Papers by Dagmara Adamska
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Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka, 2004
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Śląski Kwartalnik Historyczny Sobótka, 2011
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Klio, Mar 30, 2018
Artykul podejmuje zagadnienie obecności szlachty w Glogowie (Śląsk) w XV–XVI wieku. Jego celem je... more Artykul podejmuje zagadnienie obecności szlachty w Glogowie (Śląsk) w XV–XVI wieku. Jego celem jest wskazanie liczby domow, ich lokalizacji, zrekonstruowanie losow obiektow, aby przyblizyc przyczyny utrzymywania przez szlachte posesji w Glogowie. Wskazano trzy skupiska dworow. Wiekszośc domow znajdowala sie na „zamkowym lennie” – w sąsiedztwie murow miejskich i zamku. Dwa domy mozemy wskazac poza murami miejskimi na Ostrowie Tumskim; dwa – w sąsiedztwie posesji mieszczanskich, ale w prestizowej cześci miasta, gdzie znajdowala sie tez parcela biskupa i klasztory. Metryka dworow nie jest jasna. Poznajemy je w polowie XV wieku, za panowania w Glogowie ksiąząt cieszynskich – Wlodka i Malgorzaty. Utrzymywanie przez szlachcicow miejskich posesji w wiekszości wypadkow koreluje z pelnieniem przez nich funkcji dworskich i urzedniczych, ale jednocześnie z posiadaniem majątkow wiejskich. Dwory na „zamkowym lennie” mogly pelnic role domow noclegowych, ale i dawac ich posiadaczom mozliwośc realizacji interesow gospodarczych. W przypadku nieruchomości na Ostrowie Tumskim hipoteza o stalej obecności szlachcicow w mieście wydaje sie prawdopodobniejsza.
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Akademie Verlag eBooks, 2013
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Winnice i wino, Studia z historii wina w Polsce, red. Dorota Dias-Lewandowska, Gabriel Kurczewski t. 3, 2021
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Climate of the Past, 2022
The period from around 1450 to 1550 in Europe is extremely interesting from the perspective of re... more The period from around 1450 to 1550 in Europe is extremely interesting from the perspective of research on extreme weather events. It was a period of events that strongly influenced the societies and economies of the Old Continent. So far, the literature has been more focused on western and northern Europe. Concerning the region of central Europe, the greatest attention was paid to the Czech Republic or Hungary. This article revolves around the Polish lands, which experienced their greatest economic boom in the 16th century. We consider whether and how the droughts of the decade from 1531 to 1540 might have affected the country's economic development. We analyse a number of written sources which are the product of the treasury apparatus of the time (tax registers, data from water customs, tax exemptions, inventories of land estates etc.), but also information on fluctuations in product prices in the most important cities in this part of Europe. The work not only provides a detailed account of economic data, but also attempts to reflect on the relevance of linking information on fires in urban centres in the period characterized by weather extremes.
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Monarchische und adlige Sakralstiftungen im mittelalterlichen Polen, 2013
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Arts, Feb 7, 2022
Colors were ubiquitous in the medieval world, and castles were no exception. While in the eyes of... more Colors were ubiquitous in the medieval world, and castles were no exception. While in the eyes of most people their rich color schemes manifested power and wealth, some could also read the more nuanced messages these colors conveyed. The main objective of this paper is to discuss the use and role of color in the interiors of castles of medieval Bohemia and Poland. The picture is complemented by the analysis of color decorations of defensive residences of the Teutonic Order, for which color schemes of external facades can be addressed as well. The discussion takes into account the varying state of preservation and draws from the available writ-ten accounts. To present the most complete picture possible, we discuss royal residences, for which unfortunately limited data is available, as well as better-preserved castles of dukes and knights. We discuss the identified iconographic programmes and their chivalric, heraldic, and hagiographic motifs.
