History of the Polish Region of Nemoland
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History of the Polish region of Nemoland Until the 10th century the area has been an After the collapse of communism and Polish EU- unknown border area with primeval forests and membership, unemployment has even increased traces of pre historic (Celtic?) settlements and because many large industries and agricultural primitive mining activities. From the beginning of enterprises shutdown and monuments got even the Polish nation in the 10th century, the region more ruined because the economic crisis. In the has been Polish under the rule of the Silesian cities relative prosperity grew, but the rural areas Piast dukes. The ruins of a Piast stronghold in hardly benefit from this. There are many problems Stara Kamienica testify to this. From the twelfth with unemployment, low wages and insufficient century onwards the Silesian dukes invited social services. Large-scale tourism is limited to German colonists to the area, mainly for glass some monumental cities in the Jelenia Góra industry and agrarian (flax) industry. Under de valley, the Karkonosze Mountains and the health rule of their vassals, like the German resorts in Cieplice and Swieradów Zdrój; but there Schaffgotsch family, these colonists founded is hardly any rural tourism. There is almost no towns and villages around the recognition of the typical cultural-historical and Karkonosze/Riesengebirge and Iser Mountains. In ecological value of regions like Stara Kamienica. the 14th century, the Piast dukes came under This neglect lessens its attraction to tourists. Bohemian rule, and Habsburg Austria inherited Furthermore, there is substantial environmental the region in 1526. In 1741, the Prussian damage caused by surrounding heavy industry Frederick the Great conquered the area and the and open mines. Not long ago the area was protestant majority gained freedom of religion. known as the “black triangle." In the meantime, Until 1945 Stara Kamienica was part of Germany, there has been a lot of investment in cleaning up known as Alt Kemnitz. From the 15th century till polluting factories and reforestation. 1946 the Schaffgotsch family were the main large land owner in the area, and also the founder of After Poland became member of the EU mining the hamlet of Ramberg. After the war this family companies got very active in the area, and and all Germans had to leave the area, as a result wanted to explore an huge open stone mine in of the Yalta Conference in 1945, when Stalin Mala Kamienica and an uranium mine in moved Poland to the west, incorporating Poland Kopaniec. By protesting, local inhabitants were as a satellite state of the Soviet Union. Most Poles able to stop the plans temporarily, but the who now live here originate from former East companies are still threatening the area by their Poland that is now a part of the Ukraine, plans and continuous juridical efforts to realize Byelorussia and Lithuania. The Polish migrants them. Because of these protests the local were forced to live under communist rule, leaving inhabitants became much more beware of their no space for community building, adaptation to cultural and natural heritage and started all kinds the new land and use of the German agrarian of initiatives to protect nature and value the knowledge. The catholic church offered cultural history of landscape and culture. The local continuity, by neglect of cultural diversity and government of Stara Kamienica is strongly social injustice of the communist system. There supporting this sustainable development by have been few recent investments in employment setting up community centers, facilitating village and (tourist) infrastructure because of the fear that organizations, rejecting the mining plans, Germany would reclaim the area. In 1991, both organizing cultural events and promoting rural countries fixed the borders in a final treaty. tourism by presenting the area as eco-museum. Meanwhile village organizations, local artists, In communist time all memories to the German (Dutch) NGO’s, ecofarms and small enterprises history, land use and knowledge were wiped out are very active setting up all kinds of innovative and often destroyed. All German names were activities, as a challenge to the ‘big economy’, replaced by new Polish names, and all cemeteries restrictive laws and EU supported politics of were cleaned. Many houses disappeared to serve mining companies, industrial food industry and big the need for building materials in east Poland. In supermarkets, which threatens the local economy, Stara Kamienica many monuments got the historical and natural landscape and the social demolished, like palaces and estates at Stara conditions of the local community; like David to Kamienica, Nowa Kamienica, Barcinek and Goliath, or Asterix to the Romans. Who will win? Kopaniec; all monumental Lutheran churches (except in Kromnów and Wojcieszyce) and the famous sanatorium in Rybnica. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE POLISH REGION OF GÓRY IZERSKIE / ISER MOUNTAINS Localization and reach area of Jablonec nad Nisou and Tarnavald reach Góry Izerskie (Iser Mountains) form the western culmination in Cisařsky Kamen(637 m), Černe member of Sudety mountain range. From east studnice (869 m) and Hvĕzdĕ (958 m). and south-east they border the Kotlina The Polish part of Góry Izerskie includes two Jeleniogórska (Jeleniogórska Basin) and parallel ranges, built from metamorphic rocks: a Karkonosze, from south and south-west through lower northern one, called Grzbiet Kamienicki and the basin of Nysa Łużycka they are continguos to a higher southern one, called Wysoki Grzbiet. Łużyckie Mountains and in the north they connect They are divided by valleys: in the western part of with Iser Foothills (Pogórze Izerskie).The eastern the river Kwisa flowing through Obniżenie border forms the lowering of Zimna Przełęcz (525 Świeradowa (Lowering of Świeradow) and in the m), the south-east border follows the Kamienna eastern part of Mała Kamienna. The nipple of both basin from Piechowice to Szklarska Poręba (886 ranges is the saddle pass Rozdroże Izerskie (767 m) and continues south along Mielnica, Mumlava m). and Izera till Rokytnic and Jizerou. The south In Poland Wysoki Grzbiet begins from the west border is conventionally following from Vysokeho with Smrek height (1123 m) through which it nad Jizerou in the west through Pencin and connects with Vlaŝsky hrĕben in Czechoslovakia. Dlouhy Most till Liberec. The western border is a Towards the east over a hilltop levelled to 1000 m tectonic fault following from Liberec in the north the following heights arise: Stóg Izerski (1107 m), through Mnišek, Detřichov to Frydland. The Łużec (1035 m), Podmokła (1001 m) and finally northern border follows from Frydland northwest the broad range of Zielona Kopa with the through Dolni Řasnice to Jindřichovic by Smrek culmination of Góry Izerskie, Wysoka Kopa (1126 and follows till the national Polish border. From m). From here a separated arm with Krogulec there towards east through Pobiedna, Krobica (1001 m), Kozi Grzbiet (933 m) and Tkacka Góra along Stary Trakt Handlowy Zytawsko- (880 m) heads towards south. The granite range Jeleniogórski (Old Commercial Route) through of Krogulec subsides easily towards Przełęcz Gierczyn and Przecznica till Kwieciszowice and Szklarska (Szklarska Pass). East from Wysoka on the border of Stara Kamienica Basin to Kopa Wysoki Grzbiet becomes distinctly narrower Kromnów at the foot of Zimna Przełęcz. and the top parts more rocky. Here Izerskie Garby Góry Izerskie create an expanding and branched (1088 m), Zwalisko (1047 m) and Wysoki Kamień orographic system reflecting the complex (1058 m) stand out. Towards the east Wysoki geological structure of the entire mountain Grzbiet easily subsides towards Zbójeckie Skały complex with granite central part and (686 m) towards Górzyniec. metamorphic aureole. The mountain ridges and Grzbiet Kamieniecki begins in the west with a lofty massifs forming this system are mostly laying top of Sępia Góra (828 m) just above Świeradów evenly with a parallel of latitude. They are Zdrój and then follows towards the east through characterized by wide, sometimes concave Dłużec (867 m) and Kowalówka (888 m) from hilltops with domed tops, covered by peat lands which an arm ending with Wygorzel (518 m) and often grown with forest. They constitute heads towards south. Grzbiet Kamieniecki fragments of old tertiary surface planation which through broad top of the tallest Kamienica (973 m) in earlier tertiary period underwent tectonic subsides to Rozdroże Izerskie behind which it partition and irregular, askew up thrust till the follows as a distinctive ridge through Jastrzębiec present height, seldom exceeding 1000-1100 m (792 m) and a number of smaller culminations till above sea level. In the area of Czechoslovakia the shallow Babia Przełęcz (646 m). Behind Babia beginning from the west a short Oldřichovsky Przełęcz an isolated Ciemniak (699m ) rises Hřeben with Špicak (724 m) stands out and subsiding through Bobrowe Skały towards Zimna connects from south-east with the wide-spread Przełęcz (525 m). with several heights among which Holubnik (1070 m), Černa hora (1084 m), Smĕdavska hora (1084 Geological structure m) stand out and the highest Jizera. (1122 m). The Polish part of Góry Izerskie belongs to the North of the valley of Smĕda and south of Nove unit named Iser metamorphit which constitutes Mĕsto under Smrek Vlaŝsky hrĕben follows the north western shield of Variscan granite towards south-east with the heights: Smrk (1124 intrusion of Karkonosze-Iser block. It is composed m), Černy vrch (1023 m) and Zamky (1002 m). of different types of metamorphic rocks: gneiss, Strĕdni jizersky hrĕben with Česky vrch (912) is clusters of granite and mica slate, created mainly adjacent from the east, parallel but much shorter. during the Caledonian orogenesis. There are In the south , distinctly separated from the rest of three basic types of gneiss categorized according the mountain complex, parallel situated tops in the to structural and textural features: gneiss, fine grained gneiss, and gneiss*. A separate category manufacture.