Zielona Góra (; ''Green Mountain''; ) is the largest city in

Lubusz Voivodeship Lubusz Voivodeship ( ) is a voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in western Poland with a population of 972,140. Its regional capitals are Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra. The region is characterized by a landscape of forests, lake ...

, located in 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 140,403 inhabitants (). The region is closely associated with

vineyards A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

and holds an annual Wine Fest. Zielona Góra is one of the two capital cities of Lubusz Voivodeship, hosting the province's elected assembly, while the seat of the centrally appointed

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

is in the city of

Gorzów Wielkopolski Gorzów Wielkopolski (), often abbreviated to Gorzów Wlkp. or simply Gorzów (formerly ), is a city in Geography of Poland, western Poland, located on the Warta, Warta River. It is one of the two principal cities and seats of the Lubusz Voivodes ...

. In 1222 Duke Henry the Bearded from 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 ...

brought the first settlers to the area. In 1323 Zielona Góra was granted

town privileges 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 traditio ...

. The town was incorporated into the

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 ...

in 1506 and became part of the Habsburg Empire in 1526. It experienced a wave of witch trials in the 17th century. 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 became part of 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. It then was part of the

North German Confederation The North German Confederation () was initially a German military alliance established in August 1866 under the leadership of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was transformed in the subsequent year into a confederated state (a ''de facto'' feder ...

and the

German Reich German ''Reich'' (, from ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty entirely from a continuing unitary German ''Volk'' ("na ...

until the end of

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 ...

in 1945, when it became again part of Poland.

Toponymy

In the

Silesian language Silesian, occasionally called Upper Silesian, is an ethnolect of the Lechitic languages, Lechitic group spoken by part of people in Upper Silesia. Its vocabulary was significantly influenced by Central German due to the existence of numerou ...

, the city is called ''Źelůno Gůra'' (in Steuer's Silesian alphabet) or ''Grinberg''; using the Silesian primer alphabet: ''Zielōnŏ Gōra'' or ''Grinberg''; in

Silesian German Silesian (Silesian: ', ), Silesian German is a nearly extinct German dialect spoken in Silesia. It is part of the East Central German language area with some West Slavic and Lechitic influences. Silesian German emerged as the result of Late ...

, the city was called ''Grienberg''. In the 16th century, pseudo-historical Latin names appeared for the city, such as ''Prasia Elysiorum'' and ''Thalloris''.

History

Middle Ages

The first settlement in the area of Zielona Góra was built in the valley near the Złota Łącza stream during the reign of the Polish ruler

Mieszko I 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 ...

. The oldest settlement was agricultural. It later developed into a trading point along routes from

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

Żagań Żagań (French language, French and , ) is a town in western Poland, on the Bóbr river, with 25,731 inhabitants (2019), capital of Żagań County in the Lubusz Voivodeship, located in the historic region of Lower Silesia. Founded in the 12th ce ...

and further to

Lusatia Lusatia (; ; ; ; ; ), otherwise known as Sorbia, is a region in Central Europe, formerly entirely in Germany and today territorially split between Germany and modern-day Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the eas ...

. The written records of the Slavic settlement date to 1222 and an increase of its population by Henry the Bearded. Other documents date the settlement to 1302.Weczerka, p. 164 The region received an influx of German burghers in the second half of the 13th century during the medieval

Ostsiedlung (, ) is the term for the Early Middle Ages, early medieval and High Middle Ages, high medieval migration of Germanic peoples and Germanisation of the areas populated by Slavs, Slavic, Balts, Baltic and Uralic languages, Uralic peoples; the ...

. In 1323, the settlement became a city with ''Crossener Recht'', a variation of

Magdeburg rights Magdeburg rights (, , ; also called Magdeburg Law) were a set of town privileges first developed by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (936–973) and based on the Flemish Law, which regulated the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages gr ...

. The earliest mention of the town's coat of arms is from 1421, although it is believed to have been arranged since the beginning of the 14th century.Hupp, p. 154 A document in the town archive of Thorn (Toruń) dating from before 1400 used a sigil with the name ''GRVNINBERG'', an early form of the German name ''Grünberg''. In 1294, Duke Henryk III of the

Duchy of Głogów The Duchy of Głogów (, ) or Duchy of Glogau () was one of the Duchies of Silesia, formed in course of the medieval fragmentation of Poland into smaller provincial duchies. Its capital was Głogów in Lower Silesia. It existed in 1177–1185 an ...

, founded a church in honour of Saint Hedwig, the High Duchess consort of Poland and patron saint of Silesia. Now designated a co-cathedral, it is the oldest building in the city. A wooden castle near the city, built ca. 1272, was the residence of Duke John of Ścinawa from 1358 to 1365. Janusz had ceded his lands to Duke

Henry V of Iron Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

.Weczerka, p. 165 In 1477 the town defeated a 5,000-strong army from neighbouring

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

which attempted to seize it during the succession war to the Duchy of Głogów. In 1488, Duke John II of Żagań, destroyed the castle to prevent his enemies from using it. The deposition of Duke John II of Żagań in 1488 marked the end of the long rule of the

in the Duchy of Głogów and the city of Zielona Góra. Later on, the duchy was ruled by the future Kings of Poland

John I Albert John I Albert (; 27 December 1459 – 17 June 1501) was King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Roy ...

and

Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old (, ; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was List of Polish monarchs, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the son of Casimir IV of P ...

. It was integrated with the

in 1506, although Polish king Sigismund I the Old still claimed his rights to the city in 1508.

Early modern period

The city flourished during the reign of Sigismund I the Old. In 1505 Sigismund issued a privilege allowing the sale of cloth products from Zielona Góra throughout

. In 1641, King

Władysław IV Vasa Władysław IV Vasa or Ladislaus IV (9 June 1595 – 20 May 1648) was King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania and claimant of the thrones of Monarchy of Sweden, Sweden and List of Russian monarchs, Russia. Born into the House of Vasa as a prince ...

of Poland confirmed these rights. Another important branch of the city's economy at this time was

winemaking Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its Ethanol fermentation, fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over ...

The city converted to

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

during the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

through the efforts of Paul Lemberg, Abbot of Sagan.Weczerka, p. 166 The city declined during the 17th century, especially 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 ...

(1618–1648) and following decades. Grünberg endured plundering, debts, emigration of burghers, and fires. In 1651 during the

Counter Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also sometimes called the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to, and as an alternative to or from similar insights as, the Protestant Reformations at the time. It w ...

, the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

of Austria reintroduced

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and suppressed

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

. The city was subjected to heavy

Germanisation Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people, and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In l ...

and German craftsmen banned Poles from attending any practice allowing them to work as members of guilds. A rebellion caused by conscription ended with many Poles being imprisoned. From 1640, witch trials took place, the number of which increased significantly in 1663–1665. As a result, in 1669 the local court was deprived of the right to impose the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in s ...

on women accused of witchcraft. The city was annexed by the

by the 1742 Treaty of Breslau which ended the

. The Prussians introduced

religious toleration Religious tolerance or religious toleration may signify "no more than forbearance and the permission given by the adherents of a dominant religion for other religions to exist, even though the latter are looked on with disapproval as inferior, ...

, leading to the construction of the Protestant parish church ''Zum Garten Christ'' from 1746 to 1747. Catholic Poles were later discriminated against, however. In 1758, during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

POWs 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 ...

brought the plague to the city.

Late modern period

The city's

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing. Industry process Cotton manufacturing Cotton is the world's most important natural fibre. In the year 2007, th ...

was booming by the end of the 1700s. By 1800, large parts of the city walls had been dismantled to allow the city to expand. The textile industry suffered during the 1820s while adjusting to the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

and an import ban by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. The city's economy began to recover after many clothiers emigrated to

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

. English industrialists were among the 19th-century economic reformers of Grünberg. During industrialisation, many Germans from the countryside moved to large industrial cities and a large number of Poles came to German cities to work as well. The Polish population was pushed by

to rural villages, although some remained in the town contributed to the economic revival of the city. A Polish church remained functional until 1809 and a Polish craftsmen association (''Towarzystwo Polskich Rzemieślników'') was established by Kazimierz Lisowski in 1898;''Znani zielonogórzanie'', Verbum, Zielona Góra, 1996, p. 124 it existed till 1935 when Lisowski was murdered 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 ...

