Janowice Wielkie

Janowice Wielkie
Janowice Wielkie
Village
	Janowice Wielkie
	Coordinates: 50°53′N 15°55′E / 50.883°N 15.917°E
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lower Silesian
County	Jelenia Góra
Gmina	Janowice Wielkie
Population	2,100

Janowice Wielkie [janɔˈvit͡sɛ ˈvjɛlkʲɛ] is a village in Jelenia Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland.^[1] It is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Janowice Wielkie. The town lies approximately 14 kilometres (9 mi) east of Jelenia Góra and 84 km (52 mi) west of the regional capital Wrocław (Breslau).

Until May 1945 Jannowitz was in Germany, the far-western part of Silesia, and a summer resort in the foothills of the Silesian or Great Mountains. From here is a direct route south to Bolczów Castle, elevation 561 m or 1,841 ft), the imposing ruins of an old castle destroyed by the Swedes in 1643.^[2]

At the end of World War II, Jannowitz fell into the Soviet Zone of occupation, with the rest of Silesia. The Soviets handed the entire province over to their client state, communist Poland. The German population was expelled.