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Bystrzyca Klodzka is a city in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in Poland. It is famous for its historical buildings and is a tourist centre. It has a population of 12,000 and is located on the Nysa K³odzka and Nysa £omnicka rivers.
Geography:
Bystrzyca K³odzka lies near the K³odzko Valley, at the feet of Sudetes. It is located at the junction of Nysa K³odzka and Bystrzyca £omnicka rivers.
History:
The area of today's Bystrzyca K³odzka has been inhabited at least for 6 millennia. During the times of the Roman Empire the Celts have established numerous permanent settlements in the area of Glatz K³odzko on the Amber Road. There are also numerous archaeological excavations of Lusatian culture remnants in the area.
The German town of Habelschwerdt was founded by Gallus of Lämberg (Havel of Markvartice) next to a Slavic village on the trade route leading through the Sudetes in mid-13th century. It was granted the so-called Western Law (a variant of the Magdeburg Law). On July 4, 1319, John of Luxemburg, king of the Romans (of Holy Roman Empire), later king of Bohemia, granted the village vast autonomy and a right to construct city walls. The first noted mayor of Habelschwerdt was Jakob Rücker. The town was constructed almost from scratch. First the city walls were erected with three gates and several towers. Then the Market Square was planned on a slope and the Mayor House was constructed. Most of the Gothic architecture was preserved and the town is now considered one of the classical examples of Mediaeval architecture. The town started to grow rapidly. It was granted with several other privileges, among them the right to trade with salt, spices and fabric.
The town initially belonged to the Grafschaft Glatz Duchy of K³odzko, a fief of Bohemia. It shared the fate of the nearby city of Glatz K³odzko and developed rapidly until the advent of the Hussite Wars in 15th century. The wars left the town depopulated by plagues, partially burnt and demolished by several consecutive floods. In 1475 a great fire destroyed the town completely. In 1567 the area became a fief of the Habsburg dynasty, though the local dukes retained their powers. It was not until 16th century when the local economy went back on tracks. Both Habelschwerdt and the surrounding villages were gradually repopulated, mostly with settlers from Central Germany and Lesser Poland. Because of major Lutheran influences it became one of the regional centres of Protestantism. In late 16th century the new City House was built and many of the houses were rebuilt in Renaissance style. The town also built several facilities like paved roads and sewer system. However, the Thirty Years' War and other conflicts of the counterreformation damaged the city and ended the period of prosperity. On February 14, 1745, Prussian general Hans von Lehwaldt defeated Austrian forces of Georg Oliver von Wallis near the city. During the Silesian Wars Habelschwerdt (together with most of Silesia) came under Prussian rule. Soon afterwards it was captured by forces of Napoleon Bonaparte and housed a French garrison until 1815, when it returned to Prussia. Although it was made a county capital in 1818, it was also struck by high taxes. It was not until mid-19th century when the city fully recovered. The City House was yet again rebuilt, the city moat and parts of the city walls were levelled and the city expanded into new areas. After 1877 Habelschwerdt Bystrzyca was connected to Glatz (K³odzko) and Breslau (Wroc³aw) by a railroad. In 1885, Habelschwerdt had a population of 5,597, while by 1939 it rose to 6,877.
End of the 19th century saw the whole Glatzer Tal (K³odzko Valley) turned into one of the most popular tourist regions. Countless hotels, sanatoria and spa were opened to the public in the nearby towns of K³odzko (then Glatz), Duszniki Zdrój (then Bad Reinerz) and L±dek-Zdrój (then Bad Landeck), as well as in the town itself. The area of former Duchy became a popular place among the rich bourgeoisie of Wroc³aw, Berlin, Vienna and Kraków. During World War II Habelschwerdt was spared the fate of other German cities that were levelled to the ground. There were no important industrial centres in the area and most of the K³odzko Valley was not captured by the Red Army until after the capitulation of Germany. Shortly after the war the K³odzko Valley became a scene of Wehrwolf activities. Following the Potsdam conference the town was awarded to Poland as compensation for the areas of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union in the east. The German inhabitants of the area and whole Silesia were expelled by the new authorities.
Between 1975 and 1998 Bystrzyca belonged to the Wa³brzych Voivodeship. It continued to be one of the principal mountain resorts of the area. Thanks to its historical landmarks as well as virgin landscapes, Bystrzyca K³odzka remains one of the most popular centres of tourism and winter sports in Lower Silesia.
Source: Wikipedia