Nysa (german: Neisse or ''Neiße'', szl, Nysa) is a town in southwestern Poland on the

Eastern Neisse The Eastern Neisse, also known by its Polish name of Nysa Kłodzka (german: Glatzer Neiße, cs, Kladská Nisa), is a river in southwestern Poland, a left tributary of the Oder, with a length of 188 km (21st longest) and a basin area of 4,570& ...

(

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

: ''Nysa Kłodzka'') river, situated in the Opole Voivodeship. With 43,849 inhabitants (2019), it is the capital of Nysa County. It comprises the urban portion of the surrounding Gmina Nysa. Historically the town was part of Upper Silesia.

History

Nysa, one of the oldest towns in Silesia, was probably founded in the 10th century. The name of the

Nysa Nysa may refer to: Greek Mythology * Nysa (mythology) or Nyseion, the mountainous region or mount (various traditional locations), where nymphs raised the young god Dionysus * Nysiads, nymphs of Mount Nysa who cared for and taught the infant ...

river, from which the town takes its name, was mentioned in 991, when the region formed part of the

Duchy of Poland Civitas Schinesghe () is the first recorded name related to Poland as a political entity (the name is a Latinization of or , "ducal gords") first attested in 991/2. The original deed is missing, but is mentioned in an 11th-century papal regest ...

under Mieszko I of Poland. A Polish stronghold was built in Nysa in the 11th and 12th century due to the proximity of the border with the Czech Duchy. As a result of the fragmentation of Poland, it became part of the Duchy of Silesia, and from the 14th century it functioned as the capital of the

Duchy of Nysa The Duchy of Nysa ( pl, Księstwo Nyskie, cs, Niské knížectví) or Duchy of Neisse (german: Herzogtum Neisse) was one of the duchies of Silesia with its capital at Nysa in Lower Silesia. Alongside the Duchy of Siewierz, it was the only eccle ...

, administered by the

Bishopric of Wrocław In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

. In the 12th century the

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 ...

Basilica of St. James and St. Agnes was built (later rebuilt after the war devastations of the 13th and 14th centuries). Now designated a Historic Monument of Poland, it is the most distinctive and most valuable landmark of Nysa. Nysa was granted town rights around 1223 by bishop Lawrence, confirmed by Duke

Bolesław II Rogatka Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to: In people: * Boleslaw (given name) In geography: * Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland * Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland * Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, ...

of Legnica in 1250, and attracted Flemish and German settlers. In 1241 it was ravaged by the Mongols during the first Mongol invasion of Poland. In 1245, it was granted staple right and two yearly

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

s were established. In the early-14th century Nysa became an important trade- and craft-center of Poland, before it passed under the suzerainty of the Bohemian Crown in 1351, under which it remained until 1742. It also became one of the leading cultural centers of Silesia. Nuremberg chronicles - NISSA

The town's fortifications, dating from 1350, served to defend against the Hussites in 1424. During the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...

, in 1428 it was the site of the , with

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...

and Czechs fighting on both sides. One of the prominent signs that Nysa was a significant center is the report in

Nuremberg Chronicle The ''Nuremberg Chronicle'' is an illustrated encyclopedia consisting of world historical accounts, as well as accounts told through biblical paraphrase. Subjects include human history in relation to the Bible, illustrated mythological creatures, ...

, published in 1493, which mentions the city among the major urban centers of Central and Eastern Europe. In the description of the town population included in this chronicle we read "plebs rustica polonici ydeomatis ...". The Nysa coat of arms at the entrance of the Charles Bridge in Prague, which is displayed alongside the arms of the most prominent Bohemian cities, also indicates the importance of the town. In the 16th century it was a Polish printing center. During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) Nysa was besieged three times. It was plundered by the Saxons 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 countr ...

. Polish prince (and later King) Władysław IV Vasa () visited the town several times between 1619 and 1638. In 1624 the '' Kolegium Carolinum Neisse'' (today's ''I Liceum Ogólnokształcące''), one of the most renowned schools of Silesia, was established as a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

college. Polish King Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki and Polish prince James Louis Sobieski both attended this school. Ring in Neisse Lithografie

During the First Silesian War ( War of the Austrian Succession), in 1741, Nysa was besieged and captured by Prussians, King

