Wałbrzych (; ; or ''Walmbrich''; or ) is a city located in the

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 ...

, in southwestern

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 ...

, seat of Wałbrzych County. Wałbrzych lies approximately southwest of the voivodeship 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 ...

and about from the

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. Wałbrzych has the status of municipality. Its administrative borders encompass an area of with 110,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the voivodeship and the 33rd largest in the country. Wałbrzych was once a major

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

and industrial center alongside most of

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, ...

. The city was left undamaged after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and possesses rich historical architecture; among the most recognizable landmarks is the

Książ Castle Książ Castle (, ; ) is a castle in northern Wałbrzych in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. The largest castle in the region of Silesia, it is the third-largest in Poland behind Malbork Castle and Wawel Castle. It lies within Książ Lands ...

, the largest castle of Lower Silesia and the third-largest in Poland. In 2015 Wałbrzych became widely known due to the search for an allegedly buried Nazi gold train, which however was not found.

Etymology

According to the city's official website, the earliest Polish name of the settlement was ('forest castle'). The German name is also the exact translation of the original Polish ‘forest castle’ (also referred to the castle Nowy Dwór, translated into German as: ), whose ruins stand south of the city; the name came to be used for the entire settlement.Weczerka, p.555. It first appeared in the 15th century. The modern Polish name Wałbrzych comes from the German name , a late medieval variation of the older names or .Barbara Czopek, ''Adaptacje niemieckich nazw miejscowych w języku polskim'', 1995, p.55,

History

Middle Ages

Polish sources indicate the city's predecessor, Lasogród, was an early medieval Slavic settlement whose inhabitants engaged in hunting, honey gathering, and later agriculture. Lasogród eventually developed into a defensive fort, the remains of which were destroyed in the 19th century during expansion of the city. However, some German sources say no archaeological or written records support notions of an early West Slavic or Lechitic settlement nor the existence of a castle before the late 13th century. They also denounce the idea that during the Middle Ages the area of Wałbrzych was part of an unpopulated Silesian forest, known as the Silesian Przesieka.Petry, p.11. In April 2022, a coin hoard was discovered near Wałbrzych dating from the first half of the 13th century. According to 17th-century Polish historian Ephraim Naso, Wałbrzych was a small village by 1191. This assertion was rejected by 19th-century German sources and by German historian Hugo Weczerka, who says the city was founded between 1290 and 1293, and was mentioned as ''Waldenberc'' in 1305. He places the city near Nowy Dwór (), built by

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 the

Silesian Piasts The Silesian Piasts were the elder of four lines of the Polish Piast dynasty beginning with Władysław II the Exile (1105–1159), eldest son of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth, Bolesław III of Poland. By Bolesław's Testament of Bolesław III Krzy ...

. The city website, however, cites the building of the castle as a separate event in 1290. A part of Nowy Dwór castle, a manor built in the 17th century, was destroyed in the 19th century. Nevertheless, the region became part of Poland after the establishment of the state under the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...

in the 10th century and during the fragmentation of the realm, it was part of various Polish-ruled duchies, the last of which was the Duchy of

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 ...

until 1392, later it was also part of the Bohemian Crown and

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. The settlement was first mentioned as a town in 1426, but it did not receive the rights to hold markets or other privileges due to the competition of nearby towns and the insignificance of the local landlords. Subsequently, the city became the property of the Silesian knightly families, initially the Schaffgotsches in 1372, later the Czettritzes, and from 1738, the Höchberg family, owners of

Modern era

Coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

in the area was first mentioned in 1536. The settlement was transformed into an industrial centre at the turn of the 19th century, when coal mining and

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

flourished. As a result of the

First Silesian War The First Silesian War () was a war between Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia and Habsburg monarchy, Austria that lasted from 1740 to 1742 and resulted in Prussia's seizing most of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland) from Austria. The ...

the city was annexed by the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

in 1742, and subsequently became part of Germany in 1871. In 1843 the city obtained its first rail connection, which linked it with Breslau (now

, Poland). In the early 20th century a glassworks and a large

china China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

tableware manufacturing plant, which are still in operation today, were built. 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 ...

