Bielawa

For other places with the same name, see Bielawa (disambiguation).

Bielawa
Flag File:POL Bielawa COA.svg Coat of arms
Bielawa
Coordinates:
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lower Silesian
County	Dzierżoniów
Gmina	Bielawa (urban gmina)
Established	13th century
Town rights	1924
Government
• Mayor	Ryszard Dźwiniel
Area
• Total	36.21 km2 (13.98 sq mi)
Highest elevation	964 m (3,163 ft)
Lowest elevation	280 m (920 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	31,988
• Density	880/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	58-260 to 58-263
Area code(s)	+48 74
Car plates	DDZ
Website	http://www.bielawa.pl

Bielawa [bʲɛˈlava] (German: Langenbielau), population 31,988 (2010), is a town in southwestern Poland. Since 1999, it has been situated in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship. From 1975–1998, it was part of the Wałbrzych Voivodeship, and from the 13th century up to 1945 was inside of Germany territory.

Bielawa lies in the central part of Lower Silesia, along the Bielawica stream in the Sowie Mountains region. The town covers an area in excess of 36 square kilometres (14 sq mi).

Bielawa lies at an altitude range of 280 and 964 m above sea level, in the Sowie Mountains. It is considered one of the most naturally beautiful regions of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, and is a year-round tourist destination. Its outdoor attractions include four major hiking trails of varying difficulty in an 80 square kilometer scenic park, as well as cycling trails and ski lifts.

History

• 13th century — Bielawa was established
• 1720 — First brick house
• 1741 — Addressing the village by the Prussian army
• 1805 — Christian Dierig involves weaving company (Christian Dierig AG)
• 1806-1808 — French occupation
• 1891 — Railway line Dzierżoniów - Bielawa opened
• 1924 — Bielawa given town rights
• 1945 — Soviet occupation
• 2006 — The opening of the bypass

Main sights

Bielawa has a rich choice of old architecture. At its center is the 19th-century Neo-Gothic Church of the Assumption with a 101 m tall tower, the third tallest in Poland. Other interesting buildings include a late-Renaissance palace originally built as a fortified manor house; the Church of the Corpus Christi, erected in 1743; and numerous 18th-century Baroque houses that were restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also a home to a number of medieval penitential crosses.

Population

Famous people

• Eleni Tzoka, singer
• Aleksandra Kwasniewska, singer
• Robert Skibniewski, basketball player
• Marcin Teodoru, Hollywood Film Director http://www.circlefilms.com
• Tomasz Zabłocki, basketball player
• Jarosław Kuźniar, journalist in TVN24
• Janusz Góra, footballer
• Jacek Trzeciak, footballer
• Adam Wysota, one of the pioneers of free-spirit motorcycling on the American continent.
• Art Binkowski, Polish-Canadian Olympic boxer (Sydney, 2000)

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Twin towns — Sister cities

Bielawa is twinned with:

• Lingen in Germany
• Hronov in Czech Republic
• Chatham-Kent in Canada
• Burton upon Trent in the United Kingdom

Surroundings

• Gola Dzierżoniowska Castle
• Medieval town of Niemcza
• Cistercian monastery at Henryków

External links

• Official town website
• Jewish Community in Bielawa on Virtual Shtetl