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Środa Śląska | |
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 Historical town hall at the Freedom Square (Plac Wolności) | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Środa Śląska | |
| Coordinates:51°9′N16°35′E / 51.150°N 16.583°E /51.150; 16.583 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | Lower Silesian |
| County | Środa Śląska |
| Gmina | Środa Śląska |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Elżbieta Czarnota |
| Area | |
• Total | 14.94 km2 (5.77 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 130 m (430 ft) |
| Population (2019-06-30[1]) | |
• Total | 9,516 |
| • Density | 636.9/km2 (1,650/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 55-300 |
| Area code | +48 71 |
| Car plates | DSR |
| National road |  |
| Voivodeship road |  |
| Website | https://en.srodaslaska.pl |
Środa Śląska (/ˈʃroʊdəˈʃlɒ̃skə/,Polish:[ˈɕrɔdaˈɕlɔ̃ska];German:Neumarkt in Schlesien) is a town in theLower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-westernPoland.[2] It is the seat ofŚroda Śląska County, and of the smaller administrative district (gmina) calledGmina Środa Śląska. The town lies approximately 32 km (20 mi) west of the regional capitalWrocław, on theŚredzka Wodacreek. As of 2019, the town has a population of 9,516. It is part of theWrocław metropolitan area.
The town emerged from a medieval Polish trade settlement in the 13th century, and its town rights, granted byHenry the Bearded, became a model for municipal rights of more than 100 towns in Poland. The town has been an important craft and trade center since and has a number of heritage structures, including inRomanesque,Gothic andBaroque styles, and is the site of the discovery of the medievalŚroda Treasure.
Transforming Środa Śląska from a small commercial settlement into a center of urban character was carried out by Polish DukeHenry the Bearded (1202–1238) whose idea was to enhance the economic and political significance of the Silesia region as a means to re-unify thePolish Kingdom. He vested it withtown rights before 1233.[3] At around 1235, he granted it a special law, based on theMagdeburg law, but adapted to the local conditions (Środa law). It was a model on which many other Polish towns were later founded (includingOpole,Kalisz,Wieliczka,Radom). Środa Śląska is situated in the central part of theLower Silesia region at the main transport routes joining the east and west of Europe. The nameŚroda means "Wednesday", as that was the day on which the weekly market took place.[4] The town was fortified with ramparts and a moat.[3] The St. Andrew's Church was most likely built before Środa was granted town rights, although the oldest known mention dates back to 1233, whereas the castle was first mentioned in 1266, however, it also may have been built much earlier.[5] It was a residence of the local dukes from thePiast dynasty and the seat of the Środacastellany.[3] Between 1220 and 1234 a hospital was established either by Duke Henry the Bearded or Bishop of WrocławWawrzyniec, and by the late 13th century, there was also a parish school (at St. Andrew's Church).[6] Possibly in 1253, theFranciscans arrived and established the town's first monastery, although the oldest known mention comes from 1318.[6] A second hospital was founded in the late 14th century.[7]
In the 13th century the town was a regional center of salt trade.[8] A Merchants' House was established in 1283, a slaughterhouse operated in the town by 1307, and after 1348 merchant shops were built.[9] Crafts and trade, includingweaving, developed in the town.[8] Since the 15th century,vines were grown, as a result of whichwinemaking as well asbrewing developed.[8]
In 1428–31 the town was devastated by theHussites (especially devastating was the attack in 1428 when Hussites robbed the town and burnt down the monastery and church ofFranciscan order). In 1526, the town was incorporated by theHabsburg monarchy. In the 16th century it was one of the regional centers ofAnabaptism.[8] The town was damaged in theThirty Years' War.[8] One of two main routes connectingWarsaw andDresden ran through the town in the 18th century and KingsAugustus II the Strong andAugustus III of Poland often traveled that route.[10] In 1740, the Prussian soldiers seized the town and incorporated it into thePrussian Kingdom. In 1806 it was sacked by French troops, and in 1813 by German soldiers. Together with the rest of Prussia, the town became a part ofunified Germany in 1871.
DuringWorld War II the Germans established there twoforced labour subcamps of theStalag VIII-Aprisoner-of-war camp.[8] In January 1945, adeath march of prisoners of a subcamp of theGross-Rosen concentration camp fromBrzeg Dolny reached the town, and 93 sick prisoners, including 56 Poles, were massacred by theVolkssturm.[11] Ernst Dickmann who ordered the massacre was sentenced to death after the war in December 1945 and executed.[11] On 9 February 1945, the German troops withdrew from the town.
The town then became again part of Poland, although with aSoviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the 1980s. A time of complete insecurity began for the townspeople. On June 26, 1945, Polish militia forced all people out of their homes for deportation to the west. However, the expulsion march ended in nearbyChojnów and the people returned to their homes. Each morning at 7, men and women had to show up for work and war white armbands. Eventually, all locals were evicted in mid-1946, in accordance with thePotsdam Agreement.[12] In 1946, the adjectiveŚląska was added to the name after the region ofSilesia within which the town is located, to distinguish it from the town ofŚroda Wielkopolska.
During renovation works in the 1980s, a hoard of medieval silver and gold coins and jewellery, named theŚroda Treasure, was found. It is now displayed in the Regional Museum in Środa Śląska and theNational Museum in Wrocław.
A Silesian folk story tells how the empress ofTartary travelled through Europe until she reached Środa Śląska in 1240. The citizens decided that it was appalling for a non-Christian to display so much wealth, and killed her and all of her entourage, except two of her ladies who managed to hide and flee back to Tartary. Once there, they told the Emperor what had happened to his wife, who swore revenge and gathered an army of five hundred thousand troops. According to GermanantiquaryJohann Gustav Gottlieb Büsching, no tradition survives telling what the outcome was,[13] though the timespan of the story roughly corresponds with thefirst Mongol invasion of Poland (1240–1241).[14] Büsching states the story was first published in a 1504 life of SaintHedwig of Silesia, and was later turned into a folk song.[13]
Among the heritage architecture of Środa Śląska are:
A train station is located in the town.
The localfootball club is Polonia Środa Śląska with men's and women's sections. Both compete in the lower divisions.
Seetwin towns of Gmina Środa Śląska.
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