, the Germans operated three forced labour camps for Allied

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

in the city.

World War II

During the German

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

at the start of

in September 1939, some 2,000 young men from the city were conscripted to the ''

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

''. The first forced labourers, Poles, were probably brought to the city in early 1940, whereas Allied prisoners of war were brought to forced labour in the city probably since 1941. Several thousands POWs, Serbian, British,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, Belgian, Soviet, Polish, French and others, were held in various labour camps in the city, including subcamps of the Stalag VIII-A and Stalag VIII-B/344 POW camps. There were also several other forced labour camps, for Poles,

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 ...

, Ukrainians, including camps solely for women, two subcamps 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 ...

, intended for Jews, located in the present Gaj and Książ districts, and a Nazi prison. There are known cases when Polish civilian workers gave food to starving Soviet prisoners of war. The forced laborers made several attempts to escape, and those caught were either beaten by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

, sent to the Gross-Rosen camp or murdered. The camp in Książ was dissolved in February 1945, and its prisoners were sent on a

death march A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war, other captives, or deportees in which individuals are left to die along the way. It is distinct from simple prisoner transport via foot march. Article 19 of the Geneva Convention requires tha ...

towards

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 ...

in German-occupied Czechoslovakia. It was conquered by the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

on 8 May 1945, a few hours before the German surrender and the

end of World War II in Europe The end of World War II in Europe occurred in May 1945. Following the Death of Adolf Hitler, suicide of Adolf Hitler on 30 April, leadership of Nazi Germany passed to Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz and the Flensburg Government. Soviet Union, Soviet t ...

. Some 600 prisoners of the subcamp of Gross-Rosen in Gaj were liberated, and some stayed in the city after the war.

Post-war period

After

, Waldenburg became again part of Poland under border changes demanded by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

at the Potsdam Conference and was renamed to its historic Polish name Wałbrzych. Many of the Germans living in the city fled or were expelled in accordance to 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

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 ...

, initially those who already were brought to the city as forced labourers by the Germans after the fall of the

Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...

, then prisoners of the nearby Gross-Rosen concentration camp and prisoners-of-war. Afterwards they were joined by Poles from central Poland and those expelled from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union, particularly from Borysław, Drohobycz and Stanisławów, as well as Poles returning from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and from forced labour in Germany. Also some Jews,

Czechs The Czechs (, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common Bohemia ...

, Romanis and

Yugoslavs Yugoslavs or Yugoslavians ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Jugoslaveni/Jugosloveni, Југославени/Југословени; ; ) is an identity that was originally conceived to refer to a united South Slavic people. It has been used in two connotations: ...

came to the city. Wałbrzych was one of the few areas where a number of Germans were held back as they were deemed indispensable for the economy, e.g. coal mining.Stefan Wolff, '' German Minorities in Europe: Ethnic Identity and Cultural Belonging'', Berghahn Books, 2000, p.79, Also nearly 700

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

, refugees of the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...

, settled in Wałbrzych in the 1950s, however, most returned to Greece after 1983. The city was relatively unscathed by the Second World War, and as a result of combining the nearby administrative districts with the town and the construction of new housing estates, Wałbrzych expanded geographically. In 1951, city limits were expanded by including Biały Kamień, Rusinowa, and parts of Glinik, Konradów, Lubiechów, Opoka, Podgórze, Sobięcin and Szczawienko as new districts. After the

Treaty of Zgorzelec The Treaty of Zgorzelec (Full title ''The Agreement Concerning the Demarcation of the Established and the Existing Polish-German State Frontier'', also known as the ''Treaty of Görlitz'' and ''Treaty of Zgorzelic'') between the People's Repub ...

