Bolesławiec ( pronounced [bɔlɛˈswavʲɛt͡s] , Silesian : Bolesławiec , German : Bunzlau ) is a historic city situated on the Bóbr River in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship , in south-western Poland . It is the administrative seat of Bolesławiec County , and of Gmina Bolesławiec (being an urban gmina in its own right). As of June 2021, it has a population of 38,280. Founded in the 13th century, the city is known for its long-standing pottery -making tradition and heritage Old Town.
167-644: The German name Bunzlau can refer to: Bolesławiec ( Bunzlau ) in Poland Mladá Boleslav ( Jungbunzlau ) in the Czech Republic The former city Stará Boleslav ( Altbunzlau ), now part of Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav ( Brandeis-Altbunzlau ) in the Czech Republic. [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with
334-726: A fief of the Margraviate of Brandenburg , which in 1307 extended its Pomeranian possessions even further east, taking over the Sławno and Słupsk areas. Pomerelia or Gdańsk Pomerania became independent of the Polish dukes from 1227. In mid-13th century, Bolesław II the Bald granted Lubusz Land to the Margraviate, which made possible the creation of the Neumark and had far reaching negative consequences for
501-581: A Roman denarius with a spear blade was discovered in Bolesławiec, followed in 1941 by a denarius of Gordian III from the years 238-244. These coins may prove the existence of a trade route in the area as early as the first half of the 1st millennium. What draws attention, however, is the discovery of a settlement (pottery) of the Luboszycki culture in Bolesławiec. Slightly further north of the city, in Parkoszów ,
668-512: A cemetery of this culture was found with five graves equipped with pottery and fragments of corpses as well as melted glass and a fragment of a comb. It is thought that settlement during this period occupied a small area along the Beaver River. The Slavs arrived in Silesia in the 7th century, but no traces of their residence at that time have been found in the Bolesławiec area, nor have the remains of
835-587: A chance of overcoming the country's mounting difficulties or succeeding as a ruler. But from the beginning, Casimir acted prudently, and in 1335, he purchased the claims of King John of Bohemia to the Polish throne. In 1343, Casimir settled several high-level arbitration disputes with the Teutonic Order by a territorial compromise that culminated in the Treaty of Kalisz of 1343. Dobrzyń Land and Kuyavia were recovered by Casimir. At that time, Poland started to expand to
1002-846: A complex political relationship with the German Holy Roman Empire , as Mieszko was a "friend", ally and vassal of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I and paid him tribute from the western part of his lands. Mieszko fought wars with the Polabian Slavs , the Czechs, Margrave Gero of the Saxon Eastern March in 963–964 and Margrave Odo I of the Saxon Eastern March in 972 in the Battle of Cedynia . The victories over Wichmann and Odo allowed Mieszko to extend his Pomeranian possessions west to
1169-441: A distinctive Bunzlauer style are ball-shaped jugs and screw-lidded jars, often decorated with applied cartouches filled with intricate floral design. At first the entire pot, including the decorations, was covered in the same brown slip. Later examples used a yellowish lead glaze for the applied decorations which then stood out against the darker surface of the vessel (Adler, 95). A famous example of Bunzlauer pottery from this period
1336-523: A government, Poland was ravaged by an anti-feudal and pagan rebellion , and in 1039, there was an invasion by the forces of Bretislaus I of Bohemia . The country suffered territorial losses, and the functioning of the Gniezno archdiocese was disrupted. Poland made a recovery under Mieszko's son, Duke Casimir I (r. 1039–1058), known to history as the Restorer. After returning from exile in 1039, Casimir rebuilt
1503-570: A great loss to Poland) was his success in forcing most of the Piast Silesian principalities, often ambivalent about their loyalties, into allegiance between 1327 and 1329. After the death of Władysław I, the old monarch's 23-year-old son became King Casimir III, later known as Casimir the Great (r. 1333–1370). Unlike his father, the new king demonstrated no attraction for the hardships of military life. Casimir's contemporaries did not give him much of
1670-459: A guild in order to enforce their monopoly of pottery making. Early Bunzlauer pottery is exceedingly rare today. The majority of a potshop's production would have been intended for farm and kitchen use: kraut containers, cheese sieves, pickling and preserve jars, baking forms, food molds, storage vessels, and so forth. Most of these stock-in-trade storage or cooking items have either disappeared or go unrecognized and undated today. What has survived
1837-750: A histonc complex of a psychiatric hospital was built between the current Piast and Tysiąclecia Streets, where the Provincial Hospital for the Nervous and Mentally ill now operates. Many Bolesław citizens took part in the Franco-Prussian War and in the battles of the First World War. The latter were commemorated with monuments: In the Evangelical church and in the municipal forest in the present Jelenlogórska Street (both no longer extant). Despite these wars,
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#17328551834472004-611: A moving sermon in St Mary's Church. The sermon caused a large part of the townspeople to convert to the Protestant side. In time, the Dominican monastery was abolished and St Mary's Church was turned into a Lutheran church, a state of affairs that did not change until 1629, when the church was returned to Catholics. The church housed the first known library of Boleslawiec. It was a so-called chain library, consisting of around 150 volumes. From 1525
2171-525: A native of Boleslawiec, was Andreas Scultetus. The city suffered severely during the Thirty Years' War, when Swedish troops passed through Bolesławiec more than once, leaving ruins in their wake. In addition, in June 1623, the city was hit by a major plague epidemic that led to deaths Despite the great destruction, the city managed to recover from the losses it had suffered, as evidenced by the subsequent rebuilding of
2338-510: A non-existent entity, a product of pre-war German historiography. The poorly attested settlement in this area in the early medieval period was initially due to the existence of a so-called zonal boundary running through a strip of forest between the Lusatian Neisse and the Beaver. With the development of settlement - Silesian on the one hand, and Lusatian-Milczański on the other - in connection with
2505-464: A number of books and leaflets in Bolesławiec, but the newspapers brought them the greatest fame. In addition to the city newspaper Bunzlauer Stadtblatt, the printing house also published specialized newspapers - the most famous title was Der Photograph, which was published on a global scale. The Fernbachs were finally dispossessed of their property in 1942 by the Nazi authorities. In 1913, the "Metropol" cinema
2672-631: A pilgrim to visit St. Adalbert's grave and lent his support to Bolesław during the Congress of Gniezno ; the Gniezno Archdiocese and several subordinate dioceses were established on this occasion. The Polish ecclesiastical province effectively served as an essential anchor and an institution to fall back on for the Piast state, helping it to survive in the troubled centuries ahead. Bolesław at first chose to continue his father's policy of cooperation with
2839-487: A retouched base and two large scale fragments of splinters). The location of the finds is closely related to the mountainous character of the Bóbr. The valley of this river, 500 to 3,500 m wide, was under water in the spring and during continuous rainfall . The groundwater level meant that it drained slowly. As a result, the valley was difficult to access for a long time. For their own safety, late Palaeolithic man therefore stayed in
3006-539: A series of rulers converted the population to Christianity, created a kingdom of Poland in 1025 and integrated Poland into the prevailing culture of Europe . Mieszko's son Bolesław I the Brave established a Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Gniezno , pursued territorial conquests and was officially crowned in 1025 as the first king of Poland . The first Piast monarchy collapsed with the death of Mieszko II Lambert in 1034, followed by its restoration under Casimir I in 1042. In
3173-457: A tinsmith before being shipped off by wagon or on the back of peddlers to customers in Prussia, Bohemia, and Poland, even as far away as Russia. The simple blue-on-white spongeware and swirlware productions of the 1880s and 1890s with their clear feldspathic glazes were successful initially, but something still more colorful and forceful was needed if modern customers were to be attracted. This demand
3340-507: A well-connected Czech bishop in exile and missionary who was killed in 997 while on a mission in Prussia . Bolesław skillfully took advantage of his death: his martyrdom led to his elevation as patron saint of Poland and resulted in the creation of an independent Polish province of the Church with Radim Gaudentius as Archbishop of Gniezno . In the year 1000, the young Emperor Otto III came as
