Ancient history At the close of the
Ice Age, the first man appeared at the
Silesian Lowland. In the
Mesolithic (7,000 years ago), the first nomadic people settled in Lower Silesia, living in caves and primitive chalets. They were collectors, hunters, and fishers, and used weapons and other tools made of stone and wood. In the
Upper Paleolithic, the oldest human remains of the nomadic people, which were 40,000 years old, were found in a tomb in
Tyniec on the river
Ślęża. In the
Neolithic (4000–1700 BC), began the process of transformation into a settled way of life. The first rural settlements were made, as people began to farm and breed animals. Mining, pottery, and weaving are dated to this period.
Serpentinite quarries came into existence, of which Silesian hatchets were made, and near
Jordanów Śląski, people extracted nephrite that was transformed into diverse tools. In the
Bronze Age (1700–1500 BC), the evolution of different cultures developed to the existence of
Unetice culture that affected the existence of
Trzciniec culture. In the next periods since , it encompasses all of Europe.
Early history In the
La Tène culture period, Lower Silesia was inhabited by the
Celts, who had their main place of cult on the
Mount Ślęża. Their stony statues situated on and around this hill were later worshipped by the
Slavic tribes that came here around the sixth century AD.
Magna Germania (second century) records that between the Celtic and the Slavic period, Lower Silesia was inhabited by a number of
Germanic tribes. Among them, are the
Vandals, the
Lugii, and the
Silingi, who might have given the Silesia region its name, though it is unclear and thus disputed. With the Germanic tribes leaving westward during the
Migration Period, a number of new peoples arrived in Silesia from
Sarmatia,
Asia Minor, and the Asian steppes from the beginning of the sixth century. The
Bavarian Geographer () referred to the West Slavic
Ślężanie (the other possible source of the region's
Śląsk and later
Silesia name), centered on
Niemcza, and
Dziadoszanie tribes, while a 1086 document issued by Bishop
Jaromir of Prague listed the
Zlasane,
Trebovane,
Poborane, and
Dedositze. At the same time, Upper Silesia was inhabited by the
Opolanie,
Lupiglaa, and
Golenshitse tribes. In the late 9th century, the territory was subject to the
Great Moravian realm of Prince
Svatopluk I and from about 906 came under the rule of the
Přemyslid duke
Spytihnev I of Bohemia and his successors
Vratislaus I, the alleged founder of Wrocław (), and
Boleslaus the Cruel.
Piast Kingdom of Poland with Lower Silesia under the first king
Bolesław I the Brave Meanwhile, the West Slavic
Polans had established the first duchy under the
Piast dynasty in the adjacent
Greater Polish lands in the north. About 990 Silesia was conquered and incorporated into the
first Polish state by the Piast duke
Mieszko I, who had gained the support of Emperor
Otto II against the Bohemian duke
Boleslaus II. In 1000 his son and successor
Bolesław I Chrobry founded the
Diocese of Wrocław, which, together with the
Bishoprics of
Kraków and
Kołobrzeg, was placed under the
Archbishopric of Gniezno in
Greater Poland, founded by Emperor
Otto III at the
Congress of Gniezno in the same year. The ecclesial suzerainty of
Gniezno over Wrocław lasted until 1821. After a temporary shift to Bohemia in the first half of the 11th century, Lower Silesia continued to be an integral part of the Polish state until the end of its fragmentation period when all Polish claims on this land were finally renounced in favor of the
Bohemian kingdom in 1348. Various Polish defensive battles against the invading Germans took place in the region in the Middle Ages, including the victorious battles
of Niemcza in 1017 and
Głogów and
Psie Pole in 1109. In the early 12th century,
Wrocław was named one of the three major cities of the
Polish Kingdom alongside
Kraków and
Sandomierz in the oldest Polish chronicle,
Gesta principum Polonorum. One of the largest battles of medieval Poland, the
Battle of Legnica, during the
first Mongol invasion of Poland was fought in the region 1241. '' The first-ever granting of
town privileges in Polish history happened there, when
Złotoryja was granted such rights in 1211 by
Henry the Bearded. Medieval municipal rights modeled after
Lwówek Śląski and
Środa Śląska, both established by Henry the Bearded, became the basis of municipal form of government for several cities and towns in Poland, and two of five local Polish variants of medieval town rights. In the 13th century the
Book of Henryków, a chronicle containing the oldest known text in Polish, was created in the region. In the
Middle Ages,
gold () and
silver () were mined in the region, which is reflected in the names of the former mining towns of
Złotoryja,
Złoty Stok and
Srebrna Góra. The city of
Bolesławiec is a major center of
pottery production since the Middle Ages, which the tradition of production of
Bolesławiec pottery, also referred to as Polish pottery, cultivated to this day. The
Duchy of Silesia was first split into lower and upper parts in 1172 during the period of
Poland's feudal fragmentation, when the land was divided between two sons of former High Duke
Władysław II. The elder
Bolesław the Tall ruled over Lower Silesia with his capital in Wrocław, and younger
Mieszko Tanglefoot ruled over Upper Silesia with his capital at first in
Racibórz, from 1202 in
Opole. Later Silesia was divided into as many as 17
duchies. Main duchies of Lower Silesia: •
Silesia–Wrocław •
Legnica, split off in 1248 •
Brzeg, split off from Legnica in 1311 •
Świdnica-
Jawor, split off from Legnica in 1274 •
Lwówek, split off from Świdnica in 1281 •
Ziębice, split off from Świdnica in 1321 •
Głogów, split off from Legnica in 1251 •
Żagań, split off from Głogów in 1274/1278 •
Oleśnica, split off from Głogów in 1313 •
Bierutów, split off from Oleśnica in 1412 •
Krosno-
Ścinawa •
Nysa, established in 1290 In 1319,
Duchy of Jawor, the southwesternmost duchy of Lower Silesia and fragmented Poland, under Duke
Henry I of Jawor, expanded westward, reaching the towns of
Görlitz/
Zgorzelec,
Senftenberg,
Zittau and
Ostritz.
