Milicz | |||
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Main square
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Coordinates: 51°32′N 17°17′E / 51.533°N 17.283°E | |||
Country | Poland | ||
Voivodeship | Lower Silesian | ||
County | Milicz County | ||
Gmina | Gmina Milicz | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor | Paweł Wybierała | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 13.50 km2 (5.21 sq mi) | ||
Population (2006) | |||
• Total | 12,004 | ||
• Density | 890/km2 (2,300/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Postal code | 56-300 | ||
Car plates | DMI | ||
Website | http://www.milicz.pl |
Milicz [ˈmilit͡ʂ] (German: Militsch) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of Milicz County, and of the smaller administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Milicz.
The town is situated in the historic Lower Silesia region, near the border with Greater Poland. The centre is located on the Barycz river, about 55 kilometres (34 mi) north of the regional capital Wrocław. From 1975–98 Milicz belonged to Wrocław Voivodeship.
The Milicz Ponds, an important habitat and breeding ground for water birds, are a nature reserve established 1963 and protected under the Ramsar convention. Since 1996 they also formed part of a larger protected area known as the Barycz Valley Landscape Park.
As at 2006, the town has a population of 12,004.
A settlement at the site was possibly established in the 11th century. Milich Castle was first mentioned in an 1136 deed by Pope Innocent II as a property of the cathedral chapter of the Diocese of Wrocław. The name possibly refers to a legendary founder or is derived from Polish: miły, "pleasant", "friendly". It is listed as a possession of the Polish Archdiocese of Gniezno in an 1154 deed issued by Pope Adrian IV, it is later also mentioned under the Latin name Milicium in a 1249 document by Duke Przemysł I of Greater Poland. The Polish name Mylicz first appeared in the Liber fundationis episcopatus Vratislaviensis (Book of endowments of the Bishopric of Wrocław) manuscript written about 1305 at the behest of Bishop Henry of Wierzbnej.