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ON THE LOCATION OF JEWISH CEMETERIES IN MEDIAEVAL SILESIA
It is assumed that within the historic... more ON THE LOCATION OF JEWISH CEMETERIES IN MEDIAEVAL SILESIA
It is assumed that within the historical area of Silesia there were four mediaeval Jewish cemeteries (in Wrocław/Breslau, Świdnica/Schweidnitz, Legnica/Liegnitz and Nysa/Neisse)
and it is supposed that there may have been a fi fth one, in Brzeg/Brieg. Each must have been used jointly by several communities but they were located too far from one another to suffi cefor all the Jewish communities in Silesia. In the present article the author hypothesizes that there existed another burial ground, used by mediaeval Jewish communities of northern Silesia (Głogów/Glogau, Ścinawa/Steinau, Góra/Guhrau and Lubin/Lüben). It may have functioned on a hill in the valley of the Rudna River, prior to the establishement of a village called Judenberg (mentioned in sources since 1459). The author also considers possible locations near Świdnica, near Strzelin and near Pilawa, which would have served several communities in the vicinity.
Those possible burial grounds share signifi cant characteristics: Jewish-related micro-toponyms (Judenberg, Judenwiese), topography (hills close to rivers) and being located between several communities dating to the Middle Ages.
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Spatial development of the medieval Głogów / Glogau (Silesia, Poland)
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Houses of the nobility in the late-medieval and early modern Głogów.
The article deals with th... more Houses of the nobility in the late-medieval and early modern Głogów.
The article deals with the presence of the nobility in Głogów (Silesia) in the 15th and 16th centuries. It aims at indicating the number of houses, their locations, as well as reconstructing the fate of the objects, in order to bring closer the reasons for keeping up properties by the gentry in Głogów. Three clusters of manor houses were indicated. Most of the houses were on the “castle fief” (Burglehn), in the neighborhood of city walls and the castle. Two houses can be located outside the city walls on Ostrów Tumski; and the other two in the neighborhood of the bourgeois properties, but in the prestigious part of the city, including also the bishop’s parish and monasteries. The public registers of the manor houses are not clear. We find out about them in the middle of the 15th century, during the reign of Cieszyn dukes in Głogów – Włodek and Margaret. Maintaining city property by the nobles in most cases correlates with the performance of their court and clerical functions, but also with the possession of rural estates. Manor houses on the “castle fiefs” could be used for accommodation, but also give the owners the opportunity for the enforcement of interests. In the case of properties on Ostrów Tumski, the hypothesis of a stable presence of noblemen in the city seems to be more likely.
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Papers by Dagmara Adamska
It is assumed that within the historical area of Silesia there were four mediaeval Jewish cemeteries (in Wrocław/Breslau, Świdnica/Schweidnitz, Legnica/Liegnitz and Nysa/Neisse)
and it is supposed that there may have been a fi fth one, in Brzeg/Brieg. Each must have been used jointly by several communities but they were located too far from one another to suffi cefor all the Jewish communities in Silesia. In the present article the author hypothesizes that there existed another burial ground, used by mediaeval Jewish communities of northern Silesia (Głogów/Glogau, Ścinawa/Steinau, Góra/Guhrau and Lubin/Lüben). It may have functioned on a hill in the valley of the Rudna River, prior to the establishement of a village called Judenberg (mentioned in sources since 1459). The author also considers possible locations near Świdnica, near Strzelin and near Pilawa, which would have served several communities in the vicinity.
Those possible burial grounds share signifi cant characteristics: Jewish-related micro-toponyms (Judenberg, Judenwiese), topography (hills close to rivers) and being located between several communities dating to the Middle Ages.
The article deals with the presence of the nobility in Głogów (Silesia) in the 15th and 16th centuries. It aims at indicating the number of houses, their locations, as well as reconstructing the fate of the objects, in order to bring closer the reasons for keeping up properties by the gentry in Głogów. Three clusters of manor houses were indicated. Most of the houses were on the “castle fief” (Burglehn), in the neighborhood of city walls and the castle. Two houses can be located outside the city walls on Ostrów Tumski; and the other two in the neighborhood of the bourgeois properties, but in the prestigious part of the city, including also the bishop’s parish and monasteries. The public registers of the manor houses are not clear. We find out about them in the middle of the 15th century, during the reign of Cieszyn dukes in Głogów – Włodek and Margaret. Maintaining city property by the nobles in most cases correlates with the performance of their court and clerical functions, but also with the possession of rural estates. Manor houses on the “castle fiefs” could be used for accommodation, but also give the owners the opportunity for the enforcement of interests. In the case of properties on Ostrów Tumski, the hypothesis of a stable presence of noblemen in the city seems to be more likely.
