Nowa Ruda, Lower Silesian Voivodeship

Under Polish and Bohemian rule A medieval village situated in the rich Kłodzko Valley, Nowa Ruda developed in the mid-13th century as part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. German-speaking immigrants settled there as part of the Ostsiedlung. The oldest known mention of the settlement comes from 1337 from a document issued in nearby Kłodzko, In the years 1427-1429 the town was invaded by the Hussites. After World War I, it suffered an economic crisis. From 1975 to 1998 it was administratively located in the former Wałbrzych Voivodeship. The area was notable in the Middle Ages as a source of rich iron ore deposits. Until 2000 there was also a coal mine and a gabbro mine in Nowa Ruda's borough of Słupiec. ==Transport==

There is a train station in Nowa Ruda. The Voivodeship roads 381, 384 and 385 pass through the town. ==Sport==

Piast Nowa Ruda is the local multi-sports club. == Culture ==

• The Literary Heights Festival, a Polish literary festival founded in 2015 which takes place in the vicinity of Gmina Nowa Ruda at the foot of the Owl Mountains in the Kłodzko Valley. The event's organizers include the Olga Tokarczuk Foundation, the city and commune of Nowa Ruda, while the hosts are Karol Maliszewski and Olga Tokarczuk. The festival's program includes educational sessions, debates, concerts, panels, shows, meetings, poetry, literary workshops, film screenings, culinary workshops and various exhibitions. • Nowa Ruda Literary Club Ogma • Polish-Czech Group of Poets '97. ==Notable people==

• Franz Eckert (1852–1916), composer • Joachim von Pfeil (1857–1924), German explorer • Friedrich Kayßler (1874–1945), actor and writer • Joseph Wittig (1879–1949), German theologian and writer • Friedrich-Wilhelm Otte (1898–1944), Wehrmacht general • (1913–1992), writer • Gero Trauth (born 1942), painter, graphic artist, porcelain illustrator and designer • Edyta Geppert (born 1953), singer • (born 1956), actor • Karol Maliszewski (born 1960), poet • Olga Tokarczuk (born 1962), writer, Nobel laureate • Robert Więckiewicz (born 1967), actor ==Twin towns – sister cities==

Nowa Ruda is twinned with: • Broumov, Czech Republic • Castrop-Rauxel, Germany • Wallers, France ==References==