Chojnów (german: Haynau,

Silesian German Silesian (Silesian: ', german: Schlesisch), Silesian German or Lower Silesian is a nearly extinct German dialect spoken in Silesia. It is part of the East Central German language area with some West Slavic and Lechitic influences. Silesian G ...

: Hoyn,

Silesian language Silesian * Polish: ''etnolekt śląski'', ''język śląski'', ''gwara śląska'', ''śląszczyzna'' * german: link=no, Schlonsakisch, Wasserpolnisch or Upper Silesian is a West Slavic ethnolect of either the Lechitic group or the Czech� ...

: ''Chojnůw'') is a small town in

Legnica County __NOTOC__ Legnica County ( pl, powiat legnicki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local govern ...

Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbr ...

, in south-western

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. It is located on the

Skora Skora is a river of Poland, a tributary of the Czarna Woda. Known in German as the ''Schnelle Deichsa'', it flows through the Legnica and Złotoryja districts, with its source in the foothills of Kaczawskiego. Towns along the river include Pie ...

river, a tributary of the

Kaczawa The Kaczawa (), in English Katzbach, is a river in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland. It springs from the Kaczawskie Mountains near Kaczorów and flows north and northeast through the towns of Świerzawa, Złotoryja and Legnica. Among i ...

at an average altitude of above sea level. Chojnów is the administrative seat of the rural gmina called

Gmina Chojnów __NOTOC__ Gmina Chojnów is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Legnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Chojnów, although the town is not part of the territory of the gmina. The gmina co ...

, although the town is not part of its territory and forms a separate urban gmina. As of December 2021, the town has 13,002 inhabitants. Chojnów is located west of Legnica, east from

Bolesławiec Bolesławiec (pronounced , szl, Bolesławiec, german: Bunzlau) is a historic city situated on the Bóbr River in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in western Poland. It is the administrative seat of Bolesławiec County, and of Gmina Bolesławi ...

and north of

Złotoryja Złotoryja (; german: Goldberg, ; Latin: ''Aureus Mons'', ''Aurum'') is a historic town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in southwestern Poland, the administrative seat of Złotoryja County, and of the smaller Gmina Złotoryja. Having been granted ...

, from the A4 motorway. It has railroad connections to Bolesławiec and Legnica.

Heraldry

The Chojnów coat of arms is a blue escutcheon featuring a white castle with three towers. To the right side of the central tower is a silver crescent moon and to its left side a golden sun. In the gate of the castle is a Silesian Eagle on a yellow background. Chojnów's motto is "Friendly City".

Geography

Chojnów is located in the Central-Western part of the Lower Silesia region. The Skora (Leather) River flows through the town in a westerly direction. The city of Chojnów is in area, including 41% agricultural land. Chojnów has a connection with the major cities of the country (road and rail) and located south of Chojnów has the A4 Autostrada. To the South of the town is the surrounding Chojnowska Plain.

History

The town is first mentioned in a Latin mediaeval document issued in

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

on February 26, 1253, stating, the Silesian Duke Henry III when the town is mentioned under the name Honowo. Possible the name of nearby Hainau Island. The name is of Polish origin, and in more modern records from the 19th century, the Polish name appears as ''Hajnów'',''Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich'', Tom III, Warsaw, 1882, p. 10 (in Polish) while ''Haynau'' is the Germanized version of the original Polish name. The settlement of ''Haynow'' was mentioned in a 1272 deed. It was already called a ''civitas'' in a 1288 document issued by the

Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branc ...

duke Henry V of Legnica, and officially received

town privileges Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

in 1333 from Duke

Bolesław III the Generous Boleslaw III the Wasteful ( pl, Bolesław III Rozrzutny; 23 September 1291 – Brieg, 21 April 1352), was a Duke of Legnica, Brzeg (Brieg) from 1296 until 1342, and Duke of Wrocław from 1296 until 1311. He was the eldest son of Henry V the F ...

. It was part of the duchies of

, Głogów and Legnica of fragmented

and remained under the rule of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...

until 1675. Its population was predominantly Polish. In 1292 the first

castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant ...

of Chojnów, Bronisław Budziwojowic, was mentioned. In the 14th and early 15th centuries Chojnów was granted various privileges, including

staple right The staple right, also translated stacking right or storage right, both from the Dutch ''stapelrecht'', was a medieval right accorded to certain ports, the staple ports. It required merchant barges or ships to unload their goods at the port and to ...

and gold mining right, thanks to which it flourished. The town survived the Hussites, who burned almost the entire town center and castle, but it quickly helped recover its former glory. The largest boom Chojnów experienced was in the 16th century, however by the end of that century began to decline due to fires and epidemic, which claimed many victims in 1613. During the

Thirty Years War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...

