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Wroclaw (Breslau)

8476
Wroclaw (German name: Breslau) is the largest city in Western Poland. It lies on the banks of the river Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, roughly 350 kilometres (220 mi) from the Baltic Sea to the North, and 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the Sudeten Mountains to the South.

It was settled during the stone age and was on the trade route between the Roman Empire and the Baltic Sea.  The town was founded by Boleslaw I the Brave[1] (967-1025), crowned King just before his death, and it became the capital of Silesia from 1163 until destroyed by the Tartars (Mongols) in 1241.  The city was rebuilt by German settlers and developed as a trade center. In 1335, the city was incorporated with almost the entirety of Silesia into the Kingdom of Bohemia. It was ceded to the Hapsburgs in 1526.

The Kingdom of Prussia annexed the town and most of Silesia during the war of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748).  Maria Teresa (13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780; last sovereign of the House of Hapsburg) ceded the territory in the Treaty of Breslau (1742)[2].  Austria attempted to recover Wroclaw during the Seven Years War (1754-1763) but, as a result of Frederick II’s victory at the Battle of Leuthen[3] (on 5 December 1757), the city was annexed by Prussia. The Austrian abandoned most of Silesia, thus insuring Prussian control of Silesia during most of the Seven Years War.

The city grew considerably in the 19th century, both in commercial and industrial importance, and was the site of two large semi-annual trade fairs. Its university was founded in 1811, when it absorbed the university formerly at Frankfurt-an-der-Oder. Wrocław was badly damaged during a Soviet siege in World War II. After 1945 the German inhabitants were expelled and replaced by Poles. Historic buildings include a 13th- century cathedral, several Gothic churches, and a Gothic town hall that houses a historical museum.
 
Danielle Mihram: June 2017
Wroclaw (Breslau) appears in the following letters.
Wroclaw (Breslau) appears in the following indexes.

Sources
Wroclaw – ID 1002049.  Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
http://www.getty.edu/vow/TGNFullDisplay?find=wroclaw&place=&nation=&prev_page=1&english=Y&subjectid=1002049
Breslau – ID: 7007601.   Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names http://www.getty.edu/vow/TGNFullDisplay?find=wroclaw&place=&nation=&prev_page=1&english=Y&subjectid=7007601

"Wrocław." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Paul Lagasse, and Columbia University, Columbia UP, 7th edition, 2017. Credo Reference, https://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/columency/wroclaw/0?institutionId=887. Accessed 08 Jun 2017.

“Wroclaw – a magical city” Polska – Polish Tourist Organisation.
https://www.poland.travel/en-us/cities/wroclaw-a-magical-city
 
[1] Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025, and the first King of Poland in 1025. He was part of the Piast dynasty, first rulers of Poland (http://general-history.com/the-piast-dynasty/)
 
[2] The Treaty of Breslau was a preliminary peace agreement signed on 11 June 1742 following long negotiations at Wroclow by emissaries of Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria and King Frederick II of Prussia, ending the First Silesian War.
[3] For information on the Battle of Leuthen (also known as the Battle of Breslau), see: Comment.

This page has tags:

  1. Index of Places Curtis Fletcher

Contents of this tag:

  1. Frederick the Great to Voltaire - 1758 January 16

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