Editing Wałbrzych

{{Short description|City in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Wałbrzych
| settlement_type = [[City with powiat rights|City county]]
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 280
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/2/2
| image1 = Wałbrzych - Rynek 01.jpg{{!}}Rynek (Market Square)
| image2 = Wałbrzych - Town Hall 02 (cropped).jpg{{!}}Town Hall
| image3 = Wałbrzych - 9 Słowackiego Street 01.jpg{{!}}Main Post Office
| image4 = Ksiaz- zamek.jpg{{!}}Książ Castle
| image5 = Wałbrzych - 11 Słowackiego Street 01 (cropped).jpg{{!}}District Court
| caption1 = Market Square
| caption2 = Town Hall
| caption3 = Main Post Office
| caption4 = [[Książ Castle]]
| caption5 = District Court
}}
| image_flag = POL Wałbrzych flag.svg
| image_shield = POL Wałbrzych COA.svg
| coordinates = {{coord|50|46|N|16|17|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| pushpin_map = Poland
| pushpin_label_position = right
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Lower Silesian Voivodeship|name=Lower Silesian}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of Polish counties|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = ''city county''
| established_title = Established
| established_date = 9th century
| established_title3 = City rights
| established_date3 = 1400 to 1426
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Roman Szełemej ([[Civic Coalition (Poland)|KO]])
| area_total_km2 = 84.70
| elevation_m = 350
| population_total = 108,222 {{decrease}} (33rd)<ref name="population">{{cite web|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/teryt/jednostka|title=Local Data Bank|access-date=7 August 2022|publisher=Statistics Poland}} Data for territorial unit 0265000.</ref>
| population_as_of = 31 December 2021
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 58-300 to 58-309, 58-316
| area_code = +48 74
| blank_name = [[Vehicle registration plates of Poland|Car number plates]]
| blank_info = DB, DBA
| website = {{URL|http://www.um.walbrzych.pl/}}
}}
'''Wałbrzych''' ({{IPA|pl|ˈvawbʐɨx|lang|Pl-Wałbrzych.ogg}}; {{langx|de|Waldenburg}}; {{langx|sli|label=[[Silesian German|Lower Silesian]]|Walmbrig}} or ''Walmbrich''; {{langx|cs|Valbřich}} or {{lang|cs|Valdenburk}}) is a city located in the [[Lower Silesian Voivodeship]], in southwestern [[Poland]], seat of [[Wałbrzych County]].{{TERYT}} Wałbrzych lies approximately {{convert|70|km|mi}} southwest of the voivodeship capital [[Wrocław]] and about {{convert|30|km|abbr=off}} from the [[Czech Republic|Czech]] border. Wałbrzych has the status of municipality. Its administrative borders encompass an area of {{Convert|85|km2|abbr=on}} with 110,000 inhabitants,{{when|date=February 2023}} making it the second-largest city in the voivodeship and the 33rd largest in the country.

Wałbrzych was once a major [[coal mining]] and industrial center alongside most of [[Silesia]]. The city was left undamaged after [[World War II]] and possesses rich historical architecture; among the most recognizable landmarks is the [[Książ Castle]], the largest castle of [[Lower Silesia]] and the third-largest in Poland.

In 2015 Wałbrzych became widely known due to the search for an allegedly buried [[Nazi gold train]], which however was not found.