It is assumed that within the historical area of Silesia there were four mediaeval Jewish cemeteries (in Wrocław/Breslau, Świdnica/Schweidnitz, Legnica/Liegnitz and Nysa/Neisse)
and it is supposed that there may have been a fi fth one, in Brzeg/Brieg. Each must have been used jointly by several communities but they were located too far from one another to suffi cefor all the Jewish communities in Silesia. In the present article the author hypothesizes that there existed another burial ground, used by mediaeval Jewish communities of northern Silesia (Głogów/Glogau, Ścinawa/Steinau, Góra/Guhrau and Lubin/Lüben). It may have functioned on a hill in the valley of the Rudna River, prior to the establishement of a village called Judenberg (mentioned in sources since 1459). The author also considers possible locations near Świdnica, near Strzelin and near Pilawa, which would have served several communities in the vicinity.
Those possible burial grounds share signifi cant characteristics: Jewish-related micro-toponyms (Judenberg, Judenwiese), topography (hills close to rivers) and being located between several communities dating to the Middle Ages.
The article deals with the presence of the nobility in Głogów (Silesia) in the 15th and 16th centuries. It aims at indicating the number of houses, their locations, as well as reconstructing the fate of the objects, in order to bring closer the reasons for keeping up properties by the gentry in Głogów. Three clusters of manor houses were indicated. Most of the houses were on the “castle fief” (Burglehn), in the neighborhood of city walls and the castle. Two houses can be located outside the city walls on Ostrów Tumski; and the other two in the neighborhood of the bourgeois properties, but in the prestigious part of the city, including also the bishop’s parish and monasteries. The public registers of the manor houses are not clear. We find out about them in the middle of the 15th century, during the reign of Cieszyn dukes in Głogów – Włodek and Margaret. Maintaining city property by the nobles in most cases correlates with the performance of their court and clerical functions, but also with the possession of rural estates. Manor houses on the “castle fiefs” could be used for accommodation, but also give the owners the opportunity for the enforcement of interests. In the case of properties on Ostrów Tumski, the hypothesis of a stable presence of noblemen in the city seems to be more likely.
Although historical geography has been growing in popularity in Poland in recent years, it is not accompanied by a deeper methodological reflection and monographs with elements of synthesis. Research on settlement is still scattered among geographers, historians, archaeologists and historians of cartography. This work is an attempt to reconstruct the character, directions and dynamics of medieval settlement of the upper and central Oława river basin. It has become a leaven to reflect on the specificity of the observed phenomena, also in a wider context. The studies carried out taking into account environmental factors and with the use of several categories of sources also aimed at joining the discussion on the limitations and possibilities of inter-disciplinary research, as well as those carried out at the junction of disciplines close to each other – history, archaeology and art history.
Wherever possible, I used information from written sources. The search included archives, editions and abstracts of medieval documentation. Important data was provided by The Henryków Book, the value of which is even greater as it often speaks of settlement phenomena not exposed to other sources. I am aware of the fact that despite this, the image of settlement is built on a rather flawed source material. Information about the size of villages and cities, their layout, economy of residents, communication, parish network, etc. appear only on the margins of legal actions and often are not data of primary importance. Therefore, I used other categories of sources and research results of representatives of several disciplines. Following the example of German and Czech researchers, settlement studies should also be open to non-traditional methods, including retrospection. Undoubtedly, toponomastics is a category of sources which should find a permanent place in research. The advantage of this data set is its mass and diverse character. I treated microtoponyms as a reservoir of complementary knowledge, for which it was not possible to develop a method. In fact, it is only when trying to locate the disappeared sediments that it is safe to reach for them, because human memory has preserved the location of these points. Despite the awareness of the drawbacks, I reached for inventories of archaeological objects and the so-called Archaeological Photo of Poland (AZP). Modern maps and iconography were a valuable but complementary source for me. I also used published analyses of geographers.
It can be assumed that in the tribal period this area belonged to the ślężańsko-oławska group, although already at that time its borderline character can be seen. In the 9th and 10th centuries, the settlement was scattered and was growing in the direction of the wooded and less fertile south. After Silesia was incorporated into the Gniezno state, the continuity of the autonomy of the local settlement from the Wrocław group survived. It was still a dispersed settlement on the Oława river basin, although it was grouped in several smaller zones. The area along the upper Oława river basin was not homogeneous – we are dealing here with the forest south (the border zone of the forest) and the 12th-century colonization over the basin section at the level of Henryków and Ziębice. This zone can be combined with the activity of Bolesław Wysoki, who imported the first foreign settlers and gave the land to trusted knights and peasants.
Settlement activity increased during the reign of Henryk Brodaty and found supporters – to varying degrees of intensity – until the beginning of the 14th century. In the 13th-century colonization, conducted far from the capital of Wrocław, the bishop, monks and knights were also involved, accurately reading the gaps in the action of the rulers. The feudal activities were characterized by independence, which intensified after 1241, together with the conviction that private market could function efficiently away from the duke's court, and in the second half of the 13th century also the city.
The regulation of the settlement grid was carried out by Henryk III and Henryk IV, but the most important correction was made by Bolko I – the ruler of these lands in the nineties of the thirteenth century. Perhaps the prince read the symptoms of the crisis, which resulted both from the depletion of the prerogatives of the Piasts and from the natural decline in the colonization momentum of the thirteenth century. I attribute to the prince the development of the slopes of the Strzelińskie Hills, and thus finding new sources of income, also in mining. Bolko also liquidated two private towns (Stary Strzelin and Stare Przeworno) and located princely Strzelin, as well as carried out an administrative reform. During the reign of Bolko, the colonization activity of knights and monks slowed down. After the death of the prince (1301), the area in question was affected by an impasse. This was the result of the exhaustion of the reservoir of profits launched at the last stage of colonization at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries and the lack of any countermeasures in the policy of the newly-created princes and the small Duchy of Ziębice. Bolko II of Ziębice and Nicholas the Small [Mikołaj Mały] tried to seek income in conflicts with the bishop and monks and in a short-sighted increase in the burden on the inhabitants. At that time the negative consequences of anthropogenic transformations of the environment were revealed. These were the progressive loss of soil-forming and retention capacity by forests, which resulted in the change of water status, soil degradation and erosion on the slopes of hills and a deficit of dry areas suitable for cultivation in the valleys of watercourses. The weakness of the rulers was accompanied by an increase in the capacity of the Henryków monastery and knighthood. However, while the monks gathered numerous estates on the Oława river basin, the knightly estates were scattered among many owners.
The first half of the 15th century was an important turning point in the studied area. The river basin area was severely affected by the Hussite wars, the progressing transformation of the natural landscape and the general Silesian socio-economic crisis. The process of leaving the village was very clear. The colonization of the late Middle Ages was carried out in two ways: the existing settlements were still being transformed and rented out and new settlements were designated, but these were mainly granges (also in the area of the disappeared villages) focused on sheep farming and pond management. In the 15th century, the borderline character of the area reappeared, as a noble property key was formed over Oława, and the increase in possibilities and ambitions of the Czirn family – builders of the Gromnik castle – correlated with the weakness of the local rulers and anarchy.
Using modern maps and laconic source materials, I found out that the most popular type of village in the area under study were „square villages” (village built around a village green). Some of them had a pre-colonization metric, which indicates deep changes in the structure, which implied comassation and measurement of land and self-governance. This may have had an impact on the need to designate communal squares for common use. A comparable number of settlements were small villages in the meanders of rivers – usually street village. A specific feature of the region is the grouping of chain villages with forest hoofs in the south. Their location confirms data on the island character of the local fertile soils and the dominance of forests. The relation of temples to the shapes of settlements indicates a certain regularity. Churches with a younger metric were built mainly in square villages with a large area and forest hoofs. In rural and urban sacral buildings, stone dominated, initially in the form of blows, in Gothic broken stone. In the vicinity of Grodków turf ore was used, which is related to the greater distance from quarries and the practice of using local raw materials.
