# Lower Silesian Voivodeship

Lower Silesian Voivodeship (Polish: Województwo dolnośląskie, ) in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. It covers an area of 19,946 square kilometres (7,701 sq mi) and as of 2019 has a total population of 2,899,986.
It is one of the wealthiest provinces in Poland, as natural resources such as copper, brown coal and rock materials are widely present.
Its capital and largest city is Wrocław, situated on the Oder River. The voivodeship is host to several spa towns, many castles and palaces, and the Giant Mountains, with several ski resorts. For this reason, tourism is a large part of this region's economy.

## History

In the past 1,200 years, the region has been part of Great Moravia, the Medieval Kingdom of Poland, the Crown of Bohemia, Kingdom of Hungary, Habsburg monarchy (Austria), Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, and modern Poland after 1945.
Silesian tribes settled the lands at the end of the first millennium after the Migration Period. In the 9th century, the region became part of Great Moravia under Svatopluk I of Moravia and in the 10th century, Mieszko I of the Piast dynasty eventually incorporated the region to Poland. The region withstood German invasions with decisive Polish victories at Niemcza (1017) and Głogów (1109), both commemorated with monuments. It was divided into small realms reigned by Silesian branches of Piast dukes after the testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138. Wrocław was mentioned as one of three centers of the Kingdom of Poland, along with Kraków and Sandomierz, in the early-12th-century Gesta principum Polonorum chronicle. In 1241, it was the place of the Battle of Legnica, the largest battle of the Mongol invasions of Poland. With the Ostsiedlung, the cultural and ethnic Germanic influence grew with an influx of immigrants from the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, and since the 1330s when it was subjugated to the Kingdom of Bohemia, although large portions of Lower Silesia still formed Polish-ruled duchies under the houses of Piast, Jagiellon and Sobieski, some up to the 17th and 18th century. Chief medieval ducal capitals of the area were Wrocław, Legnica, Głogów, Świdnica and Jawor. Lower Silesia was, during the Middle Ages, one of Poland's cultural centers. The Book of Henryków (1273), which contains the earliest known sentence written in the Polish language, as well as a document which contains the oldest printed text in Polish, were both created within it. The first granting of municipal privileges in Poland took place in the region, with the granting of rights for Złotoryja by Henry the Bearded. Medieval municipal rights modeled after Lwówek Śląski and Środa Śląska, both established by Henry the Bearded, became the basis of municipal form of government for several cities and towns in Poland, and two of five local Polish variants of medieval town rights. Burial sights of medieval Polish monarchs from the Piast dynasty are located in the province.
In 1469, Lower Silesia passed to Hungary, and in 1490 it fell back to Bohemia, then ruled by the Jagiellonian dynasty, then together with it became part of the Habsburg monarchy (1526). In 1742/44, the territory was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and subsequently became part of the German Empire (1871). Over the centuries, Lower Silesia has experienced several epochal events such as the Protestant Reformation, the Silesian Wars, Napoleonic Wars, industrialisation and the two World Wars. Before and during World War II, the region's Polish and Jewish populations were persecuted by Nazi Germany. During the war, Germany operated numerous prisons and camps in the region, most notably the Gross-Rosen concentration camp and Stalag VIII-A prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs of various nationalities, both with multiple subcamps scattered throughout the region and beyond, including forced labour camps at the Project Riese construction project. There was also a camp for kidnapped Polish children up to 5 years of age deemed "racially worthless" in Wąsosz, and a youth prison in Wołów with several forced labour subcamps in the region, whereas Kamieniec Ząbkowicki was the place of Aktion T4 murders of mentally ill children by involuntary euthanasia. In 1945, Lower Silesia was made again part of Poland as agreed at the post-war Potsdam Conference. As a consequence, Lower Silesia suffered a nearly total loss of its pre-war population between 1945 and 1950. Polish citizens dispossessed by the Soviets were then settled in the now emptied lands.
The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra Voivodeships, following the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998.