== Etymology ==
According to the city's official website, the earliest Polish name of the settlement was {{Lang|pl|Lasogród}} ('forest castle').<ref name="um.walbrzych.pl">{{cite web|url=http://www.um.walbrzych.pl/strony/nasze_miasto_poznaj_historia.htm|title=Portal Urzędu Miejskiego w Wałbrzychu|work=um.walbrzych.pl}}</ref> The German name is also the exact translation of the original Polish  ‘forest castle’ {{Lang|de|Waldenburg}} (also referred to the castle Nowy Dwór, translated into German as: {{Lang|de|Burg Neuhaus}}), whose ruins stand south of the city; the name came to be used for the entire settlement.<ref name="Weczerka-555">Weczerka, p.555.</ref> It first appeared in the 15th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.poradniajezykowa.us.edu.pl/baza_archiwum.php?POZYCJA=120&AKCJA=&TEMAT=Etymologia&NZP=&WYRAZ= |title=Witamy w PORADNI JĘZYKOWEJ |work=us.edu.pl}}</ref> The modern Polish name Wałbrzych comes from the German name {{Lang|de|Walbrich}}, a late medieval variation of the older names {{Lang|de|Wallenberg}} or {{Lang|de|Walmberg}}.<ref name=czopek55>Barbara Czopek, ''Adaptacje niemieckich nazw miejscowych w języku polskim'', 1995, p.55, {{ISBN|83-85579-33-8}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Middle Ages ===
[[File:Bolko I Surowy seal 1298.PNG|thumb|left|upright=0.85|Seal of Duke [[Bolko I the Strict]]]]
Polish sources indicate the city's predecessor, Lasogród, was an early medieval [[Gord (archaeology)|Slavic settlement]]<ref>Słownik geograficzno-krajoznawczy Polski [[Maria Irena Mileska]] 1994 page 781 Wydawn. Nauk. PWN, 1994</ref> whose inhabitants engaged in hunting, honey gathering, and later agriculture. Lasogród eventually developed into a defensive fort, the remains of which were destroyed in the 19th century during expansion of the city.<ref>{{cite web| title=Historia Wałbrzycha| url=http://www.um.walbrzych.pl/strony/nasze_miasto_poznaj_historia.htm|publisher=Wałbrzych City Office|access-date=2 April 2009}}</ref> However, some German sources say no archaeological or written records support notions of an early West Slavic or [[Lechites|Lechitic]] settlement nor the existence of a castle before the late 13th century.<ref>''Vorgeschichtliche Funde innerhalb des Stadtgebietes sind spärlich und zweifelhaft in der Deutung, so daß eine frühe Dauersiedlung nicht angenommen werden kann. Für die Existenz einer "Waldenburg" im Bereich der Altstadt gibt es keinerlei Anhaltspunkte.'' Weczerka, p.555</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Die Deutschen und der Osten: das versunkene Jahrtausend|author=Hermann Schreiber|publisher=Südwest Verlag|year= 1984|pages=143|language=de}}</ref> They also denounce the idea that during the Middle Ages the area of Wałbrzych was part of an unpopulated Silesian forest, known as the [[Silesian Przesieka]].<ref>''Auch der Grenzwald spricht dagegen.'' Weczerka, pp.416 and 555</ref><ref>Badstübner, p.2.</ref><ref name="Petry-11">Petry, p.11.</ref> In April 2022, a coin hoard was discovered near Wałbrzych dating from the first half of the 13th century.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-21 |title=Bracteate treasure hoard found near Wałbrzych |url=https://www.heritagedaily.com/2022/04/bracteate-treasure-hoard-found-near-walbrzych/143376 |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=HeritageDaily - Archaeology News |language=en-US}}</ref>

According to 17th-century Polish historian Ephraim Naso, Wałbrzych was a small village by 1191.<ref>''Kronika wałbrzyska'' Wałbrzyskie Towarzystwo Kultury, [[Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe]] 1985 page 231</ref> This assertion was rejected by 19th-century German sources<ref>''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, Band 23'', page 261, Markgraf, Duncker & Humblot, 1886</ref>{{request quotation|date=September 2014}} and by German historian Hugo Weczerka,<ref>''Die Behauptung, die "Waldenburg" sei 1191 erbaut worden (Naso), ist nicht haltbar.'' Weczerka, p.555</ref> who says the city was founded between 1290 and 1293, and was mentioned as ''Waldenberc'' in 1305.<ref name="Weczerka-555" />{{request quotation|date=September 2014}}
He places the city near Nowy Dwór ({{langx|de|link=no|Neuhaus}}), built by [[Bolko I the Strict]] of the [[Piast dynasty|Silesian Piasts]].<ref name="Weczerka-555" /> The city website, however, cites the building of the castle as a separate event in 1290.<ref name="um.walbrzych.pl"/> A part of Nowy Dwór castle, a manor built in the 17th century, was destroyed in the 19th century.<ref>Weczerka, p.341.</ref> Nevertheless, the region became part of Poland after the establishment of the state under the [[Piast dynasty]] in the 10th century and during the [[Fragmentation of Poland|fragmentation of the realm]], it was part of various Polish-ruled duchies, the last of which was the Duchy of [[Świdnica]]<ref name=um>{{cite web|url=https://www.um.walbrzych.pl/pl/page/historia|title=Historia|website=Portal Urzędu Miejskiego w Wałbrzychu|access-date=7 March 2020|language=pl}}</ref> until 1392, later it was also part of the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown]] and [[Kingdom of Hungary|Hungary]].

The settlement was first mentioned as a town in 1426, but it did not receive the rights to hold markets or other privileges due to the competition of nearby towns and the insignificance of the local landlords. Subsequently, the city became the property of the Silesian knightly families, initially the [[Schaffgotsch]]es in 1372, later the Czettritzes, and from 1738, the [[Höchberg|Höchberg]] family, owners of [[Książ Castle]].

=== Modern era ===
[[File:Schloss Fuerstenstein Sammlung Duncker.jpg|thumb|19th-century view of the [[Książ]] Castle]]
[[Coal mining]] in the area was first mentioned in 1536. The settlement was transformed into an industrial centre at the turn of the 19th century, when coal mining and [[weaving]] flourished.