. In 1923 a branch of the

Union of Poles in Germany Union of Poles in Germany (, ) is an organisation of the Poland, Polish minority in Germany, founded in 1922. In 1924, the union initiated collaboration between other minorities, including Sorbs, Danish minority in Southern Schleswig, Danes, Fris ...

was established. In 1932 the German authorities did not allow the establishment of a Polish school. Since 1816 after the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, Grünberg was administered within the district ''Landkreis Grünberg'' in the

Province of Silesia The Province of Silesia (; ; ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1742 and established as an official province in 1815, then became part of the German Empire in 1871. In 1919, as ...

. In 1871 it became part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

during the

unification of Germany The unification of Germany (, ) was a process of building the first nation-state for Germans with federalism, federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without Habsburgs' multi-ethnic Austria or its German-speaking part). I ...

. English industrialists purchased some of the city's textile factories during the 1870s and 1880s. By 1885, most of Grünberg's population of 14,396 were Protestants. The city was first connected to the Glogau ( Głogów)-Grünberg-

Guben Guben (Polish language, Polish and Sorbian languages, Sorbian: ''Gubin'') is a town on the Lusatian Neisse river in Lower Lusatia, in the States of Germany, state of Brandenburg, in eastern Germany. Located in the Spree-Neiße Districts of German ...

railway line in 1871, followed by connections to Christianstadt (

Nowogród Bobrzański Nowogród Bobrzański () is a town on the Bóbr river in Zielona Góra County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland, with 5,165 inhabitants (2019). It is the administrative seat of the Gmina Nowogród Bobrzański. History The historic town was e ...

) in 1904, Wollstein ( Wolsztyn) in 1905, and a local line to Sprottau (

Szprotawa Szprotawa is a town in western Poland, in Żagań County, Lubusz Voivodeship. It has 11,820 inhabitants (2019). History The region was part of Poland after the emergence of the Piast monarchy in the 10th century. The first mention of today's Sz ...

) in 1911. In 1919, Grünberg became part of the

Province of Lower Silesia The Province of Lower Silesia (; Silesian German: ''Provinz Niederschläsing''; ; ) was a province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. Between 1938 and 1941 it was reunited with Upper Silesia as the Province of Silesia. The capita ...

within Weimar Germany. On 1 April 1922 it became a district-free city. This status was revoked on 1 October 1933 while part of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. During the ''

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 the synagogue. During

the Germans operated 42

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 ...

camps in armaments production in the city, intended initially for Polish men and women, and later also Russians, Ukrainians, Britons, French and

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

. There were also three 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 ...

within the modern city limits for Jewish men and women. In January 1945, a German-perpetrated

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 ...

of Jewish women from

Sława Sława (; ) is a town in Wschowa County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. As of the 2019 census, Sława had a population of 4,321. It is situated on the eastern shore of Lake Sławskie. History The area was part of Poland after the creation ...

reached the city, and the remaining prisoners were also sent on death marches westwards. On February 11, 1945, the authorities of Zielona Góra, then still Grünberg, received a report about Russians in the vicinity of

Nowa Sól Nowa Sól is a city on the Oder River in Lubusz Voivodeship, western Poland. It is the capital of Nowa Sól County and had a population of 38,763 (2019). History The territory became part of the emerging Polish state in the 10th century, and foll ...

. Wehrmacht soldiers and civilians organizing defense in cities were threatened with being cut off from the south-west. In this situation, the preparations of Zielona Góra for defense by regular troops were interrupted. On February 11 the

Yalta Conference The Yalta Conference (), held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe. The three sta ...

ended and it was not known exactly what would happen to Zielona Góra. On February 12 the most important German offices and management boards of larger enterprises were evacuated beyond Nysa Łużycka. On February 13 other residents were encouraged to leave the city through

megaphone A megaphone, speaking trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loudhailer is usually a portable or hand-held, cone-shaped horn (acoustic), acoustic horn used to amplifier, amplify a person's voice or other sounds and direct it in a given direction. ...

s. The last train left in the evening. One of the previously sent transports was hit by an English air attack in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

and, according to some, about 900 inhabitants of Zielona Góra died at the local railway station. On 14 February. Hitler's ardent supporters called on 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 ...

to defend themselves. Previously, the so-called

Sonderkommando ''Sonderkommandos'' (, ) were Extermination through labor, work units made up of Nazi Germany, German Nazi death camp prisoners. They were composed of prisoners, usually Jews, who were forced, on threat of their own deaths, to aid with the di ...