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

laid the foundations of its modern fortifications. In 1758, during the Seven Years' War, it was besieged by the Austrians. On 25 August 1769 it was the site of a meeting between Frederick II and Emperor Joseph II, co-regent in the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

of Austria. During the Napoleonic Wars Neisse was taken by the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

in 1807. It retained its mostly Catholic character within the predominantly Protestant province of Silesia in the Kingdom of Prussia. Because of its many churches from the

and

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

periods the town was nicknamed "the Silesian Rome". In 1816–1911, the town was the seat of the Neisse District, after which it became an independent city. According to the Prussian census of 1910, the city of Neisse had a population of 25,938, of whom around 95% spoke German, 4% spoke Polish and 1% were bilingual. During World War I and the post-war Polish

Silesian Uprising The Silesian Uprisings (german: Aufstände in Oberschlesien, Polenaufstände, links=no; pl, Powstania śląskie, links=no) were a series of three uprisings from August 1919 to July 1921 in Upper Silesia, which was part of the Weimar Republic ...

, a prisoner-of-war camp was located in the town.

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

, future leader of French Resistance against German occupation in World War II and later president of France, was imprisoned there in 1916. After World War I, Neisse became part of the new Province of Upper Silesia within Weimar Germany. During World War II the Germans established a subcamp of the

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 ...

, three forced-labour camps, and several working parties of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp at Łambinowice. Conquered by the Red Army in the last months of the war, the town was placed preliminarily under Polish administration in accordance with the

Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement (german: Potsdamer Abkommen) was the agreement between three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union on 1 August 1945. A product of the Potsdam Conference, it concerned th ...

and renamed to the Polish ''Nysa''. The town's German population was partly evacuated. After the German defeat, and following the preliminary establishment of the Oder-Neisse line as the new German-Polish border, the remaining German population of Nysa was expelled. Expulsions started in mid-June 1945, carried out by the Soviet-organized Polish militia who surrounded settlements, entered homes, and asked their inhabitants to leave their home with them. In the following years, new Polish settlers, some whom were themselves expelled or resettled from what is now Western Ukraine (see: Kresy), made Nysa their new home.

Nysa's monuments

As a result of destruction during World War II, in particular the heavy fighting of the Vistula–Oder Offensive of early 1945, during which the Red Army pushed the German Army Group A out of southwest Poland, the historic aspect of the town has only partially been preserved. The most important monuments have been rebuilt. A list of the monuments of Nysa is seen on the page

Nysa's monuments This is a list of monuments in the town of Nysa in Poland. Basilica of St. James and St. Agnes The Basilica of St. James and St. Agnes church complex, dedicated to St. James the Apostle and St. Agnes the Virgin and Martyr, was consecrated in ...

. Polish troops were stationed in Nysa until 2001, when they were relocated to Kłodzko.

Economy

Until recently, Nysa was a major industrial centre in the Opole Voivodeship. The town was home to metal works,

machinery A machine is a physical system using power to apply forces and control movement to perform an action. The term is commonly applied to artificial devices, such as those employing engines or motors, but also to natural biological macromolecule ...

production, agricultural produce and construction materials. The year 2002 saw the closure of the ZSD company. The company constructed delivery vehicles, namely the

ZSD Nysa The Nysa van was produced in the town of Nysa, Poland, from 1958 until 1994. The Nysa was based on the same chassis as the angular shaped Żuk van, but had rounded body lines, especially the two-part rounded windshield, and was considered more ...

, FSO Polonez and, until recently, the

Citroën Citroën () is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded in March 1919 by André Citroën. Citroën is owned by Stellantis since 2021 and previously was part of the PSA Group after Peugeot acquired ...

C15 and

Berlingo Berlingo (Brescian: or ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Brescia The Province of Brescia ( it, provincia di Brescia; Brescian: ) is a Province in the Lombardy administrative region of northern Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 ...

. Currently, the factory remains closed. Recently, the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone is located by Dubois Street (''ul. Dubois'') and Krapacka Street (''ul. Krapacka''), largely revolving around agricultural goods and produce, as well as metal works.

Sports

* Stal Nysa SA – men's volleyball team playing in

Polish Volleyball League The PlusLiga is the highest level of men's volleyball in Poland, a professional league competition featuring volleyball clubs located in this country. It is overseen by Polska Liga Siatkówki SA (PLS SA). It is currently a 16 teams league from Oc ...