As a result of the [[First Silesian War]] the city was annexed by the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in 1742, and subsequently became part of Germany in 1871. In 1843 the city obtained its first rail connection, which linked it with [[Breslau]] (now [[Wrocław]], Poland). In the early 20th century a glassworks and a large [[china (material)|china]] tableware manufacturing plant, which are still in operation today, were built. During [[World War I]], the Germans operated three forced labour camps for [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] [[World War I prisoners of war in Germany|prisoners of war]] in the city.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kujat|first=Janusz Adam|year=2000|title=Pieniądz zastępczy w obozach jenieckich na terenie rejencji wrocławskiej w czasie I i II wojny światowej|journal=Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny|location=Opole|language=pl|volume=23|page=13|issn=0137-5199}}</ref>

===World War II===
During the German [[invasion of Poland]] at the start of [[World War II]] in September 1939, some 2,000 young men from the city were conscripted to the ''[[Wehrmacht]]''.<ref name=mb289>{{cite magazine|last=Babińska|first=Małgorzata|year=2019|title=Przerwane historie. Ludność Wałbrzycha po II wojnie światowej|magazine=Nowa Kronika Wałbrzyska|publisher=Fundacja MUSEION|location=Wałbrzych|language=pl|volume=7|page=289|issn=2353-4354}}</ref>

The first [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labourers]], Poles, were probably brought to the city in early 1940, whereas [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] prisoners of war were brought to forced labour in the city probably since 1941.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sula|first=Dorota|year=2016|title=Robotnicy przymusowi, jeńcy wojenni i więźniowie KL Gross-Rosen w Waldenburgu (Wałbrzychu) w latach 1940–1945|magazine=Nowa Kronika Wałbrzyska|publisher=Fundacja MUSEION|location=Wałbrzych|language=pl|volume=4|page=19|issn=2353-4354}}</ref> Several thousands POWs, Serbian, British, [[Italian Military Internees|Italian]], Belgian, Soviet, Polish, [[French prisoners of war in World War II|French]] and others, were held in various labour camps in the city,<ref>Sula (2016), pp. 19, 20, 23, 28</ref> including subcamps of the [[Stalag VIII-A]] and [[Stalag VIII-B|Stalag VIII-B/344]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|POW camps]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Sula|first=Dorota|year=2010|title=Jeńcy włoscy na Dolnym Śląsku w czasie II wojny światowej|journal=Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny|location=[[Opole]]|language=pl|volume=33|page=66}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lamsdorf.com/working-parties.html|title=Working Parties|website=Lamsdorf.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029103834/https://www.lamsdorf.com/working-parties.html|access-date=7 November 2021|archive-date=29 October 2020}}</ref> There were also several other forced labour camps, for Poles, [[Jews]], Ukrainians, including camps solely for women,<ref>Sula (2016), pp. 21–23</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100000976|title=Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Waldenburg|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=7 November 2021|language=de}}</ref> two [[List of subcamps of Gross-Rosen|subcamps]] of the [[Gross-Rosen concentration camp]], intended for Jews, located in the present Gaj and Książ districts,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.gross-rosen.eu/historia-kl-gross-rosen/filie-obozu-gross-rosen/|title=Subcamps of KL Gross- Rosen|website=Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica|access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref><ref>Sula (2016), pp. 28, 31</ref> and a Nazi prison.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=100000975|title=Gerichtsgefängnis Waldenburg|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=7 November 2021|language=de}}</ref> There are known cases when Polish civilian workers gave food to starving Soviet prisoners of war.<ref>Sula (2016), p. 26</ref> The forced laborers made several attempts to escape, and those caught were either beaten by the [[Gestapo]], sent to the Gross-Rosen camp or murdered.<ref>Sula (2016), pp. 27, 31</ref> The camp in Książ was dissolved in February 1945, and its prisoners were sent on a [[Death marches during the Holocaust|death march]] towards [[Trutnov]] in [[Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945)|German-occupied Czechoslovakia]].<ref>Sula (2016), p. 31</ref>

It was conquered by the Soviet [[Red Army]] on 8 May 1945, a few hours before the [[German Instrument of Surrender|German surrender]] and the [[Victory in Europe Day|end of World War II in Europe]].<ref name=mb289/> Some 600 prisoners of the subcamp of Gross-Rosen in Gaj were liberated, and some stayed in the city after the war.<ref>Sula (2016), p. 30</ref>

