Lower Silesian Voivodeship

In the past 1,200 years, the region has been part of Great Moravia, the Medieval Kingdom of Poland, the Crown of Bohemia, Kingdom of Hungary, Habsburg monarchy (Austria), Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, and modern Poland after 1945.

File:Book of Henryków.PNG, now held by the Archdiocesan Museum in Wrocław]]

Silesian tribes settled the lands at the end of the first millennium after the Migration Period. In the 9th century, the region became part of Great Moravia under Svatopluk I of Moravia and in the 10th century, Mieszko I of the Piast dynasty eventually incorporated the region to Poland. The region withstood German invasions with decisive Polish victories at Niemcza (1017) and Głogów (1109), both commemorated with monuments. It was divided into small realms reigned by Silesian branches of Piast dukes after the testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138. Wrocław was mentioned as one of three centers of the Kingdom of Poland, along with Kraków and Sandomierz, in the early-12th-century Gesta principum Polonorum chronicle. In 1241, it was the place of the Battle of Legnica, the largest battle of the Mongol invasions of Poland. With the Ostsiedlung, the cultural and ethnic Germanic influence grew with an influx of immigrants from the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, and since the 1330s when it was subjugated to the Kingdom of Bohemia, although large portions of Lower Silesia still formed Polish-ruled duchies under the houses of Piast, Jagiellon and Sobieski, some up to the 17th and 18th century. Chief medieval ducal capitals of the area were Wrocław, Legnica, Głogów, Świdnica and Jawor. Lower Silesia was, during the Middle Ages, one of Poland's cultural centers. The Book of Henryków (1273), which contains the earliest known sentence written in the Polish language, as well as a document which contains the oldest printed text in Polish, were both created within it.Allen Kent, Harold Lancour, Jay E. Daily, Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, CRC Press, 1978, pg. 3, [https://books.google.com/books?id=tmnVublw2pwC&dq=Book+of+Henryk%C3%B3w+Polish&pg=PA3] The first granting of municipal privileges in Poland took place in the region, with the granting of rights for Złotoryja by Henry the Bearded. Medieval municipal rights modeled after Lwówek Śląski and Środa Śląska, both established by Henry the Bearded, became the basis of municipal form of government for several cities and towns in Poland, and two of five local Polish variants of medieval town rights. Burial sights of medieval Polish monarchs from the Piast dynasty are located in the province.

File:Monumentum Piasteum - postcard, 1920-1930.jpg in Legnica]]

In 1469, Lower Silesia passed to Hungary, and in 1490 it fell back to Bohemia, then ruled by the Jagiellonian dynasty, then together with it became part of the Habsburg monarchy (1526). In 1742/44, the territory was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and subsequently became part of the German Empire (1871). Over the centuries, Lower Silesia has experienced several epochal events such as the Protestant Reformation, the Silesian Wars, Napoleonic Wars, industrialisation and the two World Wars. Before and during World War II, the region's Polish and Jewish populations were persecuted by Nazi Germany. During the war, Germany operated numerous prisons and camps in the region, most notably the Gross-Rosen concentration camp and Stalag VIII-A prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs of various nationalities, both with multiple subcamps scattered throughout the region and beyond, including forced labour camps at the Project Riese construction project. There was also a camp for kidnapped Polish children up to 5 years of age deemed "racially worthless" in Wąsosz,{{cite web|author=Magdelena Sierocińska|title=Eksterminacja "niewartościowych rasowo" dzieci polskich robotnic przymusowych na terenie III Rzeszy w świetle postępowań prowadzonych przez Oddziałową Komisję Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu w Poznaniu.|url=https://ipn.gov.pl/pl/aktualnosci/587,Eksterminacja-niewartosciowych-rasowo-dzieci-polskich-robotnic-przymusowych-na-t.html|access-date=28 May 2024|website=Instytut Pamięci Narodowej|language=pl}} and a youth prison in Wołów with several forced labour subcamps in the region,{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1491|title=Jugendgefängnis Wohlau|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=28 May 2024|language=de}} whereas Kamieniec Ząbkowicki was the place of Aktion T4 murders of mentally ill children by involuntary euthanasia. In 1945, Lower Silesia was made again part of Poland as agreed at the post-war Potsdam Conference. As a consequence, Lower Silesia suffered a nearly total loss of its pre-war population between 1945 and 1950. Polish citizens dispossessed by the Soviets were then settled in the now emptied lands.{{Cite web |url=http://wyborcza.pl/swoiobcy/1,110847,8842882,Kresowianie_nie_mieli_wyboru__musieli_jechac_na_zachod.html |language=pl |website=wyborcza.pl |title=Kresowianie nie mieli wyboru, musieli jechać na zachód, interview with Professor Grzegorz Hryciuk, |date=20 December 2010 |access-date=27 December 2023}}