, remaining Germans were treated less harshly and an ethnic German society was established in 1957. The cultural activities however disappeared by the 1960s and the schools with German as the language of instruction gradually closed. The remaining German-speakers had little contact with the German spoken and written language and the local German-Silesian dialect became moribound. From 1958 to the mid-1980s, the Kleks Poetry Theater, a leading school theater in Poland, was active in the city. From 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of Wałbrzych Voivodeship. At the beginning of the 1990s, because of new social and economic conditions, a decision was made to close down the town's coal mines. In 1995, a Museum of Industry and Technology was set up on the facilities of the oldest coal mine in the area, KWK THOREZ. In 2001, the Wałbrzych Scientific Society was founded. The 2005 the film '' The Collector'' was filmed in and around Wałbrzych. In 2016, a hoard of 1,385 late medieval coins, Prague groschen of Kings Charles IV and

Wenceslaus IV Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; ; , nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he was deposed in 1400. As he ...

, was found on the border of Wałbrzych and Boguszów-Gorce. The hoard may have been hidden after 1420 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 Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

. It is one of the largest groschen hoards found in Poland.

Geography

Wałbrzych is located in the Central Sudeten Mountains, near the border with the Czech Republic and Germany. The city is located by the Pełcznica River at 450–500 m above sea level in a picturesque structural basin of Wałbrzych above which there are wooded ranges of the Wałbrzych Mountains. The highest elevation in the city is Mount Borowa, also known as the Black Mountain, 853 m (2798 ft)

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

, with an

observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

since 2007, which is the highest peak of the Wałbrzych mountains. There are seven city parks in the city, and in the main city park ( King Jan III Sobieski Park) is the only mountain shelter in Poland, located in the city center PTTK Harcówka.

Nature protection

Protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

s in Wałbrzych * Książ Landscape Park – northern outskirts of the city * Przełomy pod Książem

Nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

– northern outskirts of the city * Sudety Wałbrzyskie Landscape Park – southern outskirts of the city * Chełmiec Mountain Natura 2000 area – western outskirts of the city There are several

natural monument A natural monument is a natural or cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities, or cultural significance. They can be natural geological and geographical features such as w ...

s in the city; among them is the coat of arms oak, a descendant of the oak which was the inspiration for the coat of arms of the city, as evidenced by a nearby stone with the inscription "" ('City oak planted in 1933 in place of the coat of arms oak'). The mildest winter in the city was in 2006/2007 and 1992/1993.

Sights

, the largest Silesian castle, the third-largest castle in Poland behind

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

Wawel Castle The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

and the

Malbork Castle The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, commonly known as Malbork Castle (; ), is a Brick Gothic castle complex located in the town of Malbork, Poland, built in the 13th and significantly expanded in the 14th century. It is the largest cast ...

*Old Książ Castle (Stary Książ). Gothic ruins opposite (across a valley) Książ Castle *Nowy Dwór Castle. The ruins of the castle Nowy Dwór (Ogorzelec) are on the top of Castle Hill (618 m) *Czettritz Castle (1604–1628), now the Angelus Silesius State College *Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows. Gothic church, rebuilt into a Baroque style. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows placed in the center of Wałbrzych and is the oldest building of the city, called by the inhabitants "the heart of the city" *Town Hall (''Ratusz''). A representative three-storey building maintained in the style of historical eclecticism, imitating gothic *Palmiarnia (Palm House) *Market square (renovated 1997–1999). A place where a weekly market took place in the past. In the years 1731-1853 its center was occupied by the Baroque town hall. *Museum of Porcelain in the old Alberti Palace *Guardian Angels Church. Built in 1898 in the neo-Gothic style as the , in place of a previous church. *Protestant church. Designed in the years 1785-1788 by Carl Gotthard Langhans, the founder of the Berlin Brandenburg Gate * Mausoleum in Wałbrzych. A 1938 monument designed by Robert Tischler to commemorate the Silesian dead of World War I, as well as 23 early Nazis from Silesia. The structure is a four-sided fortalice measuring by , with walls tall. A metal torch on a tall column once at the center of the courtyard was designed by Ernst Geiger. The site is locally rumored to have been used for Nazi SS occult rituals. *Railway tunnel under the Little Wołowiec mountain. Counting 1,601 m (5,253 ft) is the longest railway tunnel in Poland *Mountain Borowa (black mountain). The highest mountain in the Wałbrzyskie Mountains, with observation tower. *Mountain Chełmiec. The second largest peak in the area. A monumental mountain in the shape of a dome that dominates the city. At the top there is an observation tower, 45 meter cross, and two radio-television masts * Old Mine – Center for Science and the Arts (Stara Kopalnia - Centrum Nauki i Sztuki)is the biggest post-industrial tourist attraction in Poland, located in the former bituminous coal mine – Kopalnia Węgla Kamiennego "Julia" ("Thorez"). It covers the area of 4.5 hectares of historic post-industrial objects with authentic equipment, such as a machine park which has been secured and made accessible for visitors. *Mining monuments in the city have been a lot of post-mining objects, among others, buildings, halls and mining towers. *Mining and Motorsports Museum at the Ayrton Senna street. * Ayrton Senna's statue located next to the Mining and Motorsports Museum museum at the Ayrton Senna street.

