Lower Silesian Voivodeship

Lower Silesian Voivodeship (, ) in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. It covers an area of and has a total population of 2,899,986.

It is one of the wealthiest provinces in Poland, as natural resources such as copper, brown coal and rock materials are widely present.

Its capital and largest city is Wrocław, situated on the Oder River. The voivodeship is host to several spa towns, many castles and palaces, and the Giant Mountains, with several ski resorts. For this reason, tourism is a large part of this region's economy.

History

In the past 1,200 years, the region has been part of Great Moravia, the Medieval Kingdom of Poland, the Crown of Bohemia, Kingdom of Hungary, Habsburg monarchy (Austria), Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, and modern Poland after 1945.

thumb|left|The oldest known Polish written sentence in the [[Book of Henryków, now held by the Archdiocesan Museum in Wrocław]]

Silesian tribes settled the lands at the end of the first millennium after the Migration Period. In the 9th century, the region became part of Great Moravia under Svatopluk I of Moravia and in the 10th century, Mieszko I of the Piast dynasty eventually incorporated the region to Poland. The region withstood German invasions with decisive Polish victories at Niemcza (1017) and Głogów (1109), both commemorated with monuments. It was divided into small realms reigned by Silesian branches of Piast dukes after the testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138. Wrocław was mentioned as one of three centers of the Kingdom of Poland, along with Kraków and Sandomierz, in the early-12th-century Gesta principum Polonorum chronicle. In 1241, it was the place of the Battle of Legnica, the largest battle of the Mongol invasions of Poland. With the Ostsiedlung, the cultural and ethnic Germanic influence grew with an influx of immigrants from the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, and since the 1330s when it was subjugated to the Kingdom of Bohemia, although large portions of Lower Silesia still formed Polish-ruled duchies under the houses of Piast, Jagiellon and Sobieski, some up to the 17th and 18th century. Chief medieval ducal capitals of the area were Wrocław, Legnica, Głogów, Świdnica and Jawor. Lower Silesia was, during the Middle Ages, one of Poland's cultural centers. The Book of Henryków (1273), which contains the earliest known sentence written in the Polish language, as well as a document which contains the oldest printed text in Polish, were both created within it. The first granting of municipal privileges in Poland took place in the region, with the granting of rights for Złotoryja by Henry the Bearded. Medieval municipal rights modeled after Lwówek Śląski and Środa Śląska, both established by Henry the Bearded, became the basis of municipal form of government for several cities and towns in Poland, and two of five local Polish variants of medieval town rights. Burial sights of medieval Polish monarchs from the Piast dynasty are located in the province.

thumb|left|Early 20th-century view of the mausoleum of the last Piast dukes in the [[Church of St. John the Baptist in Legnica|Church of St. John the Baptist in Legnica]]

In 1469, Lower Silesia passed to Hungary, and in 1490 it fell back to Bohemia, then ruled by the Jagiellonian dynasty, then together with it became part of the Habsburg monarchy (1526). In 1742/44, the territory was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and subsequently became part of the German Empire (1871). Over the centuries, Lower Silesia has experienced several epochal events such as the Protestant Reformation, the Silesian Wars, Napoleonic Wars, industrialisation and the two World Wars. Before and during World War II, the region's Polish and Jewish populations were persecuted by Nazi Germany. During the war, Germany operated numerous prisons and camps in the region, most notably the Gross-Rosen concentration camp and Stalag VIII-A prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs of various nationalities, both with multiple subcamps scattered throughout the region and beyond, including forced labour camps at the Project Riese construction project. There was also a camp for kidnapped Polish children up to 5 years of age deemed "racially worthless" in Wąsosz, and a youth prison in Wołów with several forced labour subcamps in the region, whereas Kamieniec Ząbkowicki was the place of Aktion T4 murders of mentally ill children by involuntary euthanasia. In 1945, Lower Silesia was made again part of Poland as agreed at the post-war Potsdam Conference. As a consequence, Lower Silesia suffered a nearly total loss of its pre-war population between 1945 and 1950. Polish citizens dispossessed by the Soviets were then settled in the now emptied lands.

