Złotoryja
| Złotoryja | |||
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View of the picturesque Old Town
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| Nickname(s): Stolica Polskiego Złota Capital of Polish Gold |
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 Złotoryja
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| Coordinates: 51°8′N 15°55′E / 51.133°N 15.917°E | |||
| Country |
 Poland
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| Voivodeship | Lower Silesian | ||
| County | Złotoryja County | ||
| Gmina | Złotoryja (urban gmina) | ||
| Established | 12th century | ||
| Town rights | 1211 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Robert Pawłowski | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 11.51 km2 (4.44 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| • Total | 16,503 | ||
| • Density | 1,400/km2 (3,700/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 59-500 to 59-501 | ||
| Area code(s) | +48 76 | ||
| Car plates | DZL | ||
| Website | http://www.zlotoryja.pl | ||
Złotoryja [zwɔtɔˈrɨja] (German: Goldberg, Latin: Aureus Mons, Aurum) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship of southwestern Poland. It is located in the Kaczawa river valley, close to Legnica. It is the seat of Złotoryja County, and of the smaller district of Gmina Złotoryja (although it is not part of the territory of the latter, since the town is a gmina in its own right).
Since the Middle Ages the town was a centre of gold and copper mining. Currently it has approximately 16,000 inhabitants and is one of the important centres of basalt mining.
During its long existence Złotoryja was referred to by various names. Since the Middle Ages it was referred to as either Aurum (Latin for "gold"), Aureus Mons ("Golden Mountain"), Goldberg (German for "Golden Mountain") or by its Polish name. Złotoryja in Polish literally means "gold-digging".
The Coat of Arms features a black Silesian eagle of the Piast dynasty standing over three green hills, with the golden background. Its heraldic blazon is "Or, an eagle displayed sable on a base three-invected vert". It has been used since the 15th century.
The Flag features both of the heraldic colours of the Coat of Arms. It consists of two stripes: golden (yellow) above green.
In late 12th century and early 13th century a small settlement of gold miners was founded on the slopes of Mount St. Nicholas (Góra św. Mikołaja), at the shores of the Kaczawa river. The village grew rapidly and in 1211 it was named Aurum and located on the Magdeburg law by Duke Henry I the Bearded as the first city in Silesia. The local golden ore deposits were rich and the town attracted both miners and gold washers from all the nearby areas. In the 13th century a Hospitaller and Franciscan monasteries were founded in the town, which thus became one of the important cultural and religious centres of the region. In 1241 many of the miners took part in the Battle of Legnica, where most of them died, but the mining quickly recovered.
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Wikipedia