Legnica (; , ; ; ) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River and the Czarna Woda. As well as being the seat of the county, since 1992 the city has been the seat of the Diocese of Legnica. 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 dukes of Legnica 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 force co ...

that took place at Legnickie Pole near the city on 9 April 1241 during the first Mongol invasion of Poland, which ended in the defeat of the Polish-led Christian coalition by the

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

. Legnica is an economic, cultural and academic centre in Lower Silesia, together with

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

. 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 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

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 Silesian region.

Population

Legnica has 102,708 inhabitants and is the third largest city in the voivodeship (after

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 Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

foundry 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 was infiltrated by Celtic settlers and traders. Tacitus and

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

recorded the ancient nation of Lugii (Lygii) in the area, and mentioned their town of Lugidunum, which has been attributed to both Legnica and Głogów.

Early Poland

Battle of Legnica1241-From Legend of Saint Hedwig

Slavic Lechitic tribes moved into the area in the 8th century. The city was first officially mentioned in

chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...

s 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

that took place at Legnickie Pole near the city on 9 April 1241 during the First Mongol invasion of Poland. 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

. 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 is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

via Moravia against a coalition of King Bela IV and his armies, and Bela's Kipchak allies. Legnica 1 lo 10100010

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 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; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

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 suzerain ...

of the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

during the 14th century and was included within the multi-ethnic

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, 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 met in Legnica with the duke of nearby Głogów, Sigismund I the Old, the future king of Poland. Liegnitz-Mausoleum-1

The Protestant Reformation was introduced in the duchy as early as 1522 and the population became

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices 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, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

of Austria. The first map of Silesia was made by native son Martin Helwig. The city suffered during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. In 1633 a plague epidemic broke out, and in 1634 the Austrian army destroyed the suburbs. In 1668 Duke of Legnica

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

presented his candidacy to the Polish throne, however, in the 1669 Polish–Lithuanian royal election 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, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

and

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

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 (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

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 fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

. In 1760 during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, Liegnitz was the site of the Battle of Liegnitz when Frederick's army defeated an Austrian army led by Laudon. Legnica kamienice

During the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

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 forces of MacDonald in the Battle of Katzbach (Kaczawa) nearby. After the administrative reorganization of the

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

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, Napol ...

, Liegnitz and the surrounding territory (''Landkreis Liegnitz'') were incorporated into the Regierungsbezirk (administrative district) of Liegnitz, within the Province of Silesia on 1 May 1816. Along with the rest of Prussia, the town became part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

in 1871 during the

unification of Germany The unification of Germany (, ) was a process of building the first nation-state for Germans with federalism, federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without Habsburgs' multi-ethnic Austria or its German-speaking part). I ...

. On 1 January 1874 Liegnitz became the third city in Lower Silesia (after Breslau and Görlitz) to be raised to an urban district, 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, 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 was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...

following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Liegnitz was part of the newly created Province of Lower Silesia from 1919 to 1938, then of the Province of Silesia 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 ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

came to power in Germany, as early as 1933, a boycott of local

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, several members of the Polish resistance movement were imprisoned and sentenced to death there. The Germans also established two forced labour camps in the city, as well as two prisoner of war labor subcamps of the POW 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, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

during

, Liegnitz and all of Silesia east of the Neisse was preliminarily transferred to Poland following the Potsdam Conference in 1945. The majority of the German population was either expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement or fled from the city. The city was repopulated with Poles, including expellees from pre-war eastern Poland after its annexation by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Also

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

, refugees of the Greek Civil War, 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 in 1945 was officially recognized by

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

in 1950, by

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

under Chancellor

Willy Brandt Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and concurrently served as the Chancellor ...

in the 1970 Treaty of Warsaw, 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 Nazi Germany. Castle in Legnica4

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 Trzebnica (Polish pronunciation: ; , ) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in west-central Poland. It is the seat of Trzebnica County, and of the smaller administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Trzebnica. It lies within the eastern Trzebni ...

and before it was finally moved to

. 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 was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, 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 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. Between 1 June 1975 and 1998 Legnica was the capital of the Legnica Voivodeship. In 1992 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Legnica was established, Tadeusz Rybak 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 (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. The city suffered in the 1997 Central European flood.

