Bielawa
Corpus Christi church in Bielawa
Corpus Christi church in Bielawa
Flag of Bielawa
Flag
Coat of arms of Bielawa
Coat of arms
Bielawa is located in Poland
Bielawa
Bielawa
Bielawa is located in Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Bielawa
Bielawa
Coordinates: 50°42′N 16°37′E / 50.700°N 16.617°E / 50.700; 16.617
Country Poland
VoivodeshipLower Silesian
CountyDzierżoniów
GminaBielawa (urban gmina)
First mentioned1288
Town rights[1]1924
Government
[2]
 • MayorAndrzej Hordyj
Area
[3]
 • Total36.21 km2 (13.98 sq mi)
Highest elevation
964 m (3,163 ft)
Lowest elevation
280 m (920 ft)
Population
 (31 December 2021)[4][5]
 • Total29,232
 • Density807/km2 (2,090/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
58-260 to 58-263
Area code+48 74
Car platesDDZ
Voivodeship roads
Websitehttp://um.bielawa.pl

Bielawa [bʲɛˈlava] ⓘ (German: Langenbielau; Silesian: Bielawa) is a town in southwestern Poland. Since 1999, it has been situated in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of the Wałbrzych Voivodeship. As of January 1, 2023, it has a population of 28 344.[6]

Bielawa lies in the central part of Lower Silesia, along the Bielawica stream in the Owl Mountains region. The town covers an area in excess of 36 square kilometres (14 sq mi).

Bielawa lies at an altitude range of 280 and 964 m above sea level, in the Owl Mountains. The town is a year-round tourist destination; its outdoor attractions include four major hiking trails of varying difficulty in an 80 km2 (31 sq mi) park, as well as cycling trails and ski lifts.

History

The oldest known mention of Bielawa dates back to 1288, when it was part of fragmented Piast-ruled Poland.[1] Its name is of Polish origin and is derived from the word biela, bila, current Polish biała ("white").[1]

In 1720 the first brick house was built in the village and in 1741 it was captured and afterwards annexed by Prussia. In 1805 Christian Dierig founded a weaving company (Christian Dierig AG). During the Napoleonic Wars, the village was occupied by France. In 1844 it was the site of the Weavers' Uprising, brutally crushed by the Prussians.[1] From 1871 to 1945 it was part of Germany. In 1891 the Dzierżoniów–Bielawa railway line opened. In 1924 Bielawa obtained town rights.[1] During World War II the Germans established the FAL Langenbielau II subcamp of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp in the town.[7] In 1945 it was captured by the Soviets and eventually reintegrated with Poland. Greeks, refugees of the Greek Civil War, settled in Bielawa in the 1950s.[8]

Demographics

Main sights

There are numerous historical buildings in Bielawa. At its center is the 19th-century Neo-Gothic Church of the Assumption with a 101 m tall tower, the third tallest in Poland. Other buildings include a late-Renaissance palace originally built as a fortified manor house; the Church of the Corpus Christi, erected in 1743; and numerous 18th-century Baroque houses that were restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also a home to a number of medieval penitential crosses.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Twin towns - sister cities

Bielawa is twinned with:[9]

Surroundings

Notable people

Eleni, singer

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Historia miasta". um.bielawa.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  2. ^ "Władze miasta". um.bielawa.pl (in Polish). Urząd Miasta Bielawa. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  3. ^ "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 2022-09-07. Category K1, group G441, subgroup P1410. Data for territorial unit 0202011.
  4. ^ "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 2022-09-07. Category K3, group G7, subgroup P1336. Data for territorial unit 0202011.
  5. ^ "Local Data Bank". Statistics Poland. Retrieved 2022-09-07. Category K3, group G7, subgroup P2425. Data for territorial unit 0202011.
  6. ^ GUS. "Powierzchnia i ludność w przekroju terytorialnym w 2023 roku". stat.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  7. ^ "Subcamps of KL Gross- Rosen". Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  8. ^ Izabela Kubasiewicz, Emigranci z Grecji w Polsce Ludowej. Wybrane aspekty z życia mniejszości, p. 117 (in Polish)
  9. ^ "Main Page - Miasta Partnerskie". um.bielawa.pl (in Polish). Bielawa. Retrieved 2020-02-27.

External links

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Gminas of Dzierżoniów County
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