3507-588: Is a patronymic name derived from the Slavic name Bolesław, composed of two elements of the old Polish, currently unused term bole(j) meaning very and sław meaning fame. This name literally means "very famous" and was given to the city in honor of the founder Bolesław I the Tall , who founded the city around 1190, granting it numerous privileges. In his list of place names in Silesia, published in Wrocław in 1888, Heinrich Adamy mentions
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#17328551834473674-414: Is archaeological evidence for pottery being turned in the region as early as the 7th century. Documentary evidence demonstrates potting activity in Bolesławiec itself by the 14th century . High-fired earthenware covered in brown and yellow lead glazes was being produced in Bolesławiec from the late 15th century. By 1473, five separate potteries were at work in the city, and in 1511 they came together to form
3841-611: Is because it was located on the borderline between the Luboszycka culture and the Legnic region of the Przeworsk culture . The aforementioned finds from the period of Roman influence (1st century BC - 6th century AD) are not impressive. Between 1932 and 1933, two Roman coins (one bronze) were discovered in Bolesławice, which were in private possession and are now considered lost. Much earlier (1820)
4008-516: Is because the end of a belt of the so-called Blatnica type was found, coming from the Blatnica-Mikulżice zone dated to 790-830. It is distinguished by wares created after the fall of the Avar caganate, referring to Western wares. The end of the belt found in Bolesławiec has Carolingian features. The spur found, on the other hand, is an imitation of early Carolingian wares. Thus, Bolesławiec is located on
4175-451: Is the "fancy ware" intended for display on the table or in the parlor and used with care. In addition to their utilitarian items, the Bunzlauer potteries of Silesia turned out elegant tankards, pitchers and containers, all bathed in the brown slip "glaze" that characterized this early phase of the Bunzlauer style. The tankards and pitchers often received pewter mountings. The first examples of
4342-464: Is the hexagonal travel bottle with applied pewter mounts, originally belonging to Pastor Merge and dating to 1640–45. A type of round-bodied jug with spiraling ribs called a "melon jug" attained popularity in the last quarter of the 17th century and continued to be produced on into the next century. Some examples gave up the application of slip in favor of colored lead glazes. After leaving the potshop, many of these melon jugs received pewter lids made by
4509-593: The Dagome iudex act, the most important written document and source of the period is the Gesta principum Polonorum , a chronicle by Gallus Anonymus , a foreign cleric from the court of Bolesław Wrymouth. Bruno of Querfurt was one of the pioneering Western clergymen spreading Church literacy; some of his prominent writings had been produced in eremitic monasteries in Poland. Among the preeminent early monastic religious orders were
4676-585: The Baptism of Poland that is considered to be the founding event of the Polish state. In the aftermath of Mieszko's victory over a force of the Velunzani in 967, which was led by Wichmann, the first missionary bishop was appointed: Jordan, bishop of Poland . The action counteracted the intended eastern expansion of the Magdeburg Archdiocese , which was established at about the same time. Mieszko's state had
4843-417: The Battle of Legnica , and Henry IV Probus . In 1295, Przemysł II of Greater Poland became the first Piast duke crowned as King of Poland since Bolesław II, but he ruled over only a part of the territory of Poland (including Gdańsk Pomerania from 1294) and was assassinated soon after his coronation. A more extensive unification of Polish lands was accomplished by a foreign ruler, Václav II of Bohemia of
5010-582: The Benedictines (the abbey in Tyniec founded in 1044) and the Cistercians . The 13th century brought fundamental changes to the structure of Polish society and its political system. Because of constant internal conflicts, the Piast dukes were unable to stabilize Poland's external borders. Western Farther Pomerania broke its political ties with Poland in the second half of the 12th century and from 1231 became
5177-488: The Franciscans were the leading monastic orders at this time, and they interacted closely with the general population. A proliferation of narrative annals characterized the period, as well as other written records, laws and documents. More of the clergy were of local origin; others were expected to know the Polish language. Wincenty Kadłubek , the author of an influential chronicle , was the most recognized representative in
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5344-488: The Greater Poland Civil War , the Polish nobility decided that Jadwiga, Louis's youngest daughter, should become the next "King of Poland"; Jadwiga arrived in 1384 and was crowned at the age of eleven. The failure of the union of Poland and Hungary paved the way for the union of Lithuania and Poland . In the 14th century, many large scale brick building projects were undertaken during Casimir's reign, including
5511-521: The Gross-Rosen concentration camp in the town. One, at the current Staroszkolna 18 street was established in May 1944 on the basis of the camp of Jewish prisoners subordinated to Organization Schmelt , which had already existed in 1942. For almost the entire period of its existence, 1,000-1,200 Jews were imprisoned there, mainly Polish and Hungarian. They worked in several local arms factories. The second camp, at
5678-506: The Holy Roman Empire but when Emperor Otto III died in 1002, Bolesław's relationship with his successor Henry II turned out to be much more difficult, and it resulted in a series of wars (1002–1005, 1007–1013, 1015–1018). From 1003 to 1004, Bolesław intervened militarily in Czech dynastic conflicts. After his forces were removed from Bohemia in 1018, Bolesław retained Moravia . In 1013,
5845-589: The Hungarian ruling house the Polish throne in the event he dies without male heirs. Casimir, who formally gave up his rights to several Silesian principalities in 1339, unsuccessfully tried to recover the region by conducting military activities against the House of Luxembourg (the rulers of Bohemia) between 1343 and 1348, but then blocked the attempted separation of Silesia from the Gniezno Archdiocese by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV . Later, until his death, he pursued
6012-467: The Jagiellonian dynasty . At the end of the 15th century, the expansion of St Mary's Church took place, which resulted in the demolition of St Dorothy's Church. Part of this church was incorporated into the expanding church. Remembrances of this reconstruction have survived to this day in the form of inscriptions, placed in the walls of the basilica. In 1524 Jacob Süssenbach came to Boleslawiec and delivered
6179-525: The Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp in Thuringia. 541 prisoners out of about 800 Jewish prisoners and 441 out of about 600 non-Jewish prisoners endured this march. A small number of patients from both camps were left there and waited to be liberated by Soviet soldiers. After fighting with German troops, the city was captured on February 12, 1945 by the 7th Guards Tank Corps of the 3rd Guards Tank Army and
6346-483: The Piast dynasty between the 10th and 14th centuries is the first major stage of the history of the Polish state . The dynasty was founded by a series of dukes listed by the chronicler Gall Anonymous in the early 12th century: Siemowit , Lestek and Siemomysł . It was Mieszko I , the son of Siemomysł, who is now considered the proper founder of the Polish state at about 960 AD. The ruling house then remained in power in
6513-618: The Pomeranian culture . At the end of the 2nd century A.D., the place of the Celts was taken by the people of the Luboszycki culture (mid 2nd century - 4th - 5th century A.D.). Research into settlement in this area in the pre-Roman period and the Roman influence, with the exception of loose finds and pottery proving the existence of a settlement, has so far not confirmed the existence of a settlement here. This
6680-521: The Přemyslid dynasty , who married Przemysł's daughter Richeza and became King of Poland in 1300. Václav's heavy-handed policies soon caused him to lose whatever support he had earlier in his reign; he died in 1305. An important factor in the unification process was the Polish Church, which remained a single ecclesiastical province throughout the fragmentation period. Archbishop Jakub Świnka of Gniezno
6847-517: The Statutes of Casimir the Great (the Piotrków–Wiślica Statutes) from 1346 to 1362. Accordingly, conflict resolution relied on legal proceedings domestically, while bilateral or multilateral negotiations and treaties were increasingly important in international relations. By this time, the network of cathedral and parish schools had become well developed. In 1364, Casimir the Great established