(Polska Liga Siatkówki, PLS), new in 2020 season * KŻ Nysa – sailing club with seat on Nysa's lake * AZS PWSZ Nysa – students club of AZS * Polonia Nysa –

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club * Podzamcze Nysa – football club * AZS Basket Nysa – basketball club * NTSK Nysa – women's volleyball club * Fort Nysa –

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

and

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

club *NTG Nysa – gymnastics club

Notable people

Konrad Emil Bloch Konrad Emil Bloch (; 21 January 1912 – 15 October 2000) was a German-American biochemist. Bloch received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1964 (joint with Feodor Lynen) for discoveries concerning the mechanism and regulation of the ...

(1912–2000), German-American biochemist, Nobel Prize winner * Emanuel Sperner (1905–1980), German mathematician *

Marcin Bors Marcin Bors (born 30 May 1978) is a Polish record producer, sound engineer and multi-instrumentalist. He started working as a sound engineer in the late 1990s, mostly with heavy metal bands such as Artrosis, Lost Soul and Moonlight among other ...

(born 1978), Polish record producer *

Hans-Joachim Caesar Hans-Joachim Caesar (17 May 1905 – 18 May 1990) was a German lawyer and banking official, working for the German Reichsbank from 1931 until the end of World War II. He was director of Germany's Reichsbank during World War II and basically serv ...

, Reichsbank director, German bank comptroller in occupied France, 1940–44 *

Emanuel Oscar Menahem Deutsch Emanuel Oscar Menahem Deutsch (1829 – 28 October 1873) was a German Jewish scholar of Semitic studies, the Talmud and Middle Eastern studies. Biography He was born in Neisse, Prussian Silesia (now Nysa, Poland). His education was begun by an un ...

(1829–1873), scholar on the Middle East *

Paweł Franczak Paweł Franczak (born 7 October 1991) is a Polish former professional cyclist, who rode professionally between 2013 and 2021 for , , , and the . During his career, he took one professional victory – the general classification at the 2019 Belgra ...

(born 1991), Polish cyclist *

Rudolf Fränkel Rudolf Fränkel, often anglicised as Rudolf or Rudolph Frankel (14 June 1901 in Neisse, Upper Silesia, now Nysa, Poland – 23 April 1974 in Cincinnati, Ohio)

(1901–1974), architect *

Sigismund Freyer Sigismund Freyer (22 January 1881 – 14 February 1944) was a German horse rider who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, ...

(1881–1944), German horse rider * Piotr Gacek (born 1978), Polish volleyball player *

Bernhard Grzimek Bernhard Klemens Maria Grzimek (; 24 April 1909 – 13 March 1987) was a German zoo director, zoologist, book author, editor, and animal conservationist in postwar West Germany. Biography Early years and education Grzimek was born in Neisse (N ...

(1909–1987), zoologist and conservationist *

Wilhelm Hasse Wilhelm Hasse (24 November 1894 – 21 May 1945) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany during World War II who commanded the 17th Army. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Hasse died on 21 May 1945 ...

(1894–1945), Wehrmacht general *

Martin Helwig Martin Helwig ( la, Martino Heilwig) (5 November 1516 – 26 January 1574) was a German cartographer of Silesia and pedagogue. He was born in Neisse and died in Breslau, Holy Roman Empire. Life A former pupil of an eminent German scholar and ed ...

(1516–1574),

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

Max Herrmann-Neisse Max Herrmann-Neisse (also Max Hermann, 23 May 1886, Nysa, Poland, Nysa – 8 April 1941, London) was a German people, German expressionism, expressionist writer. He was a childhood friend of fellow writer Franz Jung. He was also a personal friend ...

(1886–1941) German poet *

Max Hodann Max Julius Carl Alexander Hodann (30 August 1894 – 17 December 1946) was a German physician, eugenicist, sex educator and Marxist, "the best-known and most controversial medical sex educationalist in the Weimar Republic". He wrote for a working ...

(1894–1946), German physician *

Carl Hoffmann Carl Hoffmann (9 June 1885, in Neisse – 13 July 1947) was a German cinematographer and film director. Selected filmography Cinematographer * '' The Vice'' (1915) * ''Dr. Hart's Diary'' (1917) * '' Wedding in the Eccentric Club'' (1917) * ''T ...

(1885–1947), German cinematographer and film director * Jakub Jarosz (born 1987), Polish volleyball player *

Valentin Krautwald Valentin Krautwald ( la, Cratoaldus) (1465–1545) was a German religious reformer, lector of theology at Liegnitz, and colleague of Caspar Schwenckfeld. Life Born into a burger family of Neisse (now Nysa, Poland), he was supported in his higher e ...