, which from the morning started blowing up strategic objects and immobilizing various technical devices, e.g. power plants, gas plants and waterworks. The defenders set up two machine guns on the Branibor Hill. Having heard about the imminent threat from Nowa Sól, they withdrew to the city center. On the other hand, the supporters of a quick surrender, including the worker Alfred Kuntzel, the Nazi Friedrich Brucks and the communist Karl Laube formed a surrender committee. The

Soviet 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 ...

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 ...

occupied Grünberg with little fighting on February 14, 1945, during World War II. The Red Army headed by the Third Army began artillery fire at 13:00 from cannons positioned on the hills south of Racula. After reaching the northern border of this village, the reconnaissance units moved towards the city. Some of them, following an arc, ended up in Racula, others in Stary Kisielin and even in Jany, and still others took over . The main unit entered the city along Wrocławska Street. Soon, small groups of Red Army soldiers began to appear from the side of Kożuchowska Street. The 3rd Army established their headquarters in the Poviat Office building. In that period, about 500 people committed suicide. The following month, according to the post-war

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 placed under Polish administration under territorial compensation for the territories of former Eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union. The remaining German inhabitants who had not fled their homes from the Eastern Front were expelled in accordance with the

. The town was partly resettled with

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 ...

transferred from Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union. The city was briefly renamed ''Zielonogóra'' in 1945, before the historic Polish name ''Zielona Góra'' was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004, by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard Aus ...

. The 18th-century Protestant church was reconsecrated as a Catholic church (''Kościół Matki Boskiej Częstochowskiej''). The city's first post-war mayor was Tomasz Sobkowiak, a former prisoner of the

Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

during the

German occupation of Poland German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. He is remembered as an efficient administrator, with a friendly attitude towards Germans.

Recent history

From 1950 to 1998 Zielona Góra was the capital of the Zielona Góra Voivodeship. The city's population rebounded quickly after the war. By 1950 it had more inhabitants than at any point in its history. The University of Zielona Góra was opened in 2001. The city is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Zielona Góra-Gorzów.

Geography

Zielona Góra is surrounded by tree-covered hills. The adjacent woodland makes up approximately half of the city's total area. The name of the city translates to 'Green Mountain' in both Polish and German. Zielona Góra features several tourist attractions and important historical sites including the preserved

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Old Town, 13th-century Market Square,

tenements A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, i ...

, palaces, parks and the famous Palm House on Wine Hill. Its strong connection to vineyards and grape-picking earned Zielona Góra the nickname "The City of Wine".

Wineries

The city has been known for its wines for centuries. It is now one of two places in Poland with

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

grape cultivation mainly for white wines, the other being the wine growing region near the town of

Warka Warka () is a town in east-central Poland, located on the left bank of the Pilica river ( south of Warsaw), with 11,858 inhabitants (2013). It has been situated in Grójec County, in the Masovian Voivodeship, since 1999; previously it was in t ...

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...

. The first wineries around the city were built in 1314. At the Paradyż Abbey near Zielona Góra, monks have been making wine since 1250. The number of vineyards at peak production is estimated at 4,000 in the region, with 2,500 in Zielona Góra itself. During the communist era wine production was reduced, but since 1990 it has recovered. Since 1852, an annual wine festival has taken place in the town. Wine is no longer produced in Zielona Góra itself, with the last factory closed in the early 1990s. Vodka '' Luksusowa'' (namely: Luxury vodka), made from potatoes rather than grain, is produced in distillery in Zielona Góra. ''Jarzębiak'', a Polish fruit vodka made from

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya ...

berries and other fruit ingredients, registered as a regional traditional beverage by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland, is also produced in Zielona Góra. Another officially designated traditional beverage is the Zielona Góra beer, with local brewing traditions dating back to the 18th century.

Climate

The climate is oceanic (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfb'') with some humid continental characteristics (''Dfb'') in normals previous to 1981–2010. Despite being some distance from the sea, western standards as well as

air mass In meteorology, an air mass is a volume of air defined by its temperature and humidity. Air masses cover many hundreds or thousands of square miles, and adapt to the characteristics of the surface below them. They are classified according to ...

es are still predominant in the western than eastern, not very different from German cities near the border.