The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra Voivodeships, following the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998.

Although much of the region is relatively low-lying, Lower Silesia includes the Sudeten Foreland, as well as part of the Sudetes mountain range, that runs along the Polish/Czech border. Ski resorts in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship include Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba in the Karkonosze mountains.

Lower Silesian Forest, the largest continuous forest of Poland, is mostly located within the voivodeship. The village of Henryków Lubański contains Poland's oldest tree, an over-1200-year-old yew, listed as a natural monument.

The voivodeship has a number of mineral springs and is host to a large number of spa towns. The highest point in the voivodeship is Mount Śnieżka ({{cvt|1603|m}} above sea level) while the lowest point is located in the Oder River Valley ({{cvt|69|m}} above sea level).{{Cite web |url=http://dolnyslask.poland.com/dolny_slask/polozenie/ |language=pl |title=Położenie |website=dolnyslask.poland.com |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-date=9 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609090402/http://dolnyslask.poland.com/dolny_slask/polozenie/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}

Lower Silesian Voivodeship is bordered by Lubusz Voivodeship to the north-west, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the north-east, Opole Voivodeship to the south-east, the Czech Republic (Hradec Králové Region, Liberec Region, Olomouc Region and Pardubice Region) to the south, and Germany (Saxony) to the west.

Wrocław Airport serves as an international and domestic airport.

Wrocław Główny is the largest railway station in Poland, serving an average of 21.2 million passengers annually. It offers the domestic and international connections of various carriers.

The A4 motorway,{{Cite web|url=https://www.paih.gov.pl/en/polish_regions/voivodships/dolnoslaskie/ |title=Dolnośląskie (Lower Silesia) |website=paih.gov.pl |access-date=27 December 2023}} A8 motorway, A18 motorway and S3 Expressway, S5 Expressway, S8 Expressway also run through the voivodeship.

Wrocław Dworzec Główny.jpg|Wrocław Główny railway station is a major railway hub in the region.

Impuls 45WE-024.jpg|Koleje Dolnośląskie train at Wrocław Główny

Terminal T2 we Wrocławiu.jpg|Wrocław Airport

2012-05 Autostrada A4 01.jpg|A4 motorway in Jędrzychowice

2015 Wiadukt w Lewinie Kłodzkim (02).jpg|The viaduct in Lewin Kłodzki, on the railway line No. 309

File:Old Town Hall in Wrocław, September 2022 07.jpg]]

Tourism is important for Lower Silesian Voivodeship. There are 99 castles and hundreds of palaces. A lot are located Jelenia Góra Valley.

Wrocław being the largest city in the voivodeship has many sights and attractions, including the Market Square, the Cathedral Island and Wrocław's dwarfs. The Festival of Good Beer is held every year of June.

The annual international Chopin Festival is held in the Fryderyk Chopin Theatre in the town of Duszniki-Zdrój. Other major attraction of the town is the Museum of Papermaking, established in a 17th-century paper mill.

Śnieżka is the highest peak of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship and the whole of the Sudetes.