The analysis of the names of settlements correlates with observations on habitat forms. In the Oława river basin we can indicate both villages with original German and Slavic names; the latter, however, in double the number. It is an area showing features of pre-coloniza...
to prof. Marta Młynarska-Kaletynowa on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of scientific work
The book is dedicated to Prof. Marta Młynarska-Kaletynowa on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of releasing a publication that initiated her scientific work. It is a collection of thirty papers written by representatives of several disciplines and specialisations that correspond with interdisciplinary interests of our Jubilarian – archaeologists, historians, architecture and art historians. They are related to early medieval settlement, especially in Silesia, as well as late
medieval towns and their rural hinterland.
The opening part is titled “Early medieval settlement. Theory and scientific practice”. The paper by Krzysztof Jaworski A note written from memory... is a reflection on the significance of the catalogue created by the Jubilarian with Tadeusz Kaletyn and Jerzy Lodowski for
the research on the Early Middle Ages. It became a pretext for the Author to bring back his own memories. The work by Justyna Kolenda Old projects – new possibilities. A contribution to the research on early medieval villages discusses the history of research on medieval rural
settlement in Poland. Not only did the Author characterise the main trends in landscape studies, but she also pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of methods that are presently used.
Anna Dunin-Wąsowicz (Comparing the incomparable in time and space. Apparent analogies or variable elements of „long living” structures? (A contribution in historical geography)) compared the terminology of the administrative and space divisions from Aquitaine sources with those
from other parts of Europe, including Poland. The article by Sylwia Rodak Bolesławiec in the Early Middle Ages is a discussion on the state of archaeological research and a presentation of new analyses of the tribal stronghold in Bolesławiec that became a significant Silesian centre
over the centuries. Aleksandra Pankiewicz in her article (Early medieval (8th-12th/13thcentury) sunken square buildings from Lesser Poland and Upper Silesia) describes “bathtub-like objects” as an important element of the housing culture of the Slavs. Jan Klápště (Cesty do krajiny
středověké Prahy / Roads to the landscape of medieval Prague) presented the possibilities of research on Prague’s rural hinterland perceived as „an economic region of a town”. Elżbieta Kowalczyk-Heyman (The early medieval stronghold in Maków on Orzyc. A myth or reality?) has made an attempt at indicating the location of a stronghold whose existence has been assumed based on the information on a crossing from “the Mogilno counterfeit”. Marian Rębkowski
discussed the issue of a residence of the Odra Duke named Świętopełk – known from „Rocznik świętokrzyski dawny / The Old Świętokrzyski Yearbook” (Where did Świętopełk dux odrensis reside? A contribution to the research on political structure of Pomerania in the first half of the 12th century). Maciej Trzeciecki (In portu Plocensi iuxta ecclesiam Beati Benedicti. A contribution to topography of early medieval Płock) used the information on the Płock harbour as a place of issuing documents in 1228 to make an attempt at verifying the location of settlement points
known from the 13th-century sources. Sylwia Siemianowska (The supposed inn and „merchant’s house” on a Silesian stronghold. Sociotopography of early urban Opole-Ostrówek in the light of glass
finds and accompanying objects) proposed, basing on archaeological finds discovered many years ago, an interpretation of the function of a part of the early medieval buildings in the Opole stronghold. Maria Dekówna, in turn, devoted her work to The origins of sporadically occurring in Poland large beads made of dark glass in the light of laboratory analyses. The Author presented the results of specialist analyses and suggested that the studied objects come from the Middle East
The second part of the book titled “The 13th-century breakthrough. Town, village and farmstead in the Late Middle Ages” begins with a paper by Henryk Samsonowicz (Town incorporations under German law in Silesia in the 13th century) – reflections on the reasons of different
chronology of town incorporations in Silesia and Poland. Maria Legut-Pintal (The Silesian model of melioratio terrae based on the case study of Nysa-Otmuchów region and the Kaczawskie Foothills), using a varied database, discussed the chronology, character and directions of colonisation in two different parts of Silesia. The text by Przemysław Wiszewski Politics and settlement. The case of the Silesian-Bohemian borderland in the 13th century is, in turn, an analysis of settlement
between Kamienna Góra and Trutnov – a transborder, forested area, difficult for adaptation. Małgorzata Chorowska, applying methods used in history of architecture (Once more on St. Martin’s Chapel on the Piast castle in Wrocław), presented several scenarios regarding the time
and character of the erection of the chapel in Wrocław. Dominik Nowakowski (On identifying lost villages and farmsteads in Silesia from the perspective of the research on motte-and-bailey castles)
has shown four cases of successful identifications of motte-and-bailey castles with their rural or farming hinterland – currently non-existing. The Author compared the results of analyses based on modern technologies with archival studies and knowledge on historical cartographic sources.