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7014-542: The Teutonic Knights to help him fight the pagan, Baltic Old Prussians , who lived in a territory adjacent to his lands; substantial border warfare was taking place and Konrad's province was suffering from Prussian invasions. On the other hand, the Old Prussians themselves were at that time being subjected to increasingly forced, but largely ineffective Christianization efforts, including Northern Crusades sponsored by
7181-615: The Veleti tribes acting in cooperation with the Saxon exile Wichmann the Younger . Under Mieszko's rule ( c. 960 to 992), his tribal state accepted Christianity and became the Polish state. The viability of the Mieszko's emerging state was assured by the persistent territorial expansion of the early Piast rulers. Beginning with a very small area around Gniezno (before the town itself existed),
7348-693: The corded ware culture . This is confirmed by a site of this culture discovered in Bolesławice (stone axe). The largest concentrations of settlements occurred in the Głogowska-Barycka Proglacial Valley, the Silesian Lowlands and the Raciborsk Basin , in places with the most fertile soils and somewhat depleted forests. Due to the considerable mobility of the tribes of this culture, it is thought that their farming methods were dominated by herding and some forms of pastoralism . Over time,
7515-527: The 10th-11th centuries becomes somewhat clearer when one turns to written sources. In the light of these, the Bobrzan tribe spread to the west of the Trzebowians and Dziadoszan, in the middle Beaver basin. Their presence here is attested only by the so-called Praga document of 1086, which is admittedly suspect, but the data contained therein are generally accepted to correspond with the situation in 973. It states that
7682-405: The 1220s. The German, Polish and other new rural settlements represented a form of feudal tenancy with legal immunity and German town laws were often utilized as its legal bases. German immigrants were also important in the rise of the cities and the establishment of the Polish burgher (city dwelling merchants) class; they brought with them West European laws ( Magdeburg rights ) and customs that
7849-508: The 12th and 13th centuries, Christianization of the populace was accomplished on a larger scale. Intellectual and artistic activity was concentrated around the institutions of the Church, the courts of the kings and dukes, and emerged around the households of the rising hereditary elite. Written annals began to be generated in the late 10th century; leaders such as Mieszko II and Casimir the Restorer were considered literate and educated. Along with
8016-459: The 14th century. King Casimir received Jewish refugees from Germany in 1349. Władysław I the Elbow-high (r. 1305–1333), who began as an obscure Piast duke from Kuyavia , pursued a lifelong, persistently challenging struggle with powerful adversaries with persistence and determination. When he died as the king of a partially reunited Poland, he left the kingdom in a precarious situation. Although
8183-607: The 1990s, the Bolesławiec Ceramics Festival has been held in Bolesławiec in the penultimate week of August, attracting tourists not only from Poland, but also from Europe and the rest of the world. On August 18, 2018, a free train of the Lower Silesian Railways, the so-called Ceramic Express. The city has a very well-preserved medieval street grid surrounding the Baroque town hall. There are tenement houses along
8350-565: The 19th century Bergemann Chronicle, the Bolesławiec stronghold had to defend itself fiercely and victoriously against the invading Czech army in 1094. As a result of the 12th-century fragmentation of Poland into smaller duchies still ruled by the founding Piast dynasty , it formed part of the duchies of Silesia , Legnica and Jawor until 1392. However, we do not have the first certain and source-confirmed information about Bolesławiec until around 1194. According to this version, Bolesławiec would have been named after Prince Bolesław Wysoki, who
8517-429: The Bober region and a post-Maglemian population, probably from the Chojnice-Pienkowskie culture , arrived in the area at the end of the Boreal period. They were mainly involved in the exploitation of the forest and water environment ( hunting , fishing ). The end of Mesolithic settlement occurred at the end of the 2nd Neolithic period. The Bolesławiec area was also penetrated in the Neolithic Age, especially by tribes of
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#17328551834478684-437: The Bolesławiec Cultural Center expanded their activities, numerous renovations and renovations of many places in Bolesławiec were started, with the railway viaduct, the city Planty and the Market Square at the forefront. The gradual restoration of St. Mary's Church, which was elevated to the status of a minor basilica on October 7, 2012, is still ongoing. In 2016, the 1st Secondary School celebrated its seventieth anniversary. Since
8851-447: The Bolesławiec area date from the younger phase of the Late Palaeolithic , i.e. around 10 000 BC. In 1974, on the high terrace of the Bóbr River in Bobrowice near Szprotawa , flint tools from this period were found (a Lyngby type leaf with two fragments of splinters ). At the same time, in Golnice near Bolesławiec, also on the terrace of a tributary of the Bóbr River, similar wares were discovered (an asymmetrical thylakus with
9018-399: The Duchy of Jawor-Swidnica, came under Bohemian rule, as did the whole Duchy. In the 14th century, from the taxes imposed on the Jewish population, the citizens of Bolesławiec financed the construction of the city walls between the Upper Gate and the Nicholas Gate. On 18 June 1429, the city fell victim to a devastating Hussite raid, during which a large number of inhabitants were slaughtered and
9185-507: The Elbow-high and his son Casimir III, "the Great" were the last two rulers of the Piast dynasty, who ruled over a reunified kingdom of Poland in the 14th century. Their rule was not a return to the Polish state as it existed before the period of fragmentation, because of the loss of internal cohesion and territorial integrity. The regional Piast princes remained strong, and for economic and cultural reasons, some of them gravitated toward Poland's neighbors. The kingdom lost Pomerania and Silesia,
9352-408: The German name Bunzlau were mentioned in 1896 by the Silesian writer Konstanty Damrot in a book on local names in Silesia. In his book, Damrot also mentions older names from Latin documents: 1377 - Boleslawcze, 1417 - Boleslawicz, 1446 - Boleslavice. The Geographical Dictionary of the Kingdom of Poland gives two names of the town: the Polish name Bolesławiec and the German Bunzlau. The current name
9519-521: The German political structures, settler colonization and gradual Germanization of the Polish ruling circles. The lower Vistula was controlled by the Teutonic Order. Masovia was not to be fully incorporated into the Polish state in the near future. Casimir stabilized the western and northern borders, tried to regain some of the lost territories, and partially compensated the losses by new eastern expansion that placed within his kingdom regions that were East Slavic , thus ethnically non-Polish. Despite
9686-416: The Knights confronted Poland and Lithuania , then the last pagan state in Europe. Teutonic wars with Poland and Lithuania continued for most of the 14th and 15th centuries. The Teutonic state in Prussia, increasingly populated by German settlers beginning in the 13th century, but still retaining a majority Baltic population, had been claimed as a fief and protected by the popes and Holy Roman Emperors. As
9853-413: The Latinized name Boleslavia and Boleslawetz, Bolezlavitz . The name of the town in the Latinized form Boleslavicz is mentioned in a Latin document from 1312 issued in Głogów . In a medieval document written in Latin from October 31, 1310, the city is mentioned under the Latinized name Boleslauia. In 1475, in the Latin statutes Statuta Synodalia Episcoporum Wratislaviensium, the town was mentioned under
10020-475: The Latinized name Boleslauia. In 1613, the Silesian regionalist and historian Mikołaj Henel from Prudnik mentioned the town in his work on the geography of Silesia entitled Silesiographia giving its Latin name: Boleslavia. The German name Bunzlau, which has been present since the 13th century, is a Germanized form derived from the Polish name. In the work of the Swiss geographer Matthäus Merian entitled "Topographia Bohemiae, Moraviae et Silesiae" from 1650 mentions
10187-409: The Lusatian culture collapsed, was followed by the Lateen Age (in the vicinity of Wrocław dated to between the 4th century BC and the end of the 2nd century AD). The Bolesławiec area was outside the influence of the 'Celtic' cultural groups. Despite this, a bronze clasp with a free heel and shield was found in Bolesławiec. It represents a rare specimen of a Munssingen clasp with a chord wrapped around
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#173285518344710354-414: The Nicholas Gate (located near the place where the intersection of Kutuzowa, Kubika and Komuna Paryska Streets is now). The city also had small suburbs in the area of the present Asnyka and Komuny Paryskiej Streets, and in the place of the present Defenders of Hel Park there was an Evangelical cemetery (surviving until the second half of the 20th century). In the area of today's Castle Square one can still see