Climate

Legnica has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''Cfb'').

Sights

Legnica is a city with rich historical architecture, ranging from Romanesque and Gothic through the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

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: **

Old Town Hall (''Stary Ratusz'') ** Helena Modrzejewska 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 * (''Muzeum Miedzi'') * Medieval Chojnów and Głogów Gates, remnants of the medieval city walls * Former

Knight Academy Knight academies were first established in Western European states in the late 16th century. They prepared aristocratic youth for state and military service. It added to the hitherto rudimentary education of the aristocratic youth natural science, ...

, 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

and a postal milestone of King Augustus II the Strong from 1725 in Legnica. LEGNICA ZAMEK dziedziniec.jpg, Piast Castle courtyard Legnica - Kościół Marii Panny.jpg, Saint Mary church Legnica - Katedra Świętych Apostołów Piotra i Pawła.jpg, Cathedral of Saint Apostles Peter and Paul Dom mieszkalny „śledziówka”.jpg, ''Kamienice Śledziowe'' at the Market Square Legnica, Dom Pod Przepiórczym Koszem, Rynek 38.jpg, Under the Quail Basket House Legnica - Rynek - Dawny Ratusz 01.jpg, Old City Hall Legnica - Teatr im. Heleny Modrzejewskiej.jpg, Helena Modrzejewska Theatre Legnica - Główna siedziba Muzuem Miedzi.jpg, Copper Museum Legnica - Akademia Rycerska.jpg, Former knight academy Legnica, kościół św. Jana Chrzciciela SDC11706.jpg, Church of St. John the Baptist MOs810 WG 35 2015 Dolnoslaskie Zakamarki II (Mozaika, Rynek, Legnica, Kopernik).JPG, Nicolaus Copernicus mosaic on Market Square (1973)

Economy

In the 1950s and 1960s, the local

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) 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 pinkish-orang ...

and nickel 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; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

in the world. The company owns a large copper mill on the western outskirts of town. Legnica Special Economic Zone 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 Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

(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.

Sports

* Miedź Legnica – men's football team ( Polish Cup winner 1992; played in the Ekstraklasa in season 2018–19) * White Eagle Municipal Stadium

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'' (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 a deliberative assembly with the authority, legal authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with th ...

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 (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

) 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 (1230–died 1280–1314), philosopher and scientist * Bolesław II the Bald (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 (1776–1810), scientist, philosopher, discoverer of ultraviolet radiation * Heinrich Wilhelm Dove (1803–1879) physicist * Benjamin Bilse (1816–1902), conductor and composer * Karl von Vogelsang (1818–1890), Catholic journalist, politician and social reformer *

Leopold Kronecker Leopold Kronecker (; 7 December 1823 – 29 December 1891) was a German mathematician who worked on number theory, abstract algebra and logic, and criticized Georg Cantor's work on set theory. Heinrich Weber quoted Kronecker as having said, ...

(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 * Hans Hayn (1896–1934), SA general and politician * Gert Jeschonnek (1912–1999), an officer of the Navy, Vice Admiral, Chief of Navy * Hans-Heinrich Jescheck (1915–2009), jurist * Günter Reich (1921–1989), opera singer (baritone) * Claus-Wilhelm Canaris (1937–2021), jurist and legal philosopher * Uta Zapf (born 1941), politician (SPD), member of the Bundestag from 1990 to 2013 * Anna Dymna (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 (born 1978), rapper and MMA fighter * Mariusz Lewandowski (born 1979), football player * Aleksandra Klejnowska (born 1982), weightlifter * Marcin Robak (born 1982), football player * Jagoda Szmytka (born 1982), composer * Karol Welter (born 1995) professional boxer * 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 Drohobych ( ; ; ) is a city in the south of Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. In 1939–1941 and 1944–1959 it w ...

, Ukraine * Meissen, Germany * Roanne, France *

Wuppertal Wuppertal (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany, with a population of 355,000. Wuppertal is the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and List of cities in Germany by population, 17th-largest in Germany. It ...

, Germany

In fiction

Legnica and its then ruler Count Conrad figure prominently in the

alternate history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...

series ''The Crosstime Engineer'', set in the period of 1230 to 1270, by Leo Frankowski.