A town in the Jelenia Góra Voivodeship, situated in the northern part of the Izera Foothills on the Kwisa River, at the mouth of the Wisa, northwest of Jelenia Góra. In the early Middle Ages, there was a fortified settlement here at a crossing over the Kwisa, on the border between Silesia and Lusatia. It was first mentioned in 1233, when it received Lwówek Śląski municipal rights from Henry the Bearded. A market settlement developed alongside the stronghold and received Magdeburg–Lwówek municipal rights in 1233. In 1217, an Augustinian monastery was built in the town; in 1247, it was handed over to the Order of the Magdalene Sisters. The monastery assumed patronage over nearby churches and, over time, became the owner of surrounding villages and, from 1495, of the town as well. In 1233, the town was mentioned as Nuenburg; in the Wrocław bull of 1245, the Latinized name Novum Castrum appears, while a record from 1249 gives the name Nuenburg super Quissum. From 1249, the town belonged to the Duchy of Legnica; from 1301, to the Duchy of Jawor; from 1345, to the Duchy of Świdnica-Jawor (from 1368, a fief of the Bohemian Crown); and from 1392, to Bohemia. In 1526, together with all of Czech Silesia, it came within the borders of Prussia. After the Hussite War, in 1427, the town was surrounded by defensive walls. The town’s coat of arms has been known from its oldest seal since 1470. In 1500, a wooden water-supply system was put into use. The town’s first pottery workshops were established, using the area’s good-quality local clay. In 1566, the “Shooting Brotherhood” was founded, and in 1723 an anonymous benefactor erected a statue of St. John of Nepomuk in the market square. The town was repeatedly struck by fires and plague epidemics. A fire in 1766 completely destroyed the town; from that time onward, brick buildings began to be erected. The monastery, school, town hall, churches and hospital were rebuilt. In 1784, the town had 1,000 inhabitants and well-developed crafts and trade. At the beginning of the 19th century, in addition to natural disasters followed by famine, the town was troubled by the passage of French troops. At that time, King Frederick William III of Prussia ordered the confiscation of monastic and church property; the buildings were allocated for a court, a school and an Evangelical church. In 1900, the town received electric power, a telephone exchange and a printing house. In 1933, the 700th anniversary of the town’s foundation and the 350th anniversary of the founding of the “Shooting Brotherhood” were celebrated.
Until 1945, the town’s official name was Naumberg an der Queis. During wartime operations in 1945, 60% of the town was destroyed; it was rebuilt after the war. The town received the name Nowogrodziec in 1947.