The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra Voivodeships, following the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998.

Geography

Although much of the region is relatively low-lying, Lower Silesia includes the Sudeten Foreland, as well as part of the Sudetes mountain range, that runs along the Polish/Czech border. Ski resorts in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship include Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba in the Karkonosze mountains.

Lower Silesian Forest, the largest continuous forest of Poland, is mostly located within the voivodeship. The village of Henryków Lubański contains Poland's oldest tree, an over-1200-year-old yew, listed as a natural monument.

The voivodeship has a number of mineral springs and is host to a large number of spa towns. The highest point in the voivodeship is Mount Śnieżka ( above sea level) while the lowest point is located in the Oder River Valley ( above sea level).

Lower Silesian Voivodeship is bordered by Lubusz Voivodeship to the north-west, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the north-east, Opole Voivodeship to the south-east, the Czech Republic (Hradec Králové Region, Liberec Region, Olomouc Region and Pardubice Region) to the south, and Germany (Saxony) to the west.

Transport

Wrocław Airport serves as an international and domestic airport.

Wrocław Główny is the most used railway station in Poland, serving an average of 21.2 million passengers annually. It offers the domestic and international connections of various carriers. The voivodeship has of the densest active railway networks in Poland thanks to its revitalisation programme. Most of the reopened connections are served by the voivodeship-owned Lower Silesian Railways.

The A4 motorway, A8 motorway, A18 motorway and S3 Expressway, S5 Expressway, S8 Expressway also run through the voivodeship.

Wrocław Dworzec Główny.jpg|Wrocław Główny railway station is a major railway station in Lower Silesia

Impuls 45WE-024.jpg|A Lower Silesian Railways train at Wrocław Główny

Terminal T2 we Wrocławiu.jpg|Wrocław Airport

2012-05 Autostrada A4 01.jpg|A4 motorway nearJędrzychowice

2015 Wiadukt w Lewinie Kłodzkim (02).jpg|The viaduct in Lewin Kłodzki, on the Kłodzko Nowe–Kudowa-Zdrój railway

</gallery>

Tourism

thumb|[[Wrocław Town Hall]]

Tourism is important for Lower Silesian Voivodeship. There are 99 castles and hundreds of palaces. A lot are located Jelenia Góra Valley.

Wrocław being the largest city in the voivodeship has many sights and attractions, including the Market Square, the Cathedral Island and Wrocław's dwarfs. The Festival of Good Beer is held every year of June.

The annual international Chopin Festival is held in the Fryderyk Chopin Theatre in the town of Duszniki-Zdrój. Other major attraction of the town is the Museum of Papermaking, established in a 17th-century paper mill.

Śnieżka is the highest peak of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship and the whole of the Sudetes.

thumb|left|[[Śnieżka - the highest peak of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship]]

The voivodeship contains 11 spa towns (Długopole-Zdrój, Duszniki-Zdrój, Jedlina-Zdrój, Kudowa-Zdrój, Lądek-Zdrój, Polanica-Zdrój, Przerzeczyn-Zdrój, Szczawno-Zdrój, Świeradów-Zdrój), more than any other province of Poland.

There are various museums, including the major National Museum in Wrocław with the branch Racławice Panorama Museum, and the Archdiocese Museum in Wrocław, which contains the Book of Henryków. Wrocław also hosts the Post and Telecommunications Museum, Poland's chief museum dedicated to postal history. The Regional Museum in Środa Śląska holds the Środa Treasure, containing medieval gold and silver coins, jewellery and royal regalia, considered one of the most precious archaeological findings of 20th-century Europe. The Ossolineum in Wrocław is a National Institute and Library of great importance, and the Pan Tadeusz Museum, containing the manuscript of the Polish national epos, Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz, serves as its branch. Bolesławiec, center of pottery production since the Middle Ages, hosts the Museum of Ceramics. The former gold mines in Złoty Stok and Złotoryja, tin and cobalt mine in Krobica, nickel mine in Szklary,

