Głubczyce

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Głubczyce
Reconstructed town hall and a plague column on main square
Coat of arms
Głubczyce
Coordinates: 50°12′0″N 17°50′3″E / 50.2, 17.83417
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Opole
County	Głubczyce County
Gmina	Gmina Głubczyce
Established	12th century
Town rights	13th century
Government
- Mayor	Jan Krówka
Area
- Total	12.52 km² (4.8 sq mi)
Population (2006)
- Total	13,410
- Density	1,071.1/km² (2,774.1/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	48-100
Area code(s)	+48 77
Car plates	OGL
Website: www.glubczyce.pl

Głubczyce [gwupˈt​͡ʂɨt​͡sɛ] (Czech: Hlubčice, German: Leobschütz) is a town in Poland, on the border with Czech Republic. It is located approximately 62 km (38 mi) from Opole, and just northwest of Ostrava on the Psina River. It is part of Opole Voivodeship, and is the seat of Głubczyce County.

[edit] History

Synagogue in Głubczyce (destroyed in 1927 or 1938) and the still existing parish church in the background

The town was historically mentioned for the first time in 1107. At the time, it was a small Moravian village, named Glubcici, and was dominated by a large wooden castle. The town stood on the right bank of the Psina River, which from 1137 on formed the border between Moravia and Silesia. The exact date of the city's founding is unknown, but it is traceable, back to 1224, that the city is also Lubschicz, a settlement founded by Ottokar I. However, the town was destroyed by invading Mongolian hordes. During the city's rebuilding, the left bank of the Psina was also settled, and in 1270, city rights were granted to the town by Ottokar II.

During this time, a wall stood around the city, complete with watchtowers and a moat. A large church was also constructed in the town, and was assigned by Ottokar II to the Order of Saint John. In 1298, the town received expanded rights from Venceslaus II. The rights extended to the town were to serve as an example for other towns in the years that followed. In 1365, the town became the seat of a principality, and in 1482, the town was the seat of the Přemyslids. However, the last member of the family entered a Franciscan cloister. The city lost its status as a principality seat in 1503, and the principality ceased to exist. The city was transferred to the control of the principality of Jägerndorf (now Krnov).

In 1523, the Protestant Reformation reached the town, and in 1558, a Lutheran church and school were built in the town. In response to this, Franciscans and Jews were expelled from the city. During the Thirty Year's War, the city was completely destroyed, most devastatingly by the Swedes in 1645. The city came under the rule of Prussia in 1743 and was made the capital city of its Landkreis, or district. In 1781, the town's population stood at only, 2,637. In order to accommodate the city's expansion, the parts of the city's wall were torn down. The population stood at 4,565 in 1825, and 9,546 in 1870.

After Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, the town hosted schools and training grounds for both the SS and the SA. The town's synagogue was burned down in 1938, the same year as Kristallnacht. On March 18, 1945, Soviet troops began a siege of the city, which was resisted by the 18th SS Panzergrenadierdivision (Tank grenadiers) and the 371st Wehrmachtsdivision. The siege ended on March 24, and the Red Army occupied the town. Approximately forty percent of the town was destroyed in the siege. After the Soviet occupation, the name of the town was changed to Głubczyce, its current name. The city became seat of a county, or Powiat. Głubczyce lost that distinction in 1975, but regained it in 1999.

[edit] Population over last decade

[edit] Climate

[edit] Notable People

• Max Filke, composer
• Joachim Gnilka, theologist and biblical critic
• Felix Hollaender, writer and dramatist
• Otfried Höffe, philosopher
• Erwin Félix Lewy-Bertaut, crystallographer
• Przemysław Wacha, badminton player
• Elżbieta Zapendowska, music critic, appeared as one of three judges for the reality television music competition show Polish Idol.
• Stefanie Zweig, writer

[edit] Twin towns

Town	Country	Since
Město Albrechtice	Czech Republic	2001
Krnov	Czech Republic	2001
Rusín	Czech Republic	2000
Rockenhausen	Germany	2003
Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre	France	2002
Zbarazh (Збараж)	Ukraine	2005

[edit] External links

• (Polish) Municipal website
• Leobschuetz committee

This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding German Wikipedia article as of 27 June 2006.

Coordinates: 50°12′N, 17°49′E

v • d • e Głubczyce County Seat: Głubczyce Urban-rural gminas: Gmina Baborów • Gmina Głubczyce • Gmina Kietrz  Rural gmina: Gmina Branice