## Geography

Although much of the region is relatively low-lying, Lower Silesia includes the Sudeten Foreland, as well as part of the Sudetes mountain range, that runs along the Polish/Czech border. Ski resorts in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship include Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba in the Karkonosze mountains.
Lower Silesian Forest, the largest continuous forest of Poland, is mostly located within the voivodeship. The village of Henryków Lubański contains Poland's oldest tree, an over-1200-year-old yew, listed as a natural monument.
The voivodeship has a number of mineral springs and is host to a large number of spa towns. The highest point in the voivodeship is Mount Śnieżka (1,603 m (5,259 ft) above sea level) while the lowest point is located in the Oder River Valley (69 m (226 ft) above sea level).
Lower Silesian Voivodeship is bordered by Lubusz Voivodeship to the north-west, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the north-east, Opole Voivodeship to the south-east, the Czech Republic (Hradec Králové Region, Liberec Region, Olomouc Region and Pardubice Region) to the south, and Germany (Saxony) to the west.

## Transport

Wrocław Airport serves as an international and domestic airport.
Wrocław Główny is the largest railway station in Poland, serving an average of 21.2 million passengers annually. It offers the domestic and international connections of various carriers.
The A4 motorway, A8 motorway, A18 motorway and S3 Expressway, S5 Expressway, S8 Expressway also run through the voivodeship.
* Wrocław Główny railway station is a major railway hub in the region
* Koleje Dolnośląskie train at Wrocław Główny
* Wrocław Airport
* A4 motorway in Jędrzychowice
* The viaduct in Lewin Kłodzki, on the railway line No. 309

## Tourism

Tourism is important for Lower Silesian Voivodeship. There are 99 castles and hundreds of palaces. A lot are located Jelenia Góra Valley.
Wrocław being the largest city in the voivodeship has many sights and attractions, including the Market Square, the Cathedral Island and Wrocław's dwarfs. The Festival of Good Beer is held every year of June.
The annual international Chopin Festival is held in the Fryderyk Chopin Theatre in the town of Duszniki-Zdrój. Other major attraction of the town is the Museum of Papermaking, established in a 17th-century paper mill.
Śnieżka is the highest peak of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship and the whole of the Sudetes.
The voivodeship contains 11 spa towns (Długopole-Zdrój, Duszniki-Zdrój, Jedlina-Zdrój, Kudowa-Zdrój, Lądek-Zdrój, Polanica-Zdrój, Przerzeczyn-Zdrój, Szczawno-Zdrój, Świeradów-Zdrój), more than any other province of Poland.
There are various museums, including the major National Museum in Wrocław with the branch Racławice Panorama Museum, and the Archdiocese Museum in Wrocław, which contains the Book of Henryków. Wrocław also hosts the Post and Telecommunications Museum, Poland's chief museum dedicated to postal history. The Regional Museum in Środa Śląska holds the Środa Treasure, containing medieval gold and silver coins, jewellery and royal regalia, considered one of the most precious archaeological findings of 20th-century Europe. The Ossolineum in Wrocław is a National Institute and Library of great importance, and the Pan Tadeusz Museum, containing the manuscript of the Polish national epos, Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz, serves as its branch. Bolesławiec, center of pottery production since the Middle Ages, hosts the Museum of Ceramics. The former gold mines in Złoty Stok and Złotoryja, tin and cobalt mine in Krobica, nickel mine in Szklary, coal mine in Nowa Ruda and uranium ore mine in Kowary are available for tourists. There is also an underground tourist route in historic cellars under the old town of Kłodzko.
Lower Silesia boasts three World Heritage Sites and 15 Historic Monuments of Poland:
* Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica (listed as both)
* Centennial Hall in Wrocław (listed as both)
* Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki-Zdrój (also inscribed on the tentative list of World Heritage Sites)
* Palace and landscape parks of the Jelenia Góra Valley
* Abbey and palace and park ensemble in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki
* Baroque Krzeszów Abbey, which hosts the Icon of Our Lady of Grace, the oldest Marian icon in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe; one of the burial sites of the Piast dynasty
* Baroque Benedictine Abbey and St. Jadwiga's Basilica, Legnickie Pole
* Fort Srebrna Góra
* Gothic Saints Peter and Paul Basilica, Strzegom
* Gothic Świdnica Cathedral
* Former Cistercian Abbey and Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga, Trzebnica, one of the burial sites of the Piast dynasty
* Old Town of Wrocław
* Romanesque-Gothic Saint George church in Ziębice
* Gothic-Mannerist Holy Trinity church in Żórawina
There are several burial sites of Polish monarchs and dukes from the Piast dynasty, including at Henryków, Lubiąż, Trzebnica, and several in Legnica and Wrocław. The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Krzeszów and Church of St. John the Baptist in Legnica contain entire Baroque mausoleums of the Piast dukes from the Świdnica and Legnica lines, respectively.
Other rather unique historic structures include the Skull Chapel in Kudowa-Zdrój and the Vang Stave Church in Karpacz. The Ducal Tower in Siedlęcin contains one of the best preserved medieval frescos in Poland, and the world's only in situ depiction of Sir Lancelot.
World War II sites include the museum at the former Nazi German Gross-Rosen concentration camp and memorials at the sites of other Nazi camps and prisons, at the sites of Nazi massacres, and to the Polish resistance movement, etc. A portion of the underground structures built as part of the unfinished Nazi German Project Riese is available for tourists. One of the largest war cemeteries in Poland, of the Second Polish Army from World War II, is located in Zgorzelec. One of the few Italian war cemeteries in Poland is located in Wrocław (from World War I), and there is also a mass grave of Italian soldiers from World War II in Bolesławiec (see also Italy–Poland relations).
There are also the Kłodzko and Srebrna Góra fortresses, which initially served for military purposes, and during World War II as German prisons for prisoners of various nationalities, especially Polish.
* Castles and palaces (examples)
* Książ Castle in Wałbrzych
* Piast Castle in Legnica
* Czocha Castle
* Oleśnica Castle
* Krobielowice Palace
* Radomierzyce Palace
* Jedlinka Palace in Jedlina-Zdrój
* Wojanów Palace
* Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace
* Warmątowice Sienkiewiczowskie Palace
* Burial sites of Polish monarchs and consorts
* Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga, Trzebnica
* Cathedral of St. Vincent and St. James, Wrocław
* Holy Cross Church, whose scholastic was Nicolaus Copernicus
* Church of St. Clare and Hedwig church, Wrocław

