Legnica (
Polish: ; german: Liegnitz, szl, Lignica, cz, Lehnice, la, Lignitium) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of
Lower Silesia, on the
Kaczawa River (left tributary of the
Oder) and the
Czarna Woda
Czarna Woda (; formerly german: Schwarzwasser) is a town in Starogard County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,735 inhabitants as of December 2021.
The town's name translates to "Black Water".
Gallery
File:Most kolejowy Chojnice - Tcz ...
. Between 1 June 1975 and 31 December 1998 Legnica was the capital of the
Legnica Voivodeship. It is currently the seat of the county and since 1992 the city has been the seat of a
Diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associ ...
. As of 2021, Legnica had a population of 97,300 inhabitants.
The city was first referenced in chronicles dating from the year 1004,
although previous settlements could be traced back to the 7th century. The name "Legnica" was mentioned in 1149 under
High Duke of Poland Bolesław IV the Curly. Legnica was most likely the seat of Bolesław and it became the residence of the high dukes that ruled the
Duchy of Legnica
The Duchy of Legnica ( pl, Księstwo Legnickie, cs, Lehnické knížectví) or Duchy of Liegnitz (german: Herzogtum Liegnitz) was one of the Duchies of Silesia. Its capital was Legnica (''Liegnitz'') in Lower Silesia.
Legnica Castle had beco ...
from 1248 until 1675. Legnica is a city over which the
Piast dynasty reigned the longest, for about 700 years, from the time of ruler
Mieszko I of Poland after the creation of the Polish state in the 10th century, until 1675 and the death of the last Piast duke
George William. Legnica is one of the historical burial sites of
Polish monarchs and
consorts.
Legnica became renowned for the fierce
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...
that took place at
Legnickie Pole
Legnickie Pole (in 1945–1948 ''Dobre Pole'', german: Wahlstatt) is a village in Legnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district ( gmina) called Gmina Legnickie Pole.
It lies a ...
near the city on 9 April 1241 during the
first Mongol invasion of Poland
The Mongol Invasion of Poland from late 1240 to 1241 culminated in the Battle of Legnica, where the Mongols defeated an alliance which included forces from fragmented Poland and their allies, led by Henry II the Pious, the Duke of Silesia. ...
. The Christian coalition under the command of the Polish Duke
Henry II the Pious, supported by nobles, knights, and mercenaries, was decisively defeated by the
Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
. This, however, was a turning point in the war as the Mongols, having killed Henry II, halted their advance into Europe and successfully surrounded
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
, which Mongol forces entered through
Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The ...
.
During the
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...
, Legnica was one of the most important cities of
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...
. The city began to rapidly develop after the sudden discovery of gold in the
Kaczawa River between Legnica and the town of
Złotoryja. In 1675 it was incorporated into
Habsburg ruled
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...
. In 1742 the city was annexed by the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...
after King
Frederick the Great
Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...
's victory over Austria in the
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George ...
. Subsequently, it was part of
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
from 1871, and later
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a Constitutional republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in ...
and
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
until the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, when majority of Lower Silesia east of the
Neisse (Nysa), was transferred to Poland under border changes promulgated at the
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference (german: Potsdamer Konferenz) was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris P ...
in 1945, when Poland was granted the
Recovered Territories.
Legnica is an economic, cultural and academic centre in
Lower Silesia, together with
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...
. The city is renowned for its
varied architecture, spanning from early
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
to modern period, and its preserved Old Town with the
Piast Castle, one of the largest in Poland. According to the
Foreign direct investment ranking (FDI) from 2016, Legnica is one of the most progressive high-income cities in the
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. S ...
n region.
Population
Legnica has 102,708 inhabitants and is the third largest city in the voivodeship (after
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...
and
Wałbrzych) and 38th in Poland. It also constitutes the southernmost and the largest urban center of a copper deposit (''Legnicko-Głogowski Okręg Miedziowy'') with agglomeration of 448,617 inhabitants. Legnica is the largest city of the conurbation and is a member of the Association of Polish Cities.
History
Pre-history
Archaeological research conducted in eastern Legnica in the late 1970s, showed the existence of a
bronze foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
and the graves of three metallurgists. The find indicates a time interval about year 1000 BC.