10521-411: The Piast expansion lasted throughout most of the 10th century and resulted in a territory approximating that of present-day Poland. The Polanie tribe conquered and merged with other Slavic tribes and first formed a tribal federation, then later a centralized state. After the addition of Lesser Poland , the country of the Vistulans , and of Silesia (both taken by Mieszko from the Czech state during
10688-420: The Poles adopted. From that time, the Germans, who created early strong establishments (led by patriciates ) especially in the urban centers of Silesia and other regions of western Poland, were an increasingly influential minority in Poland. In 1228, the Acts of Cienia were passed and signed into law by Władysław III Laskonogi . The titular Duke of Poland promised to provide a "just and noble law according to
10855-426: The Polish claim to Silesia legally by petitioning the pope; his successors did not continue his efforts. Allied with Denmark and Western Pomerania (Gdańsk Pomerania was granted to the Order as an "eternal charity"), Casimir was able to impose some corrections on the western border. In 1365, Drezdenko and Santok became Poland's fiefs , while the Wałcz district was taken outright in 1368. The latter action severed
11022-399: The Polish lands until 1370. Mieszko converted to Christianity of the Western Latin Church in an event known as the Baptism of Poland in 966, which established a major cultural boundary in Europe based on religion. He also completed a unification of the Lechitic tribal lands that was fundamental to the existence of the new country of Poland. Following the emergence of the Polish state,
11189-424: The Polish monarchy and the country's territorial integrity through several military campaigns: in 1047, Masovia was taken back from Miecław , a Polish noble who tried to detach the region from the rule of the Polish monarch, and in 1054 Silesia was recovered from the Czechs. Casimir was aided by recent adversaries of Poland, the Holy Roman Empire and Kievan Rus', both of whom disliked the chaos in Poland left after
11356-400: The Russo-French battle for Bolesławiec took place, ending with the expulsion of the French from the city. After the end of the war, Bolesławiec, whose defensive walls were partially destroyed by the French army began to develop dynamically. On 1 October 1845 a railway station was opened in the town, and a year later a large railway viaduct, one of the longest in Europe, was opened Soon afterwards
11523-405: The Wedding Palace. Bolesławiec was the birthplace of the German poet of the Baroque period, Martin Opitz, whose small monument has recently been located in Komuny Paryskiej Street. Opitz was one of the prominent representatives of the so-called Silesian poetic school, which had an enormous influence on German literature in the first half of the 17th century. Another well-known poet from this school,
11690-503: The architect Wendel Rosskopf was active in Boleslawiec, who took part in work on the interior of St. Mary's Church (Basilica) and created the so-called Vow Palace, still to this day located in the town hall and until the 20th century serving as the town inn. The Renaissance sgraffito in the lower part of the Town Hall tower has been preserved to this day, around which a copy has been made. A magnificent Renaissance portal, funded by one of Boleslawiec's 16th-century mayors, Paul Hanewald, leads to
11857-483: The area in areas that protected him from the water element. In the Beaver basin, 45 sites dating to the Mesolithic era have been discovered, from Bolesławiec to Krosno Odrzańskie . All of them, as in the Palaeolithic, are situated at the edges of valleys, on higher terraces or dunes , mainly on the southern or south-western side. The finds discovered are encampments ranging in size from 2-3 acres to 1 ha (in this case it would have been several small functional sites at
12024-493: The area under King Władysław's control was limited and many unresolved issues remained, he may have saved Poland's existence as a state. Supported by his ally Charles I of Hungary , Władysław returned from exile and challenged Václav II and his successor Václav III in the period 1304–1306. Václav III's murder in 1306 terminated the Bohemian Přemyslid dynasty and its involvement in Poland. Afterwards, Władysław completed
12191-617: The axe-like fine. The Bolesławiec bowl is the westernmost find of a fairly compact zone of such products in Silesia. After Silesia entered the circle of influence of the Great Moravian state, the Great Moravian influence, which is evident in the neighbouring Třebovian or Dziadoszan areas, did not reach the Boleslav region. Similarly, the Bohemian influences evident in the first tribe did not reach here. The situation regarding settlement in Silesia in
12358-645: The bail. The second of the fibulae , an iron one with a free heel and a small decorated ball, belongs to the late version of the Duchcow clasp (named after a treasure in Duchcow). Both are early Late Late forms. It is presumed that these finds indicate the existence of an additional route of contact between the Celts and the North. In the area of Szprotawa and Stara Kopernia near Żagań, iron covalvic clasps have been discovered in graves of
12525-646: The banks of almost the entire course of the Bóbr River, the area is not one of the large settlement areas (except in the vicinity of Żagań and Nowogród Bobrzański ). A dozen or so sites discovered in the vicinity of Bolesławiec indicate, however, a rather intensive penetration of this part of the lands on the Bóbr River by communities of the Lusatian culture. These sites (cemeteries) are located, among others, in Bolesławiec, Bolesławice, Buczek Mały, Kruszyna-Godnów, Rakowice-Otok. The short Halstadt period (700-400 BC), in which
12692-568: The beginning of the general sejm , the dominant bicameral parliament of the future. During the reign of Louis I, Poland formed a Polish-Hungarian union . In the pact of 1374 (the Privilege of Koszyce ), the Polish nobility was granted extensive concessions and agreed to extend the Anjou succession to Louis's daughters, as Louis had no sons. Louis's neglect of Polish affairs resulted in the loss of Casimir's territorial gains, including Halych Rus' , which
12859-675: The border of the Early Carolingian influence, covering the Elbe Slavs, and then a belt east of the Oder and Lusatian Neisse up to Bolesławiec, and then as far as the Ślęza region and in a south-western direction covering Bohemia. An extremely important find is an iron bowl of the so-called Silesian type. Recently, it has been increasingly regarded as the original form of non-ruble money, which was superseded in Moravia and Malopolska by its more perfect form -
13026-562: The capital of the realm for several centuries. Casimir's son Bolesław II the Bold , also known as the Generous (r. 1058–1079), developed Polish military strength and waged several foreign campaigns between 1058 and 1077. As an active supporter of the papacy in its Investiture Controversy with the German emperor, Bolesław crowned himself king in 1076 with the blessing of Pope Gregory VII . In 1079, there
13193-668: The city - a section of the pilgrimage route to the tomb of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The town of Bolesławiec and its satellite communes Nowogrodziec , Ołdrzychów, and Bolesławice have a long ceramic history. The pottery is also identified with the German name for the town: Bunzlau . Bunzlauer ware ( Ceramika bolesławiecka ) evolved from a folk tradition into a distinct ceramic category distinguishable by form, fabric, glaze, and decoration. The term "Bunzlauer ware" may also be used to describe stylistically-related pottery produced in
13360-517: The city developed intensively - new streets were built, a suburban railway and a city theater were opened. A very important place on the pre-war map of Bolesławiec was the printing house of the Royal Orphanage, managed from 1872 by a printer of Jewish origin from Bolesławiec, Louis Fernbach. The Fernbach family managed the printing house until 1942 and during that time made it a very important printing center throughout Germany. The Fernbachs published
13527-528: The city under the name Boleslau. In 1750, the Polish name Bolesławiec was mentioned in Polish by Frederick II among other Silesian cities in an official ordinance issued for the inhabitants of Silesia. The name of the city as Bolesław was mentioned by the Silesian writer Józef Lompa in the book "A short sketch of the jeography of Silesia for initial science" published in Głogówek in 1847. The Polish name Bolesławiec and
13694-453: The city's patrician leadership seeking rule by the House of Luxembourg was put down. This event may have had a limiting impact on the emerging political power of towns. In 1313–1314, Władysław conquered Greater Poland . In 1320, he became the first king of Poland crowned in Kraków's Wawel Cathedral instead of Gniezno . The coronation was hesitantly agreed to by Pope John XXII in spite of