(1618–1648), there was another outbreak in the city, it was occupied by the

Austrians , pop = 8–8.5 million , regions = 7,427,759 , region1 = , pop1 = 684,184 , ref1 = , region2 = , pop2 = 345,620 , ref2 = , region3 = , pop3 = 197,990 , ref3 ...

and

Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countri ...

and in 1642 it was also plundered by the Swedes. It remained part of the

-ruled Duchy of Legnica until its dissolution in 1675, when it was incorporated to Habsburg-ruled

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohe ...

In the 18th century, cloth production developed and a clothmaking school was established in the town. One of two main routes connecting

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

and Dresden ran through the town in the 18th century and Kings

Augustus II the Strong Augustus II; german: August der Starke; lt, Augustas II; in Saxony also known as Frederick Augustus I – Friedrich August I (12 May 16701 February 1733), most commonly known as Augustus the Strong, was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as Ki ...

and

Augustus III of Poland Augustus III ( pl, August III Sas, lt, Augustas III; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Augu ...

traveled that route numerous times. In 1740 the town was captured by

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was '' de facto'' dissolved by an ...

and subsequently annexed in 1742. In 1804 it suffered a flood. During the

Napoleonic wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

there were more epidemics. In 1813 in Chojnów,

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

issued instructions regarding the reorganization of the 8th Polish Corps of Prince

Józef Poniatowski Prince Józef Antoni Poniatowski (; 7 May 1763 – 19 October 1813) was a Polish general, minister of war and army chief, who became a Marshal of the French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. A nephew of king Stanislaus Augustus of Poland (), ...

. The event is commemorated by a plaque in the facade of the Piast Castle. A railway line was opened in the 19th century. Sewer,

Gas light ''Gas Light'' is a 1938 thriller play, set in the Victorian era, written by the British novelist and playwright Patrick Hamilton. Hamilton's play is a dark tale of a marriage based on deceit and trickery, and a husband committed to driving h ...

ing a Newspaper and a hospital soon followed as the towns economy improved. The city was not spared in World War II, with 30% of the town being destroyed on February 10, 1945, when Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

troops took the abandoned town. After World War II and the implementation of the Oder-Neisse line in 1945, the town passed to the

Republic of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populo ...

. It was repopulated by Poles, expelled from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union. In 1946 it was renamed ''Chojnów'', a more modern version of the old Polish ''Hajnów''. Also Greeks,

refugees of the Greek Civil War During and after the Greek Civil War of 1946–1949, members and or supporters of the defeated Communist forces fled Greece as political refugees. The collapse of the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE) and subsequent evacuation of the Communist Party o ...

, settled in Chojnów.

Population

* 1428 – 15 inhabitants * 1633 – 500 * 1657 – 180 * 1742 – 400 * 1788 – 20,176 * 1801 – 2,314 * 1890 – 8,115 * 1910 – 10,500 * 2005 – 14,510 * 2011 – 14,367

Economy

Chojnów is an industrial and agricultural town. Among local products are: paper, agricultural machinery, chains, metal furniture for hospitals, equipment for the

meat industry The meat industry are the people and companies engaged in modern industrialized livestock agriculture for the production, packing, preservation and marketing of meat (in contrast to dairy products, wool, etc.). In economics, the meat industry i ...

, beer, wine, leather clothing, and clothing for infants, children and adults.

Sights and nature

Among the interesting monuments of Chojnów are the 13th-century castle of the Dukes of Legnica (currently used as a museum), two old churches, the ''Baszta Tkaczy'' (''Weavers' Tower'') and preserved fragments of city walls. The biggest green area in Chojnów is small forest ''Park Piastowski'' (''Piast's Park''), named after

. Wild animals that can be found in the Chojnów area are

roe deer The roe deer (''Capreolus capreolus''), also known as the roe, western roe deer, or European roe, is a species of deer. The male of the species is sometimes referred to as a roebuck. The roe is a small deer, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapt ...