A settlement of the
Lusatian culture people existed in the 8th century B.C.
After invasions of Celts beyond upper Danube basin, the area of Legnica and north foothills of
Sudetes
The Sudetes ( ; pl, Sudety; german: Sudeten; cs, Krkonošsko-jesenická subprovincie), commonly known as the Sudeten Mountains, is a geomorphological subprovince in Central Europe, shared by Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. They consi ...
was infiltrated by Celtic settlers and traders.
Tacitus and
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
recorded the ancient nation of
Lugii
The Lugii (or ''Lugi'', ''Lygii'', ''Ligii'', ''Lugiones'', ''Lygians'', ''Ligians'', ''Lugians'', or ''Lougoi'') were a large tribal confederation mentioned by Roman authors living in ca. 100 BC–300 AD in Central Europe, north of the Sude ...
(Lygii) in the area, and mentioned their town of Lugidunum, which has been attributed to both Legnica and
Głogów.
Early Poland
Slavic
Lechitic tribes moved into the area in the 8th century.
The city was first officially mentioned in
chronicles from 1004, although settlement dates to the 7th century.
Dendrochronological research proves that during the reign of
Mieszko I of Poland, a new fortified settlement was built here in a style typical of the early
Piast dynasty. It is mentioned in 1149 when High Duke
Bolesław IV the Curly funded a chapel at the St. Benedict monastery.
Legnica was the most likely place of residence for Bolesław
and it became the residence of the
high dukes of Poland in 1163
[ and was the seat of a principality ruled from 1248 until 1675.
Legnica became famous for the ]battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...
that took place at Legnickie Pole
Legnickie Pole (in 1945–1948 ''Dobre Pole'', german: Wahlstatt) is a village in Legnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district ( gmina) called Gmina Legnickie Pole.
It lies a ...
near the city on 9 April 1241 during the First Mongol invasion of Poland
The Mongol Invasion of Poland from late 1240 to 1241 culminated in the Battle of Legnica, where the Mongols defeated an alliance which included forces from fragmented Poland and their allies, led by Henry II the Pious, the Duke of Silesia. ...
. The Christian army of the Polish duke Henry II the Pious of Silesia, supported by feudal nobility, which included in addition to Poles, Bavarian miners and military orders and Czech troops, was decisively defeated by the Mongols
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...
. The Mongols killed Henry and destroyed his forces, then turned south to rejoin the rest of the Mongol armies, which were massing at the Plain of Mohi in Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
via Moravia
Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia.
The ...
against a coalition of King Bela IV and his armies, and Bela's Kipchak allies.
After the war, nonetheless, the city was developing rapidly. In 1258 at the church of St. Peter, a parish school was established, probably the first of its kind in Poland. Around 1278 a Dominican monastery was founded by Bolesław II the Horned,[ who was buried there as the only monarch of Poland to be buried in Legnica. Already by 1300 there was a city council in Legnica.][ Duke Bolesław III the Generous granted new trade privileges in 1314 and 1318 and allowed the construction of a town hall, and in 1337 the first waterworks were built.][ In the years 1327–1380 a new ]Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
church of Saint Peter (today's Cathedral) was erected in place of the old one,[ and is one of Legnica's landmarks since. Also by the 14th century the city walls were erected.][ In 1345 the first coins were produced in the local mint.][ In 1374, the potters' guild was founded, as one of the oldest in Silesia.][ Queen consort of Poland Hedwig of Sagan died in Legnica in 1390 and was buried in the local collegiate church, which has not survived to this day.
]
Duchy of Legnica
As the capital of the Duchy of Legnica at the beginning of the 14th century, Legnica was one of the most important cities of Central Europe, having a population of nearly 16,000 residents. The city began to expand quickly after the discovery of gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
in the Kaczawa River between Legnica and Złotoryja (Goldberg). Unfortunately, such a growth rate can not be maintained long. Shortly after the city reached its maximum population increase, wooden buildings which had been erected during this period of rapid growth were devastated by a huge fire. The fire decreased the number of inhabitants in the city and halted any significant further development for many decades.