File:Śnieżka z zachodu.jpg - the highest peak of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship]]

The voivodeship contains 11 spa towns (Długopole-Zdrój, Duszniki-Zdrój, Jedlina-Zdrój, Kudowa-Zdrój, Lądek-Zdrój, Polanica-Zdrój, Przerzeczyn-Zdrój, Szczawno-Zdrój, Świeradów-Zdrój), more than any other province of Poland.

There are various museums, including the major National Museum in Wrocław with the branch Racławice Panorama Museum, and the Archdiocese Museum in Wrocław, which contains the Book of Henryków. Wrocław also hosts the Post and Telecommunications Museum, Poland's chief museum dedicated to postal history. The Regional Museum in Środa Śląska holds the Środa Treasure, containing medieval gold and silver coins, jewellery and royal regalia, considered one of the most precious archaeological findings of 20th-century Europe. The Ossolineum in Wrocław is a National Institute and Library of great importance, and the Pan Tadeusz Museum, containing the manuscript of the Polish national epos, Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz, serves as its branch. Bolesławiec, center of pottery production since the Middle Ages, hosts the Museum of Ceramics. The former gold mines in Złoty Stok and Złotoryja, tin and cobalt mine in Krobica, nickel mine in Szklary, coal mine in Nowa Ruda and uranium ore mine in Kowary are available for tourists. There is also an underground tourist route in historic cellars under the old town of Kłodzko.

File:2018 Muzeum Papiernictwa w Dusznikach-Zdroju 2.jpg]]

Lower Silesia boasts three World Heritage Sites and 15 Historic Monuments of Poland:

• Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica (listed as both)
• Centennial Hall in Wrocław (listed as both){{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 13 kwietnia 2005 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii|year=2005|volume=64|number=570}}
• Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki-Zdrój (also inscribed on the tentative list of World Heritage Sites)
• Palace and landscape parks of the Jelenia Góra Valley
• Abbey and palace and park ensemble in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 6 marca 2024 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Kamieniec Ząbkowicki - zespół architektoniczno-krajobrazowy"|year=2024|number=410}}
• Baroque Krzeszów Abbey, which hosts the Icon of Our Lady of Grace, the oldest Marian icon in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe; one of the burial sites of the Piast dynasty{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 14 kwietnia 2004 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii|year=2004|volume=102|number=1057}}
• Baroque Benedictine Abbey and St. Jadwiga's Basilica, Legnickie Pole{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 14 kwietnia 2004 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii|year=2004|volume=102|number=1056}}
• Fort Srebrna Góra{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 14 kwietnia 2004 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii|year=2004|volume=102|number=1058}}
• Gothic Saints Peter and Paul Basilica, Strzegom{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 22 października 2012 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Strzegom - kościół pod wezwaniem św. św. Apostołów Piotra i Pawła"|year=2012|number=1241}}
• Gothic Świdnica Cathedral{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 15 marca 2017 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Świdnica - katedra pod wezwaniem św. Stanisława Biskupa i Męczennika i św. Wacława Męczennika"|year=2017|number=655}}
• Former Cistercian Abbey and Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga, Trzebnica, one of the burial sites of the Piast dynasty
• Old Town of Wrocław
• Romanesque-Gothic Saint George church in Ziębice
• Gothic-Mannerist Holy Trinity church in Żórawina

File:2011 04300592 594 596 598 600 Nr - Lubiąż - klasztor cystersów sala panoramicznie.jpg]]

There are several burial sites of Polish monarchs and dukes from the Piast dynasty, including at Henryków, Lubiąż, Trzebnica, and several in Legnica and Wrocław. The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Krzeszów and Church of St. John the Baptist in Legnica contain entire Baroque mausoleums of the Piast dukes from the Świdnica and Legnica lines, respectively.

