Lower Silesian Voivodeship (pl: Województwo Dolnośląskie [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ dɔlnɔˈɕlɔ̃skʲɛ]) is a voivodeship in southwestern Poland, encompassing much of the historic region of Silesia in lower parts of Oder river, from which its Polish name (Dolny Śląsk) is derived. Historically rich region, with numerous gold, silver and copper mines it was politicaly fractured and often changed ownership until annexation by Prussia in 18th century. Overall Lower Silesa is a blend of Polish, German and Czech influences.

Cities

Map of Dolnośląskie (Lower Silesia)

• 1 Wrocław (German: Breslau) — a perfect mixture of Gothic and baroque architecture, it was also destroyed and successfully rebuilt
• 2 Bielawa
• 3 Bolesławiec — gothic and baroque town
• Głogów (German: Glogau)
• 4 Jawor (German: Jauer)
• 5 Jelenia Góra (German: Hirschberg) — a big baroque city at the foot of the Karkonosze
• 6 Kłodzko (German: Glatz) — baroque town in Lower Silesia in the Polish spa area.
• 7 Legnica (German: Liegnitz)
• 8 Lubin (German: Lüben)
• Lwówek Śląski — gothic and baroque town in Lower Silesia
• 9 Malczyce
• Środa Śląska
• 10 Strzelin — known for its extensive granite quarries
• 11 Świdnica — gothic and baroque town in Lower Silesia
• 12 Wałbrzych (German: Waldenburg) - large city in the region of the industrial and cultural traditions
• Złotoryja

Spa towns

Karkonosze and Jizera Mountains

• 1 Karpacz (German: Krumhübel)
• Kowary
• 2 Świeradów-Zdrój — spa in the Sudetes
• 3 Szklarska Poręba — spa town at the foot of the Karkonosze and Jizera Mountains

Kotlina Kłodzka

• Długopole-Zdrój — spa in the Sudetes
• Duszniki-Zdrój — spa in the Sudetes
• 4 Kudowa-Zdrój (German: Bad Kudowa) — spa in the Sudetes
• Lądek-Zdrój — spa in the Sudetes
• Polanica-Zdrój — spa in the Sudetes
• 5 Wambierzyce

Others

• Jedlina-Zdrój — spa in the Sudetes

Other destinations

15th-century stone bridge in Bardo, a small town not far from the Czech border

• 6 Giant Mountains
• 7 Karkonosze National Park — national park in the Sudetes around the Śnieżka Mountain with beautiful waterfalls
• 8 Stołowe Mountains National Park — national park in the Sudetes around the Szczeliniec Mountain with bizarre rocks

Understand

History

Lower Silesia area was settled by various tribes for many millenia, in 7th century it was settled by Slavic peoples who came into influence of Great Moravia. In late 10th century Lower Silesia became part of Poland. During 11th century the region was source of conflict between Poland, Germany and Czechia which frequently warred for it. In 1138 king of Poland Bolesław Wrymouth decided to divide Poland between his sons with eldest one being provided with Silesia and capital region. This decision had tremendous impact on Silesia as it was the richest part of Poland and was sought after by siblings and other countries which resulted in warfare and growing foreign influence. In the 12th and 13th century thanks to fertility of Silesian Piast houses Silesia fell apart into several small duchies including Wrocław, Głogów, Wschowa, and Świdnica.

As Poland was unable to exert much control over the region and duchies themselves were weak they slowly drifted towards Czech influence. Soon most of the duchies came under Czech rule with exception of Wschowa which became part of Greater Poland region. While troubled politically this fracturing resulted in economic boom as duchies competed with each other which brought lots of German settlers who further developed and germanized Lower Silesia. Poland mostly gave up on regaining Lower Silesia as it was focused more on fighting against Teutonic Order, while Bohemia became part of Austrian Empire.

Last Piast dukes died in 17th century finally cutting any political ties of the region to Poland. Prussia took over Lower Silesia in 1741 after Austria lost a decisive war over it. Prussia pursued aggressive germanization policy which succeeded at removing any remaining Polish and Czech influences and by 20th century most of the population were Germans. Prussia also fortified mountainous regions of Lower Silesia building fortresses in Kłodzko and Srebrna Góra. Lower Silesia became industrial powerhouse of Prussia alongside Saxony and Ruhr regions with strong coal mining sector. During World War II region became part of various Nazi efforts including several massive bunker digging operations in Owl and Giant Mountains and nuclear bomb project with uranium mine in Kowary. After World War II Lower Silesia was annexed by Poland and almost all of its population (entirely German) was expelled with the area resettled by Poles.

Karkonosze

Geography

Some of the geographic regions include:

• Silesian Plain - takes most of Lower Silesia area. Agrarian flatland with patches of forest. Ślęża mountain is visible from significant part of the region. Capital Wrocław is located here.
• Giant Mountains (Polish - Karkonosze, Czech - Krkonoše, German - Riesengebirge), divided between Poland and the Czech Republic. Sněžka is tallest peak of the region at 1603 m. Location of many ski resorts including Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba.
• Jeleniogórska Valley (Polish - Kotlina Jeleniogórska) - a valley north to the Giant Mountains with Jelenia Góra (German Hirschberg) agglomeration.
• Owl Mountains (Polish - Góry Sowie, Czech - Soví hory, German - Eulengebirge - small forested mountains located near Wałbrzych.

