Bogatynia
Encyclopedia
Bogatynia AUD is a town in Zgorzelec County
, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
, in south-western Poland
, close to the tripoint
of the Czech
, German
and Polish borders. The town lies approximately 27 kilometres (17 mi) south of Zgorzelec
, and 147 kilometres (91 mi) west of the regional capital Wrocław. As of 2006 it had 19,068 inhabitants.
The settlement in the historical region of Upper Lusatia
was first mentioned in a 1262 deed. Initially a possession of the Bohemian crown
, Lusatia by the 1635 Peace of Prague
fell to the Saxon Electorate
. As Saxony had sided with Napoleon
it had to cede the northeastern part of Upper Lusatia to Prussia
according to the Final Act of the 1815 Vienna Congress
. After the new border had been drawn, Reichenau was the only locality east of the Neisse river
that belonged to the Kingdom of Saxony
. With the implementation of the Oder-Neisse line
at the end of World War II
, it was therefore the only municipality in Poland which until 1945 was part of the Free State of Saxony
. At first called Rychwald, the town was renamed in 1947.
Today Bogatynia is one of the richest towns per capita in Poland, due to its two principal enterprises: its large open-pit mine
, KWB Turów
and the associated thermal power station
, Elektrownia Turów, the third-largest of the country. The word bogaty in Polish describes a rich or wealthy person - a calque
from the town's original German name, 'Reichenau' (reich: "rich").
The town used to be connected via narrow gauge railway lines to Zittau
and to Frýdlant
.
On August 8, 2010, the Miedzianka stream flooded the entire central part of the town, causing heavy damage. The cause of the flooding was extremely heavy rain and the resulting swelling of the river Miedzianka.
Two people died.
Zgorzelec County
Zgorzelec County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. It is situated in the extreme south-west of Poland, bordering both Germany...
, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is currently divided. It lies in southwestern Poland...
, in south-western Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, close to the tripoint
Tripoint
A tripoint, or trijunction , is a geographical point at which the borders of three countries or subnational entities meet....
of the Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Polish borders. The town lies approximately 27 kilometres (17 mi) south of Zgorzelec
Zgorzelec
Zgorzelec is a town in south-western Poland with 33,278 inhabitants . It lies in Lower Silesian Voivodeship . It is the seat of Zgorzelec County, and also of the smaller district of Gmina Zgorzelec...
, and 147 kilometres (91 mi) west of the regional capital Wrocław. As of 2006 it had 19,068 inhabitants.
The settlement in the historical region of Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
was first mentioned in a 1262 deed. Initially a possession of the Bohemian crown
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
, Lusatia by the 1635 Peace of Prague
Peace of Prague (1635)
The Peace of Prague of 30 May 1635 was a treaty between the Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II and the Electorate of Saxony representing most of the Protestant states of the Holy Roman Empire...
fell to the Saxon Electorate
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
. As Saxony had sided with Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
it had to cede the northeastern part of Upper Lusatia to Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
according to the Final Act of the 1815 Vienna Congress
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
. After the new border had been drawn, Reichenau was the only locality east of the Neisse river
Lusatian Neisse
The Lusatian Neisse is a long river in Central Europe. The river has its source in the Jizera Mountains near Nová Ves nad Nisou, Czech Republic, reaching the tripoint with Poland and Germany at Zittau after , and later forms the Polish-German border on a length of...
that belonged to the Kingdom of Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
. With the implementation of the Oder-Neisse line
Oder-Neisse line
The Oder–Neisse line is the border between Germany and Poland which was drawn in the aftermath of World War II. The line is formed primarily by the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers, and meets the Baltic Sea west of the seaport cities of Szczecin and Świnoujście...
at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it was therefore the only municipality in Poland which until 1945 was part of the Free State of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
. At first called Rychwald, the town was renamed in 1947.
Today Bogatynia is one of the richest towns per capita in Poland, due to its two principal enterprises: its large open-pit mine
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
, KWB Turów
Turów Coal Mine
The Turów coal mine or KWB Turów, is a large open pit mine in the southwest of Poland, located outside of Bogatynia, Lower Silesia. Situated 55 km west of Jelenia Góra, 80 km east of Dresden, Germany, and 20 km northwest of Liberec, Czech Republic, the Turów mine forms a part of an area widely...
and the associated thermal power station
Thermal power station
A thermal power station is a power plant in which the prime mover is steam driven. Water is heated, turns into steam and spins a steam turbine which drives an electrical generator. After it passes through the turbine, the steam is condensed in a condenser and recycled to where it was heated; this...
, Elektrownia Turów, the third-largest of the country. The word bogaty in Polish describes a rich or wealthy person - a calque
Calque
In linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word or root-for-root translation.-Calque:...
from the town's original German name, 'Reichenau' (reich: "rich").
The town used to be connected via narrow gauge railway lines to Zittau
Zittau
Zittau is a city in the south east of the Free State of Saxony, Germany, close to the border tripoint of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. , there are 28,638 people in the city. It is part of the Görlitz district....
and to Frýdlant
Frýdlant v Cechách
Frýdlant, sometimes cited also as Frýdlant v Čechách is a town in the Liberec District of the Liberec Region in the Czech Republic. It has approximately 7,500 inhabitants and lies in the historic Bohemia region on the outskirts of the Jizera Mountains....
.
On August 8, 2010, the Miedzianka stream flooded the entire central part of the town, causing heavy damage. The cause of the flooding was extremely heavy rain and the resulting swelling of the river Miedzianka.
Two people died.
Notable people
- Johann Gottfried SchichtJohann Gottfried SchichtJohann Gottfried Schicht was a German composer and conductor.He was the conductor of the Gewandhausorchester from 1785 to 1810, and then the cantor of the Thomanerchor until 1823....
, composer (1753-1823) - Ernst Friedrich ApeltErnst Friedrich ApeltErnst Friedrich Apelt was a German philosopher and entrepreneur. He was a student of Jakob Friedrich Fries, succeeding him at the University of Jena...
, philosopher (1812-1859)
External links
- Official town website
- Unofficial town website
- Companies in Bogatynia
- Old postcards of Reichenau/Bogatynia at www.werkowski.eu
- Companies in Bogatynia/Bogatynia at www.firmy.bogatynia.net.pl