Other rather unique historic structures include the Skull Chapel in Kudowa-Zdrój and the Vang Stave Church in Karpacz. The Ducal Tower in Siedlęcin contains one of the best preserved medieval frescos in Poland, and the world's only in situ depiction of Sir Lancelot.

World War II sites include the museum at the former Nazi German Gross-Rosen concentration camp and memorials at the sites of other Nazi camps and prisons, at the sites of Nazi massacres, and to the Polish resistance movement, etc. A portion of the underground structures built as part of the unfinished Nazi German Project Riese is available for tourists. One of the largest war cemeteries in Poland, of the Second Polish Army from World War II, is located in Zgorzelec. One of the few Italian war cemeteries in Poland is located in Wrocław (from World War I), and there is also a mass grave of Italian soldiers from World War II in Bolesławiec (see also Italy–Poland relations).

There are also the Kłodzko and Srebrna Góra fortresses, which initially served for military purposes, and during World War II as German prisons for prisoners of various nationalities, especially Polish.

20160502 Zamek Książ 6244.jpg|Książ Castle in Wałbrzych

SM Legnica Zamek (1) ID 593146.jpg|Piast Castle in Legnica

Czocha(js)2a.jpg|Czocha Castle

Oleśnica Castle 04 (js).jpg|Oleśnica Castle

Krobielowice zamek.jpg|Krobielowice Palace

Radmeritz Stift Joachimstein-02.jpg|Radomierzyce Palace

2017 Pałac Jedlinka w Jedlinie-Zdroju 1.jpg|Jedlinka Palace in Jedlina-Zdrój

2016 Pałac w Wojanowie 2.jpg|Wojanów Palace

13Kat Boche.JPG|Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace

100808 Warmątowice018.jpg|Warmątowice Sienkiewiczowskie Palace

4010viki Trzebnica, kościół św. Jadwigi. Foto Barbara Maliszewska.jpg|Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga, Trzebnica

SM katedra greckokatolicka d kościół św Jakuba D 598665.jpg|Cathedral of St. Vincent and St. James, Wrocław

SM Wrocław Kościół Świętego Krzyża ID 598588.jpg|Holy Cross Church, whose scholastic was Nicolaus Copernicus

Pl. Nankiera 16, Wrocław 1.jpg|Church of St. Clare and Hedwig church, Wrocław

File:Masyw Ślęży.jpg]]

File:SzczeliniecWielki.jpg (Table Mountains National Park)]]

File:Sniezne Kotly 01.jpg]]

File:2015 Jaskinia Niedźwiedzia w Kletnie, szata naciekowa 08.jpg]]

File:Osowka 0005.jpg, Owl Mountains]]

Protected areas in Lower Silesian Voivodeship:

• 2 National Parks
• Karkonosze National Park (part of a UNESCO trans-border biosphere reserve)
• Table Mountains National Park
• 12 Landscape Parks
• Barycz Valley Landscape Park (partly in Greater Poland Voivodeship)
• Bóbr Valley Landscape Park
• Bystrzyca Valley Landscape Park
• Chełmy Landscape Park
• Jezierzyca Valley Landscape Park
• Książ Landscape Park
• Owl Mountains Landscape Park
• Przemków Landscape Park
• Rudawy Landscape Park
• Ślęża Landscape Park
• Śnieżnik Landscape Park
• Sudety Wałbrzyskie Landscape Park
• 67 Nature reserves
• 20 protected landscape areas
• 3100 Natural monuments
• 114 Ecological usages
• 15 Teams nature and landscape

and many areas of Natura 2000 network.