### Protected areas

Protected areas in Lower Silesian Voivodeship:
* 2 National Parks
** Karkonosze National Park (part of a UNESCO trans-border biosphere reserve)
** Table Mountains National Park
* 12 Landscape Parks
** Barycz Valley Landscape Park (partly in Greater Poland Voivodeship)
** Bóbr Valley Landscape Park
** Bystrzyca Valley Landscape Park
** Chełmy Landscape Park
** Jezierzyca Valley Landscape Park
** Książ Landscape Park
** Owl Mountains Landscape Park
** Przemków Landscape Park
** Rudawy Landscape Park
** Ślęża Landscape Park
** Śnieżnik Landscape Park
** Sudety Wałbrzyskie Landscape Park
* 67 Nature reserves
* 20 protected landscape areas
* 3100 Natural monuments
* 114 Ecological usages
* 15 Teams nature and landscape
and many areas of Natura 2000 network.

### Tourist routes

* The Main Trail Sudetes long-distance mountain trail
* The Piast Castles Trail
* Trail around Wrocław
* Cistercian trail
* The trail of the Valley of Palaces and Gardens of the Jelenia Góra Valley
* Lower Silesian Rout of St. James
* Sudetes Rout of St. James
* Camino de Santiago - Via Regia
* The Trail of Extinct Volcanoes on the Kaczawskie Foothills
* Lower Silesian Beer and Wine Trail
* EuroVelo 9
* Lower Silesian Bicycle Highway
* Bicycles S5 (Wrocław – Poznań)
* Blue Velo - The Odra River Bicycle Route