A forest park in Kłodzko

• Kłodzko County (Polish - Kotlina Kłodzka, German - Grafschaft Glatz), a valley surrounded by several mountain ranges, main city Kłodzko (German: Glatz), contains several health resorts - Polanica-Zdrój (German: Bad Alteheide), Duszniki-Zdrój (German: Bad Reinerz), Kudowa-Zdrój (German:Bad Kudowa).
• Trzebnica Hills large hill crossing Lower Silesia from west to east
• Barycz River Valley (Polish: Dolina Baryczy) swampy river valley in the north of the region, it also includes Milicz Ponds, which are perfect place for bird watching

Talk

Like everywhere else in Poland, all residents of Lower Silesia speak Polish. However, frequently you will find information boards also in German and English. Most young people know some English. Older people quite often understand basic German or Russian. As everywhere, knowledge of a few words in Polish will be warmly welcomed.

Get in

Wrocław Copernicus Airport

By plane

The only airport in Dolnośląskie offering scheduled passenger services is Wrocław's Copernicus Airport (WRO ^IATA) . LOT Polish Airlines and fellow Star Alliance members Lufthansa and SAS offer direct connections from there to their hubs in Warsaw, Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Copenhagen, which can be used as a leg of flight to almost anywhere in Europe or the world. Eurolot, LOT's short-haul subsidiary also offers a connection to Gdańsk in northern Poland and Zadar in Croatia. Low-fare airlines WizzAir and Ryanair fly to Wrocław from a number of destinations in Europe.

Outside of the region, Katowice and Kraków airports can also be used as convenient access points thanks to their location close to the A4 motorway. Farther away, Poznań Airport in Greater Poland, Prague Airport Ruzyne in the Czech Republic and Dresden Airport in Germany are all within an hour's drive from most locations in Dolnośląskie.

Inside Wrocław Główny train station

By train

Most, if not all, inter-regional and international trains to Dolnośląskie would be heading for Wrocław, sometimes stopping in some other localities along the way. Wrocław is among the large cities in Poland with less than favorable railway connections, as no high-speed line connects to it and the mountainous terrain in the region does not aid fast railway traffic. Trains from Warsaw have to go through Poznań, adding up to a journey over 5 hours (and in many cases more). Travellers from Germany can take advantage of a regional train connection to Dresden, taking about 4 hours.

A4 highway

By car

Arriving from the East (Opolskie, Śląskie and Małopolskie) or West (Germany, in particular Saxony) can take advantage of the A4 motorway. Those arriving from the North (Wielkopolskie, Łódzkie or Lubuskie) or the South (the Czech Republic) have to access Dolnośląskie the older road network, which often consists of narrow, congested stretches of bi-directional two-lane roads.

Get around

By car

Lower Silesia has well developed network of highways including main A4 highway going west to east from Germany to Opole voivodeship. You can reach Giant Mountains with S3 highway, Barycz river valley with S5 or Kłodzko Land with quite congested DK8 main road. All highways are free for car users without trailers. Roads in the mountains are often narrow, steep and winding especially around Kłodzko and Wałbrzych and may be the only way to reach some places as public transport does not reach everywhere.

By train

Koleje Dolnośląskie is the main regional carrier in the region and can reach virtually any larger city in Lower Silesia including resorts like Szklarska Poręba and Lądek-Zdrój. Largest and most popular locations can also be reached with PKP Intercity. Main junction is Wrocław Główny, most trains pass through here.

By bus

Many tourist locations which are not served by train like Karpacz can be reached with private bus companies. However in general bus transport is poorly developed and reaches only few locations. It is better to use train if possible.

See

Centennial Hall in Wrocław

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

• Jawor Peace Church (German: Friedenskirche Jauer) and Świdnica Peace Church (German: Friedenskirche Schweidnitz) built only of wood, with very simple exterior but overwhelming Baroque interior.
• Centennial Hall (original name Jahrhunderthalle, now Hala Stulecia) in Wrocław - huge hall from the beginning of the 20th century.
• Wałbrzych Industrial city with a rich industrial buildings and the medieval city buildings. The most interesting is Stara Kopalnia - Centrum Nauki i Sztuki (Old Mine - Center for Science and the Arts) and Zamek Książ (Castel Książ). - Center for Science and the Arts

Stay safe

As is the case with Poland, Lower Silesia is safe in general, with not much happening in terms of crime. Some post-industrial cities like Wałbrzych may have unpleasant vibe with lots of improverished populace after fall of coal mining and it may be good idea to not stroll here too long, especially at night.

Lower Silesia, especially Kłodzko Land, Owl and Giant mountains are prone to flooding in summer due to Genoa low, which brings intense rainfall that can provide three to six months worth of water in just 2-5 days. Check weather reports and follow official communication in case of intense rainfall. There are very few ways of leaving mountain towns often with only single or two roads out should flood happen.

Go next

Lower Silesian Voivodeship borders three other Polish provinces:

• Lubuskie,
• Wielkopolskie,
• and Opolskie,

as well as the Czech Republic and Germany.