• The Main Trail Sudetes long-distance mountain trail
• The Piast Castles Trail
• Trail around Wrocław
• Cistercian trail
• The trail of the Valley of Palaces and Gardens of the Jelenia Góra Valley
• Lower Silesian Rout of St. James
• Sudetes Rout of St. James
• Camino de Santiago - Via Regia
• The Trail of Extinct Volcanoes on the Kaczawskie Foothills
• Lower Silesian Beer and Wine Trail{{Cite web|url=https://www.dspiw.pl/|title=Dolnośląski Szlak Piwa i Wina}}
• EuroVelo 9
• Lower Silesian Bicycle Highway
• Bicycles S5 (Wrocław – Poznań)
• Blue Velo - The Odra River Bicycle Route

File:Aleja Bielany.jpg in Poland]]

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 41.1 billion euro in 2018, accounting for 8.3% of the Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €23,400 or 78% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 85% of the EU average. Lower Silesia Voivodeship is the province with the second highest GDP per capita in Poland.{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58|title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018|website=Eurostat}}

File:MOs810 WG 2017 15 Dolnoslaskie Zakamarki IV (a rozladunek piasku Kopalnia Rudna).jpg near Polkowice]]

The wealth of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship is partly due to mining and production of various minerals. The Legnica-Głogów Copper Basin ({{langx|pl|link=no|Legnicko-Głogowski Okręg Miedziowy}}) with the cities of Legnica, Głogów, Lubin and Polkowice produces copper, as well as other valuable minerals, making Poland the second largest producer of copper in Europe, and the largest producer of silver and rhenium in Europe and one of the largest in the world (as of 2024).{{cite book|title=Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024|year=2024|pages=65, 147, 163|isbn=978-1-4113-4544-7}} Strzegom and its surroundings are the site of granite mining, and the town is called the "capital of Polish granite".{{cite web|url=https://strzegom.pl/turystyka/atrakcje-turystyczne/strzegomski-granit/wspolczesnosc-wydobycia-granitu.html|title=Współczesność wydobycia granitu|website=Strzegom.pl|author=Andrzej Korzekwa|language=pl|access-date=9 November 2024}} One of the three largest lignite mines in Poland is located in Bogatynia.

Wałbrzych, Nowa Ruda and Boguszów-Gorce are former bituminous coal mining centers. Szklary was the location of the country's sole nickel ore mine, and one of only five places in the world, where the rare chrysoprase, carnelian and opal were extracted,{{cite web|url=https://www.zabkowiceslaskie.pl/turysta/ciekawostki-i-atrakcje-gminy-zabkowice-slaskie/podziemna-trasa-edukacyjna-kopalnia-niklu-chryzoprazu-i-opalu-w-szklarach,170.html|title=Podziemna Trasa Edukacyjna - Kopalnia Niklu, Chryzoprazu i Opalu w Szklarach|language=pl|access-date=9 November 2024}} and the place of discovery of the extremely rare szklaryite, nioboholtite and titanoholtite minerals.{{cite journal|doi=10.1180/minmag.2013.077.6.10 |title=The dumortierite supergroup. II. Three new minerals from the Szklary pegmatite, SW Poland: Nioboholtite, (Nb_0.6〈_0.4)Al₆BSi₃O₁₈, titanoholtite, (Ti_0.75〈_0.25)Al₆BSi₃O₁₈, and szklaryite, 〈Al₆BAs³⁺₃O₁₅ |journal=Mineralogical Magazine |volume=77 |issue=6 |pages=2841 |year=2013 |last1=Pieczka |first1=A. |last2=Evans |first2=R. J. |last3=Grew |first3=E. S. |last4=Groat |first4=L. A. |last5=Ma |first5=C. |last6=Rossman |first6=G. R. |bibcode=2013MinM...77.2841P |s2cid=51740732 |url=https://authors.library.caltech.edu/41877/1/s10.pdf}} In the Middle Ages, gold ({{langx|pl|link=no|złoto}}) and silver ({{langx|pl|link=no|srebro}}) were mined in the region, which is reflected in the names of the former mining towns of Złotoryja, Złoty Stok and Srebrna Góra.