Museum of Papermaking in Duszniki-Zdrój (also inscribed on the tentative list of World Heritage Sites)
Palace and landscape parks of the Jelenia Góra Valley
Abbey and palace and park ensemble in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki
Baroque Krzeszów Abbey, which hosts the Icon of Our Lady of Grace, the oldest Marian icon in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe; one of the burial sites of the Piast dynasty
Książ Castle and Park ensemble
Baroque Benedictine Abbey and St. Jadwiga's Basilica, Legnickie Pole
Fort Srebrna Góra
Gothic Saints Peter and Paul Basilica, Strzegom
Gothic Świdnica Cathedral
Former Cistercian Abbey and Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga, Trzebnica, one of the burial sites of the Piast dynasty
Old Town of Wrocław
Romanesque-Gothic Saint George church in Ziębice
Gothic-Mannerist Holy Trinity church in Żórawina

thumb|Main refectory of the [[Lubiąż Abbey]]

There are several burial sites of Polish monarchs and dukes from the Piast dynasty, including at Henryków, Lubiąż, Trzebnica, and several in Legnica and Wrocław. The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Krzeszów and Church of St. John the Baptist in Legnica contain entire Baroque mausoleums of the Piast dukes from the Świdnica and Legnica lines, respectively.

Other rather unique historic structures include the Skull Chapel in Kudowa-Zdrój and the Vang Stave Church in Karpacz. The Ducal Tower in Siedlęcin contains one of the best preserved medieval frescos in Poland, and the world's only in situ depiction of Sir Lancelot.

World War II sites include the museum at the former Nazi German Gross-Rosen concentration camp and memorials at the sites of other Nazi camps and prisons, at the sites of Nazi massacres, and to the Polish resistance movement, etc. A portion of the underground structures built as part of the unfinished Nazi German Project Riese is available for tourists. One of the largest war cemeteries in Poland, of the Second Polish Army from World War II, is located in Zgorzelec. One of the few Italian war cemeteries in Poland is located in Wrocław (from World War I), and there is also a mass grave of Italian soldiers from World War II in Bolesławiec (see also Italy–Poland relations).

There are also the Kłodzko and Srebrna Góra fortresses, which initially served for military purposes, and during World War II as German prisons for prisoners of various nationalities, especially Polish.

20160502 Zamek Książ 6244.jpg|Książ Castle in Wałbrzych

SM Legnica Zamek (1) ID 593146.jpg|Piast Castle in Legnica

Czocha(js)2a.jpg|Czocha Castle

Oleśnica Castle 04 (js).jpg|Oleśnica Castle

Krobielowice zamek.jpg|Krobielowice Palace

Radmeritz Stift Joachimstein-02.jpg|Radomierzyce Palace

2017 Pałac Jedlinka w Jedlinie-Zdroju 1.jpg|Jedlinka Palace in Jedlina-Zdrój

2016 Pałac w Wojanowie 2.jpg|Wojanów Palace

13Kat Boche.JPG|Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace

100808 Warmątowice018.jpg|Warmątowice Sienkiewiczowskie Palace

</gallery>

BazylikaISanktuariumŚw.Jadwigi-Wnętrze-OłtarzGłówny-POL, Trzebnica.jpg|Sanctuary of St. Jadwiga, Trzebnica

SM katedra greckokatolicka d kościół św Jakuba D 598665.jpg|Cathedral of St. Vincent and St. James, Wrocław

SM Wrocław Kościół Świętego Krzyża ID 598588.jpg|Holy Cross Church, whose scholastic was Nicolaus Copernicus

