Leśnica, Wrocław

This article is about the district in Wrocław. For the town in Poland, see Leśnica. For other uses, see Lesnica (disambiguation) and Lešnica (disambiguation).

Leśnica (Polish pronunciation: [lɛɕˈɲit͡sa], German: Lissa^[a], [ˈlɪsa]) is a district in Wrocław, Poland, located in the western part of the city. It was established in the territory of the former Fabryczna district.

Leśnica
District of Wrocław
General view
Location of Leśnica within Wrocław
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lower Silesian
County/City	Wrocław
First mentioned	1201
Incorporated into the city	1928
Established the modern-day district	1991
Population  (2022)
• Total	31,971
	[1]
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Area code	+48 71
Website	lesnica.org

Name

In a medieval document written in Latin and issued in Wrocław in 1266, which was signed by Silesian Duke Henry III the White, the village is listed under the name Lesnitz.^[2]

Since the German name Lissa was also carried by Leszno, Leśnica was referred to as Deutsch Lissa as opposed to Polnisch Lissa.^[3]

History

Leśnica Castle, first built as a residence of the Piast dynasty in the 12th century, later a bourgeois residence, today a cultural center

National road 94 in Leśnica

Leśnica was first mentioned in 1201, when it was part of medieval Piast-ruled Poland, although it was founded earlier with a stronghold and castle of the Piast dukes built in the 12th century. Duke Bolesław I the Tall died in the castle in 1201. Leśnica was granted a town charter in 1261, which was degraded before 1700.^[4]

The settlement was incorporated into Breslau (today's Wrocław) in 1928.^[3]

During World War II, Nazi Germany operated a subcamp of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp in the district, in which mostly Poles were imprisoned, but also some Ukrainians, Russians, Germans, Frenchmen, Czechs, Yugoslavs,^[5] and a forced labour subcamp of the city's juvenile prison.^[6] The still living prisoners of the subcamp of Gross-Rosen were evacuated to the main camp in a death march in January 1945.^[5]

In 1991, after reforms in the administrative division of Wrocław, Leśnica became one of the city's 48 districts.^[7]

Notes

1. Also called Deutsch Lissa as opposed to Polnisch Lissa.