13861-539: The city. From 1975 to 1998, Bolesławiec was administratively located in Jelenia Góra Voivodeship . In the 1980s, a student underground group operated in Bolesławiec for some time, printing patriotic leaflets and proclamations, supported by the city's " Solidarity ". After the political transformation, the city began to develop even more dynamically - new churches were built, the Youth Cultural Center and
14028-463: The clay actually does not vitrify and Bunzlauer pottery is better categorized as high-fired earthenware. In order to make their pottery watertight, Bunzlauer potters applied a coating of liquid clay, or slip. When fired, the slip glaze varied from a chocolate to dark brown. Since the fabric of Bunzlauer ware retains some porosity, the pottery conveniently has been suited for cooking over an open fire or for baking in an oven, as well as for storage. There
14195-456: The construction of Gothic churches, castles, urban fortifications and homes of wealthy city residents. The most notable examples of architecture from the medieval period in Poland are the many churches representing the Polish Gothic style; medieval sculpture, painting and ornamental smithery are best revealed in the furnishings of churches and liturgical items. Polish law was first codified in
14362-442: The council of bishops and barons." Such legal guarantees and privileges included the lower level land owners and knights, who were evolving into the lower and middle nobility class known later as szlachta . The period of fragmentation weakened the rulers and established a permanent trend in Polish history, whereby the rights and role of the nobility were expanded at the monarch's expense. In 1226, Duke Konrad I of Masovia invited
14529-402: The country found itself under the unstable rule of his younger brother Władysław I Herman (r. 1079–1102). Władysław was strongly dependent on Count Palatine Sieciech , an advisor from the ranks of the Polish nobility who acted much as the power behind the throne. When Władysław's two sons, Zbigniew and Bolesław , finally forced Władysław to remove his hated protégé, Poland was divided among
14696-527: The country into five principalities: Silesia , Greater Poland , Masovia , Sandomierz and Kraków . The first four provinces were given to his four sons, who became independent rulers. The fifth province, the Seniorate Province of Kraków, was to be added to the senior among the princes who, as the Grand Duke of Kraków, was the representative of the whole of Poland. This principle broke down already within
14863-569: The current Orla street, was intended for approximately 650 non-Jewish prisoners, mostly Poles, but also citizens of the Soviet Union and other countries. They worked and lived at the Concordia factory, producing parts for combat aircraft. As Soviet army units were approaching the city, on February 11, 1945, prisoners from both camps who were able to walk were evacuated by the Germans in a death march to
15030-450: The death of Mieszko II), a task begun by his father Władysław I Herman and completed by Bolesław around 1123. Szczecin was subdued in a bloody takeover and Western Pomerania up to Rügen , except for the directly incorporated southern part, became Bolesław's fief , to be ruled locally by Wartislaw I , the first duke of the Griffin dynasty . At this time, Christianization of the region
15197-494: The demarcation of dominant estates, the zonal boundary turned into a linear boundary on the Kwisa and the Bóbr, finally shaped at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. The western border of Silesia then became the Kwisa. According to legends, Bolesławiec was supposed to have been founded in the 10th century, during the reign of Mieszko I. In the area of the present-day Old Town, there were supposed to be three inns serving travellers on
15364-598: The disadvantages of political division were becoming increasingly apparent in various segments of the society, some of the Piast dukes began to make serious efforts aimed at the reunification of the Polish state. Important among the earlier attempts were the activities of the Silesian dukes Henry I the Bearded , his son Henry II the Pious , who was killed in 1241 while fighting the Mongols at
15531-451: The dismemberment of the country beginning in the reign of Mieszko II. Casimir introduced a more mature form of feudalism and relieved the burden of financing large army units from the duke's treasury by settling his warriors on feudal estates. Faced with the widespread destruction of Greater Poland after the Czech incursion, Casimir moved his court to Kraków and replaced the old Piast capitals of Poznań and Gniezno; Kraków would function as
15698-519: The early medieval period was poorly developed. In fact, the functioning of a fortified settlement was only attested in Otoku, the existence of a fortified settlement in Łagów on the Kwisa River seems less likely. The existence of a stronghold in Bolesławice is admitted in some works. These were probably one of the southernmost Bobrzanski (Dziadoszanski) castles, whose communication with the main settlement centre
15865-457: The east and through a series of military campaigns between 1340 and 1366, Casimir annexed the Halych – Volodymyr area of Rus' . The town of Lviv there attracted newcomers of several nationalities, was granted municipal rights in 1356, and had thus begun its career as Lwów , the main Polish centre in the midst of a Rus' Orthodox population. Supported by Hungary, the Polish king in 1338 promised
16032-529: The existence of St Jadwiga's Church and the so-called Funeral Church, which was located in the cemetery in today's Garncarska Street. From the 14th century we also have the first information about a wooden town hall existing in Bolesławiec. Jews probably lived in Boleslawiec as early as 1190, when the burghers lent a certain amount of money, necessary for the construction of the city walls. In return, they were given their own street and synagogue[3][4]. Bolesławiec
16199-544: The existence of a larger settlement cluster between Szprotawa and Nowogród Bobrzański; it occupied an area of 350–400 km². It is in this area that most researchers situate the Bobrzan settlements. Therefore, Ilua (Iława), mentioned in Thietmar's chronicle, would have been the capital city of the Bobrzans and the settlement of this tribe would have been concentrated around it. Thus, they would have been some small territorial unit of
16366-560: The expansionist politics of his father. His actions reinforced old resentment and hostility on the part of Poland's neighbors, and his two dispossessed brothers took advantage of it by arranging for invasions from Germany and Kievan Rus' in 1031. Mieszko was defeated and forced to leave Poland. Mieszko's brother Bezprym was murdered in 1032, whereas his brother Otto died in unclear circumstances in 1033, events that permitted Mieszko to recover his authority partially. The first Piast monarchy then collapsed with Mieszko's death in 1034. Deprived of
16533-466: The formal act was negotiated in Buda in 1355. After his coronation, Louis returned to Hungary; he left his mother and Casimir 's sister Elizabeth in Poland as regents . With the death of Casimir the Great, the period of hereditary (Piast) monarchy in Poland came to an end. The land owners and nobles did not want a strong monarchy; a constitutional monarchy was established between 1370 and 1493 that included
16700-439: The fragmentation period. From the time of the conversion of Poland's ruling elite to Christianity in the 10th century, foreign churchmen had been arriving and the culture of early Medieval Poland was developing as a part of European Christendom . However, it would be a few generations from the time of Mieszko's conversion until significant numbers of native clergymen appeared. After the establishment of numerous monasteries in
16867-593: The generation of Bolesław III's sons, when Władysław II the Exile , Bolesław IV the Curly , Mieszko III the Old and Casimir II the Just fought for power and territory in Poland, and in particular over the throne of Kraków. The external borders left by Bolesław III at his death closely resembled the borders left by Mieszko I ; this original early Piast monarchy configuration had not survived
17034-474: The integrity of the western border. In the south-east, Leszek the White was unable to preserve Poland's supremacy over the Halych area of Rus' , a territory that had changed hands on a number of occasions. The social status was becoming increasingly based on the size of feudal land possessions. Those included the lands controlled by the Piast princes, their rivals the great lay land owners and church entities, and
17201-463: The intellectual sphere. Perspectiva , a treatise on optics by Witelo , a Silesian monk, was one of the finest achievements of medieval science . The construction of churches and castles in the Gothic architecture style predominated in the 13th century; native elements in art forms were increasingly important, with significant advances taking place in agriculture, manufacturing and crafts. Władysław I
17368-508: The interior of St Mary's Church, during which it took on its current Baroque shape. In the 18th century, one of two main routes connecting Warsaw and Dresden ran through the town, and Kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland often traveled that route. During the Silesian Wars , the town came under Prussian rule. In 1745, a graphic depicting the city of that time in detail