The paper by Krzysztof Demidziuk Medieval defensive facility in Wrocław-Popiele. Reality or fiction? resulted from archival archaeological studies. The Author suggested that another motte-and-bailey object existed and was probably destroyed in the last years. The article by Dagmara Adamska (Vineyards in the Sudetes Foothills. On growing vines in medieval Silesia) is an analysis of medieval wine-growing in the area of Świdnica and Strzegom. Using sources
that were previously unknown allowed the Author to identify an attempt at reconstructing winemaking in the late 15th century.
The third part titled “Town. Space and people” is opened by an article by Aleksander Paroń Town and state of nomads of northern Eurasia that stresses the influence of the settled civilisation creators’ world-view on descriptions of their observations of the nomad world. Ryszard
Szczygieł returned to the question When was Lublin granted its first location privilege under German law? The Author presented current research ideas and described the significance of the vogt privilege issued in 1317. Another text by Grzegorz Myśliwski (The Wrocław sumptuary law issued in 1435) is a detailed discussion on a document that regulated what the residents of Wrocław would wear. Roman Czaja (Council and municipality in Królewiec in the early 16th century) presented the issue of influence of the municipality on the power exercised by oligarchy in three towns: Old Town Królewiec, Knipawa and Lipnik. The Author analysed written negotiations between the towns and the authorities of the Teutonic Order starting from 1501. Olga Miriam Przybyłowicz (“The Jews will be allowed to have glass windows, in these houses but not opening ones…” On co-existence of the Poor Clares convent and Jewish community in Gniezno in the 16th-17th century) made use of previously unknown material from the Archives in Gniezno
and studied the problem of neighbourhood conflicts between nuns and Jews. The paper by Bogusław Krasnowolski Urban and architectural changes of Biecz until 1914 is a discussion on urban development of a small town. Rafał Eysymontt (Copy, imitation, reconstruction. The most
significant tendencies in the process of revalorization of towns in Lower Silesia) showed the idea of copying, imitating and reconstructing architecture at the background of history of Polish conservation school from 1945 to the present day.
The closing part titled “Sacrum. People, places, things” begins with a paper by Krystian Chrzan Gods and society. Strongholds in the landscape of pre-Christian Slavs basing on an example of the Bishop of Merseburg Thietmar’s narration about Radogoszcz and Lucice. It is an attempt at suggesting cosmological function of the strongholds. The work by Aleksander Limisiewicz and Honorata Rutka (Development of the area of early medieval inhumation cemeteries in Lower Silesia at the time of adopting Christianity with a focus on the site in Jordanów Śląski)
is an interpretation of the results of an analysis of burials from the oldest phase of practising inhumation. The Authors presented spatial arrangement and grave goods in a detailed way. Błażej Stanisławski (Christogram iota-chi as an indicator of the process of bizantynization of the Russ) discussed an artifact from the Justinian period discovered in the area of the supposed 10th-century Russ colony in the vicinity of Constantinople. He compared it to analogical artifacts and showed “the long living” of the christogram as a motif. Sławomir Moździoch (Santa
Maria di Campogrosso – a forgotten cult centre from the period of the Norman conquest of Sicily) presented the conclusions that can be drawn after the latest excavations of a Basilian monastery, cemetery and church founded in the 12th century. The paper by Stanisław Rosik (Bigger than Jael and Judith. St. Hedwig of Silesia as mulier fortis on the history stage and in… Trzebnica (in the light of the colonisation document issued in 1267)). The Author analysed the content of
the diploma and explained the character and origins of the “brave woman” motif.