## Economy

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 41.1 billion euro in 2018, accounting for 8.3% of the Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €23,400 or 78% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 85% of the EU average. Lower Silesia Voivodeship is the province with the second highest GDP per capita in Poland.
GDP per capita in Lower Silesian Voivodeship and Poland :
| Lower Silesian Voivodeship | GDP per capita | Poland | GDP per capita |
| 2000 | $10 440 (+2.8%) | 2000 | $10 140 (+4.0%) |
| 2005 | $13 060 (+4.9%) | 2005 | $12 600 (+3.5%) |
| 2006 | $13 700 (+7.3%) | 2006 | $13 020 (+6.2%) |
| 2007 | $14 980 (+9.5%) | 2007 | $13 760 (+6.5%) |
| 2008 | $16 030 (+7.2%) | 2008 | $14 450 (+5.0%) |
| 2009 | $16 350 (+2.0%) | 2009 | $14 720 (+1.9%) |

### Mining

The wealth of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship is partly due to mining and production of various minerals. The Legnica-Głogów Copper Basin (Polish: Legnicko-Głogowski Okręg Miedziowy) with the cities of Legnica, Głogów, Lubin and Polkowice produces copper, as well as other valuable minerals, making Poland the second largest producer of copper in Europe, and the largest producer of silver and rhenium in Europe and one of the largest in the world (as of 2024). Strzegom and its surroundings are the site of granite mining, and the town is called the "capital of Polish granite". One of the three largest lignite mines in Poland is located in Bogatynia.
Wałbrzych, Nowa Ruda and Boguszów-Gorce are former bituminous coal mining centers. Szklary was the location of the country's sole nickel ore mine, and one of only five places in the world, where the rare chrysoprase, carnelian and opal were extracted, and the place of discovery of the extremely rare szklaryite, nioboholtite and titanoholtite minerals. In the Middle Ages, gold (Polish: złoto) and silver (Polish: srebro) were mined in the region, which is reflected in the names of the former mining towns of Złotoryja, Złoty Stok and Srebrna Góra.

## Cities and towns

The voivodeship contains 8 cities and 83 towns. The cities, governed by a city mayor (Polish: prezydent miasta), are listed below in descending order of population (as of 2019):

### Cities

* Wrocław (674,132)
* Wałbrzych city county (111,896)
* Legnica city county (99,486)
* Jelenia Góra city county (79,200)
* Lubin (72,428)
* Głogów (66,120)
* Świdnica (56.803)
* Bolesławiec (38,852)

### Towns

* Oleśnica (37,169)
* Dzierżoniów (33,239)
* Oława (33,029)
* Zgorzelec (30,374)
* Bielawa (29,971)
* Kłodzko (26,845)
* Jawor (22,890)
* Świebodzice (22,793)
* Polkowice (22,480)
* Nowa Ruda (22,067)
* Lubań (21,087)
* Kamienna Góra (19,010)
* Bogatynia (17,436)
* Strzegom (16,106)
* Jelcz-Laskowice (15,803)
* Złotoryja (15,564)
* Boguszów-Gorce (15,368)
* Ząbkowice Śląskie (15,004)
* Chojnów (13,355)
* Trzebnica (13,331)
* Brzeg Dolny (12,511)
* Strzelin (12,460)
* Wołów (12,373)
* Góra (11,797)
* Milicz (11,304)
* Kowary (10,869)
* Syców (10,397)
* Bystrzyca Kłodzka (10,134)
* Kudowa-Zdrój (9,892)
* Środa Śląska (9,516)
* Oborniki Śląskie (9,099)
* Lwówek Śląski (8,869)
* Ziębice (8,708)
* Siechnice (8,113)
* Chocianów (7,892)
* Pieszyce (7,123)
* Kąty Wrocławskie (6,994)
* Sobótka (6,981)
* Żarów (6,719)
* Twardogóra (6,692)
* Gryfów Śląski (6,636)
* Szklarska Poręba (6,557)
* Żmigród (6,435)
* Piława Górna (6,412)
* Głuszyca (6,361)
* Polanica-Zdrój (6,324)
* Piechowice (6,194)
* Przemków (6,107)
* Lubawka (6,028)
* Pieńsk (5,828)
* Stronie Śląskie (5,709)
* Szczawno-Zdrój (5,608)
* Ścinawa (5,582)
* Lądek-Zdrój (5,572)
* Szczytna (5,141)
* Jaworzyna Śląska (5,124)
* Bolków (4,990)
* Bierutów (4,867)
* Jedlina-Zdrój (4,828)
* Karpacz (4,593)
* Duszniki-Zdrój (4,584)
* Leśna (4,439)
* Olszyna (4,348)
* Nowogrodziec (4,243)
* Zawidów (4,180)
* Świeradów-Zdrój (4,147)
* Mieroszów (4,070)
* Mirsk (3,886)
* Wojcieszów (3,668)
* Prochowice (3,602)
* Niemcza (2,965)
* Węgliniec (2,846)
* Złoty Stok (2,758)
* Wąsosz (2,662)
* Międzylesie (2,575)
* Bardo (2,562)
* Radków (2,406)
* Międzybórz (2,341)
* Świerzawa (2,286)
* Prusice (2,243)
* Wiązów (2,241)
* Lubomierz (1,979)
* Wleń (1,759)
* Kamieniec Ząbkowicki
* Miękinia