Legnica, along with other Silesian duchies, became a vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...
of the Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...
during the 14th century and was included within the multi-ethnic Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
, however remained ruled by local dukes of the Polish Piast dynasty. In 1454, a local rebellion prevented Legnica from falling under direct rule of the Bohemian kings. In 1505, Duke Frederick II of Legnica
Frederick II, Duke of Legnica ( pl, Fryderyk II Legnicki) (12 February 1480 – 17 September 1547), also known as the Great of Legnica ( pl, Legnicki Wielki), was a Duke of Legnica from 1488 (until 1495 and 1505 with his brothers), of Brzeg from ...
met in Legnica with the duke of nearby Głogów, Sigismund I the Old, the future king of Poland.[
The ]Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
was introduced in the duchy as early as 1522 and the population became Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...
. In 1526, a Protestant university was established in Legnica, which, however, was closed in 1529.[ In 1528 the first printing house in Legnica was established.][ After the death of King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia at Mohács in 1526, Legnica became a fief of the ]Habsburg monarchy
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
of Austria. The first map of Silesia was made by native son Martin Helwig
Martin Helwig ( la, Martino Heilwig) (5 November 1516 – 26 January 1574) was a German cartographer of Silesia and pedagogue. He was born in Neisse and died in Breslau, Holy Roman Empire.
Life
A former pupil of an eminent German scholar and ...
. The city suffered during the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of batt ...
. In 1633 a plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
epidemic broke out, and in 1634 the Austrian army destroyed the suburbs.[
In 1668 Duke of Legnica Christian presented his candidacy to the Polish throne, however, in the ]1669 Polish–Lithuanian royal election
The 1669 Polish–Lithuanian royal election was an election to decide on the new candidate for the Polish–Lithuanian throne.
Background
On 16 September 1668, King John II Casimir abdicated the Polish–Lithuanian throne. He left for France a ...
he wasn't chosen as King. In 1676, Legnica passed to direct Habsburg rule after the death of the last Silesian Piast duke and the last Piast duke overall, George William (son of Duke Christian), despite the earlier inheritance pact by Brandenburg and Silesia, by which it was to go to Brandenburg. The last Piast duke was buried in the St. John's church in Legnica in 1676.[
]
18th and 19th centuries
Silesian aristocracy was trained at the Liegnitz Ritter-Akademie, established in the early 18th century. One of two main routes connecting Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
and Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
ran through the city in the 18th century and Kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland traveled that route many times. The postal milestone of King Augustus II comes from that period.[
In 1742 most of Silesia, including Liegnitz, became part of the ]Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...
after King Frederick the Great's defeat of Austria in the War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George ...
. In 1760 during the Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
, Liegnitz was the site of the Battle of Liegnitz when Frederick's army defeated an Austrian army led by Laudon.
During the Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...
and Polish national liberation fights, in 1807 Polish uhlans were stationed in the city, and in 1813, the Prussians, under Field Marshal Blücher, defeated the French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
forces of MacDonald in the Battle of Katzbach
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
(Kaczawa) nearby. After the administrative reorganization of the Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
n state following the Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...
, Liegnitz and the surrounding territory (''Landkreis Liegnitz'') were incorporated into the Regierungsbezirk
A ' () means "governmental district" and is a type of administrative division in Germany. Four of sixteen ' ( states of Germany) are split into '. Beneath these are rural and urban districts.
Saxony has ' (directorate districts) with more res ...
(administrative district) of Liegnitz, within the Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia (german: Provinz Schlesien; pl, Prowincja Śląska; szl, Prowincyjŏ Ślōnskŏ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1740 and established as an official p ...
on 1 May 1816. Along with the rest of Prussia, the town became part of the German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
in 1871 during the unification of Germany. On 1 January 1874 Liegnitz became the third city in Lower Silesia (after Breslau and Görlitz) to be raised to an urban district
Urban district may refer to:
* District
* Urban area
* Quarter (urban subdivision)
* Neighbourhood
Specific subdivisions in some countries:
* Urban districts of Denmark
* Urban districts of Germany
* Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (his ...
, although the district administrator of the surrounding ''Landkreis'' of Liegnitz continued to have his seat in the city. Its military garrison was home to Königsgrenadier-Regiment Nr. 7 a military unit formed almost exclusively out of Polish soldiers.