File:Rynek Starego Miasta We Wroclawiu (152991773).jpeg]]

File:Walbrzych - rynek - panoramio.jpg]]

File:0045 Jelenia Góra - ul. 1 Maja.jpg]]

File:Głogów - Ratusz (zetem).jpg]]

{{historical populations|1988|2948212|2002|2907212|2011|2915241|2021|2904894|align=right|cols=1|source={{cite web |title=Statistics Poland - National Censuses|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/podgrup/temat/}}}}The voivodeship contains 8 cities and 83 towns. The cities, governed by a city mayor ({{Langx|pl|prezydent miasta}}), are listed below in descending order of population (as of 2019):

{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|

1. Wrocław (674,132)
2. Wałbrzych city county (111,896)
3. Legnica city county (99,486)
4. Jelenia Góra city county (79,200)
5. Lubin (72,428)
6. Głogów (66,120)
7. Świdnica (56.803)
8. Bolesławiec (38,852)

}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|

1. Oleśnica (37,169)
2. Dzierżoniów (33,239)
3. Oława (33,029)
4. Zgorzelec (30,374)
5. Bielawa (29,971)
6. Kłodzko (26,845)
7. Jawor (22,890)
8. Świebodzice (22,793)
9. Polkowice (22,480)
10. Nowa Ruda (22,067)
11. Lubań (21,087)
12. Kamienna Góra (19,010)
13. Bogatynia (17,436)
14. Strzegom (16,106)
15. Jelcz-Laskowice (15,803)
16. Złotoryja (15,564)
17. Boguszów-Gorce (15,368)
18. Ząbkowice Śląskie (15,004)
19. Chojnów (13,355)
20. Trzebnica (13,331)
21. Brzeg Dolny (12,511)
22. Strzelin (12,460)
23. Wołów (12,373)
24. Góra (11,797)
25. Milicz (11,304)
26. Kowary (10,869)
27. Syców (10,397)
28. Bystrzyca Kłodzka (10,134)
29. Kudowa-Zdrój (9,892)
30. Środa Śląska (9,516)
31. Oborniki Śląskie (9,099)
32. Lwówek Śląski (8,869)
33. Ziębice (8,708)
34. Siechnice (8,113)
35. Chocianów (7,892)
36. Pieszyce (7,123)
37. Kąty Wrocławskie (6,994)
38. Sobótka (6,981)
39. Żarów (6,719)
40. Twardogóra (6,692)
41. Gryfów Śląski (6,636)
42. Szklarska Poręba (6,557)
43. Żmigród (6,435)
44. Piława Górna (6,412)
45. Głuszyca (6,361)
46. Polanica-Zdrój (6,324)
47. Piechowice (6,194)
48. Przemków (6,107)
49. Lubawka (6,028)
50. Pieńsk (5,828)
51. Stronie Śląskie (5,709)
52. Szczawno-Zdrój (5,608)
53. Ścinawa (5,582)
54. Lądek-Zdrój (5,572)
55. Szczytna (5,141)
56. Jaworzyna Śląska (5,124)
57. Bolków (4,990)
58. Bierutów (4,867)
59. Jedlina-Zdrój (4,828)
60. Karpacz (4,593)
61. Duszniki-Zdrój (4,584)
62. Leśna (4,439)
63. Olszyna (4,348)
64. Nowogrodziec (4,243)
65. Zawidów (4,180)
66. Świeradów-Zdrój (4,147)
67. Mieroszów (4,070)
68. Mirsk (3,886)
69. Wojcieszów (3,668)
70. Prochowice (3,602)
71. Niemcza (2,965)
72. Węgliniec (2,846)
73. Złoty Stok (2,758)
74. Wąsosz (2,662)
75. Międzylesie (2,575)
76. Bardo (2,562)
77. Radków (2,406)
78. Międzybórz (2,341)
79. Świerzawa (2,286)
80. Prusice (2,243)
81. Wiązów (2,241)
82. Lubomierz (1,979)
83. Wleń (1,759)
84. Kamieniec Ząbkowicki
85. Miękinia

}}

File:Województwo dolnośląskie powiaty.png

File:Poland - Czermna - Chapel of Skulls - interior 06.jpg in Kudowa-Zdrój]]

File:Kosciol pokoju w swidnicy wisnia6522.jpg in Świdnica is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.]]

