Legnica

Coordinates: 51°12′30″N 16°9′37″E / 51.20833°N 16.16028°E / 51.20833; 16.16028
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Legnica, Poland
)

Legnica
Market Square and Baroque Old Town Hall
New Town Hall
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
Piast Castle
Cityscape
Car plates
DL
Highways
National road
Websitewww.legnica.um.gov.pl

Legnica (Polish:

Diocese of Legnica. As of 2023, Legnica had a population of 97,300 inhabitants.[1]

The city was first referenced in chronicles dating from the year 1004,

consorts
.

Legnica became renowned for the fierce battle 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.

Legnica is an economic, cultural and academic centre in

medieval to modern period, and its preserved Old Town with the Piast Castle, one of the largest in Poland.[5] According to the Foreign direct investment ranking (FDI) from 2016, Legnica is one of the most progressive high-income cities in the Silesian region.[6][7]

Population

As of 31 December 2012[update] Legnica has 102,708 inhabitants and is the third largest city in the voivodeship (after Wrocław 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 and the graves of three metallurgists. The find indicates a time interval about year 1000 BC.[8]

A settlement of the

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 recorded the ancient nation of Lugii (Lygii) in the area, and mentioned their town of Lugidunum, which has been attributed to both Legnica[9] and Głogów.[10]

Early Poland

See also: Battle of Legnica
Los Angeles, California

Slavic Lechitic tribes moved into the area in the 8th century.

The city was first officially mentioned in

Mieszko I of Poland, a new fortified settlement was built here in a style typical of the early Piast dynasty.[12] It is mentioned in 1149 when High Duke Bolesław IV the Curly funded a chapel at the St. Benedict monastery.[13] Legnica was the most likely place of residence for Bolesław[14] and it became the residence of the high dukes of Poland in 1163[2] and was the seat of a principality
ruled from 1248 until 1675.

Legnica became famous for the

military orders and Czech troops, was decisively defeated by the Mongols. 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 via Moravia against a coalition of King Bela IV and his armies, and Bela's Kipchak allies.[15]

Former Dominican monastery and burial site of Bolesław II the Horned

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.

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.[17]

Duchy of Legnica

Main article: Duchy of Legnica
The Piast Castle in 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 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 of the Kingdom of Bohemia during the 14th century and was included within the multi-ethnic Holy Roman Empire, 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.[18] 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.[16]

Mausoleum of the last Piast dukes in the Saint John the Baptist church
One of the preserved streets in Legnica's Old Town with the Castle in the background

The

Protestant Reformation was introduced in the duchy as early as 1522 and the population became Lutheran. In 1526, a Protestant university was established in Legnica, which, however, was closed in 1529.[16] In 1528 the first printing house in Legnica was established.[16] After the death of King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia at Mohács in 1526, Legnica became a fief of the Habsburg monarchy of Austria. The first map of Silesia was made by native son Martin Helwig. The city suffered during the Thirty Years' War. In 1633 a plague epidemic broke out, and in 1634 the Austrian army destroyed the suburbs.[16]

In 1668 Duke of Legnica

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.[16]

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 and Dresden ran through the city in the 18th century and Kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland traveled that route many times.[19] The postal milestone of King Augustus II comes from that period.[20]

In 1742 most of Silesia, including Liegnitz, became part of the

Laudon
.

Eclectic tenements located at Witelona Street

During the

Battle of Katzbach (Kaczawa) nearby. After the administrative reorganization of the Prussian state following the Congress of Vienna, 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 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, 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.[22]

The 20th century

Old view of the Piast Castle

The census of 1910 gave Liegnitz's population as 95.86%

Jewish premises was ordered, during the Kristallnacht in 1938 the synagogue was burned down,[23] and in 1939 the local Polish population was terrorized and persecuted.[24] A Nazi court prison was operated in the city with a forced labour subcamp.[25] During World War II, several members of the Polish resistance movement were imprisoned and sentenced to death there.[26] 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).[27]

Cemetery chapel

After the defeat of

expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement
or fled from the city.

The city was repopulated with Poles, including expellees from pre-war

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.[29]

Post-war view of the Piast Castle (on the left) and the Głogów Gate (on the right)

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.[30] 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.[30] 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.[31]

From 1945 to 1990, during the

Soviets in Legnica.[32] In October 1956, the largest anti-Soviet demonstrations in Lower Silesia took place in Legnica.[30]
The last Soviet units left the city in 1993.

