Lower Silesia Voivodship

Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Województwo dolnośląskie

Flag	Coat of arms

Location within Poland

Division into counties

Coordinates (Wrocław): 51°07′N 17°02′E / 51.117°N 17.033°E

Country

Poland

Capital

Wrocław

Counties*

Area

• Total

19,946.74 km² (7,701.48 sq mi)

Population (30-06-2014)

• Total

2,908,457

• Density

150/km² (380/sq mi)

• Urban

2,047,151

• Rural

837,097

Car plates

Website

http://www.umwd.pl/

further divided into 169 gminas

Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province (Polish: województwo dolnośląskie [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ dɔlnɔˈɕlɔ̃skʲɛ]), in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided.

Lower Silesia was part of Medieval Poland during the Piast dynasty. After the testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138, Poland entered a period of fragmentation. Silesia became a province of Poland as a duchy, which later on became divided into many small duchies reigned by dukes and princes of the Piast dynasty. During this time, cultural and ethnic Germanic influence prospered due to immigrants from the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire. This also impacted on the local architecture as well as traditions and cuisine. At the same time, Lower Silesia was a leading Polish cultural center. The Book of Henryków, which contains the earliest known sentence written in the Polish language, as well as Statuta synodalia Episcoporum Wratislaviensis, which contains the oldest printed text in Polish, were both created here. Both texts can be seen in Wrocław. Złotoryja, Poland's first town, was granted municipal privileges by Henry the Bearded. Over the centuries, Lower Silesia has experienced epochal events such as the Protestant Reformation, the Silesian Wars, industrialisation, and the two World Wars.

Lower Silesia is one of the richest provinces in Poland as it has valuable natural resources such as copper, brown coal and rock materials, which are exploited by the biggest enterprises. Its well developed and varied industries attract both domestic and foreign investors.

...
Wikipedia