13th c., after two former private early urban settlements had been terminated, and it is one of the youngest centres established at the initiative of the Silesian dukes. Although it was located on a navigable river and in the vicinity of rock deposits, it was a rather small town, away from key trade routes. Most likely that was not the ruler’s intention, as he had had a large central market square laid out and brought the elite Order of Saint Clare (the Poor Clares) to the town. However, Strzelin’s status has changed over time; there were some short periods during which it played a more significant administrative or economic role.
The situation changed in the 19th c., when the town became the capital
of the smallest county in the Regency of Wrocław. It was then that Strzelin was the Silesian centre for the extraction of rock materials, and, temporarily, also a trading centre of supraregional importance. Its development speeded up even more when a railway line was built and the quarries were industrialized.
This resulted in a growth of the local population and an increase in
the area occupied by residential houses and industrial facilities. The town was adapted to suit the needs of county officials and numerous workers who were moving to the town – within a short period of time, many public buildings, as well as educational, cultural and sports facilities were erected.
A dramatic turning point in the town’s history was constituted by WWII.
The enormous scale of the destruction and the post-WWII chaotic development led to today’s situation, in which Strzelin does not resemble itself of yore. However, several municipal construction projects implemented in recent years have raised some hope for at least a partial revitalisation of the town.
in the mid-13th c.) between the cities of Wrocław and Zgorzelec, on the
section along the River Bóbr, which is one of the branches of the arterial
thoroughfare from Silesia into Western Europe. The submontane belt
(320-400 MASL) in which Jelenia Góra and other urban centres, such as
Kamienna Góra, Nowa Ruda or Kłodzko, were established, had been settled very intensively from the late Middle Ages. Jelenia Góra constitutes one of the most successful implementations of the concept of a chartered town in the south of Silesia towards the end of the 13th c. and in the early 14th c. In the Middle Ages, it was not a big town – the walls encircled an area of about 24 ha within a square 500 m by 500 m. An important part of the town was a castle – the seat of the dukes of Świdnica and Jawor.
Apart from cloth making, a traditional manufacturing activity in many
towns of the submontane region, in the mid-14th century (according to documents issued by Bolko II, Duke of Świdnica and Jawor, in 1348 and 1355), Jelenia Góra also had a monopoly on extracting iron ores in the urban district and their processing in steelworks and smithies. These facts indicate a predominantly craft-like nature of this submontane and mid-forest town.
In 1392, Jelenia Góra came under direct rule from Bohemian monarchs.
The Jagiellonians on the throne in Prague granted the town considerable
autonomy and the right to mint coins, and in 1519 – an important privilege to hold annual fairs. In the 2nd half of the 16th c., manufacture of sought-after types of linen, referred to as ‘voiles’, started in the town and its environs.
A characteristic indication of the development of the urban centre in
the modern period are the arcades in Jelenia Góra’s Rynek Square, with
houses equipped with a so-called roofing, and the Church of Grace, erected under the direction of Swedish architect Martin Frantz. The town grew, occupying more and more areas outside the walls, into an agglomeration with large, densely populated suburbs. The economic success related to the export of linen was not disturbed by the transition under Prussian rule in the mid-18th c. The 19th c. saw successive stages of Jelenia Góra’s spatial expansion. It was then that tenement houses, combining the idea of urban housing and submontane houses, started to be built. The town’s further development was ensured by the putting into operation in 1867 of a railway link with Wrocław and Wałbrzych, the biggest of the nearby coal-mining centres.
In the first half of the 20th c., Jelenia Góra acquired a transport link with
Berlin, which boosted tourism and recreation in the Karkonosze Mountains – the high mountain range that was most easily accessible to the capital’s inhabitants.
In 1975, following Poland’s new administrative division, Jelenia Góra
became the capital of a new province (voivodship) for about twenty years.
This growth in the town’s stature, although temporary, resulted in the incorporation into it of the nearby settlements: Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój, Sobieszów, Grabary, Malinnik, Maciejowa and Goduszyn. In this way, the biggest urban centre in the Sudeten Mountains was created. At present, Jelenia Góra is officially an urban district (P. powiat grodzki). In recent years, Jagniątków was incorporated into the town, which extended its administrative limits up to Poland’s border with the Czech Republic. As a result, at present the town’s area amounts to over 105 km2.