Parowa is a sprawling village situated amid forests along the Czarna Wielka River. Until 1945, it was known by the German name Tiefenfurt. From the very beginning of its existence, the settlement was divided into two parts: the left-bank and right-bank sections. This affected the division of the county boundary. One part of the settlement belonged to Zgorzelec County, while the other belonged to Bolesławiec County. It was only in 1938 that both parts of the settlement were merged and incorporated into Bolesławiec County.
In the first centuries of its existence, the settlement was renowned for the work of tar makers, ironworkers and charcoal burners, who produced charcoal. The tradition of wood burning died out at the end of the 19th century. The history of the settlement was associated with the names of families including the Penzigs, the Solms and the Rechenbergs.
From the beginning of the 19th century, Parowa was known in the region for producing ceramic goods. On 28 January 1808, the first faience factory was established in the settlement; in 1865, it was transformed into a manufacturing plant. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were three factories and one decorating workshop operating here. During the interwar period, the owner of the Tuppack porcelain factory built greenhouses where he cultivated exotic plants from South America.
One of the settlement’s most interesting historic monuments is the Church of St Anthony, built in the 15th century; according to some sources, however, its roots date back to the 13th century.
In 1530, the settlement’s residents converted to Protestantism, and one of the first pastors was Urban Bellner, ordained in 1544 by Martin Luther in Wittenberg.
The settlement’s educational traditions date back to the first half of the 16th century, when a village school was established. Writing, reading and religion were taught there. Educational traditions have continued in the pre-war school building since 19 November 1946, and the institution’s first post-war head was Mr Jóźwiak.
In 1825, the village had 430 inhabitants. As the factories developed, the population grew to 1,346 residents in 1939; today, it numbers approximately 960 people.
Today, the interesting and distinctive architecture of former Parowa can be admired on old postcards that have survived the upheavals of history.
Sebastian Zielonka – historian, graduate of the University of Wrocław. Specialization: archival studies 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: W. Bena, A. Paczos, Along the Kwisa, Lubań 2009; Lower Silesia – A Historical Monograph, edited by W. Wrzesiński, Wrocław 2006.