Jelcz-Laskowice
Encyclopedia
Jelcz-Laskowice ' is a town in Oława County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
, in south-western Poland
. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina
) called Gmina Jelcz-Laskowice
. It lies on the Odra (Oder) river, approximately 12 kilometres (7 mi) north of Oława, and 24 kilometres (15 mi) south-east of the regional capital Wrocław. As at 2006, the town has a population of 15,196.
The town was created on January 1, 1987 as a union of the former municipalities of Jelcz and Laskowice (Laskowitz). It was best known for its large bus
factory, owned by the company Jelcz S.A.
, though since the bankruptcy of that company the largest employers have been Toyota and the Mechanical Institute.
Jelcz was first mentioned as Jalche in a 1245 deed, when Pope Innocent IV
granted it to the Archdiocese of Wrocław. In 1277 Duke Bolesław II the Bald of Legnicka here captured and arrested his nephew Duke Henryk IV Probus
of Wrocław. Bolesław's grandson, Duke Bolesław III of Legnicka had a castle erected on an island in the Oder river about 1331.
The village of Laskowice was founded in 1293 by the Dukes of Wrocław. Between 1943 and 1945 the nearby hamlet of Miłoszyce was the site of the Fünfteichen subcamp of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp
, where forced labourers
built 145mm howitzers for the Berthawerke
, a branch of the Krupp
company. Testing grounds still feature concrete installations 2 km East of Nowy Dwor. Howitzers were hauled on rails from the branch Berthakrupp via Laskowice, Piekary and North of Nowy Dwor.
Since 1945 Soviets sent over 160 railway sorties, presumably to Smolensk leaving very little behind them. Since 1949 Polish Ministry of Defence run production of Mobile Repair Vehicles and Ambulances for military purpose. Bus production by Jelcz S.A. started in 1952.
In 1945 the area according to the results of the Potsdam Conference
became part of Poland
.
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...
. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
) called Gmina Jelcz-Laskowice
Gmina Jelcz-Laskowice
Gmina Jelcz-Laskowice is an urban-rural gmina in Oława County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Jelcz-Laskowice, which lies approximately north of Oława, and south-east of the regional capital Wrocław.The gmina covers an area of , and as of 2006 its...
. It lies on the Odra (Oder) river, approximately 12 kilometres (7 mi) north of Oława, and 24 kilometres (15 mi) south-east of the regional capital Wrocław. As at 2006, the town has a population of 15,196.
The town was created on January 1, 1987 as a union of the former municipalities of Jelcz and Laskowice (Laskowitz). It was best known for its large bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
factory, owned by the company Jelcz S.A.
Jelcz
Jelcz is a Polish brand of trucks, buses and trolley buses produced by Zakłady Samochodowe Jelcz SA , a division of Jelczańskie Zakłady Samochodowe or . Currently Zakłady Samochodowe Jelcz SA is closed....
, though since the bankruptcy of that company the largest employers have been Toyota and the Mechanical Institute.
Jelcz was first mentioned as Jalche in a 1245 deed, when Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV
Pope Innocent IV , born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was pope from June 25, 1243 until his death in 1254.-Early life:...
granted it to the Archdiocese of Wrocław. In 1277 Duke Bolesław II the Bald of Legnicka here captured and arrested his nephew Duke Henryk IV Probus
Henryk IV Probus
Henryk IV Probus was a member of the Silesian branch of the royal Polish Piast dynasty...
of Wrocław. Bolesław's grandson, Duke Bolesław III of Legnicka had a castle erected on an island in the Oder river about 1331.
The village of Laskowice was founded in 1293 by the Dukes of Wrocław. Between 1943 and 1945 the nearby hamlet of Miłoszyce was the site of the Fünfteichen subcamp of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp
Gross-Rosen concentration camp
KL Gross-Rosen was a German concentration camp, located in Gross-Rosen, Lower Silesia . It was located directly on the rail line between Jauer and Striegau .-The camp:...
, where forced labourers
Unfree labour
Unfree labour includes all forms of slavery as well as all other related institutions .-Payment for unfree labour:If payment occurs, it may be in one or more of the following forms:...
built 145mm howitzers for the Berthawerke
Bertha Krupp
Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach , born Bertha Krupp and commonly known by this name outside Germany, was a member of the Krupp family, Germany's leading industrial dynasty of the 19th and 20th centuries...
, a branch of the Krupp
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
company. Testing grounds still feature concrete installations 2 km East of Nowy Dwor. Howitzers were hauled on rails from the branch Berthakrupp via Laskowice, Piekary and North of Nowy Dwor.
Since 1945 Soviets sent over 160 railway sorties, presumably to Smolensk leaving very little behind them. Since 1949 Polish Ministry of Defence run production of Mobile Repair Vehicles and Ambulances for military purpose. Bus production by Jelcz S.A. started in 1952.
In 1945 the area according to the results of the Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
became part of 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...
.