Wleń (german: Lähn) is a small historic town in Lwówek Śląski 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 located on the Bóbr river in the historic Lower Silesian region, approximately south-east of Lwówek Śląski, and west of the regional capital Wrocław. The town 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 Wleń. , it has a population of 1,759. Wleń was established in 1214 by the Silesian duke Henry I the Bearded and his wife

Hedwig of Andechs Hedwig of Silesia ( pl, Święta Jadwiga Śląska), also Hedwig of Andechs (german: Heilige Hedwig von Andechs, la, Hedvigis; 1174 – 15 October 1243), a member of the Bavarian comital House of Andechs, was Duchess of Silesia from 1201 and o ...

, as part of fragmented medieval Poland.

Sights

* The ruins of the one of two oldest castles in Poland with its only remaining tower, are visible from the town. Originally foundation of Silesian Dukes, later property of the

Haugwitz The House of Haugwitz (''Graf von Haugwitz'', cs, (Czech branch) Haugvicové) is a Saxonian noble family originating from Meissen region. History The Haugvitcs are an ancient Lusatian aristocratic family that was very branched in the Middle A ...

noble family, the castle is located in the neighbouring village of Łupki. The castle served to protect the nearby borders with

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 Bohem ...

and Upper Lusatia and was devastated during the Thirty Years' War. A

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 ...

palace was rebuilt underneath it. The picture above shows the view of Wleń town from the top of the tower, which currently stands less than half its original height. In 2005, a western portion of one of the castle's outer walls crumbled, forcing the castle to be temporarily closed to tourists. The crumbled section of the outer wall was rebuilt over time using funds from the Polish government and the European Union and completed in 2009. *

Wleń Palace *

Neoclassicist Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...

Town Hall at the Market Square and the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

Saint Nicholas church.

Gallery

Wleń, pałac ul. Winiogórska 1 DSC 0044.JPG, Wleń Palace Church in Wlen.jpg, Saint Nicholas church Wleń Pomnik Gołębiarki.jpg, Fountain on the Market Square Wleń cmentarz ul. Górska DSC 0216.JPG, Cemetery in Wleń

References

Cities and towns in Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lwówek Śląski County {{LwówekŚląski-geo-stub