Pl. Nankiera 16, Wrocław 1.jpg|Church of St. Clare and Hedwig church, Wrocław

</gallery>

Protected areas

thumb|[[Mount Ślęża]]

thumb|"Hell" on [[Szczeliniec Wielki (Table Mountains National Park)]]

thumb|[[Rudawy Janowickie]]

thumb|[[Śnieżne Kotły|Snowy Pits]]

thumb|[[Jaskinia Niedźwiedzia|Bear's Cave]]

thumb|[[Project Riese, Owl Mountains]]

Protected areas in Lower Silesian Voivodeship:

2 National Parks
Karkonosze National Park (part of a UNESCO trans-border biosphere reserve)
Table Mountains National Park
12 Landscape Parks
Barycz Valley Landscape Park (partly in Greater Poland Voivodeship)
Bóbr Valley Landscape Park
Bystrzyca Valley Landscape Park
Chełmy Landscape Park
Jezierzyca Valley Landscape Park
Książ Landscape Park
Owl Mountains Landscape Park
Przemków Landscape Park
Rudawy Landscape Park
Ślęża Landscape Park
Śnieżnik Landscape Park
Sudety Wałbrzyskie Landscape Park
67 Nature reserves
20 protected landscape areas
3100 Natural monuments
114 Ecological usages
15 Teams nature and landscape

and many areas of Natura 2000 network.

Tourist routes

The Main Trail Sudetes long-distance mountain trail
The Piast Castles Trail
Trail around Wrocław
Cistercian trail
The trail of the Valley of Palaces and Gardens of the Jelenia Góra Valley
Lower Silesian Rout of St. James
Sudetes Rout of St. James
Camino de Santiago - Via Regia
The Trail of Extinct Volcanoes on the Kaczawskie Foothills
Lower Silesian Beer and Wine Trail
EuroVelo 9
Lower Silesian Bicycle Highway
Bicycles S5 (Wrocław – Poznań)
Blue Velo - The Odra River Bicycle Route

Economy

thumb|Bielany Avenue (pl. Aleja Bielany) - the largest [[shopping center in Poland]]

The gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 41.1 billion euro in 2018, accounting for 8.3% of the Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €23,400 or 78% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 85% of the EU average. Lower Silesia Voivodeship is the province with the second highest GDP per capita in Poland.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ GDP per capita in Lower Silesian Voivodeship and Poland

! Lower Silesian Voivodeship

! GDP per capita

! Poland

! GDP per capita

| 2000

| $10 440 (+2.8%)

| 2000

| $10 140 (+4.0%)

| 2005

| $13 060 (+4.9%)

| 2005

| $12 600 (+3.5%)

| 2006

| $13 700 (+7.3%)

| 2006

| $13 020 (+6.2%)

| 2007

| $14 980 (+9.5%)

| 2007

| $13 760 (+6.5%)

| 2008

| $16 030 (+7.2%)

| 2008

| $14 450 (+5.0%)

| 2009

| $16 350 (+2.0%)

| 2009

| $14 720 (+1.9%)

Mining

thumb|[[Rudna mine near Polkowice]]

The wealth of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship is partly due to mining and production of various minerals. The Legnica-Głogów Copper Basin () with the cities of Legnica, Głogów, Lubin and Polkowice produces copper, as well as other valuable minerals, making Poland the second largest producer of copper in Europe, and the largest producer of silver and rhenium in Europe and one of the largest in the world (as of 2024). Strzegom and its surroundings are the site of granite mining, and the town is called the "capital of Polish granite". One of the three largest lignite mines in Poland is located in Bogatynia.

Wałbrzych, Nowa Ruda and Boguszów-Gorce are former bituminous coal mining centers. Szklary was the location of the country's sole nickel ore mine, and one of only five places in the world, where the rare chrysoprase, carnelian and opal were extracted, and the place of discovery of the extremely rare szklaryite, nioboholtite and titanoholtite minerals. In the Middle Ages, gold () and silver () were mined in the region, which is reflected in the names of the former mining towns of Złotoryja, Złoty Stok and Srebrna Góra.