Demographics

Sights

Among the landmarks of Zielona Góra are: * Market Square (''Rynek'') with the town hall * Co-cathedral church of St Hedwig of Silesia - Gothic with later modifications * Our Lady of Częstochowa church - timber-framed from 18th century, formerly protestant * Łaziebna tower - part of the former city walls * Palm house RatuszZG.jpg, Market Square (''Rynek'') with the town hall Zielona Góra, konkatedra św. Jadwigi.jpg, Co-cathedral church of St Hedwig of Silesia Kościół Matki Boskiej.jpg, Our Lady of Częstochowa church Wieża GłodowaZG.jpg, Łaziebna tower Mozaika ZG Gagarin.jpg, Gagarin mosaic on the aula of the University of Zielona Góra

Education

The city has a university and a College of International Trade and Finance. Currently there are 18,000 students studying in the city.

Secondary education

Secondary education is based on the

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

type of educational facility. * I High School * III High School * IV High School * V High School * Seventh General Lyceum * Schools of Electronics * Schools of Economics

Universities and colleges

* University of Zielona Góra Uniwersytet Zielonogórski * From 1997 until 2014: College of International Trade and Finance

Transport

Zielona Góra Airport is located at Babimost, north-east of the city. It is currently the eleventh busiest airport in Poland, in terms of traffic size. Formerly a military base, it has become an important transport hub for western Poland. LOT Polish Airlines currently offers daily flights to

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. The city lies at the junction of National Road 3, National Road 27 and National Road 32 and is a major interchange on S3 Expressway along European route E65. Zielona Góra Główna railway station is the most important railway station of Zielona Góra. It has train connections to

, Zbąszynek, Rzepin,

Frankfurt (Oder) Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...

and

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 ...

, main cities of the surrounding regions:

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

and

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 ...

as well as direct international connections to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Events

*June/July: Busker Bus Festival *August: Folk Song and Dance Festival Folk Festival *September: Winobranie (Wine Fest) MOSiRZielonaGora

Sports

The city is home to Zastal Zielona Góra, five times champion of 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 ...

and member of the European

Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL), also commonly known as the FIBA Champions League, is an annual professional basketball competition for European sports club, clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the European professional club basketball system ...

. The team plays its home games at the CRS Hall Zielona Góra. It is also home to Falubaz Zielona Góra, one of the most successful Polish

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

clubs. The local football team is Lechia Zielona Góra.

Notable people

Bartholomaeus Pitiscus Bartholomaeus Pitiscus (also ''Barthélemy'' or ''Bartholomeo''; August 24, 1561 – August 24, 1613) was a 16th-century German trigonometrist, astronomer and theologian who first coined the word ''trigonometry''. Biography Pitiscus was bor ...

(1561–1613), mathematician, theologian, astronomer *

Abraham Scultetus Abraham Scultetus (24 August 1566 – 24 October 1625) was a German professor of theology, and the court preacher for the Prince-elector, Elector of the Palatinate Frederick V, Elector Palatine, Frederick V. Biography Early life Abraham wa ...

(1566–1625), theologian * Tadeusz Kuntze (1727–1793), painter * Rudolf Haym (1821–1901), philosopher * Wilhelm Foerster (1832–1921), astronomer *

Otto Julius Bierbaum Otto Julius Bierbaum (28 June 1865 – 1 February 1910) was a German writer. Bierbaum was born in Grünberg, Silesia. After studying in Leipzig, he became a journalist and editor for the journals ''Die freie Bühne'', ''Pan'' and '' Die Insel'' ...

(1865–1910), writer * Susanne Dessoir (1869–1953), soprano * Franz Mattenklott (1884–1954), general * Józef Zych (born 1938), lawyer and politician * Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia (born 1943) great-grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II * Maryla Rodowicz (born 1945), singer * Jürgen Colombo (born 1949), bicyclist * Janusz C. Szajna (born 1954), entrepreneur and University of Zielona Góra professor *Andrew Andrzej Twardon (born 1956), psychologist * Maria Gładkowska (born 1957), actress *

Olga Tokarczuk Olga Nawoja Tokarczuk (; born 29 January 1962) is a Polish writer, activist, and public intellectual. She is one of the most critically acclaimed and successful authors of her generation in Poland. In 2019, she was awarded the 2018 Nobel Pri ...

(born 1962), writer (laureate of

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

) * Tomasz Lis (born 1966), journalist * Mariusz Linke (1969–2022),

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

fighter and world-class grappler * Grzegorz Halama (born 1970), comedian * Agnieszka Haupe-Kalka (born 1970), writer *

Piotr Protasiewicz Piotr Protasiewicz (born 25 January 1975 in Zielona Góra, Poland) is a Polish international speedway rider. He is a four times World team champion and earned 24 international caps for the Poland national speedway team. Career Protasiewicz ...