Polish duchies, Bohemian Crown, Austria, and Prussia facade of the
Brzeg Castle, depicting members of the
Piast dynasty, from the semi-legendary founder
Piast the Wheelwright to Duke
Frederick II of Legnica With the 1335
Treaty of Trentschin (
Trenčín) and the 1348
Treaty of Namysłów, most of the Silesian duchies were ruled by the
Silesian Piast dukes under the feudal overlordship of the
Bohemian kings, and thus became part of the
Crown of Bohemia within the
Holy Roman Empire, though in 1341–1356 Poland regained control of the towns of
Byczyna,
Kluczbork,
Namysłów and
Wołczyn. Many duchies remained Polish-ruled under the houses of Piast,
Jagiellon and
Sobieski, some up to the 17th and 18th century. In 1476, the Duchy of Crossen (Krosno) became part of the
Margraviate of Brandenburg, when the widow of the Piast ruler, Barbara von Brandenburg, daughter of Elector
Albert Achilles, inherited Crossen. This made the area around
Schwiebus (Świebodzin) an
exclave separated from the rest of Silesia. In 1475
Głogów-born Polish printer founded the (
Holy Cross Printing House) in Wrocław, which published the '''', the first
incunable in Lower Silesia, which also contains the first-ever text printed in the Polish language. As a result of the
settlement of Germans and the gradual assimilation of the Slavic population, Lower Silesia had become largely German-speaking by the end of the 15th century. In 1526, the region became part of the
Habsburg monarchy when Archduke
Ferdinand I of
Austria succeeded King
Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia. Brandenburg contested the inheritance, citing a treaty made with
Frederick II of Legnica, but Silesia largely remained under Habsburg control until 1742. In 1675 Duke
George William of Legnica died at the
Brzeg Castle, as the last male member of the
Piast dynasty, which founded the Polish state in the 10th century. He was buried in
Liegnitz (Legnica). Two main routes connecting
Warsaw and
Dresden ran through the region in the 18th century and Kings
Augustus II the Strong and
Augustus III of Poland often traveled that route. , with Lower Silesian administrative regions () of Liegnitz and Breslau ("
Middle Silesia") Most of Lower Silesia, except for the southern part of the Duchy of Neisse, became part of the
Kingdom of Prussia after the
First Silesian War by the 1742
Treaty of Breslau. In 1813, several battles of the
War of the Sixth Coalition were fought in the region, including the
Battle of the Katzbach. In 1815, it became part of the Prussian
Silesia Province, which was divided into the three Lower Silesian administrative regions () of
Liegnitz,
Breslau and , and Upper Silesian
Oppeln (including the Lower Silesian districts of
Neisse and
Grottkau).
