Kłodzko | |
|---|---|
.jpg)   From top, left to right: Old Town with theChurch of the Assumption in the foreground andKłodzko Fortress in the background, historic townhouses in the Old Town, Gothic bridge and Baroque Church of Our Lady of the Rosary | |
 Flag | |
| Nicknames: Luxembourg of the East,Little Prague | |
  Kłodzko | |
| Coordinates:50°26′19″N16°39′18″E / 50.43861°N 16.65500°E /50.43861; 16.65500 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Lower Silesian |
| County | Kłodzko |
| Gmina | Kłodzko(urban gmina) |
| Established | 10th century |
| Town rights | 1233 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Michał Piszko |
| Area | |
• Total | 25 km2 (9.7 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 370 m (1,210 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 300 m (980 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 25,717 |
| • Density | 1,000/km2 (2,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 57-300, 57-303, 57-304 |
| Area code | +48 74 |
| Car plates | DKL |
| National roads |    |
| Voivodeship roads |  |
| Website | klodzko.pl |
Kłodzko ([ˈkwɔt͡skɔ] ⓘ;Czech:Kladsko;German:Glatz;Latin:Glacio) is a historic town in south-westernPoland, in the region ofLower Silesia.[3] It is situated in the centre of theKłodzko Valley, on theEastern Neisse (Nysa Kłodzka) river.
Kłodzko is the seat ofKłodzko County (and of the ruralGmina Kłodzko, although the town itself is a separate urbangmina), and is situated inLower Silesian Voivodeship. With 25,717 inhabitants at the 2021 Census, Kłodzko is the main commercial centre as well as an important transport and tourist node for the area.
For its historical monuments it is sometimes referred to as "LittlePrague" (Polish:Mała Praga).[4] It was established as a settlement in the 10th century, and is one of the oldest towns in Poland, having been grantedcity rights in 1233. Culturally and traditionally a part ofBohemia, administratively it has been periodically part ofSilesia in the Middle Ages and again permanently since1763.
The area of present-day Kłodzko has been populated at least since the 1st century BC. There are several archaeological sites both in and around the town that indicate that there must have been a settlement located on the ancientAmber Road that conducted extensive trade relations with theRoman Empire.
The earliest mention of the town is in the 12th-centuryChronicle of Bohemians byCosmas of Prague. He mentions the town ofCladzco as belonging to dukeSlavník, father ofAdalbert of Prague, in 981. Initially inBohemia, together with theKłodzko Land, it changed affiliation several times, passing betweenPoland andBohemia[5] in a series of conflicts which in turn devastated the town completely by the beginning of the 12th century. In 1114 Bohemian DukeSoběslav I captured and burnt the town to the ground, but he rebuilt it shortly afterwards. He also rebuilt and strengthened the castle located on a high rock overlooking the town. After thePeace of Kłodzko [pl] of 1137, DukeBolesław III Wrymouth of Poland ceded all claims to theKłodzko Land to theBohemian Duchy (later Kingdom).[5]
In 1241, Klodzko became the site of a Mongol raid during theMongol invasion of Europe. However,King Wenceslaus I managed to rally his troops and drove the Mongols out, saving much ofBohemia from Mongol conquest.[6][7] The town was grantedGerman city rights underMagdeburg Law between 1253 and 1278, though the exact date is unknown. In 1278 it came under Polish rule again, as it was taken over by DukeHenry Probus ofWrocław, from 1288 High Duke of Poland, who claimed the entire Bohemian Kingdom after the death ofOttokar II of Bohemia. In 1290 it was sold to the Dukes ofŚwidnica and then, in 1301, it was sold to the Dukes ofZiębice. However, in 1334, DukeBolko II of Ziębice sold the town back to the Kingdom of Bohemia. The same year Bohemian kingJohn of Luxembourg, relocated the town, which led to a period of fast growth, bringing Germansettlers to the town. A city hall was built in 1341, and in the following year a brick factory was opened. From 1366, the town has been protected by a group of professional firemen. The town gained significant profits from its location on the ancient road from Bohemia to Poland through mountain passes in theSudetes.
GermanAugustinian monks were invited to the city and, in 1376, most streets were paved with stone setts. The Augustinian abbey became one of the most important centres of culture in the region – for example, in 1399 one of the earliest texts in thePolish language, theSt. Florian's Psalter (Psałterz Floriański), was written here. In 1390 aGothic stone bridge over the Młynówka River (local branch ofEastern Neisse River) was built by the local lord.
