Węgliniec

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Węgliniec
Culture Center in Węgliniec
Culture Center in Węgliniec
Flag of Węgliniec
Flag
Coat of arms of Węgliniec
Coat of arms
Węgliniec is located in Poland
Węgliniec
Węgliniec
Coordinates: 51°17′18″N 15°13′32″E / 51.28833°N 15.22556°E / 51.28833; 15.22556
Country Poland
Voivodeship Lower Silesian
CountyZgorzelec
GminaWęgliniec
Town rights1967
Government
 • MayorMariusz Wieczorek
Area
 • Total
8.71 km2 (3.36 sq mi)
Population
 (2024)
 • Total
2,642[1]
 • Density302.6/km2 (784/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
59-940
Area code+48 75
Car platesDZG
ClimateCfb
Websitehttp://www.wegliniec.pl

Węgliniec [vɛŋˈɡliɲɛt͡s] (German: Kohlfurt; Upper Sorbian: Wěgliniec) is a town in Zgorzelec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, close to the border with Germany.[2] It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Węgliniec. As of 2024, the town has a population of 2,642.[1]

History

[edit]
Virgin Mary Queen of Poland church in Węgliniec, opened in 1878

The oldest known historical mention of the settlement dates back to 1502[3] in the context of medieval German Ostsiedlung, receiving the name Kohlfurt.[4] In 1742 it was annexed by Prussia.[citation needed] It was plundered by different armies during the Third Silesian War (1756–1763).[5] In 1846 a railway line connecting Wrocław and Berlin, running through the small town, was opened.[3] Initially, the station for this line was to be built close to Görlitz. However, due to local opposition, the station was built in Węgliniec. The line from Görlitz was originally part the Saxon railways, which came under Prussia ownership 1866.[6] In 1847 a line to Dresden was built, and in 1865 to Lubań.[3] The station is still one of the most important railway stations and junctions in Lower Silesia,[6] with it also being the second largest freight train terminal in the region after Wrocław Brochów.[7]

During World War II, the German administration built two prisoner-of-war labour subcamps and a forced labour camp.[3] Near the end of World War II, in February 1945, the almost completely abandoned village of 30 people was captured by the Soviets.[5] After World War II the region was placed preliminary under Polish administration according to the post-war Potsdam Agreement. It was repopulated with Poles, some of whom were from the Eastern Borderlands, which was annexed by the Soviet Union.

Węgliniec was granted town rights in 1967.[3][8]

Transport

[edit]

Rail

[edit]
Main article: Węgliniec railway station

Węgliniec railway station is a major railway junction and station, located on strategic passenger and freight routes between Poland and Germany, with international passenger services to Görlitz, Berlin and Dresden and national services to Warsaw, Wrocław, Zgorzelec, Lubań, and Żary. Regional services are operated by Lower Silesian Railways[9] and Polregio.

Road

[edit]

Voivodeship road 296 passes through the town and leads to the A4 motorway (part of the E40). It is 10 km (6.2 mi) away from Węgliniec.

Twin towns – sister cities

[edit]

See twin towns of Gmina Węgliniec.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Węgliniec w liczbach" [Węgliniec in numbers]. Polska w Liczbach (in Polish). 31 December 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Główny Urząd Statystyczny" [Central Statistical Office] (in Polish). To search: Select "Miejscowości (SIMC)" tab, select "fragment (min. 3 znaki)" (minimum 3 characters), enter town name in the field below, click "WYSZUKAJ" (Search).
  3. ^ a b c d e Zmiana Studium Uwarunkowań i Kierunków Zagospodarowania Przestrzennego Gminy Węgliniec (projekt) (in Polish). Węgliniec: Gmina Węgliniec. 2015. p. 35.
  4. ^ Hugo Weczerka. Handbuch der historischen Stätten: Schlesien. Vol. 15. p. 239.
  5. ^ a b Krzysztof Mazurski, Z przeszłości Węglińca. „Wędrowiec. Wrocławskie zeszyty krajoznawcze”, Wrocław, 1996, p. 56-61 (in Polish)
  6. ^ a b Hans-Wolfgang Scharf (1981). Eisenbahnen zwischen Oder und Weichsel. Eisenbahn-Kurier-Verlag. pp. 260–261.
  7. ^ "Serwis Urzędu Gminy i Miasta Węgliniec" [Service of the commune and town of Węgliniec]. węgliniec.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 14 February 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  8. ^ Krzysztofik, Robert (2007). Lokacje miejskie na obszarze Polski. Dokumentacja geograficzno-historyczna (in Polish). Katowice: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego. pp. 80–81. ISBN 978-83-226-1616-1.
  9. ^ "Rozkład, Bilety" [Routes and tickets]. Lower Silesian Railways (in Polish). Retrieved 26 September 2025.


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