Reichenbach, which covered the southern part of Lower Silesia, was dissolved and its territories split between
Liegnitz and
Breslau in 1820;
Breslau, which thereafter covered the central part of Silesia is sometimes also referred to as
Middle Silesia. The western
Liegnitz region was enlarged by the incorporation of the
Upper Lusatian (districts) of (
Lubań), ,
Rothenburg and, after 1825, , all seized from the
Kingdom of Saxony after the
Napoleonic Wars, as well as some small areas transferred from Crossen (
Rothenburg an der Oder,
Polnisch Nettkow,
Drehnow); the exclave of Schwiebus in the north, as well as few other small exclaves in the west, were transferred to
Brandenburg Province. The formerly Bohemian
County of Kladsko, which had been annexed along with Silesia in 1742, was attached to the
Reichenbach region in 1818, becoming part of the central
Breslau region upon
Reichenbach dissolution in 1820. The
Polish secret resistance movement was active in the region in the 19th century. On 5 May 1848, a convention of Polish activists from the Prussian and Austrian partitions of Poland was held in Breslau. Breslau was the seat of a Polish uprising committee before and during the
January Uprising of 1863–1864 in the
Russian Partition of Poland. Local Poles took part in Polish national mourning after the Russian massacre of Polish protesters in
Warsaw in February 1861, and also organized several patriotic Polish church services throughout 1861. Secret Polish correspondence, weapons, gunpowder and insurgents were transported through the region. In June 1863 Breslau was officially confirmed as the seat of secret Polish insurgent authorities. The Prussian police arrested a number of members of the Polish insurgent movement. With the
unification of Germany in 1871 Lower Silesia became part of the
German Empire. At the beginning of the 20th century Lower Silesia had a small Polish-speaking area in the northeastern part of the district of
Namslau (Namysłów),
Groß Wartenberg (Syców) and
Militsch (Milicz) and a Czech-speaking minority in the rural area around
Strehlen (Strzelin). There were also Polish communities in large cities such as Breslau (Wrocław) and
Grünberg (Zielona Góra). During
World War I, the German government operated at least 24 forced labour camps for
Allied prisoners of war in the region. After the war, the bulk of Lower Silesia remained within Germany, the Bohemian part was included within
Czechoslovakia, and a small part with
Rychtal was reintegrated with
Poland, which just regained independence. The German part was re-organized into the
Province of Lower Silesia of the
Free State of Prussia consisting of the
Breslau and
Liegnitz regions. In the
interwar period, there were multiple instances of
anti-Polish violence in the German part, and in 1920 a Polish consulate in Breslau was attacked and demolished by German nationalists. In the
1930 Reichstag elections, the
Nazi Party achieved 24.1 % and 20.9 % respectively in the Lower Silesian administrative districts of Breslau and Liegnitz, far above the national average.
World War II , now a museum In September 1939, at the start of
World War II, Germany invaded and
occupied the Polish part of the region. Already in 1939, the Germans carried out the first
expulsions of Poles, and some died during their deportation to the more-eastern part of German-occupied Poland. During the war, the Germans established the
Gross-Rosen concentration camp with around 100
subcamps in the region, in which around 125,000 people of various nationalities, among them mostly Jews, Poles and citizens of the
Soviet Union, were imprisoned, and around 40,000 died. Also several
German prisoner-of-war camps, including
Stalag VIII-A,
Stalag VIII-C,
Stalag VIII-E,
Stalag Luft III, Oflag VIII-A, Oflag VIII-B, Oflag VIII-C,
Oflag VIII-F, with numerous
forced labour subcamps were located in the region, as well as various subcamps of the
Stalag VIII-B/344 POW camp. POWs of various nationalities were held in those camps, including Poles,
Frenchmen, Belgians, Britons,
Italians, Canadians, Americans, Greeks, Yugoslavians, Russians, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Norwegians, Lithuanians, Slovaks, etc. There were also several Nazi prisons, other forced labour camps and a camp for kidnapped Polish children up to 5 years of age, who were deemed "
racially worthless" in
Wąsosz, where many died.
Kamieniec Ząbkowicki was the place of
Aktion T4 murders of mentally ill children by
involuntary euthanasia. The
Project Riese construction project, which cost the lives of many forced laborers of various nationalities, was conducted by Germany in the region. victims memorial in
Żagań The
Polish resistance movement was active in the region, including the
Home Army and
Olimp organization. In the final stages of the war it was the site of several
death marches perpetrated by Germany. In view of Polish claims to the area, a memorandum prepared by the
United States Department of State in May 1945 recommended that the area stay with Germany because there was "no historic or ethnic justification" for granting this land to Poland. However, as a result of Soviet insistence at the
Potsdam Conference, the Western Allies agreed to the transfer of Lower Silesia to the
People's Republic of Poland. These border shifts were agreed on pending a final peace conference with Germany which eventually never took place. Germany retained the small portion of the former Prussian
Province of Lower Silesia to the west of the
Oder-Neisse line.
Modern Poland The remaining German population was expelled from the bulk of Lower Silesia east of the Neisse in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement. Poles from Central Poland and the
Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union came to the region. From 1945 to 1975 Lower Silesia was administered within the
Wrocław Voivodeship. As a result of the Local Government Reorganisation Act (1975), Poland's administration was reorganized into 49
voivodeships, four of them in Lower Silesia:
Jelenia Góra,
Legnica,
Wałbrzych, and
Wrocław Voivodeships (1975–1998). As a result of the Local Government Reorganisation Act of 1998, these four provinces were joined into the
Lower Silesian Voivodeship (effective 1 January 1999), whose capital is Wrocław. Following the
Korean War, in 1953–1959, Poland admitted 1,000 North Korean orphans in the region. The region has been hit by the
1997 Central European flood as well as the
2024 Central European floods. ==Population==