Zabkowice Slaskie
Encyclopedia
Ząbkowice Śląskie z is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship
in south-western Poland
. It is the seat of Ząbkowice Śląskie County
, and of the smaller administrative district (gmina
) called Gmina Ząbkowice Śląskie
.
The town lies approximately 63 kilometres (39 mi) south of the regional capital Wrocław. As at 2006, it has a population of 16,242.
Henry IV Probus as Frankenstein in the early 13th century, following the Mongol invasion. It was sited on a piece of land that belonged partly to the episcopal lands of Procan
(German Protzan, modern Zwrócona) and partly to the Monastery at Trzebnica
(German Trebnitz). The town was located exactly halfways between the sites of two previously existing towns that had failed to attract enough settlers: Frankenberg and Löwenstein, and inherited its German name from both.
Its positioning on the so called Königstraße (King's Road) between Prague
and Breslau, not too far from the commercially important city of Glatz would favour the development of the town. The town received municipal rights around 1280, the first mention of civitas Frankenstein is dated January 10, 1287. As from 1335 it belonged to Bohemia
, and from 1742 to Prussia
.
In the early 17th century the plague killed about one third of the population, and it has been speculated that events at that time may have inspired the Frankenstein
story.
In 1858 the town burned down and had to be rebuilt. On this occasion, the upper part of the 15th-century leaning tower was reconstructed in a straight manner. The town was a county seat from 1816 to 1945. After World War II
the town passed to Poland (along with most of Silesia
) and was renamed Ząbkowice Śląskie in 1946, after the German population had fled or been expelled.
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 Ząbkowice Śląskie County
Zabkowice Slaskie County
Ząbkowice Śląskie County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. The county covers an area of...
, and of the smaller 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 Ząbkowice Śląskie
Gmina Zabkowice Slaskie
Gmina Ząbkowice Śląskie is an urban-rural gmina in Ząbkowice Śląskie County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland...
.
The town lies approximately 63 kilometres (39 mi) south of the regional capital Wrocław. As at 2006, it has a population of 16,242.
History
The town was established by Duke of SilesiaSilesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
Henry IV Probus as Frankenstein in the early 13th century, following the Mongol invasion. It was sited on a piece of land that belonged partly to the episcopal lands of Procan
Zwrócona
Zwrócona is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ząbkowice Śląskie, within Ząbkowice Śląskie County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany. It lies approximately north of Ząbkowice Śląskie and south of the regional capital...
(German Protzan, modern Zwrócona) and partly to the Monastery at Trzebnica
Trzebnica
Trzebnica is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is the seat of Trzebnica County, and of the smaller administrative district called Gmina Trzebnica. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany...
(German Trebnitz). The town was located exactly halfways between the sites of two previously existing towns that had failed to attract enough settlers: Frankenberg and Löwenstein, and inherited its German name from both.
Its positioning on the so called Königstraße (King's Road) between Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and Breslau, not too far from the commercially important city of Glatz would favour the development of the town. The town received municipal rights around 1280, the first mention of civitas Frankenstein is dated January 10, 1287. As from 1335 it belonged to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, and from 1742 to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
.
In the early 17th century the plague killed about one third of the population, and it has been speculated that events at that time may have inspired the Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
story.
In 1858 the town burned down and had to be rebuilt. On this occasion, the upper part of the 15th-century leaning tower was reconstructed in a straight manner. The town was a county seat from 1816 to 1945. After 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...
the town passed to Poland (along with most of Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
) and was renamed Ząbkowice Śląskie in 1946, after the German population had fled or been expelled.