Between 1 June 1975 and 31 December 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.[33] New local newspapers and a radio station were founded in the 1990s.[33] In 1997, Legnica was visited by Pope John Paul II.[33] The city suffered in the 1997 Central European flood.[33]

Climate

Legnica has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb).[34][35]

Climate data for Legnica (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.4
(65.1) 		20.0
(68.0) 		24.8
(76.6) 		29.5
(85.1) 		31.4
(88.5) 		36.9
(98.4) 		37.3
(99.1) 		38.4
(101.1) 		35.1
(95.2) 		29.3
(84.7) 		20.6
(69.1) 		18.1
(64.6) 		38.4
(101.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3.1
(37.6) 		4.6
(40.3) 		8.9
(48.0) 		15.1
(59.2) 		19.6
(67.3) 		23.0
(73.4) 		25.6
(78.1) 		25.5
(77.9) 		20.0
(68.0) 		14.2
(57.6) 		8.1
(46.6) 		4.2
(39.6) 		14.3
(57.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.2
(32.4) 		1.2
(34.2) 		4.4
(39.9) 		9.5
(49.1) 		13.9
(57.0) 		17.3
(63.1) 		19.5
(67.1) 		19.2
(66.6) 		14.5
(58.1) 		9.7
(49.5) 		4.8
(40.6) 		1.4
(34.5) 		9.6
(49.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −2.8
(27.0) 		−2.0
(28.4) 		0.5
(32.9) 		3.9
(39.0) 		8.1
(46.6) 		11.6
(52.9) 		13.5
(56.3) 		13.2
(55.8) 		9.6
(49.3) 		5.6
(42.1) 		1.8
(35.2) 		−1.5
(29.3) 		5.1
(41.2)
Record low °C (°F) −27.8
(−18.0) 		−29.7
(−21.5) 		−21.4
(−6.5) 		−7.6
(18.3) 		−2.1
(28.2) 		0.5
(32.9) 		3.4
(38.1) 		3.4
(38.1) 		−3.2
(26.2) 		−6.3
(20.7) 		−16.8
(1.8) 		−24.7
(−12.5) 		−29.7
(−21.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 25.0
(0.98) 		22.3
(0.88) 		33.3
(1.31) 		25.9
(1.02) 		57.8
(2.28) 		65.9
(2.59) 		89.6
(3.53) 		64.4
(2.54) 		48.4
(1.91) 		35.7
(1.41) 		28.9
(1.14) 		24.5
(0.96) 		521.6
(20.54)
Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) 4.4
(1.7) 		4.3
(1.7) 		3.2
(1.3) 		0.4
(0.2) 		0.1
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.4
(0.2) 		1.8
(0.7) 		3.1
(1.2) 		4.4
(1.7)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 15.47 13.10 14.03 10.80 13.00 13.90 13.50 11.97 11.37 12.97 13.70 14.63 158.43
Average snowy days (≥ 0 cm) 11.6 9.2 4.3 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 2.7 6.6 35.1
Average
relative humidity
(%) 		83.6 80.6 76.9 70.5 72.3 72.6 70.4 70.5 77.2 81.5 86.1 84.9 77.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 58.2 81.7 126.0 196.7 238.3 237.6 249.2 242.6 162.5 119.1 66.3 53.3 1,831.4
Source 1: Institute of Meteorology and Water Management[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]
Source 2: Meteomodel.pl (records, relative humidity 1991–2020)[44][45][46]

Sights

Market Square filled with baroque and neoclassical architecture

Legnica is a city with rich historical architecture, ranging from Romanesque and Gothic through the Renaissance and Baroque 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 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
  • Copper Museum [pl] (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 and a postal milestone of King Augustus II the Strong from 1725 in Legnica.[20]

  • Piast Castle courtyard
    Piast Castle courtyard
  • Kamienice Śledziowe at the Market Square
    Kamienice Śledziowe at the Market Square
  • Helena Modrzejewska Theatre
    Helena Modrzejewska Theatre
  • Saint Mary church
    Saint Mary church
  • Copper Museum
    Copper Museum
  • Under the Quail Basket House
    Under the Quail Basket House

Economy

In the 1950s and 1960s, the local copper 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 in the world. The company owns a large copper mill on the western outskirts of town. Legnica Special Economic Zone was established in 1997.[47]

Education

Witelon State University of Applied Sciences

Legnica is a regional academic center with seven universities enrolling approximately 16,000 students.

Legnica public library

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.[48]

Roads

To the south of Legnica is the 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

Legnica main railway station

In the city there are 20 regular bus lines, 1

belt-line
, 2 night lines and 3 suburban.

The town has an airport (airport code EPLE) with a 1600-metre runway, the remains of a former Soviet air base, but it is (as of 2007) in a poor state and not used for commercial flights.

Sports

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:

Politics

Municipal politics

Legnica tends to be a

executive branch
of the local government and is directly elected in the same municipal elections.