Kladsko developed rapidly until the start of theHussite Wars in the 15th century. The wars left the town depopulated by plagues, partially burnt, and demolished by several consecutive floods. In 1459 whole Kłodzko Land was elevated by Bohemian kingGeorge of Poděbrady to the status ofcounty – thus the city became a seat of Count (for most of time ruler of Bohemia itself) and local Diet – but still remained integral part of Bohemia as "outer region" (Czech:vnější kraj), and was not counted as part of Silesia. In 1472, the Polish princeVladislaus Jagiellon stayed in the city before his coronation as King of Bohemia in Prague.[8]
In 1526 theHabsburgs succeeded after theJagiellons as hereditary kings of Bohemia. Thus theCounty of Kladsko became a part of theHabsburg monarchy; the local counts retained their powers and Bohemian kings (i.e.Habsburg emperors) ruled this land as suzerains. It was not until the 16th century that the local economy began to recover from the previous wars. In 1540 thesewer system was built. In 1549 the remaining streets were paved and the city hall was refurbished. Most of the houses surrounding the town square were rebuilt in a pureRenaissance style.
In 1617 the first census was organised in the County of Kladsko. The city itself had approximately 1,300 houses and over 7,000 inhabitants. However, two years after the census took place theThirty Years' War started. Between 1619 and 1649 the fortress was besieged several times. Although the fortress was never captured, the city itself was largely destroyed. Over 900 out of 1,300 buildings were destroyed by fire and artillery and the population dropped by more than a half. After the war the Austrian authorities put an end to all local self-government, and the County of Glatz existed in name only. The city was gradually converted into a small garrison town attached to the ever-growing fortress.
TheKingdom of Prussia annexed Glatz during the 18th centurySilesian Wars, although Austrian influence is still evident in the architecture and culture of the region. The construction of the fortress was continued and the town had to bear the costs of the fortress expansion. In 1760 the town was captured by Austrian forces in theSiege of Glatz, but was subsequently returned to Prussia.
Unlike most ofPrussian Silesia, Glatz resistedFrench bombardment during theWar of the Fourth Coalition.[9] In 1826,Fryderyk Chopin travelled through the town.[10] During the 19th-centuryPolish national liberation fights, Polish publicistWłodzimierz Adolf Wolniewicz [pl], Polish historianWojciech Kętrzyński and Polish priestAugustyn Szamarzewski [pl] were imprisoned in thefortress.[11][12][13]
Glatz became part of theGerman Empire in 1871 during the Prussian-ledunification of Germany. The restrictions in the city's growth were not withdrawn until 1877, after which the town began another period of rapid modernisation and expansion. Some of the forts were demolished, several new bridges were built, and new investments started to arrive in Glatz. The town was connected to the rest of Germany by a railway. In 1864 the gas works were built and in 1880 an electric plant was opened. The buildings along the main streets were rebuilt in Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance style while the city walls with all their gates were demolished. In 1884–1885 a newsynagogue was built on theGrünestraße [Green Street], designed by the Breslau architectAlbert Grau [de].[14][15]
The end of the 19th century saw theKłodzko Valley turned into one of the most popular tourist regions. Many hotels,sanatoria, andspa were opened to the public in the nearby towns ofBad Reinerz (Duszniki Zdrój),Habelschwerdt (Bystrzyca Kłodzka),Bad Altheide (Polanica Zdrój), andBad Landeck (Lądek-Zdrój). The area of the former county became a popular place among the rich bourgeoisie ofBreslau (Wrocław), Berlin,Vienna, andKraków. In 1910 the city had 17,121 inhabitants: 13,629Roman Catholics, 3,324Protestants (mostly members of theEvangelical State Church of Prussia's older Provinces), and 150 Jews.
In September 1938 Glatz was severely damaged by "the flooding of the century", but the damage done was quickly repaired. During theKristallnacht (9 November 1938), the synagogue was destroyed by an arson attack ofNazis.[14] Most of the Jews emigrated and by 1939 there were only 25 of them left.
TheKłodzko Valley region on theEastern Neisse River was the focus of several attempts to reincorporate the area intoCzechoslovakia after theFirst World War even though it had a German majority. From the Czech perspective, Kłodzko andKłodzko Land are culturally and traditionally a part ofBohemia, although the region has been a part ofLower Silesia since its conquest by theKingdom of Prussia in 1763. These efforts to incorporate Kłodzko into Czechoslovakia would continue into the period afterWorld War II.