The 20th century
The census of 1910 gave Liegnitz's population as 95.86% German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, 0.15% German and Polish, 1.27% Polish, 2.26% Wendish, and 0.19% Czech. On 1 April 1937 parts of the ''Landkreis'' of Liegnitz communities of Alt Beckern (Piekary), Groß Beckern (Piekary Wielkie), Hummel, Liegnitzer Vorwerke, Pfaffendorf (Piątnica) und Prinkendorf (Przybków) were incorporated into the city limits. After the Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...
following World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, Liegnitz was part of the newly created Province of Lower Silesia
The Province of Lower Silesia (german: Provinz Niederschlesien; Silesian German: ''Provinz Niederschläsing''; pl, Prowincja Dolny Śląsk; szl, Prowincyjŏ Dolny Ślōnsk) was a province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. Betwe ...
from 1919 to 1938, then of the Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia (german: Provinz Schlesien; pl, Prowincja Śląska; szl, Prowincyjŏ Ślōnskŏ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1740 and established as an official p ...
from 1938 to 1941, and again of the Province of Lower Silesia from 1941 to 1945. After the Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
came to power in Germany, as early as 1933, a boycott of local Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
premises was ordered, during the '' Kristallnacht'' in 1938 the synagogue was burned down, and in 1939 the local Polish population was terrorized and persecuted. A Nazi court prison was operated in the city with a forced labour subcamp. During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the Germans established two forced labour camps in the city, as well as two prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of ...
labor subcamps of the prisoner of war camp located in Żagań (then ''Sagan''), and one labor subcamp of the Stalag VIII-A POW camp in Zgorzelec (then ''Görlitz'').
After the defeat of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Liegnitz and all of Silesia east of the Neisse was preliminarily transferred to Poland following the Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference (german: Potsdamer Konferenz) was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris P ...
in 1945. Majority of the German population was either expelled or fled from the city.
The city was repopulated with Poles, some of whom were expelled from pre-war eastern Poland
Eastern Poland is a macroregion in Poland comprising the Lublin, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie, and Warmian-Masurian voivodeships.
The make-up of the distinct macroregion is based not only of geographical criteria, but also econo ...
after its annexation by the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. Also Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, ot ...
, refugees of the Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος �όλεμος}, ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom and ...
, settled in Legnica in 1950. As the medieval Polish name ''Lignica'' was considered archaic, the town was renamed Legnica. The transfer to Poland decided at Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of ...
in 1945 was officially recognized by East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...
in 1950, by West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...
under Chancellor Willy Brandt in the Treaty of Warsaw signed in 1970, and finally by the reunited Germany by the Two Plus Four Agreement in 1990. By 1990 only a handful of Polonized Germans, prewar citizens of Liegnitz, remained of the pre-1945 German population. In 2010 the city celebrated the 65th anniversary of the return of Legnica to Poland and its liberation from the Nazi Germany.
The city was only partly damaged in World War II. In June 1945 Legnica was briefly the capital of the Lower Silesian (Wrocław) Voivodship, after the administration was moved there from Trzebnica and before it was finally moved to Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...
. In 1947, the Municipal Library was opened, in 1948 a piano factory was founded, and in the years 1951-1959 Poland's first copper smelter was built in Legnica.[ After 1965 most parts of the preserved old town with its town houses were demolished, the historical layout was abolished, and the city was rebuilt in modern form.
From 1945 to 1990, during the ]Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
, the headquarters of the Soviet forces in Poland, the so-called Northern Group of Forces, was located in the city. This fact had a strong influence on the life of the city. For much of the period, the city was divided into Polish and Soviet areas, with the latter closed to the public. These were first established in July 1945, when the Soviets forcibly ejected newly arrived Polish inhabitants from the parts of the city they wanted for their own use. The ejection was perceived by some as a particularly brutal action, and rumours circulated exaggerating its severity, though no evidence of anyone being killed in the course of it has come to light. In April 1946 city officials estimated that there were 16,700 Poles, 12,800 Germans, and 60,000 Soviets
Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union.
Nationality policy in ...
in Legnica. In October 1956, the largest anti-Soviet demonstrations in Lower Silesia took place in Legnica.[ The last Soviet units left the city in 1993.