===Post-war period===
[[File:Wałbrzych, Stara Kopalnia - 2021.03.27 (4).jpg|thumb|Memorial to settlers from [[Boryslav|Borysław]]]]
After [[World War II]], Waldenburg became again part of Poland under border changes demanded by the [[Soviet Union]] at the [[Potsdam Conference]] and was renamed to its historic Polish name<ref>Polski Kalendarz Katolicki dla Kochanych Wiarusów Prus Zachodnich page 77 http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=259791&from=&dirids=1&ver_id=&lp=2&QI=</ref><ref>Katalog Prowincyonalnej wystawy przemysłowej w Poznaniu 1895 page 71 Werbebeilage http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=130018&from=&dirids=1&ver_id=&lp=7&QI=</ref> Wałbrzych. Many of the Germans living in the city [[Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II|fled or were expelled]] in accordance to the [[Potsdam Agreement]]. The town was repopulated by [[Polish people|Poles]], initially those who already were brought to the city as forced labourers by the Germans after the fall of the [[Warsaw Uprising]], then prisoners of the nearby Gross-Rosen concentration camp and prisoners-of-war.<ref name=mb289/> Afterwards they were joined by Poles from central Poland and those expelled from [[Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union|former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union]], particularly from [[Boryslav|Borysław]], [[Drohobycz]] and [[Ivano-Frankivsk|Stanisławów]], as well as Poles returning from [[France]] and [[Belgium]] and from forced labour in Germany.<ref name=um/><ref name=mb289/> Also some Jews, [[Czechs]], [[Romani people|Romanis]] and [[Yugoslavs]] came to the city.<ref name=mb289/> Wałbrzych was one of the few areas where a number of Germans<ref>Werner Besch, ''Dialektologie: Ein Handbuch zur Deutschen und allgemeinen Dialektforschung'', Walter de Gruyter, 1982, p.178, {{ISBN|3-11-005977-0}}</ref> were held back as they were deemed indispensable for the economy, e.g. coal mining.<ref name="wolff79">Stefan Wolff, ''[[iarchive:germanminorities0000unse|German Minorities in Europe: Ethnic Identity and Cultural Belonging]]'', Berghahn Books, 2000, p.79, {{ISBN|1-57181-504-X}}</ref> Also nearly 700 [[Greeks in Poland|Greeks]], refugees of the [[Greek Civil War]], settled in Wałbrzych in the 1950s,<ref>{{cite book|last=Kubasiewicz|first=Izabela|editor-last1=Dworaczek|editor-first1=Kamil|editor-last2=Kamiński|editor-first2=Łukasz|year=2013|title=Letnia Szkoła Historii Najnowszej 2012. Referaty|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|pages=117|chapter=Emigranci z Grecji w Polsce Ludowej. Wybrane aspekty z życia mniejszości}}</ref> however, most returned to Greece after 1983.<ref>Babińska, p. 292</ref>

The city was relatively unscathed by the Second World War, and as a result of combining the nearby administrative districts with the town and the construction of new housing estates, Wałbrzych expanded geographically. In 1951, city limits were expanded by including [[Biały Kamień, Wałbrzych|Biały Kamień]], [[Rusinowa]], and parts of Glinik, Konradów, Lubiechów, Opoka, Podgórze, [[Sobięcin (Wałbrzych)|Sobięcin]] and Szczawienko as new districts.<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 14 grudnia 1950 r. w sprawie zmiany granic miast Wałbrzycha i Wrocławia.|year=1950|volume=57|number=509}}</ref>

After the [[Treaty of Zgorzelec]], remaining Germans were treated less harshly and an ethnic German society was established in 1957.<ref name=wolff79 /> The cultural activities however disappeared by the 1960s and the schools with German as the language of instruction gradually closed. The remaining German-speakers had little contact with the German spoken and written language and the local German-Silesian dialect became [[Endangered language|moribound]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Sprachwissenschaft und Daf|doi=10.18778/2196-8403.2018.08|author=Katarzyna Dulat-Lewicz|title=Wie stirbt eine Sprache aus? Überlegungen zu sozialpolitischen, wirtschaftlichen und kulturellen Faktoren des Sprachtodes am Beispiel der deutsch-schlesischen Varietät aus dem ehemaligen Kreis Waldenburg (powiat wałbrzyski)|date=2018 |pages=149–165 |doi-access=free|hdl=11089/30886|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

From 1958 to the mid-1980s, the Kleks Poetry Theater, a leading school theater in Poland, was active in the city.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Niemierka|first=Kazimierz|year=2013|title=Historia Teatru Poezji "Kleks"|magazine=Nowa Kronika Wałbrzyska|publisher=Fundacja MUSEION|location=Wałbrzych|language=pl|volume=1|page=229}}</ref>

From 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of [[Wałbrzych Voivodeship]]. At the beginning of the 1990s, because of new social and economic conditions, a decision was made to close down the town's coal mines. In 1995, a Museum of Industry and Technology was [[Old Mine in Wałbrzych|set up on the facilities of the oldest coal mine]] in the area, KWK THOREZ. In 2001, the Wałbrzych Scientific Society was founded.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Detyna|first=Jerzy|year=2014|title=Wałbrzyskie Towarzystwo Naukowe na tle towarzystw naukowych Dolnego Śląska|magazine=Nowa Kronika Wałbrzyska|publisher=Fundacja MUSEION|location=Wałbrzych|language=pl|volume=2|page=174}}</ref> The 2005 the film ''[[The Collector (2005 film)|The Collector]]'' was filmed in and around Wałbrzych.