17535-584: The kind found in Lusatia and the Elbe Serbs, among others. Their tribe may have separated during the territorial development of the Dziadoszans, by whom they were reabsorbed. In political terms, therefore, the Bobrzans were not a tribe, but part of a wider unit. The area around Bolesławiec is covered by an extensive primeval forest, well attested by sources. Archaeological research has shown that settlement in this area in
17702-471: The knightly class. The work force ranged from hired "free" people to serfs attached to the land, to slaves (either purchased, forced into slavery after capture in war or forced into slavery as prisoners). The upper layer of the feudal lords, first the Church and then others, was able to acquire economic and legal immunity , which it exempt to a significant degree from court jurisdiction and economic obligations such as taxation that had previously been imposed by
17869-621: The land connection between Brandenburg and the Teutonic state and connected Poland with Farther Pomerania . Casimir the Great considerably solidified the country's position in both foreign and domestic affairs. Domestically, he integrated and centralized the reunited Polish state and helped develop what was considered the " Crown of the Polish Kingdom ": the state within its actual boundaries, as well as past or potential boundaries. Casimir established or strengthened kingdom-wide institutions (such as
18036-497: The later part of the 10th century), Mieszko's state reached its mature form, including the main regions regarded as ethnically Polish. The Piast lands totaled about 250,000 km (96,526 sq mi) in area, with an approximate population of under one million. Initially a pagan, Mieszko I was the first ruler of the Polans tribal union known from contemporary written sources. A detailed account of aspects of Mieszko's early reign
18203-641: The leadership of his widow Sonja. Increasingly, individual potters and workshops began to mark their wares. Among the prominent names were those of Robert Burdack (who introduced a unique technique of ceramic intarsia inlay), Julius Paul, Hugo Reinhold, and Edwin Werner from Bunzlau and from the surrounding towns of Tillendorf (Bolesławice), Ullersdorf (Ołdrzychów), and Naumburg am Queis came Karl Werner, Gerhard Seiler, Hugo Reinwald, Max Lachmann, Bruno Vogt, and Hermann Kuehn. Duchy of Poland (966%E2%80%931025) Timeline of Polish history The period of rule by
18370-408: The market frontages and old town streets. The city was surrounded by a series of defensive walls with three city gates: "Upper" (at the end of ul. Sierpnia '80), "Mikołajska" (at the beginning of ul. Michała Kutuzowa) and "Dolna" (at the end of ul. Bolesława Prusa). The following are entered in the provincial register of monuments: other monuments: The Lower Silesian Way of Saint James runs through
18537-491: The marriage between Bolesław's son Mieszko and Richeza of Lotharingia , the niece of Emperor Otto III and future mother of Casimir I the Restorer , took place. The conflicts with Germany ended in 1018 with the Peace of Bautzen on favorable terms for Bolesław. In the context of the 1018 Kiev expedition , Bolesław took over the western part of Red Ruthenia . In 1025, shortly before his death, Bolesław I finally succeeded in obtaining
18704-475: The most highly developed and economically important regions of the original ethnically Polish lands, which left half of the Polish population outside the kingdom's borders. The western losses had to do with the failure of the unification efforts undertaken by the Silesian Piast dukes and the German expansion processes. These included the Piast principalities developing (or falling into) dependencies in respect to
18871-568: The most popular was the Pfauenauge ( peacock 's eye) design inspired by the Jugendstil decorators' fascination with the peacock's rich plumage. The Pfauenauge motif became the unofficial, but universally recognized, signature trademark for this category of German spongeware. By the beginning of the second decade of the new century, many of the potteries throughout the region had evolved into sophisticated ceramic studios, generally continuing to turn out
19038-515: The name of the city recorded in a document from 1196 - Boleslawez, giving its meaning Stadt des Boleslaw I (Polish: City of Bolesław I). The town, under the Latinized name castrum Boleslavec, is mentioned in a Latin document from 1277 signed by the Polish prince Bolesław (Latin: Boleslaus dux Polonie). In 1295, in the Latin chronicle Liber fundationis episcopatus Vratislaviensis, the town was mentioned under
19205-564: The neighboring districts of Lusatia and Saxony . Taken as a whole, Bunzlauer ware ranks among the most important folk pottery traditions in Europe. The area around Bolesławiec is rich in clays suited to the potter's wheel . Typically, utilitarian Bunzlauer pottery was turned on a kick wheel, dried leather-hard, dipped in a slip glaze and then burnt in a rectangular, cross-draft kiln . Although fired at temperatures of up to 1,320 degrees Celsius (2,410 °F) and often classified as stoneware ,
19372-567: The new powerful kingdom of Poland that was to follow. The tribe of the Polans ( Polanie , lit. "people of the fields") in what is now Greater Poland gave rise to a tribal predecessor of the Polish state in the early part of the 10th century , with the Polans settling in the flatlands around the emerging strongholds of Giecz , Poznań , Gniezno and Ostrów Lednicki . Accelerated rebuilding of old tribal fortified settlements, construction of massive new ones and territorial expansion took place during
19539-614: The northern boundaries of the Prague bishopric are marked by the Trebouane (Trzebowians), Pobrane (Bobrzanians) and Dedosize (Dziadoszanians) tribes, which border the Miliczanians through the forest. Of these, only the Bobrzans could actually border the Miliczans. The name of this tribe clearly indicates that their headquarters should be sought on the Beaver River. Archaeological research has confirmed
19706-424: The old utilitarian brown-slip production but giving ever-increasing attention to their new line of colorful ware. Although new designs, many based upon the orientalizing forms popular at the time, were introduced, traditional shapes for coffee pots, bowls, and pitchers were retained but with their surfaces now brightened with a wide variety of popular Jugendstil patterns, particularly, that of the Pfauenauge. Even in
19873-491: The opposition of King John of Bohemia , who had also claimed the Polish crown. John undertook an expedition aimed at Kraków in 1327, which he was compelled to abort; in 1328, he waged a crusade against Lithuania, during which he formalized an alliance with the Teutonic Order. The Order was in a state of war with Poland from 1327 to 1332 (see Battle of Płowce ). As a result, the Knights captured Dobrzyń Land and Kujawy . Władysław
20040-562: The papacy. The Teutonic Order soon overstepped their authority and moved beyond the area granted them by Konrad ( Chełmno Land or Kulmerland ). In the following decades, they conquered large areas along the Baltic Sea coast and established their own monastic state . As virtually all of the Western Baltic pagans became converted or exterminated (the Prussian conquests were completed by 1283),
20207-491: The papal permission to crown himself, and he became the first king of Poland . Bolesław's expansionist policies were costly to the Polish state and were not always successful. He lost, for example, the economically crucial Farther Pomerania in 1005 together with its new bishopric in Kołobrzeg ; the region had previously been conquered with great effort by Mieszko. King Mieszko II Lambert (r. 1025–1034) tried to continue
20374-623: The people of this culture in Silesia , Saxony , Lusatia and Greater Poland probably took place at this time. An ear pin with a decorated head was found from this period of the so-called Classic Phase of the Prolongation Culture in Bobrowice near Szprotawa. In turn, a bronze hatchet with a rim was found in Osiecznica, not far from Bolesławiec. Although traces of Lusatian people have been found on
20541-647: The people of this culture were assimilated by an incoming community using better bronze products. The most important archaeological culture of the Bronze Age was the Lusatian culture , preceded by the Pre-Lusatian culture , which, without losing its grave character, produced a whole range of local features. It was located between the Kaczawa River and the upper Beaver and Szprotawa Rivers. The settlement stabilisation of
20708-538: The period c. 920 –950. The Polish state developed from these tribal roots in the second half of the century. According to the 12th-century chronicler Gallus Anonymus , the Polans were ruled at this time by the Piast dynasty . In existing sources from the 10th century, Piast ruler Mieszko I was first mentioned by Widukind of Corvey in his Res gestae saxonicae , a chronicle of events in Germany. Widukind reported that Mieszko's forces were twice defeated in 963 by