In 1992 the ]Roman Catholic Diocese of Legnica
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Legnica ( la, Legnicen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Legnica in the Ecclesiastical province of Wrocław in Poland. According to the Catholic Church statistics 30.1% of the population attended a churc ...
was established, Tadeusz Rybak
Tadeusz Rybak (October 7, 1929 – March 7, 2017) was a Polish Roman Catholic bishop. He served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Legnica between 1992 and 2002; he was also titular bishop of Benepota between 1977 and 1992.
Ordained to ...
became the first bishop of Legnica. New local newspapers and a radio station were founded in the 1990s.[ In 1997, Legnica was visited by ]Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
.[ The city suffered in the ]1997 Central European flood
The 1997 Central European flood or the 1997 Oder Flood of the Oder and Morava river basins in July 1997 affected Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, taking the lives of 114 people and causing material damages estimated at $4.5 billio ...
.[
]
Climate
Legnica has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
: ''Cfb'').
Sights
Legnica is a city with rich historical architecture, ranging from Romanesque and Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
through the Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...
and Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
to Historicist styles. Among the landmarks of Legnica are:
* the Piast Castle, former seat of the local dukes of the Piast dynasty
* Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
* Market Square (''Rynek'') with:
** Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
Old Town Hall (''Stary Ratusz'')
** Helena Modrzejewska
Helena Modrzejewska (; born Jadwiga Benda; 12 October 1840 – 8 April 1909), known professionally as Helena Modjeska, was a Polish actress who specialized in Shakespearean and tragic roles. She was successful first on the Polish stage. After e ...
Theatre
** ''Kamienice Śledziowe'' (" Herring Houses")
** ''Dom Pod Przepiórczym Koszem'' ("Under the Quail Basket House")
* former Dominican and later Benedictine monastery, founded by Bolesław II the Horned, who was buried there as the only monarch of Poland to be buried in Legnica; nowadays housing the ''I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Tadeusza Kościuszki'' (high school)
* Saint John the Baptist Church with a mausoleum of the last Piast dukes
* New Town Hall (''Nowy Ratusz''), seat of city authorities
* Saint Mary church
* Copper Museum (''Muzeum Miedzi'')
* Medieval Chojnów and Głogów Gates, remnants of the medieval city walls
* Former Knight Academy, now housing municipal offices and a branch of the Copper Museum
* Public Library and archive
* Park Miejski ("City Park"), the oldest and largest park of Legnica
There is also a monument of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
and a postal milestone of King Augustus II the Strong from 1725 in Legnica.
LEGNICA ZAMEK dziedziniec.jpg, Piast Castle courtyard
Dom mieszkalny „śledziówka”.jpg, ''Kamienice Śledziowe'' at the Market Square
Legnica - Teatr im. Heleny Modrzejewskiej.jpg, Helena Modrzejewska Theatre
Legnica - Kościół Marii Panny.jpg, Saint Mary church
Legnica - Główna siedziba Muzuem Miedzi.jpg, Copper Museum
Legnica, Dom Pod Przepiórczym Koszem, Rynek 38.jpg, Under the Quail Basket House
Economy
In the 1950s and 1960s the local copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...
and nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow t ...
industries became a major factor in the economic development of the area. Legnica houses industrial plants belonging to KGHM Polska Miedź, one of the largest producers of copper and silver
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
in the world. The company owns a large copper mill on the western outskirts of town. Legnica Special Economic Zone Legnica Special Economic Zone is a special economic zone in Poland, situated in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in the southwest of the country. Cited by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency as "one of the most dynamically developing regions in Poland" ...
was established in 1997.
Education
Legnica is a regional academic center with seven universities enrolling approximately 16,000 students.
* State-run colleges and universities
** Witelon University of Applied Sciences (''Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa im. Witelona''
** Wrocław University of Technologybr>
** Foreign Language Teacher Training College in Legnic
* Other
** ''Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania / The Polish Open University'
** Legnica University of Managementbr>
** ''Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne / Seminary'
Environment
Legnica is noted for its parks and gardens, and has seven hundred hectares of green space, mostly along the banks of the Kaczawa; the Tarninow district is particularly attractive.
