Kamienna Góra (, ) is a town in south-western

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

with 18,235 inhabitants (2023). It is the seat of

Kamienna Góra County __NOTOC__ Kamienna Góra County () 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 government reforms ...

, and also of the rural district called Gmina Kamienna Góra, although it is not part of the territory of the latter (the town forms a separate urban

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' ) is the basic unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,479 gminy throughout the country, encompassing over 43,000 villages. 940 gminy include cities and tow ...

). Kamienna Góra on the Bóbr river is situated in

Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship (, ) in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. It covers an area of and has a total population of 2,899,986. It is one of the wealthiest ...

between the Stone Mountains and the Rudawy Janowickie at the old trade route from

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, today part of the National Road No. 5. It lies approximately south-west of the regional capital

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

History

The area was part of the Great Moravian Empire in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

, and became part of the emerging Polish state in the 10th century under its first ruler

Mieszko I of Poland Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was Duchy of Poland (966–1025), Duke of Poland from 960 until his death in 992 and the founder of the first unified History of Poland, Polish state, the Civitas Schinesghe. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was t ...

. During the times of the

fragmentation of Poland The period of rule by the Piast dynasty between the 10th and 14th centuries is the first major stage of the history of Poland, history of the Polish state. The dynasty was founded by a series of dukes listed by the chronicler Gall Anonymous in t ...

it was part of the duchies of

Legnica Legnica (; , ; ; ) is a city in southwestern Poland, in the central part of Lower Silesia, on the Kaczawa River and the Czarna Woda. As well as being the seat of the county, since 1992 the city has been the seat of the Diocese of Legnica. Le ...

Jawor Jawor () is a town in south-western Poland with 22,890 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the seat of Jawor County, and lies approximately west of the regional capital Wrocław. One of the oldest towns ...

and

Świdnica Świdnica (; ; ) is a city on the Bystrzyca (Oder), Bystrzyca River in south-western Poland in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. As of 2021, it has a population of 55,413 inhabitants. It is the seat of Świdnica County, and also of the smaller dis ...

. In the early 13th century, Polish Duke Henry the Bearded erected a defensive castle at the site, due to its proximity to the Polish–

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

border. The settlement was mentioned in documents from 1232 (as ''Landeshut'') and 1249 (as ''Landishute'' and ''Landishute forensis auch Camena Gora''). In 1254 the

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

Duke Bolesław II the Bald of

gave the area to the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery of Opatovice (in eastern

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

), who already had established the Krzeszów Abbey at nearby Krzeszów. When the abbey passed to the

Cistercians The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

in 1289, Kamienna Góra was acquired by Duke

Bolko I the Strict Bolko (Bolesław) I the Strict, also known as Bolko (Bolesław) of Jawor ( or ''Srogi'' or ''Jaworski''; 1252/56 – 9 November 1301), was a Duke of Lwówek Śląski, Lwówek 1278–81 (with his brother as co-ruler) and Duchy of Jawor, Jawor after ...

of Świdnica, who extended it as a stronghold against the nearby

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia (), sometimes referenced in English literature as the Czech Kingdom, was a History of the Czech lands in the High Middle Ages, medieval and History of the Czech lands, early modern monarchy in Central Europe. It was the pr ...

and 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 1292. In 1295, Poles repelled a Bohemian invasion, and Bolko I declared he would not allow any Bohemian or German ruler in Silesia. Kamienna Góra received new privileges from Duke Bolko II the Small in 1334. In 1345 the heavily fortified town was captured by the Bohemians, probably by digging an underground tunnel. In 1348 it was recaptured by the Poles, probably by using a ruse modeled on the

Trojan Horse In Greek mythology, the Trojan Horse () was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer, Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending ...

.Łaborewicz, p. 96 Carts with hidden soldiers, supposedly filled with hay or other goods, were reportedly used. Nevertheless, the duchy fell to the Bohemian crown with Bolko's death in 1368. It burnt down during the 1426

Hussite file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...

campaign to Silesia and in the 1460s it passed to the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

, before in 1490 it fell back to Bohemia, then under the rule of Vladislaus II, who erected new town walls. During the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

the town was plundered by Austrian and Swedish troops. As a result of the war, only two residents remained in the town in 1639. After

Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself '' King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prus ...

had conquered Silesia with ''Landeshut'' in 1742, it was the site of 12 battles during the

Silesian Wars The Silesian Wars () were three wars fought in the mid-18th century between Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia (under King Frederick the Great) and Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Austria (under Empress Maria Theresa) for control of the Central European ...

. The two largest were fought on 22 May 1745 and 23 June 1760. In the former Prussians defeated Austrian, Hungarian and Croatian forces, and in the latter Austrians defeated a Prussian corps. From 1871 the town formed part of Germany. The town was not destroyed during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and II. With the rise of Nazism among the Germans, a local branch of the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

was established in 1929, and soon five Nazis became town councilors. In 1934, a local branch of the

Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...

was established. The town's mayor, Günther Ries, supported the Nazis and provided funding for the Hitler Youth.Pazgan, pp. 90–91 The Nazis held three party ceremonies in the town, on 22 June 1935, 9 November 1937 and 2 March 1939. During ''

Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...

'' in 1938, the Germans destroyed a synagogue and four Jewish stores. During World War II, the Germans established and operated a subcamp of the

Gross-Rosen concentration camp Gross-Rosen was a network of Nazi concentration camps built and operated by Nazi Germany during World War II. The main camp was located in the German village of Gross-Rosen, now the modern-day Rogoźnica in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, di ...

