The Lower Silesian Voivodeship (Polish: Województwo dolnośląskie) is
located in south-western Poland and borders on the Greater Poland and
Lubusz Voivodeships to the north, the Opole Voivodeship to the east, the
Czech Republic to the south and Germany to the west. Lower Silesia is
one of the most culturally rich regions in Europe, where different
cultures have mixed over the centuries. Lower Silesia is characterized
by the Silesian lowlands on the Oder in the north and by the mountains
and hills of the Sudetes in the south. The capital and largest city is
the university town of Wroclaw in the north-east of the voivodeship.
Apart from the capital, there are two other major cities, Wałbrzych and
Legnica.
In this region you will find numerous brick Gothic and
Baroque churches, fortified towers and castles and beautiful pond
landscapes. There are good water sports opportunities (kayaks, swimming,
sailing, diving) at the reservoirs, the Militsch lakes and the numerous
mountain rivers. The kayak route along the Glatzer Neisse is very
varied. Hikers and winter sports enthusiasts get their money's worth in
the Giant Mountains, which reach an altitude of over 1,600 meters in the
voivodeship area with the Sněžka. The other mountain ranges of the
Sudetes are also interesting hiking and winter sports areas. The hilly
foothills of the Sudeten, for example the Zobten Mountains, have their
own charm. In particular, the provincial capital Wroclaw offers an
interesting cultural program. With its numerous castles and palaces, the
Hirschberg valley is a unique cultural landscape in Europe.
In
the south are the Sudetes with the mountain ranges of the Giant
Mountains, the Jizera Mountains, the Heuscheu Mountains and the Glatzer
Bergland. In the north lies the valley of the Oder.
The Lower
Silesian Voivodeship was part of the Great Moravian Empire at the time.
From about 990 it belonged to Poland and from 1138 it was part of the
Polish Seniorate as a part of the Principality of Silesia. In the 14th
century almost all areas of Lower Silesia, which were further ruled by
the Silesian Piasts, came under Bohemian fiefdom and in the 16th century
to the Habsburgs. After the Silesian Wars, Lower Silesia became
Prussian.
In the area of today's Lower Silesian Voivodeship, a
significant German-speaking population settled before the First World
War, arising from the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and the
time as the Prussian province of Lower Silesia. After the Lower Silesian
part of the former German eastern territories was retained by the German
Reich after the First World War, this, among other things, went under
Polish administration after the Second World War as part of the westward
shift of Poland. The population historically settled there fled from the
Red Army or was expelled and replaced mainly by Poles, who in turn were
expelled from the eastern Polish territories. Today's Lower Silesian
Voivodeship was formed in 1999 from the areas of four old Voivodeships.
Polish is the official and colloquial language.
In Lower
Silesia, a mixed dialect, which developed from various East Polish
dialects, is spoken. The younger Poles speak English at the same high
level as the Germans or Austrians. German, French, Spanish and Italian
are spoken sporadically.
The name possibly comes from the prehistorically significant cult
mountain Ślęża (Latin: Silensi, German: Zobtenberg). According to other
theories, the Slavic Slensanen or the Germanic Silingen gave their name.
The name Lower Silesia is confusing at first, because the area has
higher peaks with the Sudetes than Upper Silesia with the West Beskids.
In fact, however, Lower Silesia lies downstream of the Oder from the
point of view of Upper Silesia. The name Lower Silesia is therefore
justified, even if southern Lower Silesia is significantly higher than
the Silesian Plateau in Upper Silesia.
Most of the region is made
up of historical Lower Silesia, the original capital of which was
Wroclaw. In the west, small parts of Upper Lusatia also belong to the
Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Parts of the north are in historical
Wielkopolska and the Glatzer Ländchen in the south was part of
historical Bohemia. On the other hand, parts of historical Lower Silesia
are now in the Voivodeships of Opole, Lubusz and, to a small extent,
Greater Poland, Saxony and the Czech Republic.
The voivodeship
has a share of the Milicz lakes in the north-east.
Most of the Lower
Silesian Heath is located in the north-west of the voivodeship.
The
Oder Valley, which runs through the voivodeship in the north and
north-east, makes up the majority of the Silesian Plain.
To the south
of the Oder Valley is the hilly foothills of the Sudeten Mountains,
which stretch as far as Opole.
The voivodeship shares the Sudetes in
the south, which are very popular with winter sports enthusiasts and
hikers, especially on the Sudetes Main Hiking Trail (part of the
Polish-Czech Friendship Trail in the Krkonoše Mountains). On the Polish
side of the Sudetes, there are these mountainous regions in the Lower
Silesian Voivodeship:
West Sudetes
The Giant Mountains with
its cirque lakes, waterfalls, rock formations and high moors is the
highest and most famous mountain range that is also protected in the
Giant Mountains National Park.
The Jizera Mountains with their high
moors and abandoned villages are the western extension of the Giant
Mountains.
The Bober-Katzbach Mountains adjoin the Giant Mountains in
the north-west and are surrounded by the Bober and the Katzbach.
The
Landeshuter Kamm is located north-east of the Giant Mountains and is
known for its bizarre rock formations. Its western part is also known as
the Falcon Mountains.
Central Sudeten
The bizarre
Heuscheuergebirge is located at the transition to Glatzer Ländchen and
its rugged rock labyrinths are also protected in the Heuscheuergebirge
National Park.
The Eulengebirge impresses with its blaze of color in
autumn. It is known for the World War II project Riese.
The Zobten
Mountains lie in front of the main ridge of the Sudetes to the north and
are within sight of Breslau. The historically significant Zobtenberg is
said to have given Silesia its name.
The Rabengebirge joins the
Riesengebirge in the east. Here is the beautiful baroque Grüssau
Monastery
The Waldenburger Bergland is the eastern extension of the
Rabengebirge. Here is the Fürstenstein Castle, one of the largest, most
magnificent and most beautifully situated castles in Europe.
The
Wartha Mountains are characterized by the picturesque breakthrough of
the Glatzer Neisse near Bardo.
The Eagle Mountains nat with Zieleniec
one of the most important winter sports areas of the Sudetes in Glatzer
Ländchen. The mountains are located on the Polish-Czech border.
The
Habelschwerdter Mountains are the south-eastern extension of the Eagle
Mountains. There are some nice shelters on the alpine pastures.
Eastern Sudetes
The Reichenstein Mountains are located in the border
triangle of Opole and Moravia. Gold has been mined here in the mountain
streams since the Middle Ages.
The Bielen Mountains are located in
the border triangle of Bohemia and Moravia. In Lądek-Zdrój there is
treatment and in Stronie Śląskie skiing.
The Śnieżka Mountains are
known for the Big Śnieżka Mountain, the stalactite cave at Kletno and
the waterfall at Międzygórze.