(born 1975), speedway rider * L.U.C (born 1981), rapper * Grzegorz Zengota (born 1988), speedway rider * Mateusz Kieliszkowski (born 1993), top international strongman competitor, 5 time Poland's Strongest Man

Twin towns – sister cities

Zielona Góra is twinned with: *

L'Aquila L'Aquila ( ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy. It is the capital city of the Province of L'Aquila and the Abruzzo region in Italy. , it has a population of 69,902. Laid out within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the A ...

, Italy (1996) * Bistriţa, Romania (2001) *

Cottbus Cottbus () or (;) is a university city and the second-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after the state capital, Potsdam. With around 100,000 inhabitants, Cottbus is the most populous city in Lusatia. Cottbus lies in the Sorbian ...

, Germany (1990) *

Helmond Helmond (; called ''Hèllemond'' in the local dialect) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of ...

, Netherlands (1993) *

Ivano-Frankivsk Ivano-Frankivsk (, ), formerly Stanyslaviv, Stanislav and Stanisławów, is a city in western Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast as well as Ivano-Frankivsk Raion within the oblast. Ivano-Frankivsk also host ...

, Ukraine (2000) *

Kraljevo Kraljevo ( sr-Cyrl, Краљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Raška District in central Serbia. It is situated on the confluence of West Morava and Ibar River, Ibar, in the geographical region of ...

, Serbia (1974) *

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra (river), Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of ...

, Slovakia (1992) *

Troyes Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...

, France (1970) *

Verden an der Aller Verden an der Aller (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Veern''), also called Verden (Aller) or simply Verden, is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the river Aller. It is the district town of the district of Verden in Lower Saxony and an independent mun ...

, Germany (1993) *

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

, Georgia (2022) *

Wuxi Wuxi ( zh, s=无锡, p=Wúxī, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu, China. As of the 2024 census, it had a population of 7,495,000. The city lies in the southern Yangtze delta and borders Lake Tai. Notable landmarks include Lihu Park, the Mt. Lings ...

, China (2009) *

Zittau Zittau (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, Upper Lusatian dialect: ''Sitte''; ) is the southeasternmost city in the Germany, German state of Saxony, and belongs to the Görlitz (district), district of Görlitz, Germany's easternmost Districts of Germ ...

, Germany (2010)

Friendly cities

Soltau Soltau () is a mid-sized town in the Lüneburg Heath in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has around 22,000 inhabitants. The city is centrally located in the Lüneburg Heath and is known nationwide especially for its touri ...

, Germany (1997)

Gallery

File:Ratuwiw21.jpg, Town Hall File:Deptak Zielona Góra.jpg, Żeromskiego Street in the Old Town File:Zielona Góra, Tkalnia przy Fabrycznej.jpg,

Loft A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large ...

s in Zielona Góra File:Al. Niepodległości, budynek nr 15.jpg, Local museum File:Plac Pocztowy,budynek nr 17.jpg, Tenement at ''Plac Pocztowy'' (Postal Square) File:Obserr16.jpg, Astronomical observatory File:Palmkg21.jpg, Palm house with restaurant on Wine Hill File:Biblioteka norwid.jpg, Cyprian Norwid Provincial and Municipal Public Library File:Lutheran church in Zielona Góra.jpg,

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church File:Kaplgjz12.jpg, 14th-century chapel on Wine Hill File:Pomnik Ignacego Łukasiewicza w Zielonej Górze.jpg, Ignacy Łukasiewicz Monument File:Ogrod Botaniczny ZG1.JPG, Botanical Garden File:Skansen Ochla 5.jpg, Ethnographic Open-Air Museum File:Sąd Okręgowy ZG.jpg, Courthouse File:Archiwum Państwowe Zielona Góra.jpg, State Archives

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Grünberg church records
of births, marriages and deaths since 1582
Municipal websiteZielona Góra UniversityJewish Community in Zielona Góra
on Virtual Shtetl
The Death March through Zielona Góra to Volary
at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

website
Grünberg Notgeld
(emergency banknotes) depicting various episodes from the region's history. {{Authority control Cities and towns in Lubusz Voivodeship Cities in Silesia City counties of Poland