głubczyce Gmina Kietrz Rural gmina Gmina Branice

Gmina Głubczyce Town and seat Głubczyce Villages Bernacice Bernacice Górne Biernatów Bogdanowice Braciszów Chomiąża Chróstno Ciermięcice Debrzyca Dobieszów Gadzowice Głubczyce Sady Gołuszowice Grobniki Kietlice Klisino Krasne Pole Królowe Krzyżowice Kwiatoniów Lenarcice Lisięcice Lwowiany Mokre Mokre-Kolonia Nowa Wieś Głubczycka Nowe Gołuszowice Nowe Sady Nowy Rożnów Opawica Pielgrzymów Pietrowice Pomorzowice Pomorzowiczki Radynia Równe Sławoszów Stara Wieś Ściborzyce Małe Tarnkowa Widok Zawiszyce Zopowy Zopowy-Osiedle Zubrzyce