Before World War II, Nowogrodziec was known by the German name Naumburg. In 1233, it was granted town rights under German law. Around 1247, the Magdalene Sisters were brought to the town, where they remained until October 10, 1810. At the end of the 13th century, a great fire broke out, and a few years later more than half of the inhabitants were decimated by an epidemic.
In 1413, the Magdalene Sisters were granted judicial rights over the inhabitants. On September 21, 1500, at the sisters’ initiative, the first water supply system was launched. In the mid-16th century, Janos Anders arrived in the town from Bolesławiec and established the first ceramics workshop. He had not received permission to open his own workshop in Bolesławiec, so he moved to nearby Nowogrodziec.
In 1651, more than 1,000 people lived in the town, and in the second half of the 17th century a Baroque Magdalene monastery complex and a potters’ guild were established, while the first brick-built town hall was erected.
The 18th century was a time of fires. The most tragic one took place on August 8, 1717, when almost the entire town and part of the monastery buildings burned down after being struck by lightning.
At the very beginning of the 19th century, a flood struck the town, causing extensive damage. In 1853, master potter August Franke made a huge vessel with a capacity of 3,107 liters, approximately twice as large as the great vessel made by master Joppe of Bolesławiec. It was an expression of the rivalry between the towns for prestige in the region.
At the end of the 19th century, a lookout tower was erected in the southern part of the town thanks to a foundation established by Rudolph Simon. In 1904, the town gained a railway connection on the Zebrzydowa–Lubań line. Toward the end of World War II, the former Magdalene monastery was destroyed. In the 1960s, Nowogrodziec had 2,075 inhabitants, while in 2005 the town was home to 4,056 people.
Today, we can admire the beauty and achievements of former Nowogrodziec in old postcards and photographs that have survived to our times.
Sebastian Zielonka – historian and graduate of the University of Wrocław. Specialization: archival science and conservation documentation. He is interested in the history of the region and the social life of Europeans in the 20th century. In his free time, he travels.
Sources:
“Sudety” 2007, no. 5.
Lower Silesia. A Historical Monograph, edited by W. Wrzesiński, Wrocław 2006.