DuringWorld War II, the fortress was changed into a prison administered by theReich Ministry of Justice andWehrmacht.[16][17] It housed prisoners of various nationalities, includingAllied prisoners of war. In 1941–1942, many prisoners were sent toforced labour in various locations in German-occupied Poland, Czechoslovakia and Austria, and in 1942–1943, six FStGA field penal battalions (1, 7, 10, 13, 16, 20) were established in the town and afterwards relocated to theEastern Front.[17] In November 1942 and January 1943, the town was the site of a German trial of 39 members of theZwiązek Orła BiałegoPolish resistance organization, 18 of which were sentenced to death.[18] 198 prisoners were deported from the prison to variousNazi concentration camps, chieflyGross-Rosen.[19] Presumably only two men, a Pole and a Russian, managed to escape from the prison (on 23 September 1944).[20] Beginning in 1944, thecasemates housed theAEG arms factory evacuated fromŁódź, in which some 1,500 Poles were subjected to slave labour. The stronghold was turned into asubcamp of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp. The Germans also established and operated eight forced labour subcamps of theStalag VIII-B/344POW camp and two forced labour subcamps of theStalag VIII-A POW camp in the town.[21][22]
In January and February 1945, many prisoners from other locations, includingKatowice,Racibórz,Brzeg andNysa, were brought to the local prison either duringdeath marches or transports, and many were then sent further west toBautzen.[23]
The town itself was not damaged by the war and was taken over by the SovietRed Army without a major battle on 9 May 1945. However, all the bridges, except the Gothic stone bridge of 1390, were destroyed.
After the capitulation ofNazi Germany in 1945, the town became part of Poland under border changes promulgated at thePotsdam Conference, which transferred most of Silesia to Poland. The Polish took over administration in June 1945. German sources report that oppression immediately began. Germans were deported in February 1946, in accordance to thePotsdam Agreement.[24] The town was repopulated byPoles, some of whom werePolish refugees from formereastern Polish territories annexed by the Soviet Union, from where they had been displaced by Soviet authorities in accordance to new borders decreed atYalta Conference, while most came from war-devastated central Poland. In May 1945Czechoslovakia tried to annex the area on behalf ofCzech minority (living especially in the western part of the land, called "Czech Corner") and historical claims, but under pressure from theSoviet Union the Czech minority was expelled to Czechoslovakia.[citation needed]
On 20 August 1946, the town wasstruck by a large tornado, rated by theEuropean Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL) to have been F2–F4 intensity on theFujita scale. The ESSL documented the path length of the tornado at 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) with a maximum width of 1,000 metres (1,100 yd) and noted, "to less information to" assign a solid rating for the tornado.[25]
In the 1950s and 1960s much of the town centre was damaged by landslides. It turned out that throughout the city's history, generations of Kłodzko's merchants had developed an extensive net of underground basements and tunnels. They were used for storage and, in times of trouble, as a safe shelter from artillery fire. With time the tunnels were forgotten, especially after the original German population was deported, and during the years after World War II many of them started to collapse, along with the houses above. Since the 1970s the tunnels were conserved and the destruction of the city was stopped. Another disaster happened in 1997, when the city was damaged byflooding even greater than that of 1938. However, the town quickly recovered. The town was badly affected by the2024 Central European floods.[26][27]
On 28 June 1972, the Catholic parishes of Kłodzko were redeployed from the traditionalHradec Králové diocese (est. 1664;Ecclesiastical province of Bohemia) into theArchdiocese of Wrocław.[28] From 1975 to 1998 Kłodzko was administratively part of the formerWałbrzych Voivodeship.
Currently, Kłodzko is one of centres of culture, commerce and tourism inLower Silesia.
The climate is semicontinental although officially it is considered asoceanic (Köppen:Cfb), near of thehumid continental (Dfb), considered as such by the isotherm of 0 °C. Located inwestern Poland where there is the clash of marineair masses and the interior ofSiberia, they collide and generate a highly variable climate, although the patterns of the west are predominant.[29][30][31]