Roads
To the south of Legnica is the A4 autostrada (Poland), A4 motorway. Legnica has also a district, which is a part of national road no 3. The express road S3 building has been planned nearby.
Public transport
In the city there are 20 regular bus lines, 1 belt-line, 2 night lines and 3 suburban.
The town has an airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...
(airport code EPLE) with a 1600-metre runway, the remains of a former Soviet air base, but it is () in a poor state and not used for commercial flights.
Until the winter of 2003, the longest train service in Poland ran from Katowice
Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popu ...
to Legnica (via Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Nysa, and Jaworzyna Śląska
Jaworzyna Śląska (German: ''Königszelt'') is a town in Świdnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Jaworzyna Śląska. The town lies approximately ...
).
Sports
* Miedź Legnica – men's football team ( Polish Cup winner 1992; played in the Ekstraklasa in season 2018–19)
Films produced in Legnica
In recent years Legnica has been frequently used as a film set for the following films as a result of its well preserved Old Town, proximity to Germany and low costs:
*''Przebacz'' (dir. M. Stacharski) – 2005
*''A Woman in Berlin
''A Woman in Berlin'' (german: Eine Frau in Berlin) is a memoir by German journalist Marta Hillers, originally released anonymously in 1954. The identity of Hillers as the author was not revealed until 2003, after her death. The memoir covers th ...
'' (dir. M. Färberböck) – 2007
*''Wilki'' (dir. F. Fromm) – 2007
*'' Little Moscow'' (dir. W. Krzystek) – 2008
*' (dir. D. Zahavi) – 2008
*''Die Wölfe'' (dir. F. Fromm) – 2009
*'' Jack Strong'' (dir. W. Pasikowski) – 2014
Politics
Municipal politics
Legnica tends to be a left-of- center town with a considerable influence of workers' unions. The Municipal Council of Legnica (''Rada miejska miasta Legnica'') is the legislative branch
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
of the local government and is composed of 25 members elected in local elections every five years. The mayor or town president (''Prezydent miasta'') is the executive branch of the local government and is directly elected in the same municipal elections.
Legnica – Jelenia Góra constituency
Members of Parliament (Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...
) elected from Legnica- Jelenia Gora constituency:
* Ryszard Bonda, Samoobrona
* Bronisława Kowalska, SLD-UP
* Adam Lipiński, PiS
* Tadeusz Maćkała, PO
* Ryszard Maraszek, SLD-UP
* Olgierd Poniźnik, SLD-UP
* Władysław Rak, SLD-UP
* Tadeusz Samborski, PSL
* Jerzy Szmajdziński, SLD-UP
* Halina Szustak, LPR
* Michał Turkiewicz, SLD-UP
* Ryszard Zbrzyzny, SLD-UP
Notable people
* Henry II the Pious (1196/1207–1241), High Duke of Poland
*Witelo
Vitello ( pl, Witelon; german: Witelo; – 1280/1314) was a friar, theologian, natural philosopher and an important figure in the history of philosophy in Poland.
Name
Vitello's name varies with some sources. In earlier publications he was q ...
(1230–died 1280–1314), philosopher and scientist
*Bolesław II the Bald Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to:
In people:
* Boleslaw (given name)
In geography:
* Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, ...
(1220–1278), High Duke of Poland
* Hans Aßmann Freiherr von Abschatz (1646–1699), lyricist and translator
* Georg Rudolf Böhmer (1723–1803), physician and botanist
*Johann Wilhelm Ritter
Johann Wilhelm Ritter (16 December 1776 – 23 January 1810). was a German chemist, physicist and philosopher. He was born in Samitz (Zamienice) near Haynau (Chojnów) in Silesia (then part of Prussia, since 1945 in Poland), and died in Mu ...
(1776–1810), scientist, philosopher, discoverer of ultraviolet radiation
* Heinrich Wilhelm Dove (1803–1879) physicist
*Benjamin Bilse
Benjamin Bilse (17 August 1816 – 13 July 1902) was a German conductor and composer.
Bilse was born in Liegnitz (present-day Legnica) in the Prussian Silesia Province. He obtained a rich musical education, as at the Vienna Conservatory under v ...
