Lower Silesia

Lower Silesia ( Silesian: Niederschläsing; Polish: Lower Silesia ) is the northwestern part of the Silesia region. It extends around the middle reaches of the Oder. Today, Lower Silesian located mostly in Poland. The region's capital is Wrocław.

Since 1990

With the enactment of the border treaty between Germany and Poland, the east of the Neisse situated part of the earlier Prussian Lower Silesia came under international law definitively the Republic of Poland. In the reorganization of the provinces in 1999, the historical borders of Lower Silesia were partially taken into account again.

The Polish Lower Silesia is now mainly divided into the provinces of Lower Silesia and Opole, small parts belong to the Province Lebus.

Lower Silesia develops economically positive, especially successful Wroclaw and its surroundings are among the most popular investment locations in Poland. In Wroclaw to Shutdown in March 2012 resulted in a new international terminal of Nicolaus Copernicus airport.

The remaining part of the former in Germany managed in the province of Lower Silesia Prussian share of Upper Lusatia distributed today after several county regional reforms to the Saxon counties Bautzen and Görlitz and at the Brandenburg Oberspreewald -Lausitz.

Kromlau, Jämlitz and Tschernitz belonged for centuries to the Duchy of Sagan and were Silesian enclaves in the Lausitz, until they were reclassified after 1815, at a border settlement in the province of Brandenburg. Even longer, namely until 1945, belonged Pechern - in one of the Neisse -reaching corner of the Duchy of Sagan - to Silesia.

Major cities

Economy and infrastructure

Polish share

The traditional transport corridor of Lower Silesia is the Oder and parallel to her streets. Many cities have historically developed at locations where the Oder could be crossed. From west to east also ran the Via Regia. In a north-south direction, the area is crossed by the ancient Amber Road. 1846 Niederschlesisch - märkische railroad was built, connecting Berlin with Wroclaw. In 1847, Görlitz was reached from the east of Wroclaw Kohlfurt forth, creating a continuous link from Wroclaw to Dresden arose. The mountainous regions in Lower Silesia were developed by the Silesian mountain railway, in the north of important compounds were characterized by the Wroclaw Schweidnitz - Freiburg railway company created. After the Second World War won the connections to the Polish heartland such as via Łódź or alternatively via Poznan to Warsaw and the connecting Wroclaw Szczecin important. There are also highways and expressways such as the A4, A8 and A18. In Zielona Góra - Babimost ( Grünberg Bomst ) and Wroclaw consist airports.

German share

Center of today German share of Silesia Görlitz is where the Federal Highway 4 crosses the Neisse. 1847, the railway line Dresden- Görlitz was opened. The Görlitz station is reached by railway connections from Berlin, Dresden and Zittau and connections coming from Poland.