Polanica-Zdrój (german: link=no, Altheide-Bad) is a

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, B ...

Kłodzko County __NOTOC__ Kłodzko County ( pl, powiat kłodzki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on 1 January 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 lies approximately south-west of

Kłodzko Kłodzko (; cz, Kladsko; german: Glatz; la, Glacio) is a historic town in south-western Poland, in the region of Lower Silesia. It is situated in the centre of the Kłodzko Valley, on the Eastern Neisse river. Kłodzko is the seat of Kłodzko ...

, and south-west of the regional capital,

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, r ...

. As at 2021, the town has a population of 6110.

History

Polanica-Zdrój was first documented in 1347 under the name ''Heyde'', when it was part of the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

. At the time it belonged to the House of

Glaubitz Glaubitz is a municipality in the district of Meißen, in Saxony, Germany. In the town there is a monument to the victims of the S.S. History Glaubitz derives from the Slavic words glubka, glubiza what little Tiefenort means from. The place w ...

, and in the following centuries it often changed owners. From the end of the 16th century the village was co-owned by the

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

, who contributed to its development. In 1645 it was destroyed by

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

troops 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 batt ...

. In 1742 the settlement – like all the area – was annexed by the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

. The settlement grew quickly during the 19th century, becoming a popular health resort in the 1870s, after Prussia had become a component state of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

in 1871. In 1890 a rail connection to Glatz (Kłodzko) was completed. Until 1933, that is the year the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...

came to power in Germany, a Polish guesthouse existed in the town. During both world wars the

sanatoria A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are ofte ...

were turned into military hospitals. The town became part of Poland after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. It was granted

town rights 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 tradition ...

in 1945 and its first mayor was Kazimierz Dąbrowski. On 28 June 1972 the Catholic parishes of Polanica-Zdrój were redeployed from the traditional Hradec Králové diocese (est. 1664; Ecclesiastical Province of Bohemia) into the

Archdiocese 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 ...

. The amateur film festival POL-8 takes place in Polanica-Zdrój. Since 1963, it has hosted the annual

Akiba Rubinstein Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein (1 December 1880 – 14 March 1961) was a Polish chess player. He is considered to have been one of the greatest players never to have become World Chess Champion. Rubinstein was granted the title International Grandma ...

Memorial chess tournament, honoring the great Polish Grandmaster (1882–1961). This event always attracts a high-class field of top players. Numbers of inhabitants: *1787 – 443 *1816 – 490 *1880 – 527 *1910 - 1,538 *1933 - 1,831 *1950 - 4,482 *1960 - 6,514 *1970 - 6,943 *1978 - 7,399 *2006 - 6,900

Surroundings

* Historical city of

with the Kłodzko Fortress with de galleries & the Saint John bridge (called a "

Charles Bridge Charles Bridge ( cs, Karlův most ) is a medieval stone arch bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the early 15th century.; ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

in miniature") from 1390, as well as its houses from the 15th and 16th century * Spa resorts in

Duszniki-Zdrój Duszniki-Zdrój (; cs, Dušníky; german: Bad Reinerz), often simplified to Duszniki, is a spa town in Kłodzko Valley and Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in southwestern Poland. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 4,3 ...

Kudowa-Zdrój Kudowa-Zdrój (german: Bad Kudowa, cz, Chudoba), or simply Kudowa, is a town located below the Table Mountains in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in the southwestern part of Poland. It has a population of around 10,000 and is locat ...

Lądek-Zdrój Lądek-Zdrój ( cs, Landek; german: Bad Landeck), known in English as Landek, is a spa town situated in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, southwestern Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Lądek-Z ...

Śnieżnik Mountains The Snieznik Mountains, sometimes also Śnieżnik Mountains ( pl, Masyw Śnieżnika, cs, Králický Sněžník, german: Glatzer Schneegebirge) are a massif in the Eastern Sudetes on the border of the Czech Republic and Poland. On the Polish side ...

& Stołowe Mountains * Medieval town of

Niemcza Niemcza (german: Nimptsch) is a town in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Niemcza. The town lies on the Ślęza River, approximately e ...

* Cistercian monastery at Henryków * Wojsławice Arboretum

Twin towns – sister cities

Polanica-Zdrój is twinned with: *

Česká Skalice Česká Skalice (; german: Böhmisch Skalitz) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,000 inhabitants. Administrative parts Town parts and villages of Malá Skalice, Ratibořice, Spyta ...

, Czech Republic * Janské Lázně, Czech Republic *

Telgte Telgte (German pronunciation: �tɛlktə regionally �tɛlçtə is a town in the Warendorf district, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the river Ems 12 km east of Münster and 15 km west of Warendorf. Telgte is famous as a place o ...

, Germany * Kartuzy, Poland *

Comacchio Comacchio (; egl, label= Comacchiese, Cmâc' ) is a town and '' comune'' of Emilia Romagna, Italy, in the province of Ferrara, from the provincial capital Ferrara. It was founded about two thousand years ago; across its history it was first g ...

, Italy

Gallery

File:2014 Polanica-Zdrój, układ urbanistyczny 01.jpg, Bystrzyca Dusznicka River in the town centre File:2014 Polanica-Zdrój, kościół Wniebowzięcia NMP 02.JPG, Church of the Assumption File:Polanica Zdrój, dom zdrojowy, 01.JPG, The Drinking House in Polanica-Zdrój File:Polanica Zdrój, dom zdrojowy, 21.JPG, Interior of the Drinking Room File:P1820002a.jpg, The Spa Park File:Polanica Zdrój - Willa.JPG, Polanica-Zdrój villa File:Polanica Zdrój, park zdrojowy, 06.JPG, The Chess Pavilion File:Polanica-Kurtheater.jpg,

Mieczysława Ćwiklińska Mieczysława Ćwiklińska-SteinsbergĆwiklińska was the maiden name of Ćwiklińska's grandmother, Anna Trapszowa. (née Mieczysława Trapszo, ; 1 January 1879 – 28 July 1972) was a Polish film actress, stage actor, and singer. She was often ni ...

Theatre File:2015 Stacja kolejowa w Polanicy-Zdroju 01.JPG, The Railway Station File:2014 Kaplica św. Antoniego w Nowym Wielisławiu, 05.JPG, St. Anthony's Chapel, 18th century File:Polanica Zdrój, park zdrojowy, 02.JPG, A fountain in the park File:Sokołówka (Polanica-Zdrój). Klasztor.jpg, Sokołówka Monastery

References

External links