Chojnów

For other uses, see Chojnów (disambiguation).

The word Haynau redirects here. For the Austrian general, please see Julius Jacob von Haynau.

Chojnów
Town hall in Chojnów
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Friendly city (Przyjazne miasto)
Chojnów
Coordinates: 51°16′N 15°56′E / 51.267°N 15.933°E / 51.267; 15.933
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lower Silesian
County	Legnica
Gmina	Chojnów (urban gmina)
Established	14th century
Town rights	1333
Government
– Mayor	Jan Serkies
Area
– Total	5.32 km2 (2.1 sq mi)
Elevation	170 m (558 ft)
Population (2006)
– Total	14,389
– Density	2,704.7/km2 (7,005.1/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
– Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	59-224, 59-225
Area code(s)	+48 76
Car plates	DLE
Website	http://chojnow.eu/

Chojnów [ˈxɔjnuf] ( listen) (German: Haynau) is a small town in Legnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is located on the Skora river, a tributary of the Kaczawa at an average altitude of 170 m (560 ft) above sea level. Chojnów is the administrative seat of the rural gmina called Gmina Chojnów, although the town is not part of its territory and forms a separate urban gmina. As of 2006 it had 14,389 inhabitants.

Chojnów is located 18 km (11 mi) west of Legnica, 26 km (16 mi) east from Bolesławiec and 18 km (11 mi) north of Złotoryja, 5 km (3.1 mi) from the A4 motorway. It has railroad connections to Bolesławiec and Legnica.

History

The settlement of Haynow was mentioned in a 1272 deed. It was already called a civitas in a 1288 document issued by the Piast duke Henry V of Legnica, and officially received town privileges in 1333.

After World War II and the implementation of the Oder-Neisse line in 1945, the town passed to the Republic of Poland. The German population was expelled from the region.

Chojnów today

Chojnów is an industrial and agricultural town. Among local products are: paper, agricultural machinery, chains, metal furniture for hospitals, equipment for the meat industry, beer, wine, leather clothing, and clothing for infants, children and adults. The local government-run weekly newspaper is Gazeta Chojnowska, which has been published since 1992.

Among the interesting monuments of Chojnów are the 13th century castle of the Dukes of Legnica (currently used as a museum), two old churches, the Baszta Tkaczy (Weavers' Tower) and preserved fragments of city walls.

The biggest green area in Chojnów is small forest Park Piastowski (Piast's Park), named after the Polish Piast dynasty. Wild animals that can be found in the Chojnów area are roe-deer (sarna, Capreolus capraea ?), foxes, rabbits and wild domestic animals, especially cats.

Every year in the first days of June, the Days of Chojnów (Dni Chojnowa) are celebrated. The Whole-Poland bike race Masters has been organized yearly in Chojnów for the past few years.

Notable people

• Johann Wilhelm Ritter, chemist and physicist, born December 16, 1776 in nearby Samitz, died January 23, 1810 in Munich
• Georg Michaelis, politician, former Minister President of Prussia, born September 8, 1857, died July 24, 1936 in Bad Saarow
• Horst Mahler, lawyer, former RAF militant, now Neo-Nazi activist, born January 23, 1936

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Twin towns — sister cities

Chojnów is twinned with:

• Egelsbach, Germany
• Commentry, France

References

External links

• (Polish) City hall homepage
• (Polish) Chojnow social news portal
• (Polish) Chojnow Online
• (Polish) E-info about Chojnow
• (Polish) Chojnow social news portal
• (Polish) Chojnów at the Open Directory Project

Coordinates: 51°16′N 15°56′E / 51.267°N 15.933°E / 51.267; 15.933