In 2016, a hoard of 1,385 late medieval coins, [[Prague groschen]] of Kings [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV]] and [[Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia|Wenceslaus IV]], was found on the border of Wałbrzych and [[Boguszów-Gorce]].<ref name=bp>{{cite book|editor-last1=Paszkiewicz|editor-first1=Borys|title=Skarb groszy praskich z XIV i XV wieku z Boguszowa (tak zwany skarb wałbrzyski)|year=2020|location=Wrocław|publisher=[[Uniwersytet Wrocławski]]|language=pl,en|pages=15, 35, 52, 91|isbn=978-83-61416-58-6}}</ref> The hoard may have been hidden after 1420 during the [[Hussite Wars]].<ref name=bp/> It is one of the largest groschen hoards found in Poland.<ref name=bp/>

== Geography ==
{{Multiple image
| image1 = View Tower, Borowa (2).jpg
| image2 = Szczawno-Zdrój , Chełmiec (851 m npm.) - fotopolska.eu (160548).jpg
| caption2 = Chełmiec (851m above sea level) a dominant mountain over the city
| direction = vertical
| caption1 = An observation tower and a tourist shed on Mount Borowa
| total_width = 230
}}
Wałbrzych is located in the Central [[Sudetes|Sudeten Mountains]], near the border with the Czech Republic and Germany. The city is located by the Pełcznica River at 450–500 m above sea level in a picturesque structural basin of Wałbrzych above which there are wooded ranges of the [[Waldenburg Mountains|Wałbrzych Mountains]]. The highest elevation in the city is Mount Borowa, also known as the Black Mountain, 853&nbsp;m (2798&nbsp;ft) [[Height above sea level|above sea level]], with an [[observation tower]] since 2007, which is the highest peak of the Wałbrzych mountains.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Wałbrzych - location |url=https://um.walbrzych.pl/en/page/walbrzych-location |access-date=2022-08-31 |website=Oficjalny Serwis Miasta Wałbrzycha}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Borowa Tower – Jedlina-Zdrój – Poland |url=https://tropter.com/en/poland/jedlina-zdroj/borowa-tower |access-date=2022-08-31 |website=tropter.com |language=en}}</ref>

There are seven city parks in the city, and in the main city park ([[John III Sobieski|King Jan III Sobieski]] Park) is the only [[Mountain hut|mountain shelter]] in Poland, located in the city center PTTK Harcówka.

=== Nature protection ===
[[Protected area]]s in Wałbrzych

* [[Książ Landscape Park]] – northern outskirts of the city
* Przełomy pod Książem [[Nature reserve]] – northern outskirts of the city
* [[Sudety Wałbrzyskie Landscape Park]] – southern outskirts of the city
* Chełmiec Mountain [[Natura 2000|Natura 2000 area]] – western outskirts of the city

There are several [[natural monument]]s in the city; among them is the coat of arms oak, a descendant of the oak which was the inspiration for the coat of arms of the city, as evidenced by a nearby stone with the inscription "{{Lang|de|Stadteiche gapflanzt 1933 antstelle der Wappeneiche}}" ('City oak planted in 1933 in place of the coat of arms oak').<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tajemnica dębu z herbu Wałbrzycha |url=https://www.radiowroclaw.pl/articles/view/35230/Tajemnica-debu-z-herbu-Walbrzycha-rozwiazana |access-date=2022-08-31 |website=Radio Wrocław |language=pl}}</ref> The mildest winter in the city was in 2006/2007 and 1992/1993.