. Around 1,600 men, mostly

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

, and also smaller groups of other ethnicities, were imprisoned and used as

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

in the subcamp, and many of them died. There was also a forced labour camp for

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. It was captured by the

Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...

on 9 May 1945, and after the war it became again part of Poland. A time of insecurity began for the German townspeople, who were outlawed, repeately driven out of their homes, and had to wear white armbands. Between May 8 and May 24, almost all population of the town and the county was deported to Allied-occupied Germany, in accordance with the

Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement () was the agreement among three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union after the war ended in Europe that was signed on 1 August 1945 and published the following day. A ...

. The town was repopulated by

, expellees from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union and settlers from central Poland. Initially renamed to the 19th-century Polish name ''Kamieniogóra'', in 1946 the name ''Kamienna Góra'', which was first recorded in 1249, was adopted. From 1975 to 1998, it was administratively located in the Jelenia Góra Voivodeship.

Sights

The main historic district of Kamienna Góra is the Old Town (''Stare Miasto'') with the Freedom (''Plac Wolności''), Grunwald Squares (''Plac Grunwaldzki'') and Brewery (''Plac Browarowy'') Squares, filled with numerous historic buildings. Among the historic sights of Kamienna Góra are: * Gothic churches of Saints Peter and Paul and Corpus Christi *

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

Church of Our Lady of the Rosary * Town Hall * Weaving Museum ('' Muzeum Tkactwa'') * Lower Silesian Rehabilitation Center ('' Dolnośląskie Centrum Rehabilitacji'') * Culture Centre (''Centrum Kultury'') * ZUS office * preserved medieval town walls * ruins of the Grodztwo Castle * numerous historic townhouses and buildings, incl. the train station, tax office, high school, courthouse, etc. There are also several monuments dedicated to the victims of the local branch of the Nazi German

Cuisine

The officially protected

traditional food Traditional foods are foods and Dish (food), dishes that are passed on through generations or which have been consumed for many generations. Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national ...

of Kamienna Góra, as designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland, is the ''kamiennogórski ser pleśniowy'' (Kamienna Góra

blue cheese Blue cheese is any cheese made with the addition of Microbial food cultures, cultures of edible Mold (fungus), molds, which create blue-green spots or veins through the cheese. Blue cheeses vary in flavor from mild to strong and from slightly ...

Gallery

File:PL Kamienna Góra, centrum miasta.jpg, Kamienna Góra with Karkonosze mountain range File:KAMIENNA GÓRA, AB-139.jpg, Town Hall File:Kamienica, ob. Muzeum Tkactwa Dolnośląskiego, XVIII, XIX.jpg, Weaving Museum (''Muzeum Tkactwa'') File:Dolnośląskie Centrum Rehabilitacji - Aw58 - 27 maja 2009 r. DSC05217.jpg, Lower Silesian Rehabilitation Center File:Kościół pw. śś Apostołów Piotra i Pawła - Aw58 - 4 lutego 2010 r. DSC01006.jpg, Gothic Church of Saints Peter und Paul File:Kamienna Góra, kościół pw. Matki Bożej Rażańcowej (Aw58) SDC11032.JPG,

Church of Our Lady of the Rosary File:Kamienna Góra, Centrum Kultury, ul. Kościuszki 4.jpg, Culture Centre File:Kamienna Góra, plac Wolnośći 6.jpg, Architectural decorations of one of the old townhouses File:Kamienna Góra, al. Wojska Polskiego 14, ZUS (2014)(02).jpg, ZUS office File:Budynek Zespołu Szkół Ogólnokształcących w Kamiennej Górze..jpg, High school (''

Liceum ogólnokształcące A general education liceum (Polish: ''Liceum ogólnokształcące'' ) is an academic high school in the Education in Poland, Polish educational system. They are attended by those who plan to further their academic education upon graduation from Educa ...

'') File:Dworzec kolejowy w Kamiennej Górze.jpg, Train station File:Kamienna Góra, ruiny zamku - 27 kwietnia 2012 r..JPG, Grodztwo Castle ruins File:Kamienna Góra - pomnik męczenników AL Landeshut.jpg, Memorial to murdered prisoners of the local branch of the Nazi German

File:Kamienna Góra, Kościół pw. Najświętszego Serca Pana Jezusa - 23.06.2011 r. (MW).JPG, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church File:Kamienna Góra, sąd rejonowy 2020.09.16. 125136-001.jpg, Courthouse

Notable people

Carl Gotthard Langhans Carl Gotthard Langhans (15 December 1732 – 1 October 1808) was a Prussian master builder and royal architect. His churches, palaces, grand houses, interiors, city gates and theatres in Silesia (now Poland), Berlin, Potsdam and elsewhere belo ...

(1732–1808), architect, designer of the

Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate ( ) is an 18th-century Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical monument in Berlin. One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was erected on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin t ...

* Walter Arndt (1891–1944), zoologist * Viktor Hamburger (1900–2001), biologist * Rudolf Hamburger (1903–1980), architect and spy * Gosia Dobrowolska (born 1958), actress * Damian Dąbrowski (born 1992), Polish professional footballer

Twin towns – sister cities

Kamienna Góra is twinned with: * Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany * Dvůr Králové nad Labem, Czech Republic * Ikast-Brande, Denmark *

Trutnov Trutnov (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Trutnov consists of 21 ...

, Czech Republic *

Vierzon Vierzon () is a Communes of France, commune in the Cher (department), Cher departments of France, department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Geography A medium-sized town by the banks of the river Cher (river), Cher with some light industry and a ...

, France *

Wolfenbüttel Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel District Wolfenbüttel (; ) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, the administrative capital of Wolfenbüttel (district), Wolfenbüttel Distri ...

, Germany

References

External links

Official town website

Jewish Community in Kamienna Góra
on Virtual Shtetl
Satellite photo from Google MapsNews from local area
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Lower Silesian Voivodeship Kamienna Góra County Cities in Silesia Populated riverside places in Poland