Transport

Roads

National roads DK35-PL

( A4 autostrada/ Bielany Wrocławskie-Świdnica-Wałbrzych-Golińsk- Czech border)

Voivodeship road According to classes and categories of public roads in Poland, a voivodeship A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed sinc ...

Public transport

There are 14 bus lines in the city

Railway

There are two main directions of passenger railways in the city, which include: * Wrocław – Wałbrzych – Jelenia Góra (No. 274) * Wałbrzych – Kłodzko (No. 286) There are railway stations throughout the city: Wałbrzych Miasto, Wałbrzych Fabryczny, Wałbrzych Szczawienko, Wałbrzych Centrum, and Wałbrzych Główny, from which from May to the end of September, the starting station for weekend holiday connections to

Meziměstí Meziměstí () is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants. Administrative division Meziměstí consists of six municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 c ...

/ Adršpach-Teplice Rocks.

Aviation

The nearest airport is Wrocław airport located from the city, in the closer distance, about , is located light aircraft landing ground in

Świebodzice Świebodzice (; ) is a town in south-western Poland with 22,793 inhabitants (). It is situated in Świdnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship. The town is situated close to Książ Castle, which during World War II, together with the cave complex ...

City districts

Including date of incorporation into the city

Education

* Angelus Silesius State University in Wałbrzych * Wrocław Technical University in Wałbrzych * Wałbrzyska Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania i Przedsiębiorczości * Ignacy Paderewski High School *

Hugo Kołłątaj Hugo Stumberg Kołłątaj, also spelled ''Kołłątay'' (1 April 1750 – 28 February 1812), was a prominent Polish constitutional reformer and educationalist, and one of the most prominent figures of the Enlightenment in Poland, Polish Enlighten ...

High School * Mikołaj Kopernik High School * The city has a research center,

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences (, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of distinguished scholars a ...

Politics

Wałbrzych constituency

Members of Parliament (

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

) elected from Wałbrzych constituency: * Zbigniew Chlebowski, PO * Henryk Gołębiewski, SLD * Roman Ludwiczuk, PO ( Senat) * Katarzyna Mrzygłocka, PO * Giovanni Roman, PiS * Mieczysław Szyszka, PiS ( Senat) * Anna Zalewska, PiS

Sports

* Górnik Wałbrzych is a professional men's basketball club, two times Polish champions. Currently, it plays in the Polish 3rd league. Last time Górnik played in the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English language, English: Polish Basketball League), officially known as the Orlen Basket Liga due to its sponsorship by Orlen, is a professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Poland. I ...

(the Polish top basketball league) was in 2009. * Górnik Wałbrzych is a professional men's football club playing in the Polish 4th league (5th level). It played in the

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

(top tier) in the 1980s. * Zagłębie Wałbrzych is a male and female football club. Men's club section played in the

in the 1960s and 1970s, finishing 3rd in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

. Participated in the UEFA Cup competitions, reaching the 1/16 finals. * KK Wałbrzych (formerly Górnik Nowe Miasto Wałbrzych) is a semi-professional men's basketball club playing in the Polish 3rd league. * Chełmiec Wałbrzych is a professional men's and women's