## Administrative division

Lower Silesian Voivodeship is divided into 30 counties (powiaty), four of which are city counties. These are further divided into 169 gminy.
Lower Silesia is divided into three additional delegation districts governed by the provincial government, with Wrocław serving as the capital of the administrative region:
* Wałbrzych Delegation District - powiaty of Świdnica, Kłodzko, Ząbkowice Śląskie, Dzierżoniów.
* Legnica Delegation District - powiaty of Głogów, Jawor, Lubin, Polkowice, Złotoryja.
* Jelenia Góra Delegation District - powiaty of Boleslawiec, Kamienna Góra, Luban, Lwówek Śląski, Zgorzelec.
The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).
| English and Polish names | Area (km$^2$) | Population (2019) | Seat | Other towns | Total gminas |
| City counties ||||||
| Wrocław | 293 | 641,607 | | | 1 |
| Wałbrzych | 84.70 | 111,896 | | | 1 |
| Legnica | 56.29 | 99,486 | | | 1 |
| Jelenia Góra | 109.22 | 79,200 | | | 1 |
| Land counties ||||||
| Kłodzko County powiat kłodzki | 1643.37 | 158,600 | Kłodzko | Nowa Ruda, Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Kudowa-Zdrój, Polanica-Zdrój, Stronie Śląskie, Lądek-Zdrój, Szczytna, Duszniki-Zdrój, Międzylesie, Radków | 14 |
| Świdnica County powiat świdnicki | 742.89 | 157,178 | Świdnica | Świebodzice, Strzegom, Żarów, Jaworzyna Śląska | 8 |
| Wrocław County powiat wrocławski | 1116.15 | 148,663 | Wrocław* | Sobótka, Kąty Wrocławskie, Siechnice | 9 |
| Oleśnica County powiat oleśnicki | 1049.74 | 107,090 | Oleśnica | Syców, Twardogóra, Bierutów, Międzybórz | 8 |
| Lubin County powiat lubiński | 711.99 | 106,211 | Lubin | Ścinawa | 4 |
| Dzierżoniów County powiat dzierżoniowski | 478.34 | 101,118 | Dzierżoniów | Bielawa, Gola Dzierżoniowska, Niemcza, Pieszyce, Piława Górna | 7 |
| Bolesławiec County powiat bolesławiecki | 1303.26 | 90,108 | Bolesławiec | Nowogrodziec | 6 |
| Zgorzelec County powiat zgorzelecki | 838.11 | 89,612 | Zgorzelec | Bogatynia, Pieńsk, Zawidów, Węgliniec | 7 |
| Głogów County powiat głogowski | 443.06 | 89,319 | Głogów | | 6 |
| Trzebnica County powiat trzebnicki | 1025.55 | 85,092 | Trzebnica | Oborniki Śląskie, Żmigród, Prusice | 6 |
| Oława County powiat oławski | 523.73 | 76,723 | Oława | Jelcz-Laskowice | 4 |
| Ząbkowice Śląskie County powiat ząbkowicki | 801.75 | 65,104 | Ząbkowice Śląskie | Ziębice, Złoty Stok, Bardo, Kamieniec Ząbkowicki | 7 |
| Jelenia Góra County powiat jeleniogórski | 628.21 | 63,639 | Jelenia Góra* | Kowary, Szklarska Poręba, Piechowice, Karpacz | 9 |
| Polkowice County powiat polkowicki | 779.93 | 62,948 | Polkowice | Chocianów, Przemków | 6 |
| Wałbrzych County powiat wałbrzyski | 430.22 | 55,820 | Wałbrzych* | Boguszów-Gorce, Głuszyca, Szczawno-Zdrój, Jedlina-Zdrój, Mieroszów | 9 |
| Legnica County powiat legnicki | 744.60 | 55,318 | Legnica* | Chojnów, Prochowice | 8 |
| Środa Śląska County powiat średzki | 703.68 | 54,646 | Środa Śląska | Miękinia | 5 |
| Lubań County powiat lubański | 428.30 | 54,493 | Lubań | Olszyna, Leśna, Świeradów-Zdrój | 7 |
| Jawor County powiat jaworski | 581.25 | 50,315 | Jawor | Bolków | 6 |
| Wołów County powiat wołowski | 675.00 | 46,914 | Wołów | Brzeg Dolny | 3 |
| Lwówek Śląski County powiat lwówecki | 709.94 | 45,975 | Lwówek Śląski | Gryfów Śląski, Mirsk, Wleń, Lubomierz | 5 |
| Złotoryja County powiat złotoryjski | 575.45 | 43,719 | Złotoryja | Wojcieszów, Świerzawa | 6 |
| Strzelin County powiat strzeliński | 622.27 | 43,713 | Strzelin | Wiązów | 5 |
| Kamienna Góra County powiat kamiennogórski | 396.13 | 43,429 | Kamienna Góra | Lubawka | 4 |
| Milicz County powiat milicki | 715.01 | 37,003 | Milicz | | 3 |
| Góra County powiat górowski | 738.11 | 35,047 | Góra | Wąsosz | 4 |
| * seat not part of the county ||||||