== Sights ==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| caption_align = center
| perrow = 2
| total_width = 380
| header = Sights of Wałbrzych (examples)
| image1 = 20160502 Zamek Książ 6244.jpg
| image2 = Wałbrzych - Rynek 03.jpg
| image3 = Wałbrzych zamek Czettritzów 27.07.2011 p.jpg
| image4 = Plac Kościelny w Wałbrzychu - Kościół Matki Boskiej Bolesnej.jpg
| image5 = Palmiarnia, część centralna..JPG
| image6 = KWK_Wałbrzych_Schächte_Bolesław_Chrobry_Ost_und_West.jpg
| caption1 = [[Książ|Książ Castle]]
| caption2 = ''Rynek'' (Market Square)
| caption3 = Czettritz Castle- Angelus Silesius State College
| caption4 = ''Plac Kościelny'' (Church Square) with the Our Lady of Sorrows church
| caption5 = Palm House
| caption6 = One of the symbols of the city - the unique mining towers Bolesław Chrobry
}}
[[File:Ayrton Senna's statue in Wałbrzych.jpg|thumb|Ayrton Senna's statue in Wałbrzych]]
*'''[[Książ|Książ Castle]]''', the largest Silesian castle, the third-largest castle in Poland behind [[Kraków]]'s [[Wawel Castle]] and the [[Malbork Castle]]
*'''Old Książ Castle''' (Stary Książ). Gothic ruins opposite (across a valley) Książ Castle 
*'''Nowy Dwór Castle'''. The ruins of the castle Nowy Dwór (Ogorzelec) are on the top of Castle Hill (618 m)
*'''Czettritz Castle''' (1604–1628), now the [[Angelus Silesius]] State College
*'''Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows'''. Gothic church, rebuilt into a Baroque style. Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows placed in the center of Wałbrzych and is the oldest building of the city, called by the inhabitants "the heart of the city"
*'''Town Hall''' (''Ratusz''). A representative three-storey building maintained in the style of historical eclecticism, imitating gothic
*'''Palmiarnia''' (Palm House)
*'''Market square''' (renovated 1997–1999). A place where a weekly market took place in the past. In the years 1731-1853 its center was occupied by the Baroque town hall.
*'''Museum of Porcelain''' in the old Alberti Palace
*'''Guardian Angels Church'''. Built in 1898 in the neo-Gothic style as the {{Lang|de|Schutzengelkirche}}, in place of a previous church.
*'''Protestant church'''. Designed in the years 1785-1788 by Carl Gotthard Langhans, the founder of the Berlin Brandenburg Gate
*'''[[Mausoleum in Wałbrzych]]'''. A 1938 monument designed by Robert Tischler to commemorate the Silesian dead of World War I, as well as 23 early Nazis from Silesia.  The structure is a four-sided [[fortalice]] measuring {{convert|24|m}} by {{convert|27|m}}, with walls {{convert|6|m}} tall.  A metal torch on a tall column once at the center of the courtyard was designed by Ernst Geiger.<ref>[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/totenburg-mausoleum "Totenburg Mausoleum"] ''Atlas Obscura''</ref>  The site is locally rumored to have been used for Nazi [[SS]] occult rituals.<ref>''[[What on Earth? (U.S. TV program)|What on Earth]]'', season 8, episode 7, first aired 8 October 2020, "Nazi Occult Temple"</ref>
*'''Railway tunnel under the Little Wołowiec mountain'''. Counting 1,601&nbsp;m (5,253&nbsp;ft) is the longest railway tunnel in Poland
*'''Mountain Borowa (black mountain)'''. The highest mountain in the Wałbrzyskie Mountains, with observation tower.
*'''Mountain Chełmiec'''. The second largest peak in the area. A monumental mountain in the shape of a dome that dominates the city. At the top there is an observation tower, 45 meter cross, and two radio-television masts
*'''[[Old Mine in Wałbrzych|Old Mine]]''' – Center for Science and the Arts (Stara Kopalnia - Centrum Nauki i Sztuki)is the biggest post-industrial tourist attraction in Poland, located in the former bituminous coal mine – Kopalnia Węgla Kamiennego "Julia" ("Thorez"). It covers the area of 4.5 hectares of historic post-industrial objects with authentic equipment, such as a machine park which has been secured and made accessible for visitors.
*'''Mining monuments''' in the city have been a lot of post-mining objects, among others, buildings, halls and mining towers.
*'''Mining and Motorsports Museum''' at the Ayrton Senna street.
*'''[[Ayrton Senna's statue in Wałbrzych|Ayrton Senna's statue]]''' located next to the Mining and Motorsports Museum museum at the Ayrton Senna street.
{{Multiple image
| image1 = WK15 Wałbrzych Miasto (1) Lichen99.jpg
| caption1 = Wałbrzych Miasto
| image2 = Wałbrzych Główny 2021 zima.jpg
| caption2 = Wałbrzych Główny
| caption3 = Wałbrzych Szczawinko
| image3 = WAŁBRZYCH SZCZAWIENKO-PKP, AB-034.jpg
| direction = vertical
| alt1 = Railway station buildings in Wałbrzych
| header = Railway station buildings in Wałbrzych
}}

== Transport ==

=== Roads ===
[[National roads in Poland|National roads]]

[[File:DK35-PL.svg|32x32px]] ( [[A4 autostrada (Poland)|A4 autostrada]]/ Bielany Wrocławskie-Świdnica-Wałbrzych-Golińsk- Czech border)

[[Voivodeship road]]s

[[File:DW367-PL.svg|32x32px]]  [[File:DW376-PL.svg|32x32px]] [[File:DW379-PL.svg|32x32px]] [[File:DW381-PL.svg|32x32px]]

=== Public transport ===
There are 14 bus lines in the city<ref>{{Cite web|title=:: Rozkład Jazdy|url=http://rozklad.walbrzych.eu/|access-date=2021-12-10|website=rozklad.walbrzych.eu}}</ref>

=== Railway ===
There are two main directions of passenger railways in the city, which include:
* Wrocław – Wałbrzych – Jelenia Góra (No. 274)
* Wałbrzych – Kłodzko (No. 286)<ref name=":0" />

There are railway stations throughout the city: '''Wałbrzych Miasto, Wałbrzych Fabryczny, Wałbrzych Szczawienko, Wałbrzych Centrum''', and '''Wałbrzych Główny''', from which from May to the end of September, the starting station for weekend holiday connections to [[Meziměstí]] / [[Adršpach-Teplice Rocks]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wrocław Główny - Wałbrzych Główny - Meziměstí - Adršpach |url=https://www.kolejedolnoslaskie.pl/rozklady/obecne/d28.pdf |access-date=2022-08-31 |website=kolejedolnoslaskie.pl |language=pl}}</ref>

=== Aviation ===
The nearest airport is [[Copernicus Airport Wrocław|Wrocław airport]] located {{convert|70|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} from the city, in the closer distance, about {{convert|10|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}, is located light aircraft landing ground in [[Świebodzice]].