Cities and towns

thumb|[[Wrocław]]

thumb|[[Wałbrzych]]

thumb|[[Legnica]]

The voivodeship contains 8 cities and 83 towns. The cities, governed by a city mayor (), are listed below in descending order of population (as of 2019):

thumb|800-year old [[Vang Stave Church in Karpacz]]

thumb|[[Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Krzeszów|Abbey of the Order of Saint Benedict in Krzeszów]]

thumb|[[Oława Castle|Sobieski Castle in Oława]]

Wałbrzych Delegation District - powiaty of Świdnica, Kłodzko, Ząbkowice Śląskie, Dzierżoniów.

Legnica Delegation District - powiaty of Głogów, Jawor, Lubin, Polkowice, Złotoryja.

Jelenia Góra Delegation District - powiaty of Boleslawiec, Kamienna Góra, Luban, Lwówek Śląski, Zgorzelec.

The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%"

|- style="background:#D0D8DD"

| align="center" | English and Polish names

| align="center" | Area (km2)

| align="center" | Population (2019)

| align="center" | Seat

| width="30%" align="center" | Other towns

| align="center" | Total gminas

|- style="background:#F0F8FF"

| colspan="6" | City counties

| Wrocław

| align="right" | 293

| align="right" | 641,607

| colspan="2" |

| align="center" | 1

| Wałbrzych

| align="right" | 84.70

| align="right" | 111,896

| colspan="2" |

| align="center" | 1

| Legnica

| align="right" | 56.29

| align="right" | 99,486

| colspan="2" |

| align="center" | 1

| Jelenia Góra

| align="right" | 109.22

| align="right" | 79,200

| colspan="2" |

| align="center" | 1

|- style="background:#F0F8FF"

| colspan="6" | Land counties

| Kłodzko County powiat kłodzki

| align="right" | 1643.37

| align="right" | 158,600

| Kłodzko

| Nowa Ruda, Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Kudowa-Zdrój, Polanica-Zdrój, Stronie Śląskie, Lądek-Zdrój, Szczytna, Duszniki-Zdrój, Międzylesie, Radków