, foxes, rabbits and wild domestic animals, especially cats.

Culture and sport

Every year in the first days of June, the ''Days of Chojnów'' (''Dni Chojnowa'') are celebrated. The Whole-Poland bike race ''Masters'' has been organized yearly in Chojnów for the past few years. Chojnów has a Municipal sports and recreation center formed in 2008 holding various events, festivals, reviews, exhibitions, and competitions. The regional Museum is housed in the old Piast era castle. The collections include tiles, relics, and the castle garden. Next to the Museum there is a municipal library. In śródmiejskim Park, near the Town Hall is the

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

. The local government-run weekly newspaper is Gazeta Chojnowska, which has been published since 1992. It is published biweekly. Editions have a run of 900 copies and it is one of the oldest newspapers in Poland issued without interruption. The ''Chojnów'' is the official newspaper of Chojnów with copy run of 750 copies.

Education

In Chojnów, there are two kindergartens, two elementary schools and two middle schools. *Mary Konopnickiej is the smallest elementary school in Chojnów, and is located in the northern part of the city, close to the train station and founded in 1962. *Janusz Korczak is the largest primary school in Chojnów in the southern part of the town. *Middle School No. (Pope John Paul II), it is situated in the north-western part of the city next to the "Small Church". *Gimnazjum nr 2 im. Nicolaus Copernicus is the largest high school in Chojnów. *Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Nicolaus Copernicus

Religion

Chojnów is in the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

deanery of Chojnów and has two parishes, Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and also the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Both parishes have active congregations. There are also two Congregations of Jehovah's witnesses.

Notable people

Johann Wilhelm Ritter Johann Wilhelm Ritter (16 December 1776 – 23 January 1810). was a German chemist, physicist and philosopher. He was born in Samitz (Zamienice) near Haynau (Chojnów) in Silesia (then part of Prussia, since 1945 in Poland), and died in Munic ...

(1776–1810), chemist and

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

Georg Michaelis Georg Michaelis (8 September 1857 – 24 July 1936) was the chancellor of the German Empire for a few months in 1917. He was the first (and the only one of the German Empire) chancellor not of noble birth to hold the office. With an economic b ...

(1857–1936), politician, Chancellor of Germany (1917) * Edith Jacobson (1897–1978), German psychoanalyst * Oswald Lange (1912–2000), German–American aerospace engineer *

Horst Mahler Horst Mahler (born 23 January 1936) is a German former lawyer and political activist. He once was a far-left militant and a founding member of the Red Army Faction who later became a Maoist, before switching to neo-Nazism. Between 2000 and 2003, ...

(born 1936), German lawyer, former

Red Army Faction The Red Army Faction (RAF, ; , ),See the section "Name" also known as the Baader–Meinhof Group or Baader–Meinhof Gang (, , active 1970–1998), was a West German far-left Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group founded in 1970. The ...

militant, now

Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post– World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack ...

activist

Twin towns – sister cities

Chojnów is twinned with: * Commentry, France *

Egelsbach Egelsbach is a municipality of 11,000 in the Offenbach district in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Egelsbach is one of 13 communities in the Offenbach district. The community lies in the Frankfurt ...

, Germany *

Mnichovo Hradiště Mnichovo Hradiště (; german: Münchengrätz) is a town in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,700 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monum ...

, Czech Republic

Gallery

Chojnow(js).jpg, Entrance to the Piast Castle SM Chojnów Rynek (0) ID 593382.jpg, Market Square Chojnów, Ab-047.JPG, Flower beds in Chojnów Chojnow 067 duzy kosciol.jpg,

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Saints Peter and Paul Church Chojnów, Wzgórze Chmielowe.jpg, Park Piastowski Chojnów, Ab-058.JPG, Town hall SM Chojnów kościół Niepokalanego Poczęcia NMP (5) ID 593383.jpg, Immaculate Conception Church SM Chojnów Konarskiego4 (0).jpg, Nicolaus Copernicus Gymnasium No. 2 Chojnów, Ab-057.JPG, Monument to Polish soldiers killed in World War II and murdered in labour camps and exiled to Siberia Łabędzi Staw.jpg, Swan's Pond (''Łabędzi Staw'') in winter SM Chojnów Dworzec (2) ID 593398.jpg, Chojnów Railway Station Chojnow 055 most kolejowy.jpg, Railway bridge