(1465–1545), German religious reformer * Bartosz Kurek (born 1988), Polish volleyball player * Adam Kurek (born 1968), Polish volleyball player *

Edmund Lesser Edmund Lesser (12 May 1852 – 7 June 1918) was a German dermatologist who was a native of Neisse. He studied medicine at the universities of Berlin, Bonn and Strasbourg, earning his medical doctorate in 1876. Later he became an assistant to Osk ...

(1852–1918), German dermatologist *

Maria Merkert Maria Luise Merkert (21 September 1817 in Neisse, Prussia - 14 November 1872 in Neisse) was a German Roman Catholic professed religious and the co-foundress of the Sisters of Saint Elizabeth. Merkert worked to help those in need including the po ...

(1817–1872), founder of the Congregation of Saint Elizabeth * Kurt von Morgen (1858–1928), Prussian explorer and officer * Hans Guido Mutke (1921–2004), fighter pilot *

Emin Pasha 185px, Schnitzer in 1875 Mehmed Emin Pasha (born Isaak Eduard Schnitzer, baptized Eduard Carl Oscar Theodor Schnitzer; March 28, 1840 – October 23, 1892) was an Ottoman physician of German Jewish origin, naturalist, and governor of the Egyp ...

(''Eduard Schnitzer'') (1840–1892), physician and Ottoman governor of

Equatoria Equatoria is a region of southern South Sudan, along the upper reaches of the White Nile. Originally a province of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, it also contained most of northern parts of present-day Uganda, including Lake Albert and West Nile. It ...

Karl-Georg Saebisch Karl-Georg Saebisch (1903–1984) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''The Last Man ''The Last Man'' is an apocalyptic, dystopian science fiction novel by Mary Shelley, first published in 1826. The narrative concerns Europe in the l ...

(1903–1984), German actor *

Friedrich von Sallet Friedrich von Sallet (20 April 1812 – 21 February 1843) was a German writer, most notable for his political and religion-critiquing poems. Biography Von Sallet was born in Neiße. He attacked military events of the time in several satirical w ...

(1812–1843), German satirical writer * Solomon Schindler (1842–1915), rabbi *

Franz Skutsch Franz Skutsch (6 January 1865 – 29 September 1912) was a German classical philologist and linguist born in Neisse. He was the father of classical philologist Otto Skutsch (1906-1990). He studied classical philology and Indo-European studies ...

(1865–1912), German classical philologist and linguist * Ryszard Wasko (born 1947), Polish artist *

Max Ernst Wichura Max Ernst Wichura (27 January 1817 in Neisse – February 1866 in Berlin) was a German lawyer and botanist. A lawyer by vocation, he studied jurisprudence in Breslau and Bonn. In 1859 he was appointed as a government councillor (''Regierungsrath ...

(1817–1866), German lawyer and botanist * Arnold von Winckler (1856–1945), Prussian general *

Roman Wójcicki Roman Wójcicki (born 8 January 1958) is a Polish former football player and manager. He played as a defender for clubs including Odra Opole, Śląsk Wrocław, Widzew Łódź, FC Homburg (West Germany) and Hannover 96 (West Germany). Playing ca ...

(born 1958), Polish footballer * Krzysztof Wójcik (born 1960), Polish volleyball player

Other residents

Isidor Barndt Archpriest Isidor Barndt (1816–1891), a poet and world traveler from Neisse, Germany, a town in the former state of Silesia, now Nysa, Poland, promoted reunionism and wrote about similarities in faiths in order to overcome splits between Prot ...

* Nicolaus Copernicus * Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff * Karl Rudolph Friedenthal * Eduard von Grützner * Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg * Christoph Scheiner * Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben *

Wacker von Wackenfels Johannes Matthaeus Wacker von Wackenfels (1550–1619) was an active diplomat, scholar and author, with an avid interest in history and philosophy. A follower of Neostoicism, he sought to resolve the doubts he still had about his conversion to Catho ...

Twin towns – sister cities

See twin towns of Gmina Nysa.

References

*"NEISSE BUCH DER ERINNERUNG", Dr. Max Warmbrunn & Alfred Jahn, Gedruckt bei Druckhaus Nürnberg GmbH, 1966

External links

Map c1600 Neis(s)e in Silesia, Germany

Jewish Community in Nysa
on Virtual Shtetl {{Authority control Cities in Silesia Cities and towns in Opole Voivodeship

1223 establishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in Poland