Jelcz-Laskowice is a town in
Oława County,
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, Wałbrz ...
, in south-western
Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (
gmina
The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' , from German ''Gemeinde'' meaning ''commune'') is the principal unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,477 gminas throughout the country, encompassing over 4 ...
) called
Gmina Jelcz-Laskowice. It lies on the
Odra Odra may refer to:
Rivers
* Odra (Poland), also known as Oder, a river in Czech Republic, Poland and Germany
* Odra (Kupa), a river in Croatia
* Odra (Spain), a river in Spain
Populated places
* Odra, Silesian Voivodeship, a village in southern ...
(Oder) river, approximately north of
Oława, and south-east of the regional capital
Wrocław, within its
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
. As of 2019, the town has a population of 15,803.
History
The town was created on January 1, 1987, as a union of the former municipalities of Jelcz (german: Jeltsch) and Laskowice (''Laskowitz''). It was best known for its large
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
factory, owned by the company
Jelcz S.A., though since the bankruptcy of that company the largest employers have been
Toyota and the Mechanical Institute.
The oldest traces of human settlement in present-day Jelcz-Laskowice date back to the
Neolithic period.
In the
Middle Ages both Jelcz and Laskowice were part of the
Kingdom of Poland ruled by 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 ...
. The first known mentions of both villages come from the 13th century, although they probably already existed in the 12th century.
[ Laskowice was first mentioned in 1203, when it was granted by Duke Henry the Bearded to Polish noble Leonard Włostowic, the grandson of Piotr Włostowic.][ Jelcz was first mentioned as ''Jalche'' in a 1245 deed, when Pope Innocent IV assigned it to the Archdiocese of Wrocław. In 1277 Duke Bolesław II the Bald of ]Legnica
Legnica (Polish: ; german: Liegnitz, szl, Lignica, cz, Lehnice, la, Lignitium) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River (left tributary of the Oder) and the Czarna Woda (Kaczawa), Czarna Woda ...
here captured and arrested his nephew Duke Henryk IV Probus of Wrocław. Bolesław's grandson, Duke Bolesław III the Generous had a castle erected on an island in the Oder
The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...
river about 1331. The village of Laskowice, on the other hand, was reestablished in 1293 in a slightly different location by Duke Henry V.[
From 1871 to 1945 the area was part of Germany, and between 1943 and 1945, during World War II, the nearby hamlet of ]Miłoszyce
Miłoszyce (german: Meleschwitz) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Jelcz-Laskowice, within Oława County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland.
It lies approximately north-west of Jelcz-Laskowice, north of ...
was the site of the ''Fünfteichen'' subcamp of the Nazi German Gross-Rosen concentration camp
, known for =
, location =
, built by =
, operated by =
, commandant =
, original use =
, construction =
, in operation = Summer of 1940 – 14 February 1945
, gas cham ...
, where forced labourers built howitzers for the ''Berthawerke'', a branch of the German Krupp
The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krup ...
company. Testing grounds still feature concrete installations east of the village of Nowy Dwór Nowy Dwór (Polish for "new Dwór (manor house), manor") may refer to:
*Nowy Dwór Gdański, in Pomeranian Voivodeship (north Poland)
*Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, in Masovian Voivodeship (east-central Poland)
*Nowy Dwór, Oleśnica County in Lower Siles ...
. Howitzers were hauled on rails from the branch Berthakrupp via Laskowice, Piekary and north of Nowy Dwór. Since 1945 Soviets sent over 160 railway sorties, presumably to Smolensk leaving very little behind them.
In 1945 the area according to the results of the Potsdam Conference became again part of Poland. In 1949 Polish Ministry of Defense began the production of Mobile Repair Vehicles and Ambulances for military purpose. Bus production by Jelcz S.A. started in 1952.
Sports
Since 2015 a futsal club Orzeł Futsal Jelcz-Laskowice
Orzeł Futsal Jelcz-Laskowice Sport Club – futsal club from Jelcz-Laskowice appearing from season 2015/2016 in 1st Polish futsal Division. Club was created from initiative of Futsal Lovers from Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ...
Sport Club created from initiative of Futsal Lovers from Wrocław and surroundings, has the headquarter in Centrum of Sport and Recreation (CSIR) in Jelcz-Laskowice and arrives in the first division of Polish Futsal League.
Twin towns – sister cities
See twin towns of Gmina Jelcz-Laskowice.
References
External links
Official town website
Town information portal
Panoramic Photos of Jelcz-Laskowice
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Jelcz Laskowice
Cities in Silesia