Milicz | |
|---|---|
 Main square | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Milicz | |
| Coordinates:51°32′N17°17′E / 51.533°N 17.283°E /51.533; 17.283 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | Lower Silesian |
| County | Milicz |
| Gmina | Milicz |
| First mentioned | 1136 |
| Town rights | 1245 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Piotr Lech |
| Area | |
• Total | 13.50 km2 (5.21 sq mi) |
| Population (2019-06-30[1]) | |
• Total | 11,304 |
| • Density | 840/km2 (2,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 56-300 |
| Car plates | DMI |
| Website | http://www.milicz.pl |
Milicz[ˈmilit͡ʂ] (German:Militsch) is a town inLower Silesian Voivodeship, in west-centralPoland.[2] It is the seat ofMilicz County and ofGmina Milicz, part of the largerWrocław metropolitan area.
The town is situated in the historicLower Silesia region, near the border withGreater Poland. The centre is located on theBarycz river, about 55 km (34 mi) north of the regional capitalWrocław. From 1975 to 1998 Milicz belonged toWrocław Voivodeship.
TheMilicz Ponds, an important habitat and breeding ground for water birds, are anature reserve established 1963 and protected under theRamsar convention. Since 1996 they also formed part of a largerprotected area known as theBarycz Valley Landscape Park.
As of 2019, the town has a population of 11,304.
Milicz developed as route of the ancient Amber Trade Route known as theAmber Road. A settlement at the site was possibly established in the 11th century.Milich Castle was first mentioned in an 1136 deed byPope Innocent II as a property of the cathedral chapter of theDiocese of Wrocław. The name possibly refers to a legendary founder or is derived fromPolish:miły, "pleasant", "friendly". It is listed as a possession of the PolishArchdiocese of Gniezno in an 1154 deed issued byPope Adrian IV, it is later also mentioned under theLatin nameMilicium in a 1249 document by DukePrzemysł I of Greater Poland. The Polish nameMylicz first appeared in theLiber fundationis episcopatus Vratislaviensis (Book of endowments of the Bishopric of Wrocław) manuscript written about 1305 at the behest of BishopHenry of Wierzbnej.
Upon the death of Polish DukeBolesław III Wrymouth in 1138, Milicz became part of the PolishDuchy of Silesia, ruled by DukeBolesław I the Tall from 1163, and was the seat of acastellany. The citizens receivedtown privileges in 1245. In 1294 the area was conquered by DukeHenry III of Głogów and from 1313 belonged to the SilesianDuchy of Oels (Oleśnica), which itself became aBohemian fiefdom in 1329. In 1358 the Wrocław bishops finally sold their Milicz estates to thePiast dukeKonrad I, whose successors had aGothic castle built. In 1432, the town was attacked by theHussites.[3] The Oleśnica dukes held the town until in 1492 the line became extinct and the duchy was finally seized as an expired fief by theBohemian Crown. In 1494 KingVladislas II of Bohemia granted Milicz to hischamberlain Sigismund Kurzbach, who installed the autonomous Silesianstate country of Milicz andŻmigród(Trachenberg). The Milicz part was acquired by theMaltzan noble family in 1590.
Militsch was conquered by theKingdom of Prussia upon theFirst Silesian War in 1742, and was part of theGerman Empire from 1871. After Germany's defeat inWorld War I, Poland re-emerged as an independent country, and Milicz was close to the new border. After theRed Army'sVistula–Oder Offensive andNazi Germany's defeat inWorld War II, Milicz became again part of Poland, although with a Soviet-installedcommunist regime, which stayed in power until the 1980s.
Milicz is the site of one of the sixChurches of Grace, which the SilesianProtestants were allowed to build with the permission ofHabsburg emperorJoseph I, also King of Bohemia, given at theAltranstädt Convention of 1707. Thehalf-timbered house of worship finished in 1714 today serves asCatholic parish church dedicated to SaintAndrew Bobola.
The castle of the Oleśnica Dukes erected in the 14th century was destroyed in World War II. TheMaltzahn dynasty left aLate Baroque-Neoclassical palace erected in 1798 with anEnglish garden, the first in Silesia. Since 1963 the building is the seat of a secondary forestry college.
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Seetwin towns of Gmina Milicz.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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| Urban-rural gmina | ||
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