20875-508: The plan failed and a long period of fragmentation was ushered in. For nearly two centuries, the Piasts would spar with each other, the clergy, and the nobility for the control over the divided kingdom. The stability of the system was supposedly assured by the institution of the senior or high duke of Poland, based in Kraków and assigned to the special Seniorate Province that was not to be subdivided. Following his concept of seniorate, Bolesław divided
21042-401: The powerful state treasury) independent of the regional, class, or royal court-related interests. Internationally, the Polish king was very active diplomatically; he cultivated close contacts with other European rulers and was a staunch defender of the interests of the Polish state. In 1364, he sponsored the Congress of Kraków , in which a number of monarchs participated, which was concerned with
21209-484: The process, the royal dignity for Polish rulers was forfeited, and the state reverted to the status of a duchy. Duke Casimir's son Bolesław II the Bold revived the military assertiveness of Bolesław I, but became fatally involved in a conflict with Bishop Stanislaus of Szczepanów and was expelled from the country. Bolesław III , the last duke of the early period, succeeded in defending his country and recovering territories previously lost. Upon his death in 1138, Poland
21376-686: The promotion of peaceful cooperation and political balance in Central Europe. Immediately after Casimir's death in 1370, the heirless king's nephew Louis of Hungary of the Capetian House of Anjou assumed the Polish throne. As Casimir's actual commitment to the Anjou succession seemed problematic from the beginning (in 1368 the Polish king adopted his grandson, Casimir of Słupsk ), Louis engaged in succession negotiations with Polish knights and nobility starting in 1351. They supported him, exacting in return further guarantees and privileges for themselves;
21543-502: The remains of a medieval castle, burnt down during the Thirty Years' War, and in whose place an Evangelical church was built ten years later. In the second half of the 18th century an orphanage was opened in Boleslawiec, the buildings of which are still preserved today in Bankowa Street. The orphanage had a printing press, which, among other things, published scientific works. In 1812, after the emancipation edict, Jews began to settle in
21710-403: The route between Dresden and Wrocław, and there was supposed to be a defensive stronghold near these inns. Archaeological research in 2009 proved that there was a fortified settlement in the northern part of present-day Bolesławiec, on Topolowa Street, as early as the end of the 9th century[2], which suggests that there is a grain of truth in the legend of the three inns. According to the records of
21877-500: The ruling dukes. Civil strife and foreign invasions, such as the Mongol invasions in 1240/1241 , 1259/1260 and 1287/1288 , weakened and depopulated many of the small Polish principalities, as the country was becoming progressively more subdivided. Depopulation and increasing demand for labor caused a massive immigration of West European peasants into Poland, mostly German settlers ; the early waves from Germany and Flanders occurred in
22044-474: The same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bunzlau&oldid=543887932 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Boles%C5%82awiec The name Bolesławiec
22211-400: The so-called Sukow-Szeligii culture, which covered, inter alia, Western Pomerania, Mecklenburg, Brandenburg, Lusatia, Płock Mazovia, Greater Poland, Silesia and probably temporarily southern Lesser Poland. It occurred in the northern areas of Lower Silesia near Ślęza. The settlement situation in the Bolesławiec area in the 8th century is similarly unclear. According to some researchers, this area
22378-448: The studio wares, the blend of folk art and high art is curious and charming, with many of the new and decorative elements taking on a decidedly "country" appearance. This is true for the production of the art potter, Friedrich Festersen (1880–1915), born in northern Schleswig , who opened his Kunsttöpferei Friedrich Festersen in Berlin in 1909 at about the same time that the peacock's eye motif
22545-486: The synagogue was set on fire. During the war, Nazi propaganda plays were staged in the Bolesławiec theater for some time, and the people of Bolesławiec fought, among others, during the invasion of Poland . Polish forced laborers worked around the city. During the war, the parish priest of St. Mary's Church, Father Paul Sauer, spoke out against the Nazis' actions. During World War II , the Germans established two subcamps of
22712-522: The takeover of Lesser Poland , entering Kraków, and took the lands north of there, through Kuyavia all the way to Gdańsk Pomerania . In 1308, Pomerania was conquered by the Brandenburg state. In a recovery effort, Władysław agreed to ask for help from the Teutonic Knights; the Knights brutally took over Gdańsk Pomerania and kept it for themselves. In 1311–1312, a rebellion in Kraków instigated by
22879-403: The territorial truncation, 14th-century Poland experienced a period of accelerated economic development and increasing prosperity. This included further expansion and modernization of agricultural settlements, the development of towns and their greater role in briskly growing trade, mining and metallurgy. A great monetary reform was implemented during the reign of Casimir III. Jewish settlement
23046-403: The three of them from 1098, and after the father's death, from 1102 to 1106, it was divided between the two brothers. After a power struggle, Bolesław III Wrymouth (r. 1102–1138) became the duke of Poland by defeating his half-brother Zbigniew in 1106–1107. Zbigniew had to leave the country, but received support from Holy Roman Emperor Henry V , who attacked Bolesław's Poland in 1109. Bolesław
23213-510: The time), where few flint wares were found. The people living in the Beaver basin at that time arrived here at the end of the Palaeolithic from the so-called Federmesser and Ahrensburg cultures. After the climate warmed up, the remaining population here participated in the emergence of a Mesolithic community, referred to as the Protocomornic group. After further warming, however, they left
23380-739: The town again. In 1823, a prayer room was set up in the house of the widow Böhm at the then Kirchplatz Napoleon Bonaparte visited the town six times during the Napoleonic wars, and Mikhail Kutuzov, the Russian Field Marshal, died here on 28 April 1813. The house in which he died has been presenved to this day and now houses the City History Department of the Boleslawiec Ceramics Museum. A few months after his death, in August 1813
23547-558: The troops of the 52nd Army belonging to the 1st Ukrainian Front. The city was seriously damaged by the Soviets after the capitulation of the Third Reich. Robberies, rapes and arson were common back then and Bolesławiec lost many monuments irretrievably. Almost all historic tenement houses standing on the town square were burned down, almost all former Dominican buildings on today's Armii Krajowej Street were destroyed, as well as many beautiful tenement houses and public buildings. City cemeteries were desecrated and destroyed, but St. Mary's Church
23714-403: The vicinity of the Oder River and its mouth. After the death of Otto I, and then again after the death of Holy Roman Emperor Otto II , Mieszko supported Henry the Quarrelsome , a pretender to the imperial crown . After the death of Doubravka in 977, Mieszko married Oda von Haldensleben , daughter of Dietrich , Margrave of the Northern March , ca. 980. When fighting the Czechs in 990, Mieszko
23881-424: The whole of Boleslawiec was burnt down. The town was conquered as a result of the treachery of one of the townsmen, who set fire to the Upper Gate, located near the present-day Okrąglak on Piłsudski Square. Bolesławiec faced many years of reconstruction after these events. In 1454, the Jews were expelled from the city[6]. From 1469 to 1490 it was under the rule of Hungary , before falling back to Bohemia, then ruled by
24048-410: Was divided among his sons . The resulting internal fragmentation eroded the initial Piast monarchical structure in the 12th and 13th centuries and caused fundamental and lasting changes. Konrad I of Masovia invited the Teutonic Knights to help him fight the Baltic Prussian pagans, which led to centuries of Poland's warfare with the Knights and the German Prussian state . In 1320, the kingdom
24215-440: Was able to defend his realm due to his military abilities, determination and alliances, and also because of a societal mobilisation across the social spectrum (see Battle of Głogów ). Zbigniew, who later returned, died in mysterious circumstances, perhaps in the summer of 1113. Bolesław's other major achievement was the conquest of all of Mieszko I's Pomerania (of which the remaining eastern part had been lost by Poland from after
24382-438: Was an anti-Bolesław conspiracy or conflict that involved the Bishop of Kraków. Bolesław had Bishop Stanisław of Szczepanów executed; subsequently Bolesław was forced to abdicate the Polish throne due to pressure from the Catholic Church and the pro-imperial faction of the nobility. Stanisław would become the second martyr and patron saint of Poland (known in English as St. Stanislav), canonized in 1253. After Bolesław's exile,