== City districts ==
[[File:Ratusz w Wałbrzychu w narodowych barwach.jpg|thumb|City hall (built 1879)]]

Including date of incorporation into the city
{| valign="Top"
|-
|
* [[Nowe Miasto, Wałbrzych|Nowe Miasto]] (1880)
* [[Stary Zdrój]] (1905, 1919)
* [[Poniatów, Lower Silesian Voivodeship|Poniatów]] – former [[(U)Stronie]] (1929, 1973)
* [[Podgórze I]] (1931)
* [[Podgórze II]] – former [[Dzietrzychów]] (1934)
* [[Sobięcin]] – former Węglewo (1951)
* [[Szczawienko]] (1951)
* [[Rusinowa]] (1951)
* [[Piaskowa Góra]] (1951)
|
* [[Biały Kamień, Wałbrzych|Biały Kamień]] (1951)
* [[Konradów (Wałbrzych)|Konradów]] (1958)
* [[Kozice (Wałbrzych)|Kozice]] (1958)
* [[Glinik Stary]] (1973)
* [[Książ]] (1973)
* [[Lubiechów (Wałbrzych)|Lubiechów]] (1973)
* [[Glinik Nowy]] (1973)
* [[Podzamcze (Wałbrzych)|Podzamcze]] (1976)
* [[Osiedle Wanda]]
|}

==Education ==
[[File:Wałbrzych SK.JPG|thumb|Stara Kopalnia Science and Culture Centre]]
[[File:2017 Wałbrzych, Rynek 9 1.jpg|thumb|upright|''Biblioteka Pod Atlantami'' (public library)]]
* [[Angelus Silesius]] State University in Wałbrzych
* Wrocław Technical University in Wałbrzych
* Wałbrzyska Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania i Przedsiębiorczości
* [[Ignacy Jan Paderewski|Ignacy Paderewski]] High School
* [[Hugo Kołłątaj]] High School
* [[Nicolaus Copernicus|Mikołaj Kopernik]] High School
* The city has a research center, [[Polish Academy of Sciences]]

==Politics ==

=== Wałbrzych constituency ===
Members of Parliament ([[Sejm of the Republic of Poland|Sejm]]) elected from Wałbrzych constituency:
* Zbigniew Chlebowski, PO
* Henryk Gołębiewski, SLD
* Roman Ludwiczuk, PO ([[Senate of the Republic of Poland|Senat]])
* Katarzyna Mrzygłocka, PO
* Giovanni Roman, PiS
* Mieczysław Szyszka, PiS ([[Senate of the Republic of Poland|Senat]])
* Anna Zalewska, PiS

==Sports ==
[[File:Aqua Zdrój Liga Narodów.jpg|thumb|[[2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League]] match between Poland and Japan in Wałbrzych]]
* [[Górnik Wałbrzych (basketball)|Górnik Wałbrzych]] is a professional men's basketball club, two times Polish champions. Currently, it plays in the Polish 3rd league. Last time Górnik played in the [[Polish Basketball League]] (the Polish top basketball league) was in 2009.
* [[Górnik Wałbrzych (football)|Górnik Wałbrzych]] is a professional men's football club playing in the Polish 4th league (5th level). It played in the [[Ekstraklasa]] (top tier) in the 1980s.
* [[Zagłębie Wałbrzych]] is a male and female football club. Men's club section played in the [[Ekstraklasa]] in the 1960s and 1970s, finishing 3rd in [[1970–71 Ekstraklasa|1971]]. Participated in the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup competitions]], reaching the 1/16 finals.
* [[KK Wałbrzych]] (formerly Górnik Nowe Miasto Wałbrzych) is a semi-professional men's basketball club playing in the Polish 3rd league.
* [[Chełmiec Wałbrzych]] is a professional men's and women's [[volleyball]] sports team.

There are many semi-professional or amateur football clubs (like [[Czarni Wałbrzych]], [[Juventur Wałbrzych]], [[Podgórze Wałbrzych]], [[Gwarek Wałbrzych]]) and one basketball club (KS Dark Dog plays in the Polish 3rd league).
* LKKS Górnik Wałbrzych is a cycling club
* Wałbrzych native [[Sebastian Janikowski]] is a placekicker in the NFL.
* ASZ PWSZ Walbrzych is a level 1 women's soccer team in [[Ekstraliga (women's football)|Ekstraliga]]

==Media ==
[[File:Wałbrzych - Słowackiego Street 07.jpg|thumb|Słowackiego Street]]
* New Walbrzych Headlines
* Tygodnik Wałbrzyski
* www.walbrzych.info
* TV Zamkowa
* TV Walbrzych
* 30 minut – Gazeta która nie ma ceny ((Free) Newspaper – that does not have a price)

