Niemcza

Niemcza [ˈɲɛmt͡ʂa] (German: Nimptsch) is a town in Dzierżoniów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland.

people of the Lusatian culture fortified the so-called "city hill" and incorporated this fortification into their Silesian defence system.

This preurban civitas consisted of a settlement enclosed by imposing ramparts in great-moravian design (the only one in Silesia), the castellany castle with St. Peter chapel, first mentioned in 1288/95, and a market place around St. Adalbert church, one of the oldest churches of Silesia, outside and to the west of the ramparts.

[4] The settlement however grew only slow as the new German town was founded directly on the soil of the cramped old Polish urbs, whereas the more spacious market place around St. Adalbert was remodeled to a village.

[6] Remarkable was the establishment of the parish church of St. Mary, which in 1295 was assigned to both Poles and Germans for shared and separate usage.

In 1322 both the town and municipal area (Weichbild) became a pledged possession of the Duchy of Świdnica, whose duke Bolko I. used the strategic position of Niemcza in his fight against Bohemia.

[7] Nimptsch, which was equipped below average, enclosed by noble properties, on the periphery of the municipal area, in the extreme western corner of the duchy and close to the far more successful foundations of Reichenbach (Dzierżoniów) and Frankenstein (Ząbkowice Śląskie), could never overcome such backlashes.

[7] The slow rebuilding, with the help of immigrated Bohemians, was again stopped by several major fires, which destroyed the town hall and parts of the residence.

[9] After the defeat of Nazi Germany Nimptsch passed again to Poland and the historic Polish name Niemcza was restored.

Of the three preserved historical buildings at that time the Renaissance octagon of the residence and the Catholic Church are decayed and demolished.

[7] The officially protected traditional foods from Niemcza (as designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland) are various meat products, including kiełbasa niemczańska and kiełbasa galicjanka z Niemczy, two local types kiełbasa,[12][13] szynka wieprzowa niemczańska, a local type of smoked ham,[14] słonina marynowana z Niemczy, a local type of marinated słonina,[15] and home-made Niemcza meat in pieces (mięso w kawałkach niemczańskie domowe), which consists of various types of meat, cut into pieces, marinated with spices, and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and herbs.

It was the first club of Niemcza native, Poland national football team player, Krzysztof Piątek.

A monument commemorating the Polish defense of Niemcza in 1017 at the Market Square
The historical fortifications and gate near the entrance to the Old Town
Nimptsch in 1752, drawing by Friedrich Bernhard Werner