24549-413: Was an ardent proponent of Poland's reunification; he performed the crowning ceremonies for both Przemysł II and Wenceslaus II . Świnka supported Władysław I Łokietek at various stages of the duke's career. Culturally , the social impact of the Church was considerably broader in the 13th century, as networks of parishes were established and cathedral-type schools became more common. The Dominicans and
24716-458: Was beginning to embellish the ceramics of Bunzlau. Festersen's connection with the Bunzlauer potteries is uncertain but the peacock's eye motif is to be found throughout the production of his studio. There is no evidence that Festersen turned himself and the potters he employed may have come from Bunzlau, bringing the fashionable new designs with them. Although Festersen was a casualty of the First World War , his art pottery survived until 1922 under
24883-426: Was created by Friedrich Werner. It shows that the town occupied only a small part of its present area, bounded by medieval fortification walls. In the centre was the market square with the town hall, to the right of which was the parish church, the present basilica. The city had three gates - the Upper Gate (the area of today's Piłsudski Square), the Lower Gate (the area of today's Thermal Baths in Zgorzelecka Street) and
25050-404: Was given by Ibrâhîm ibn Ya`qûb , a Jewish traveler, according to whom Mieszko was one of four Slavic "kings" established in central and southern Europe in the 960s. In 965, Mieszko, who was allied with Boleslaus I, Duke of Bohemia at the time, married the duke's daughter Doubravka , a Christian princess. Mieszko's conversion to Latin Christianity followed on 14 April 966, an event known as
25217-403: Was helped by his alliances with Hungary (his daughter Elizabeth was married to King Charles I in 1320) and Lithuania (in a pact of 1325 against the Teutonic State and the marriage of Władysław's son Casimir to Aldona , daughter of the Lithuanian ruler Gediminas ). After 1329, a peace agreement with Brandenburg also assisted his efforts. A lasting achievement of King John of Bohemia (and
25384-416: Was helped by the Holy Roman Empire. By about the year 990, when Mieszko I officially submitted his country to the authority of the Holy See ( Dagome iudex ), he had transformed Poland into one of the strongest powers in central-eastern Europe . One of the most important concerns of Bolesław's early reign was building up the Polish church. Bolesław cultivated Adalbert of Prague of the Slavník family ,
25551-406: Was initiated in earnest, an effort crowned by the establishment of the Pomeranian Wolin Diocese after Bolesław's death in 1140. Before he died, Bolesław III Wrymouth divided the country, in a limited sense, among four of his sons . He made complex arrangements intended to prevent fratricidal warfare and preserve the Polish state's formal unity, but after Bolesław's death, the implementation of
25718-412: Was located between 1226 and 1251, precisely in the area of the present Old Town. From this period we no longer have any information about the stronghold at Topolowa Street, which was probably abandoned. The town quickly became Germanised. In 1361, the number of Jewish inhabitants was 360. Jews owned 31 houses. They were engaged in petty trade, crafts, small services In 1392 Bolesławiec, then belonging to
25885-469: Was met when, at the turn of the century, Bunzlauer pottery underwent a colorful transformation and a new chapter in its history was opened. During the first decades of the 20th century, pot shops throughout Silesia and neighboring Lusatia began to decorate their wares with imaginative organic motifs derived from the contemporary Jugendstil aesthetic and applied by brush or, more often, with the aid of cut sponges. Floral designs were common embellishments, but
26052-644: Was officially approved in 1946. [REDACTED] Duchy of Poland c. 990 –1025 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Poland 1025–1320 [REDACTED] Duchy of Jawor 1320–1392 [REDACTED] Lands of the Bohemian Crown 1392–1469 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Hungary 1469–1490 [REDACTED] Lands of the Bohemian Crown 1490–1742 [REDACTED] Kingdom of Prussia 1742–1871 [REDACTED] German Empire 1871–1918 [REDACTED] Weimar Republic 1919-1933 [REDACTED] Nazi Germany 1939–1945 [REDACTED] Poland 1945 – present The oldest traces of human habitation in
26219-578: Was opened in Bolesławiec. Changes in Bolesławiec took place after Adolf Hitler took power in the Reich. The current Bolesława Chrobrego Street was named Adolf Hitler Strasse, and the NSDAP and Gestapo were established in the city. In April 1933, a boycott of Jewish stores in the city was carried out - uniformed SA officers took photos of people who wanted to shop there. After the Nuremberg Laws came into force, Jews were removed from state positions, organizations and associations. During Kristallnacht on November 9–10, 1938, Jewish businesses were looted and
26386-414: Was part of the Tornow-Klenica zone, which included part of Lusatia, the Lubusz Land , part of Greater Poland and the northern territories of Lower Silesia. As before, sites confirming that Bolesławiec belonged to this zone have not yet been discovered. The first finds confirming the existence of a settlement in Bolesławiec at the turn of the 8th and 9th centuries are extremely valuable due to their form. This
26553-462: Was provided by the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers. A stronghold on the left bank in the area of Bolesławice, dated before the middle of the 10th century, was located by German archaeologists in the pre-war period as part of surface research. A new survey in 1960 failed to locate the fortress. Thus, the assumption was made that it was completely destroyed at that time. More recent works no longer deal with this fortress, considering it, and probably rightly so, to be
26720-417: Was recovered by Queen Jadwiga in 1387. In 1396, Jadwiga and her husband Jagiełło (Jogaila) forcefully annexed the central Polish lands separating Lesser Poland from Greater Poland , previously granted by King Louis to his Silesian Piast ally Duke Władysław of Opole . The Hungarian-Polish union lasted for twelve years and ended in war. After Louis's death in 1382 and a power struggle that resulted in
26887-401: Was restored under Władysław I the Elbow-high , then strengthened and expanded by his son Casimir III the Great . The western provinces of Silesia and Pomerania were lost after the fragmentation, and Poland began expanding to the east. The period ended with the reigns of two members of the Capetian House of Anjou between 1370 and 1384. The consolidation in the 14th century laid the base for
27054-410: Was saved from a quagmire in the vicinity of Bolesławiec, and the founding of the church was for him the fulfilment of a vow he had made to God in a moment of danger. In the 13th century a Dominican monastery was also founded in the area of today's Armii Krajowej and Teatralna Streets, at the crossroads of today's Prusa and Zgorzelecka Streets there was Our Dear Lady's Church, we also have information about
27221-448: Was saved from this fate. After the Potsdam Conference, its German inhabitants were expelled from the city and replaced by displaced persons from the Eastern Borderlands and repatriates from Yugoslavia and France. Numerous Red Army troops were stationed near Bolesławiec (Pstrąże, Świętoszów, Szczytnica, Karczmarka). The city was slowly rebuilt under Polish rule, but many historic tenement houses that could still be saved were demolished. This
27388-421: Was taking place in Poland since very early times. In 1264, Duke Bolesław the Pious of Greater Poland granted the privileges of the Statute of Kalisz , which specified a broad range of freedoms of religious practices, movement, and trading for the Jews. It also created a legal precedent for the official protection of Jews from local harassment and exclusion. The act exempted the Jews from enslavement or serfdom and
27555-412: Was the fate of the tenement houses on Asnyka Street, which were replaced by apartment blocks. We managed to prevent the demolition of the former Evangelical church, which was eventually taken over and renovated by the Roman Catholic Church. Gradually, the city began to expand again - the southern part of the large village of Bolesławice was absorbed and new housing estates were created in the eastern part of
27722-428: Was the foundation of future Jewish prosperity in the Polish kingdom; it was later followed by many other comparable legal pronouncements. Following a series of expulsions of Jews from Western Europe, Jewish communities were established in Kraków , Kalisz and elsewhere in western and southern Poland in the 13th century. Another series of communities were established at Lviv , Brest-Litovsk and Grodno further east in
27889-408: Was to establish a settlement on the site of the present-day Old Town. It is very possible that St Dorothy's Church was already founded at that time, and over time it was replaced by the present Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Nicholas, which is now a minor basilica. According to another legend, it was supposed to be built thanks to the foundation of a merchant from Wrocław, who
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