(1816–1902), conductor and composer
*Karl von Vogelsang
Karl Freiherr von Vogelsang (3 September 1818 – 8 November 1890), a journalist, politician and Catholic social reformer, was one of the mentors of the Christian Social movement in Austria-Hungary.
Life
He was born in Liegnitz in the Silesi ...
(1818–1890), Catholic journalist, politician and social reformer
* Leopold Kronecker (1823–1891), mathematician
* Hugo Rühle (1824–1888), physician
* Gustav Winkler (1867–1954), textile manufacturer
* Wilhelm Schubart (1873–1960) classical philologist, historian and papyrologist
* Paul Löbe (1875–1967), social democratic politician
* Erich von Manstein (1887–1973) field marshal
*Gert Jeschonnek
Gert Gustav Paul Jeschonnek (30 October 1912 – 18 April 1999) was an officer in the '' Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. Following World War II, he became commander (Inspector of the Navy
The Inspector of the Navy (german: Inspekteur der Ma ...
(1912–1999), an officer of the Navy, Vice Admiral, Chief of Navy
* Hans-Heinrich Jescheck (1915–2009), jurist
*Günter Reich
Günter Reich (22 November 1921 – 15 January 1989), also spelled Günther Reich and Gunther Reich, was an Israeli baritone of German birth. He was a member of the Staatsoper Stuttgart for more than 20 years and is known for interpreting the wor ...
(1921–1989), opera singer (baritone)
* Claus-Wilhelm Canaris (born 1937), jurist and legal philosopher
* Uta Zapf (born 1941), politician (SPD), member of the Bundestag from 1990 to 2013
*Anna Dymna
Anna Dymna (née Dziadyk ) (born 20 July 1951) is a Polish TV, film and theatre actress. Foundress of a charity foundation Mimo Wszystko (Against the Odds).
Career
Anna Dymna intended to study psychology before she decided to take an entrance e ...
(born 1951), TV, film and theatre actress
* Jacek Oleksyn (born 1953), biologist
* Włodzimierz Juszczak (born 1957), bishop of the Eparchy of Wroclaw–Gdansk of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church
*Marzena Kipiel-Sztuka (born 1965), actress
* Beata Tadla (born 1975), journalist and TV presenter
* Tomasz Kot (born 1977), actor
* Marek Pająk (born 1977), musician
*Popek
Paweł Ryszard Mikołajuw (, born 2 December 1978), also known as Popek, Popek Monster and Król Albanii (''King of Albania''),Abu Popeini al Ciapaq is a Polish rapper and professional mixed martial arts fighter. In 2000, together with such rap ...
(born 1978), rapper and MMA fighter
*Mariusz Lewandowski
Mariusz Lewandowski (; born 18 May 1979) is a Polish football manager and a former player. He currently manages Polish Ekstraklasa side Radomiak Radom.
He was mostly a central defender and could also play as a defensive midfielder. He spent the ...
(born 1979), footballer player
* Aleksandra Klejnowska (born 1982), weightlifter
* Marcin Robak (born 1982), football player
*Jagoda Szmytka
Jagoda Szmytka (born 15 January 1982, Legnica) is a Polish composer. She has attracted attention for her style of music, which uses elements not only of sound, but also of the sense of space and visual arts, and also for her new opera, ''Dla g� ...
(born 1982), composer
* Jakub Popiwczak (born 1996), volleyball player
* Joanna Jarmołowicz (born 1994), actress
* Łukasz Poręba (born 2000), football player
Twin towns – sister cities
Legnica is twinned with:
* Blansko, Czech Republic
* Drohobych, Ukraine
* Meissen, Germany
* Roanne, France
* Wuppertal, Germany
In fiction
Legnica and its then ruler Count Conrad figure prominently in the alternate history series ''The Crosstime Engineer'', set in the period of 1230 to 1270, by Leo Frankowski.
References
External links
Map of Silesia with town of Li(e)gnitz in 1600
Li(e)gnitz on HRE Germany map in 1600
Jewish Community in Legnica
on Virtual Shtetl0
na portalu polska-org.pl
Municipal website
Lca.pl
City hall
Legnica
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Cities in Silesia
City counties of Poland