Kluczbork

History

Archaeologists have determined that settlement existed at the location of present-day Kluczbork by 1000–800 BC. The Germanic Scirii and Bastarnae settled in the vicinity and were followed c. 100 BC by Celts and various Germanic tribes, including Silingi and Vandals. The latter left Silesia c. 400 and West Slavs came to the region in the 7th century (see Silesians). By 1000 AD Silesian territory was conquered by recently established dukes of Polans.

In the 13th century the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star acquired territory near Wrocław, including the villages Młodoszów, Kuniów, and Chocianowice. The Knights build a settlement on November 2, 1252. Named Cruceburg, it received Magdeburg rights on February 26, 1253, the official date of foundation for the town. The Knights adjudicated in the town until 1274, when it was administered by a vogt of local Silesian dukes and juries were introduced. Dukes holding sway over the town included Henryk IV Probus (until 1290), Henry III, Duke of Głogów (until 1309), and Konrad I of Oleśnica.

With the Congress of Visegrád (1335), King Casimir III of Poland renounced his rights to Silesia and the town passed to the Holy Roman Empire. with king John I of Bohemia the town was repeatedly pawned during this time period and received the privileges of a salt market in 1426. From 1480 the town was inhabited by a predominantly Polish-speaking populace. After the death of King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia at the Battle of Mohács in 1526, Silesia was inherited by the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria.

The textile industry began to grow in importance in 1553, but suffered a fire in 1569. Another great fire destroyed many houses on December 8, 1562.

On January 25, 1588, the day after the Battle of Byczyna, Polish troops under Jan Zamoyski plundered the city. The townspeople accepted the Protestant Reformation in 1656 and converted the local Roman Catholic Church into a Lutheran one. The town passed to the direct control of the Catholic Habsburgs the following year. The town had a population of approximately one thousand inhabitants in 1681.

A fire on April 23, 1737 almost completely destroyed the town, leaving only a few houses and the castle unscathed. Several years of rebuilding passed before it reached its previous size.

Cruceburg (later spelled Creutzburg, Creuzburg, Kreuzburg) was originally part of the Lower Silesian Duchy of Brieg, but in the 18th century came to Upper Silesia. Citing an inheritance treaty, which was not honored by Habsburg rulers, King Frederick II of Prussia invaded Silesia in 1740 and began the Silesian Wars. Kreuzburg was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1741 and became part of the Province of Silesia. The town became part of the German Empire upon the unification of Germany in 1871. It had a predominantly German-speaking population of 5,238 in 1875. The population grew to 8,750 by 1895 and 10,236 by 1900.

Following the Treaty of Versailles after World War I, Kreuzburg was involved in the Upper Silesian referendum in 1921. 95.6% (37,957 votes out of 39,703 participants) voted to remain within Weimar Germany instead of joining the Second Polish Republic. It became part of the Province of Upper Silesia; to differentiate between other places named Kreuzburg, it was known as Kreuzburg O.S. (referring to Oberschlesien, or Upper Silesia). By 1939 the town was the seat of Landkreis Kreuzburg O.S. and had 11,693 inhabitants.

The town was captured by the Soviet Union's Red Army in 20 January 1945 during World War II. Following the war in 1945, became part of Poland. The Germans remaining in the town fled or were expelled and replaced with Poles.

Economy

Kluczbork's economy is dominated by the production of machinery, knitwear and construction material, alongside newly emerging industries, namely: the transport sector, trade, agriculture and the food production sector as well as being the centre for the Kluczbork County's banks and other financial institutions. The Gmina Kluczbork has some 1800 businesses (1300 of which are located within the city's boundaries). The largest factories in Kluczbork are: Fabryka Maszyn i Urządzeń „Famak” (machinery production), PV „Prefabet - Kluczbork” S.A. (concrete materials) and Wagrem sp. z o.o. Kluczbork (weighing scale repairs).

The part of the town of Kluczbork, around Ligota Dolna, is part of the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone (area of 53939 ha). The current investors in the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone are: Marcegaglia Poland, Inpol-Krak Tubes Service Center and the German Seppeler Gruppe Ocynkownia Śląsk (galvanisation company).

Sport

MKS Kluczbork is a professional association football club founded in 2003 as a result of a merger of two local clubs.

Notable residents

Twin towns — sister cities

Kluczbork is twinned with: