Gryfów Slaski
Encyclopedia
Gryfów Śląski ' is a town in Lwówek Śląski County
, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
, in south-western Poland
. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina
) called Gmina Gryfów Śląski
. As at 2006, the town has a population of 7,128. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany
.
The town is located between Zgorzelec
and Jelenia Góra
, on the Kwisa
river. It lies approximately 16 kilometres (10 mi) south-west of Lwówek Śląski
, and 114 kilometres (71 mi) west of the regional capital Wrocław.
The settlement of Gryfów Śląski arose from a castle built by the Piast
Duke Bolesław I the Tall of Silesia
near the border with Upper Lusatia
. It received town privileges
by Duke Bolesław II the Bald in 1242. The ruins of the medieval Gryf Castle, a possession of the House of Schaffgotsch
from 1400 on, are still visible south of the town. In 1274 Gryfów became part of the Silesian Duchy of Jawor
, which finally was incorporated by the Kingdom of Bohemia
in 1392. After the First Silesian War
it was annexed by Prussia
in 1742. In 1865 the Greiffenberg station opened on the Silesian Mountain Railway
line from Görlitz
to Reibnitz
(Rybnica).
, Germany, Raspenava
, Czech Republic and Gryfice
, Poland.
Lwówek Slaski County
Lwówek Śląski County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. The county covers an area of...
, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is currently divided. It lies in southwestern Poland...
, in south-western Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
) called Gmina Gryfów Śląski
Gmina Gryfów Slaski
Gmina Gryfów Śląski is an urban-rural gmina in Lwówek Śląski County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland...
. As at 2006, the town has a population of 7,128. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The town is located between Zgorzelec
Zgorzelec
Zgorzelec is a town in south-western Poland with 33,278 inhabitants . It lies in Lower Silesian Voivodeship . It is the seat of Zgorzelec County, and also of the smaller district of Gmina Zgorzelec...
and Jelenia Góra
Jelenia Góra
----Jelenia Góra is a city in Lower Silesia, south-western Poland. The name of the city means "deer mountain" in Polish, Czech and German. It is close to the Krkonoše mountain range running along the Polish-Czech border – ski resorts such as Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba can be found...
, on the Kwisa
Kwisa
The Kwisa is a river in south-western Poland, a left tributary of the Bóbr, which itself is a left tributary of the Oder river.It rises in the Izera Mountains, part of the Western Sudetes range, where it runs along the border with the Czech Republic...
river. It lies approximately 16 kilometres (10 mi) south-west of Lwówek Śląski
Lwówek Slaski
Lwówek Śląski is a town in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland. Situated on the Bóbr River, Lwówek Śląski is about 30 km NNW of Jelenia Góra and has a population of about 10,300 inhabitants...
, and 114 kilometres (71 mi) west of the regional capital Wrocław.
The settlement of Gryfów Śląski arose from a castle built by the Piast
Silesian Piasts
The Silesian Piasts were the oldest line of the Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile, son of Bolesław III Wrymouth, Duke of Poland...
Duke Bolesław I the Tall of Silesia
Duchy of Silesia
The Duchy of Silesia with its capital at Wrocław was a medieval duchy located in the historic Silesian region of Poland. Soon after it was formed under the Piast dynasty in 1138, it fragmented into various Duchies of Silesia. In 1327 the remaining Duchy of Wrocław as well as most other duchies...
near the border with Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
. It received town privileges
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
by Duke Bolesław II the Bald in 1242. The ruins of the medieval Gryf Castle, a possession of the House of Schaffgotsch
House of Schaffgotsch
The Schaffgotsch family is one of the oldest noble Silesian families extant, dating back to the thirteenth century. They were first mentioned in the St. Gallen book of documents in 804 and 809, when they were domiciled in the Margraviate of Meissen, Franconia, and the Tyrol...
from 1400 on, are still visible south of the town. In 1274 Gryfów became part of the Silesian Duchy of Jawor
Duchy of Jawor
Duchy of Jawor was one of the Duchies of Silesia, with a capital in Jawor. It was created in 1274 as a subdivision of the Duchy of Legnica in Lower Silesia under the rule of Henry V the Fat, the eldest son of Duke Bolesław II the Bald...
, which finally was incorporated by the Kingdom of Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
in 1392. After the First Silesian War
Silesian Wars
The Silesian Wars were a series of wars between Prussia and Austria for control of Silesia. They formed parts of the larger War of the Austrian Succession and Seven Years' War. They eventually ended with Silesia being incorporated into Prussia, and Austrian recognition of this...
it was annexed by Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
in 1742. In 1865 the Greiffenberg station opened on the Silesian Mountain Railway
Silesian Mountain Railway
The Silesian Mountain Railway is a railway line in south-west Poland. It leads from Görlitz/Zgorzelec on the Lusatian Neisse via Jelenia Góra to Wałbrzych in Lower Silesia....
line from Görlitz
Görlitz
Görlitz is a town in Germany. It is the easternmost town in the country, located on the Lusatian Neisse River in the Bundesland of Saxony. It is opposite the Polish town of Zgorzelec, which was a part of Görlitz until 1945. Historically, Görlitz was in the region of Upper Lusatia...
to Reibnitz
Rybnica, Jelenia Góra County
Rybnica is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Stara Kamienica, within Jelenia Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany. It lies approximately east of Stara Kamienica, west of Jelenia Góra, and west of the regional capital...
(Rybnica).
Notable people
- Africa explorer Hermann SteudnerHermann SteudnerCarl Theodor Hermann Steudner was a botanist and an explorer of Africa.- Education and early work :Steudner was born in Greiffenberg, located in Silesia, but grew up in Görlitz. He studied in Berlin and Würzburg botany, mineralogy and medicine...
(1832-1863) - Actor Andrzej ChyraAndrzej ChyraAndrzej Chyra is a Polish actor.He graduated from High School and in 1987 he graduated from the Acting Theater School in Warsaw. In 1994, he majored at the same university in Directing....
(born 1964)
Twin towns
Gryfów Śląski is twinned with of BischofswerdaBischofswerda
Bischofswerda is a small town in Germany at the western edge of Upper Lusatia in Saxony.-Geography:The town is located 33 km to the east of Dresden at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country. The town is known as the "Gateway to Upper Lusatia" - "Tor zur Oberlausitz" in German. It is...
, Germany, Raspenava
Raspenava
Raspenava is a small town in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic, just next to Frýdlant v Čechach. It has approximately 2,800 inhabitants.Raspenava is twin town of Bischofswerda and Gryfów Śląski.-External links:*...
, Czech Republic and Gryfice
Gryfice
Gryfice is a town in Pomerania, north-western Poland with 16 632 inhabitants . It is the capital of Gryfice County in West Pomeranian Voivodeship , previously in Szczecin Voivodeship .-History:...
, Poland.