Legnica – Jelenia Góra constituency

Members of Parliament (

Sejm) elected from Legnica-Jelenia Gora
constituency:

Notable people

Witelo
on the facade of the Copper Museum
Tomasz Kot
Aleksandra Klejnowska

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Legnica is twinned with:[49]

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.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 9 August 2022. Data for territorial unit 0262000.
  2. ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Liegnitz" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 594.
  3. OCLC 1336402730
    .
  4. OCLC 744588454.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link
    )
  5. ^ "*** LEGNICA *** ZAMEK W LEGNICY *** LEGNICA ***". Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  6. ^ https://www.um.olawa.pl/attachments/article/601/Polish%20Cities%20of%20the%20Future%202015_16.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  7. ^ "Dolny Śląsk najbogatszy w Polsce, a Wrocław zaraz za Warszawą (RANKING NAJBOGATSZYCH) - Gazetawroclawska.pl". Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Brzytwy sprzed 3 tysięcy lat w grobach kowali". 26 December 2016.
  9. ^ Pierre Deschamps. Dictionnaire de géographie ancienne et moderne. Straubling & Müller, 1922.
  10. ^ James Cowles Prichard. Researches into the Physical History of Mankind. Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper. London, 1841.
  11. ^ "Legnica".
  12. ^ Korta, Wacław (2013). Historia Śląska do 1763 roku (in Polish). Warsaw: DiG. p. 63.
  13. ISSN 0066-6041
    .
  14. ^ Bar, Joachim Roman (1986). "Polscy święci". Akademia Teologii Katolickiej. 9–10: 36.
  15. JSTOR 41933117
    .
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Od miasta lokacyjnego do końca czasów piastowskich". Legnica.eu (in Polish). Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Królowa z drugiej ligi". Legnica.Gosc.pl (in Polish). 18 January 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  18. ^ T. Gumiński, E. Wiśniewski, Legnica. Przewodnik po mieście, Legnica 2001, p. 15.
  19. ^ "Informacja historyczna". Dresden-Warszawa (in Polish). Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  20. ^ a b "Legnica - Słup milowy". PolskaNiezwykla.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Legnica - Tablica pamiątkowa poświęcona ułanom Legii Nadwiślańskiej". PolskaNiezwykla.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  22. ^ Sedan 1870. Ryszard Dzieszyńsk, page 52, Bellona 2009
  23. ^ "Okres rządów hitlerowskich". Legnica.eu (in Polish). Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  24. ^ Cygański, Mirosław (1984). "Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939 - 1945". Przegląd Zachodni (in Polish) (4): 35–36.
  25. ^ "Gerichtsgefängnis Lignitz". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  26. ISBN 83-85003-97-5
    .
  27. ^ Lusek, Joanna; Goetze, Albrecht (2011). "Stalag VIII A Görlitz. Historia – teraźniejszość – przyszłość". Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny (in Polish). 34. Opole: 44.
  28. ^ Kubasiewicz, Izabela (2013). "Emigranci z Grecji w Polsce Ludowej. Wybrane aspekty z życia mniejszości". In Dworaczek, Kamil; Kamiński, Łukasz (eds.). Letnia Szkoła Historii Najnowszej 2012. Referaty (in Polish). Warszawa: IPN. p. 117.
  29. ^ Wala, Grzegorz (9 February 2010). "65. rocznica wyzwolenia Legnicy - foto relacja". Legniczanin.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  30. ^ a b c "[PRL]" (in Polish). Legnica.eu. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  31. ISBN 3-422-03109-X
    , page 521
  32. ^ "ARMIA CZERWONA NA DOLNYM ŚLĄSKU" (in Polish). Institute of National Remembrance. Archived from the original on 21 March 2005.
  33. ^ a b c d "Okres III Rzeczpospolitej". Legnica.eu (in Polish). Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  34. doi:10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130
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  36. ^ "Średnia dobowa temperatura powietrza". Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  37. ^ "Średnia minimalna temperatura powietrza". Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
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  39. ^ "Miesięczna suma opadu". Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  40. ^ "Liczba dni z opadem >= 0,1 mm". Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  41. ^ "Średnia grubość pokrywy śnieżnej". Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
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  43. ^ "Średnia suma usłonecznienia (h)". Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  44. ^ "Legnica Absolutna temperatura maksymalna" (in Polish). Meteomodel.pl. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  45. ^ "Legnica Absolutna temperatura minimalna" (in Polish). Meteomodel.pl. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  46. ^ "Legnica Średnia wilgotność" (in Polish). Meteomodel.pl. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  47. ^ "Legnica Special Economic Zone". Polish Investment and Trade Agency. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  48. ^ Legnica: Welcome to Legnica Archived 9 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  49. ^ "Miasta Partnerskie". portal.legnica.eu (in Polish). Legnica. Retrieved 28 February 2020.

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