Nysa (German Neisse or Neiße) is a town in south-western Poland on the Nysa Kłodzka river, with 52,000 inhabitants (2004), situated in the Opole Voivodship.
History
Nysa is one of the oldest towns in Silesia. It was probably founded in the 10th century and afterwards became the capital of a principality of its name, which around 1200 became part of the bishopric of Wrocław. The town received its first fortifications in 1350 so that Nysa could withstand the attacks of the Hussites in 1424. During the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) it was besieged three times. The first Silesian War (1740/1741, War of the Austrian Succession) ended the Austrian sovereignty over Silesia and left the town in the hands of King Friedrich II of Prussia, who laid the foundations of its modern fortifications. On 25 August 1769 Nysa was the site of a meeting between Friedrich II of Prussia and Emperor Joseph II, co-regent in Austria. During the Napoleonic wars Nysa was taken by the French in 1807. Nysa retained its mostly Catholic character within the predominantly Protestant province of Upper Silesia in Prussia. Because of its many churches from the Gothic and Baroque periods the town was nicknamed "the Silesian Rome".
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Last updated: 07-30-2005 18:10:34
