Wąsosz

Wąsosz
Market Square (Rynek) in Wąsosz
Coat of arms
Wąsosz
Coordinates: 51°33′N 16°42′E / 51.550°N 16.700°E / 51.550; 16.700
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lower Silesian
County	Góra
Gmina	Wąsosz
Town rights	1290
Government
• Mayor	Paweł Niedźwiedź
Area
• Total	3.24 km2 (1.25 sq mi)
Highest elevation	100 m (300 ft)
Lowest elevation	80 m (260 ft)
Population  (2019-06-30[1])
• Total	2,662
• Density	820/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	56-210
Vehicle registration	DGR
National roads
Website	http://wasosz.eu/

Wąsosz [ˈvɔ̃sɔʂ] (formerly German: Herrnstadt) is a town in Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Wąsosz. It lies approximately 17 kilometres (11 mi) south-east of Góra, and 53 kilometres (33 mi) north-west of the regional capital Wrocław. The rivers Orla and Barycz meet here.

As of 2019, the town had a population of 2,662.

Wąsosz dates back to the medieval Piast-ruled Kingdom of Poland and its name is of Polish origin. Following the fragmentation of Poland into smaller provincial duchies, Wąsosz initially formed part of Greater Poland before it passed to Silesia,^[2][3] and later the Duchy of Głogów. It was granted town rights by Henry III, Duke of Głogów^[4] in 1290. It was part of the Duchy of Głogów of fragmented Poland and in the 14th century the local castle of the Piast dukes was built.^[4] The castle was unsuccessfully besieged by the Hussites in 1432. In 1520 Wąsosz passed to the bishops of Wrocław and in 1525 it passed again under Piast rule as part of the Duchy of Legnica.^[4]

After the dissolution of the duchy in 1675, the town became part of Habsburg-ruled Bohemia, in the 18th century it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia. With the Prussian-led Unification of Germany, it became part of Germany in 1871 and was located in the Guhrau district in the Prussian Province of Silesia and later in the Province of Lower Silesia. During World War II, in 1943, the Germans established a camp for Polish children up to 5 years of age, who were deemed "racially worthless", and whose mothers were deported to forced labour camps in Lower Silesia.^[5] At least 485 Polish children passed through the camp, and due to its terrible sanitary conditions many died and the bodies were transported in wheelbarrows to the local cemetery.^[5] Only 39 children survived until the liberation of the camp.^[5] Local pastor Paul Tillmann rescued these children when, during the German evacuation the camp, he opposed the idea of blowing up the building with the children, and looked after them until the town was liberated.^[5] Towards the end of the war, the town was captured by the Soviet Red Army, and then became again part of Poland.

• 
  Catholic Church of Saint Joseph
• 
  Smolensk air disaster memorial
• 
  Plaque from 1960 commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Poland, 670th anniversary of Wąsosz and the 15th anniversary of Poland's recovery of Lower Silesia

Media related to Wąsosz at Wikimedia Commons

• Town of Wąsosz official website