| Climate data for Kłodzko, elevation: 320 m, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 16.3 (61.3) | 18.6 (65.5) | 23.0 (73.4) | 27.9 (82.2) | 31.7 (89.1) | 32.4 (90.3) | 34.8 (94.6) | 35.1 (95.2) | 33.9 (93.0) | 24.8 (76.6) | 18.5 (65.3) | 17.0 (62.6) | 35.1 (95.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) | 2.9 (37.2) | 7.3 (45.1) | 13.8 (56.8) | 18.2 (64.8) | 21.5 (70.7) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.9 (75.0) | 18.4 (65.1) | 12.7 (54.9) | 6.8 (44.2) | 2.2 (36.0) | 12.7 (54.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.6 (29.1) | −0.5 (31.1) | 2.9 (37.2) | 8.1 (46.6) | 12.5 (54.5) | 15.9 (60.6) | 17.7 (63.9) | 17.6 (63.7) | 13.0 (55.4) | 8.4 (47.1) | 3.9 (39.0) | −0.3 (31.5) | 8.1 (46.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.4 (24.1) | −3.6 (25.5) | −0.8 (30.6) | 2.6 (36.7) | 6.8 (44.2) | 10.3 (50.5) | 11.9 (53.4) | 11.5 (52.7) | 8.2 (46.8) | 4.8 (40.6) | 1.3 (34.3) | −2.9 (26.8) | 3.8 (38.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −29.7 (−21.5) | −28.8 (−19.8) | −26.9 (−16.4) | −10.2 (13.6) | −4.1 (24.6) | −0.5 (31.1) | 2.6 (36.7) | 0.8 (33.4) | −4.1 (24.6) | −7.6 (18.3) | −19.3 (−2.7) | −28.1 (−18.6) | −29.7 (−21.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 24.3 (0.96) | 24.6 (0.97) | 35.6 (1.40) | 37.3 (1.47) | 67.9 (2.67) | 83.7 (3.30) | 97.3 (3.83) | 72.8 (2.87) | 59.2 (2.33) | 41.8 (1.65) | 30.7 (1.21) | 26.1 (1.03) | 601.2 (23.67) |
| Average extreme snow depth cm (inches) | 6.2 (2.4) | 7.0 (2.8) | 5.2 (2.0) | 1.8 (0.7) | 0.2 (0.1) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.1) | 2.7 (1.1) | 3.9 (1.5) | 7.0 (2.8) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 15.27 | 13.37 | 15.37 | 11.23 | 14.20 | 13.97 | 14.73 | 12.13 | 12.57 | 13.83 | 13.50 | 14.83 | 165.00 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0 cm) | 17.7 | 14.5 | 7.4 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 4.0 | 11.8 | 57.0 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 85.5 | 82.6 | 78.8 | 72.2 | 74.9 | 76.5 | 75.7 | 75.2 | 80.2 | 83.4 | 86.3 | 86.6 | 79.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 53.8 | 79.6 | 123.7 | 188.5 | 228.1 | 226.1 | 239.1 | 232.2 | 155.8 | 108.3 | 59.6 | 45.6 | 1,740.6 |
| Source 1: Institute of Meteorology and Water Management[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteomodel.pl (records, relative humidity 1991–2020)[40][41][42] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Kłodzko (Szalejów Dolny), elevation: 356 m, 1961-1990 normals and extremes | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.4 (50.7) | 17.2 (63.0) | 23.0 (73.4) | 27.8 (82.0) | 31.7 (89.1) | 32.4 (90.3) | 34.8 (94.6) | 32.5 (90.5) | 30.7 (87.3) | 24.1 (75.4) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.0 (62.6) | 34.8 (94.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.0 (32.0) | 1.9 (35.4) | 6.4 (43.5) | 12.2 (54.0) | 17.4 (63.3) | 20.5 (68.9) | 22.0 (71.6) | 21.9 (71.4) | 18.1 (64.6) | 12.9 (55.2) | 5.9 (42.6) | 1.7 (35.1) | 11.7 (53.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.7 (27.1) | −1.3 (29.7) | 2.3 (36.1) | 6.9 (44.4) | 11.8 (53.2) | 14.9 (58.8) | 16.2 (61.2) | 15.8 (60.4) | 12.5 (54.5) | 8.2 (46.8) | 3.1 (37.6) | −0.8 (30.6) | 7.2 (45.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.7 (21.7) | −4.4 (24.1) | −1.3 (29.7) | 2.1 (35.8) | 6.3 (43.3) | 9.4 (48.9) | 10.6 (51.1) | 10.4 (50.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 4.5 (40.1) | 0.5 (32.9) | −3.6 (25.5) | 3.1 (37.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −29.7 (−21.5) | −27.5 (−17.5) | −26.9 (−16.4) | −8.2 (17.2) | −3.3 (26.1) | −0.2 (31.6) | 2.6 (36.7) | 1.1 (34.0) | −4.1 (24.6) | −7.6 (18.3) | −19.3 (−2.7) | −26.9 (−16.4) | −29.7 (−21.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 22 (0.9) | 24 (0.9) | 27 (1.1) | 35 (1.4) | 74 (2.9) | 91 (3.6) | 86 (3.4) | 88 (3.5) | 47 (1.9) | 36 (1.4) | 38 (1.5) | 26 (1.0) | 594 (23.5) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 5.9 | 5.9 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 10.3 | 10.9 | 10.4 | 9.9 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 7.8 | 7.3 | 95.9 |
| Source:NOAA[43] | |||||||||||||
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| Source:[44][45][46][47] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Educational establishments in Kłodzko include:
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The two main sports teams of Kłodzko arefootball team Nysa Kłodzko andbasketball team Doral Nysa Kłodzko.[48][49]
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Bensheim, Germany
Carvin, France
Fléron, BelgiumLimanowa, Poland
Náchod, Czech Republic
Rădăuți, RomaniaRychnov nad Kněžnou, Czech Republic
Hernádvécse, Hungary
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