Lower Silesian Voivodeship is divided into 30 counties (powiaty), four of which are city counties. These are further divided into 169 gminy.

File:2011 04300381 2 3 Sft3Nr - Lubiąż - klasztor cystersów fronton.jpg Lubiąż Abbey]]

Lower Silesia is divided into three additional delegation districts governed by the provincial government, with Wrocław serving as the capital of the administrative region:{{cite web |url=http://www.duw.pl/portal/pl/483/511/Delegatury_Urzedu.html |title=Delegatury Urzędu – Dolnośląski Urząd Wojewódzki |first=JSK |last=Internet |access-date=10 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531090606/http://www.duw.pl/portal/pl/483/511/Delegatury_Urzedu.html |archive-date=31 May 2013 |url-status=dead }}

File:Vang stave church back side.jpg in Karpacz]]

File:2016 Bazylika Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny w Krzeszowie.jpg in Krzeszów]]

File:SM Oława PlacZamkowy15 (11).jpg in Oława]]

• Wałbrzych Delegation District - powiaty of Świdnica, Kłodzko, Ząbkowice Śląskie, Dzierżoniów.

• Legnica Delegation District - powiaty of Głogów, Jawor, Lubin, Polkowice, Złotoryja.

• Jelenia Góra Delegation District - powiaty of Boleslawiec, Kamienna Góra, Luban, Lwówek Śląski, Zgorzelec.

The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).

File:Urzad Wojewodzki (cropped).jpg

File:Wroclaw Munincipal Stadium 2019 (cropped).jpg, one of the arenas of the UEFA Euro 2012 and home venue of the Śląsk Wrocław football team]]

File:Lubin-Dialog-Arena-FlyRecord-2.jpg, home venue of the Zagłębie Lubin football team]]

File:Nowy Olimpijski.jpg, one of the arenas of the Speedway Grand Prix of Poland and home venue of the Sparta Wrocław speedway team and Panthers Wrocław American football team]]

Speedway, football, basketball, handball and volleyball enjoy the largest following in the voivodeship with several accomplished teams.

Since the establishment of the province, various major international sports competitions were co-hosted by the province, including the EuroBasket 2009, 2009 Women's European Volleyball Championship, 2010 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships, UEFA Euro 2012, 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, 2016 European Men's Handball Championship, 2017 World Games.

• The city of Bolesławiec is a center of pottery production since the Middle Ages. See also: Bolesławiec pottery.
• Gompa Drophan Ling in Darnków, Poland's only Buddhist gompa, is located in the voivodeship.
• There are several sites in the province associated with Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, most notably the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace, a Historic Monument of Poland.

{{reflist}}

{{Wikivoyage|Dolnośląskie}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160130071807/http://umwd.pl/ Województwo Dolnośląskie] Official website
• [http://www.duw.pl/index.php?document=339 Website of the government of Lower Silesia]

{{Geographic location

| Northwest = {{flag|Lubusz Voivodeship}}

| North =

| Northeast = {{flag|Greater Poland Voivodeship}}

| West = {{flag|Saxony}}, {{flag|Germany}}

| Centre = {{flag|Lower Silesian Voivodeship}}

| East = {{flag|Opole Voivodeship}}

| Southwest =

| South = {{flag|Hradec Králové Region|name=Hradec Králové}}, {{flag|Liberec Region|name=Liberec}}, {{flag|Olomouc Region|name=Olomouc}} and {{flag|Pardubice Region}}s, {{flag|Czech Republic}}

| Southeast =

}}

{{Lower Silesian Voivodeship}}

{{Voivodeships of Poland}}

{{Silesia topics}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:States and territories established in 1999

Category:1999 establishments in Poland