== Notable people ==
{{Historical populations|1939|66372|1950|93842|1960|117209|1970|125200|1980|133549|1990|141011|2000|131675|2010|120197|2020|109971|source=<ref name=mb289/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.polskawliczbach.pl/Walbrzych | title=Wałbrzych (Dolnośląskie) » mapy, nieruchomości, GUS, noclegi, szkoły, regon, atrakcje, kody pocztowe, wypadki drogowe, bezrobocie, wynagrodzenie, zarobki, tabele, edukacja, demografia }}</ref>}}
* [[Wolfgang Menzel]] (1798–1873), German poet, critic and literary historian
* [[Gerhard Menzel]] (1894–1966), German writer
* [[Abraham Robinson]] (1918–1974), German-Jewish-American mathematician
* [[Klaus Töpfer]] (born 1938), German politician ([[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]]), born 1938 in Waldenburg
* [[Christian Brückner]] (born 1943), German actor
* [[Marcel Reif]] (born 1949), German soccer journalist 
* [[Krzesimir Dębski]] (born 1953), composer and conductor
* [[Urszula Włodarczyk]] (born 1965), Polish heptathlete
* [[Joanna Bator]] (born 1968), Polish [[Nike Award]]-winning novelist, journalist, feminist and academic
* [[Maciej Szczepaniak]] (born 1973), Polish rally driver
* [[Piotr Giro]] (born 1974), Polish-Swedish dancer and choreographer
* [[Leszek Lichota]] (born 1977), Polish actor
* [[Krzysztof Ignaczak]] (born 1978), Polish volleyball player
* [[Sebastian Janikowski]] (born 1978), former [[American football]] [[placekicker]]
* [[Adrian Mrowiec]] (born 1983), Polish footballer
* [[Edyta Nawrocka]] (born 1986), Polish singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and TV presenter
* [[Bartosz Kurek]] (born 1988), Polish volleyball player and World Champion
* [[Sławomir Bohdziewicz]] (born 1990), Polish boxer

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}

Wałbrzych is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Miasta partnerskie|url=http://poznaj.um.walbrzych.pl/page/gzira-malta|website=poznaj.um.walbrzych.pl|publisher=Wałbrzych|language=pl|access-date=28 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Umowa z Cape Breton podpisana|url=http://poznaj.um.walbrzych.pl/pl/news/umowa-z-cape-breton-podpisana|website=poznaj.um.walbrzych.pl|publisher=Wałbrzych|language=pl|date=14 January 2019|access-date=28 February 2020}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Boryslav]], Ukraine (2009)
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Cape Breton Regional Municipality|Cape Breton]], Canada (2019)
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Dnipro]], Ukraine (2001)
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Foggia]], Italy (1998)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Freiberg]], Germany (1991)
*{{flagicon|MLT}} [[Gżira]], Malta (2000)
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Hradec Králové]], Czech Republic (1991)
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Jastarnia]], Poland (1997)
<!--Tula - twinning inactive-->
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Vannes]], France (2001)
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
* {{cite book |title= Dehio – Handbuch der Kunstdenkmäler in Polen: Schlesien |last= Badstübner|first= Ernst|author2=Dietmar Popp |author3=Andrzej Tomaszewski |author4=Dethard von Winterfeld |year= 2005 |publisher= [[Deutscher Kunstverlag]] 2005 |location= München, Berlin|isbn= 3-422-03109-X}}
* {{cite book |title= Geschichte Schlesiens. Band 1: Von der Urzeit bis zum Jahre 1526 |last= Petry|first= Ludwig|author2=Josef Joachim Menzel|author2-link=Josef Joachim Menzel|author3=Winfried Irgang|year= 2000 |publisher= Jan Thorbecke Verlag Stuttgart |location= Stuttgart |isbn= 3-7995-6341-5}}
* {{cite book|title=Die fremde Stadt. Breslau 1945 |last=Thum|first=Gregor |author-link=Gregor Thum|year=2003|publisher=Siedler|location=Berlin|isbn=3-88680-795-9}}
* {{cite book |title= Handbuch der historischen Stätten: Schlesien, Second Edition |last= Weczerka |first= Hugo |year= 2003 |publisher= Kröner Stuttgart  |location= Stuttgart |isbn= 3-520-31602-1}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Wałbrzych}}
{{Wikivoyage|Wałbrzych}}
{{EB1911 poster|Waldenburg}}
* [http://www.um.walbrzych.pl/ Wałbrzych official city website]
* [http://www.walbrzych.info/ Wałbrzych information website]
* [http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/city/walbrzych/ Jewish Community in Wałbrzych] on Virtual Shtetl
* [https://polska-org.pl/506475,Walbrzych.html Wałbrzych - Waldenburg, Borowieck (tylko w 1945)] na portalu polska-org.pl {{in lang|pl}}
* [http://www.walbrzyszek.com/ Local news website (pol)]
{{Wałbrzych County}}
{{Cities of Poland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wałbrzych| ]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Lower Silesian Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Populated riverside places in Poland]]
[[Category:Wałbrzych County]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Poland]]