Brzeg Dolny

The first reference to “Brzeg” settlement, situated on the right coast of Odra River, can be found in Ksiega Ziemska Ksiestwa Warszawskiego in 1353. An older source certificate was Wawrzyn village, nowadays city’s district, mentioned for the first time in a document from 1261. The archeological excavation confirms the existence of a settlement in the early Middle Ages, in 6th-8th century.

Fishermen and trackers live in this settlement. There are proves that in 1491, there was a ferry crossing here, which exists until this day. In 1633, on the then city’s owner, Jerzy Abraham von Dyhrna’s initiative, the settlement gained city rights from an emperor, Leopold I. In 1686, Jews settled in a city, and they set up a neighborhood, synagogue, school and cemetery. From that time also, a Jewish printing company, the only one besides Prague in this part of Europe, started operating and printing books in Hebrew. In Brzeg Dolny, it is worth to visit the palace and monastery complex from 17th century, the Market and church of the Mother of God Szkaplerzna built in 17th century, church of All Saints in Wawrzyn, chapel of St.Jadwiga with a grave chapel, 19th and 20th –century town-houses in the Market and its neighborhood as well as the monastic complex ss. Boromeuszki.

Winsko

The first reference about Winsko comes from 963. As early as back then, it was a big industrial settlement with an urban character. The main trading route run across Winsko. Kept until today, a coat of arms of Winsko was given by the King Wladyslaw Jagielonczyk.

On the slopes of the hills extended grapes plantations. The wine and beer industry was flourishing. It is worth to see here the late gothic church of Holly Trinity from the beginning of the 14th century, church of St. Michael Archangel, Jewish cemetery, palace complex with a beautiful park and the monastery oo. Carmelites in Glebowice, built in 17th century. In the nearby village, Konary, it is worth to see an obelisk in honor of F.K. Archard, the originator of the European sugar industry, built on the foundations of the first in the world sugar factory producing sugar from sugar beets. His grave can be seen on the cemetery in Moczydlica Dworska. Between Glebowice and Trzcina Wolowska, Carmelites built 14 chapels, among which only 7 survived. Together with a final picturesque chapel of the Mother of God Bolesna on the hill in Trzebnica, they constituted the Way of the Cross. The 300-anniversary of the Trzcinska chapel falls on the year of 2001. In a scenically situated village of Biakow, there is an astronomical observatory of Wroclawski University equipped with one of the three in the world coronographs used to observe the sun.

Wolow

A lot of attractions of Wolowski County is connected with the rich history if this region. The oldest reference about the name Wolow (Wolowo, Wolovo) comes from 1202, 1218, 1221 and 1233. In each of them though, the village of Stary Wolow and Krzywy Wolow are mentioned as the industrial settlements near the important trading routes.

It was Stary Wolow that was the first origin of the future city. In Wolow, which was given its city rights in 1285 by the Scinawski Prince Przemek and its name owes to huge trade fairs-Woly, it is worth to visit the gothic Town Hall built in the second half of the 15th century, castle from the turn of 15th and 16th century (today the seat of the county’s authorities), post-evangelical church of St.Wawrzyniec built in 14th century and the church of St. Karol Boromeusz, which is a post-monastic compound, built in 18th century. In a nearby Lubiaz, situated on the right coast of Odra River among meadows and forests on a small hill, there is a Cistercian post-monastic complex from 12th century, one of the most precious and biggest baroque monastic foundation in Central Europe.