## Governors

| Name | Period |
| Witold Krochmal | 4 January 1999 – 22 October 2001 |
| Ryszard Nawrat | 22 October 2001 – 21 March 2003 |
| Stanisław Łopatowski | 31 March 2003 – 21 December 2005 |
| Krzysztof Grzelczyk | 21 December 2005 – 29 November 2007 |
| Rafał Jurkowlaniec | 29 November 2007 – 1 December 2010 |
| Aleksander Skorupa | 28 December 2010 – 11 March 2014 |
| Tomasz Smolarz (Civic Platform) | 12 March 2014 – 8 December 2015 |
| Paweł Hreniak (Law and Justice) | 8 December 2015 – 11 November 2019 |
| Jarosław Obremski (Law and Justice) | 5 December 2019 – 22 December 2023 |
| Maciej Awiżeń (Civic Platform) | 22 December 2023 – |

## Sports

Speedway, football, basketball, handball and volleyball enjoy the largest following in the voivodeship with several accomplished teams.
Since the establishment of the province, various major international sports competitions were co-hosted by the province, including the EuroBasket 2009, 2009 Women's European Volleyball Championship, 2010 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships, UEFA Euro 2012, 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, 2016 European Men's Handball Championship, 2017 World Games.

## Curiosities

* The city of Bolesławiec is a center of pottery production since the Middle Ages. See also: Bolesławiec pottery.
* Gompa Drophan Ling in Darnków, Poland's only Buddhist gompa, is located in the voivodeship.
* There are several sites in the province associated with Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, most notably the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace, a Historic Monument of Poland.