Lubawka
Encyclopedia
Lubawka l is a town in Poland
, in Lower Silesia Voivodship, in Kamienna Góra County
. It is the administrative seat of Gmina Lubawka
. It lies in the area of Central Sudetenland
near to the border with the Czech Republic
on the way across the Lubawka pass (516m) between the Karkonosze
and Crow Mountains . Two small rivers, the Bóbr
and Czarnuszka, run through the town, which has 6,529 inhabitants (2006). It was part of the German Republic before WWII after which the ethnic Germans were expelled.
(German: Grussau). The whole domain devolved to the Czech
Kingdom in 1392. The town was destroyed twice during the Hussite wars
in 1425 and 1431. From 1526 it become part of the Habsburg Empire. Another great war disaster hit Lubawka when the Swedish
army during the Thirty Years War totally despoiled the city which was abandoned by its inhabitants for more than six months. The city developed rapidly in the 18th century, particularly due to growth in the textile industry there and in surrounding villages. Unfortunately several great fires damaged the city in those times. The largest one in 1734 destroyed the town hall, school, church, vicarage and almost all buildings.
In 1810 when the Cistercian monastery in Krzeszów was abolished, Lubawka in conjunction with Chełmsko Śląskie began to develop on their own. The railway, a great incentive to faster development, arrived in Lubawka from Sędzisławia in 1867. Several years later it was extended to Královec
and connected with Žacléř
() and Trutnov
() which are now part of the Czech Republic. In those times coal mining reached prosperity. At the end of 19th century Lubawka and the surrounding villages became very well known as a destination for tourism. The German
Olympic team used a facility built near Lubawka to prepare for the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. During the era of the Third Reich the facility was used by Hitler-Jugend as a training and recreation centr. During 1944 there was established the branch of KZ Gross-Rosen
in the city for 500 Jewish women delivered from Auschwitz.
The town was occupied by the Soviet army on 7 May 1945. Approximately 1000 German war refugees resided in Lubawka together with 6300 resident citizens at that time. Virtually all of them were displaced to Germany between 1945 and 1947. The whole area including Lubawka was populated by Poles transferred from the eastern parts of Poland occupied by and annexed to the Soviet Union
, and from the neighborhood of Nowy Sącz
in south-east Poland.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, in Lower Silesia Voivodship, in Kamienna Góra County
Kamienna Góra County
Kamienna Góra County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. The county covers an area of...
. It is the administrative seat of Gmina Lubawka
Gmina Lubawka
Gmina Lubawka is an urban-rural gmina in Kamienna Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Lubawka, which lies approximately south of Kamienna Góra, and south-west of the regional capital Wrocław.The gmina covers an area of , and as of 2006 its...
. It lies in the area of Central Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
near to the border with the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
on the way across the Lubawka pass (516m) between the Karkonosze
Karkonosze
Krkonoše is a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system . The Czech-Polish border, which divides the historic regions of Bohemia and Silesia, runs along the main ridge...
and Crow Mountains . Two small rivers, the Bóbr
Bóbr
Bóbr is a river which runs through the north of the Czech Republic and the southwest of Poland, a left tributary of the Oder River, with a length of and a basin area of .The Bóbr originates in the Rýchory mountains in the southeast of the Karkonosze range, where the source is...
and Czarnuszka, run through the town, which has 6,529 inhabitants (2006). It was part of the German Republic before WWII after which the ethnic Germans were expelled.
History
The first written reference to Lubawka is from 1284. From 1292 to 1810 it belonged to the Cistercian monastery in KrzeszówKrzeszów
Krzeszów is a village in Nisko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Krzeszów. It lies on the San River, approximately south-east of Nisko and north-east of the regional capital Rzeszów.In 2005 the village had a population of...
(German: Grussau). The whole domain devolved to the Czech
Czech lands
Czech lands is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Today, those three historic provinces compose the Czech Republic. The Czech lands had been settled by the Celts , then later by various Germanic tribes until the beginning of 7th...
Kingdom in 1392. The town was destroyed twice during the Hussite wars
Hussite Wars
The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars involved the military actions against and amongst the followers of Jan Hus in Bohemia in the period 1419 to circa 1434. The Hussite Wars were notable for the extensive use of early hand-held gunpowder weapons such as hand cannons...
in 1425 and 1431. From 1526 it become part of the Habsburg Empire. Another great war disaster hit Lubawka when the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
army during the Thirty Years War totally despoiled the city which was abandoned by its inhabitants for more than six months. The city developed rapidly in the 18th century, particularly due to growth in the textile industry there and in surrounding villages. Unfortunately several great fires damaged the city in those times. The largest one in 1734 destroyed the town hall, school, church, vicarage and almost all buildings.
In 1810 when the Cistercian monastery in Krzeszów was abolished, Lubawka in conjunction with Chełmsko Śląskie began to develop on their own. The railway, a great incentive to faster development, arrived in Lubawka from Sędzisławia in 1867. Several years later it was extended to Královec
Královec
Královec is small village in Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic, on border with Poland. It has around 170 inhabitants.-External links:*...
and connected with Žacléř
Žaclér
Žacléř is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 3,600 inhabitants.Villages Bobr and Prkenný Důl are administrative parts of Žacléř.-External links:*...
() and Trutnov
Trutnov
Trutnov is a city in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population of 31,239 and lies in the Krkonoše in the valley of the Úpa River....
() which are now part of the Czech Republic. In those times coal mining reached prosperity. At the end of 19th century Lubawka and the surrounding villages became very well known as a destination for tourism. The German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Olympic team used a facility built near Lubawka to prepare for the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936. During the era of the Third Reich the facility was used by Hitler-Jugend as a training and recreation centr. During 1944 there was established the branch of KZ Gross-Rosen
Gross-Rosen concentration camp
KL Gross-Rosen was a German concentration camp, located in Gross-Rosen, Lower Silesia . It was located directly on the rail line between Jauer and Striegau .-The camp:...
in the city for 500 Jewish women delivered from Auschwitz.
The town was occupied by the Soviet army on 7 May 1945. Approximately 1000 German war refugees resided in Lubawka together with 6300 resident citizens at that time. Virtually all of them were displaced to Germany between 1945 and 1947. The whole area including Lubawka was populated by Poles transferred from the eastern parts of Poland occupied by and annexed to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and from the neighborhood of Nowy Sącz
Nowy Sacz
Nowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County, but is not included within the powiat.-Names:...
in south-east Poland.
Places of interest
- Town hall from 18th century
- Parish church from 17th century
- Raven Rocks
- Calvary on the Holy Mountain ()
- Valley of Mercy ()
Notable Citizens
- Otto MuellerOtto MuellerOtto Mueller or Müller was a German painter and printmaker of the Die Brücke expressionist movement.-Life and work:...
(1874-1930), painter and lithographer - Johann-Georg RichertJohann-Georg RichertJohann-Georg Richert was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield...
(1890–1946), general - Wolfgang LiebeneinerWolfgang LiebeneinerWolfgang Georg Louis Liebeneiner was a German actor, film director and theater director.He was born in Liebau in Prussian Silesia. In 1928, he was taught by Otto Falckenberg, the director of the Munich Kammerspiele, in acting and directing...
- Ryszard ZbrzyznyRyszard ZbrzyznyRyszard Zbrzyzny is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 9644 votes in 1 Legnica district, candidating from Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej list....