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

sports team. There are many semi-professional or amateur football clubs (like Czarni Wałbrzych, Juventur Wałbrzych, Podgórze Wałbrzych, Gwarek Wałbrzych) and one basketball club (KS Dark Dog plays in the Polish 3rd league). * LKKS Górnik Wałbrzych is a cycling club * Wałbrzych native

Sebastian Janikowski Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (; born March 2, 1978) is a Polish former professional player of American football who was a placekicker for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college fo ...

is a placekicker in the NFL. * ASZ PWSZ Walbrzych is a level 1 women's soccer team in Ekstraliga

Media

* New Walbrzych Headlines * Tygodnik Wałbrzyski * www.walbrzych.info * TV Zamkowa * TV Walbrzych * 30 minut – Gazeta która nie ma ceny ((Free) Newspaper – that does not have a price)

Notable people

* Wolfgang Menzel (1798–1873), German poet, critic and literary historian * Gerhard Menzel (1894–1966), German writer *

Abraham Robinson Abraham Robinson (born Robinsohn; October 6, 1918 – April 11, 1974) was a mathematician who is most widely known for development of nonstandard analysis, a mathematically rigorous system whereby infinitesimal and infinite numbers were reincorp ...

(1918–1974), German-Jewish-American mathematician * Klaus Töpfer (born 1938), German politician ( CDU), born 1938 in Waldenburg * Christian Brückner (born 1943), German actor * Marcel Reif (born 1949), German soccer journalist * Krzesimir Dębski (born 1953), composer and conductor * Urszula Włodarczyk (born 1965), Polish heptathlete * Joanna Bator (born 1968), Polish

Nike Award The Nike Literary Award (, pronounced ) is a literary prize awarded each year for the best book of a single living author writing in Polish and published the previous year. It is widely considered the most important award for Polish literatu ...

-winning novelist, journalist, feminist and academic * Maciej Szczepaniak (born 1973), Polish rally driver * Piotr Giro (born 1974), Polish-Swedish dancer and choreographer * Leszek Lichota (born 1977), Polish actor *

Krzysztof Ignaczak Krzysztof Ignaczak (born 15 May 1978) is a Polish former professional volleyball player. He was a member of the Poland men's national volleyball team, Poland national team from 1998 to 2014, a participant in 3 Olympic Games (2004 Summer Olympics, ...

(born 1978), Polish volleyball player *

(born 1978), former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

* Adrian Mrowiec (born 1983), Polish footballer * Edyta Nawrocka (born 1986), Polish singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and TV presenter * Bartosz Kurek (born 1988), Polish volleyball player and World Champion * Sławomir Bohdziewicz (born 1990), Polish boxer

Twin towns – sister cities

Wałbrzych is twinned with: * Boryslav, Ukraine (2009) *

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

, Canada (2019) *

Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

, Ukraine (2001) *

Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...

, Italy (1998) *

Freiberg Freiberg () is a university and former mining town in Saxony, Germany, with around 41,000 inhabitants. The city lies in the foreland of the Ore Mountains, in the Saxon urbanization axis, which runs along the northern edge of the Elster and ...

, Germany (1991) *

Gżira Gżira () is a town in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is located between Msida and Sliema, also bordering on Ta' Xbiex. It has a population of 11,699 as of January 2019. The word ''Gżira'' means "island" in Maltese ...

, Malta (2000) *

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

, Czech Republic (1991) *

Jastarnia Jastarnia (, ) is a resort town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodship, northern Poland. It is located on the Hel Peninsula on the Baltic Sea. It is a popular Polish seaside resort and small fishing port. The place was mentioned as "Osternese" in ...

, Poland (1997) *

Vannes Vannes (; , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, French department of Morbihan, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern mainland France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic ...

, France (2001)

References

Bibliography * * * *

External links

Wałbrzych official city website

Wałbrzych information website

Jewish Community in Wałbrzych
on Virtual Shtetl

na portalu polska-org.pl
Local news website (pol)
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Lower Silesian Voivodeship Populated riverside places in Poland Wałbrzych County Holocaust locations in Poland