| align="center" | 14

| Świdnica County powiat świdnicki

| align="right" | 742.89

| align="right" | 157,178

| Świdnica

| Świebodzice, Strzegom, Żarów, Jaworzyna Śląska

| align="center" | 8

| Wrocław County powiat wrocławski

| align="right" | 1116.15

| align="right" | 148,663

| Wrocław*

| Sobótka, Kąty Wrocławskie, Siechnice

| align="center" | 9

| Oleśnica County powiat oleśnicki

| align="right" | 1049.74

| align="right" | 107,090

| Oleśnica

| Syców, Twardogóra, Bierutów, Międzybórz

| align="center" | 8

| Lubin County powiat lubiński

| align="right" | 711.99

| align="right" | 106,211

| Lubin

| Ścinawa

| align="center" | 4

| Dzierżoniów County powiat dzierżoniowski

| align="right" | 478.34

| align="right" | 101,118

| Dzierżoniów

| Bielawa, Gola Dzierżoniowska, Niemcza, Pieszyce, Piława Górna

| align="center" | 7

| Bolesławiec County powiat bolesławiecki

| align="right" | 1303.26

| align="right" | 90,108

| Bolesławiec

| Nowogrodziec

| align="center" | 6

| Zgorzelec County powiat zgorzelecki

| align="right" | 838.11

| align="right" | 89,612

| Zgorzelec

| Bogatynia, Pieńsk, Zawidów, Węgliniec

| align="center" | 7

| Głogów County powiat głogowski

| align="right" | 443.06

| align="right" | 89,319

| Głogów

| align="center" | 6

| Trzebnica County powiat trzebnicki

| align="right" | 1025.55

| align="right" | 85,092

| Trzebnica

| Oborniki Śląskie, Żmigród, Prusice

| align="center" | 6

| Oława County powiat oławski

| align="right" | 523.73

| align="right" | 76,723

| Oława

| Jelcz-Laskowice

| align="center" | 4

| Ząbkowice County powiat ząbkowicki

| align="right" | 801.75

| align="right" | 65,104

| Ząbkowice Śląskie

| Ziębice, Złoty Stok, Bardo, Kamieniec Ząbkowicki

| align="center" | 7

| Karkonosze County powiat karkonoski

| align="right" | 628.21

| align="right" | 63,639

| Jelenia Góra*

| Kowary, Szklarska Poręba, Piechowice, Karpacz

| align="center" | 9

| Polkowice County powiat polkowicki

| align="right" | 779.93

| align="right" | 62,948

| Polkowice

| Chocianów, Przemków

| align="center" | 6

| Wałbrzych County powiat wałbrzyski

| align="right" | 430.22

| align="right" | 55,820

| Wałbrzych*

| Boguszów-Gorce, Głuszyca, Szczawno-Zdrój, Jedlina-Zdrój, Mieroszów

| align="center" | 9

| Legnica County powiat legnicki

| align="right" | 744.60

| align="right" | 55,318

| Legnica*

| Chojnów, Prochowice

| align="center" | 8

| Środa County powiat średzki

| align="right" | 703.68

| align="right" | 54,646

| Środa Śląska

| Miękinia

| align="center" | 5

| Lubań County powiat lubański

| align="right" | 428.30

| align="right" | 54,493

| Lubań

| Olszyna, Leśna, Świeradów-Zdrój

| align="center" | 7

| Jawor County powiat jaworski

| align="right" | 581.25

| align="right" | 50,315

| Jawor

| Bolków

| align="center" | 6

| Wołów County powiat wołowski

| align="right" | 675.00

| align="right" | 46,914

| Wołów

| Brzeg Dolny

| align="center" | 3

| Lwówek County powiat lwówecki

| align="right" | 709.94

| align="right" | 45,975

| Lwówek Śląski

| Gryfów Śląski, Mirsk, Wleń, Lubomierz

| align="center" | 5

| Złotoryja County powiat złotoryjski

| align="right" | 575.45

| align="right" | 43,719

| Złotoryja

| Wojcieszów, Świerzawa

| align="center" | 6

| Strzelin County powiat strzeliński

| align="right" | 622.27

| align="right" | 43,713

| Strzelin

| Wiązów

| align="center" | 5

| Kamienna Góra County powiat kamiennogórski

| align="right" | 396.13

| align="right" | 43,429

| Kamienna Góra

| Lubawka

| align="center" | 4

| Milicz County powiat milicki

| align="right" | 715.01

| align="right" | 37,003

| Milicz

| align="center" | 3

| Góra County powiat górowski

| align="right" | 738.11

| align="right" | 35,047

| Góra

| Wąsosz

| align="center" | 4

|- style="background:#F0F8FF"

| colspan=6 style="text-align:center;font-size:90%"|* seat not part of the county

Governors

thumb|Lower Silesian Voivodeship Office in Wrocław

{| class="wikitable"

! Name

! Period

| Witold Krochmal

| 4 January 1999 – 22 October 2001

| Ryszard Nawrat

| 22 October 2001 – 21 March 2003

| Stanisław Łopatowski

| 31 March 2003 – 21 December 2005

| Krzysztof Grzelczyk

| 21 December 2005 – 29 November 2007

| Rafał Jurkowlaniec

| 29 November 2007 – 1 December 2010

| Aleksander Skorupa

| 28 December 2010 – 11 March 2014

| Tomasz Smolarz (Civic Platform)

| 12 March 2014 – 8 December 2015

| Paweł Hreniak (Law and Justice)

| 8 December 2015 – 11 November 2019

|Jarosław Obremski (Law and Justice)

|5 December 2019 – 22 December 2023

|Maciej Awiżeń (Civic Platform)

|22 December 2023 – 25 November 2024

|Anna Żabska

|25 November 2024 - Present

Sports

thumb|[[Wrocław Stadium, one of the arenas of the UEFA Euro 2012 and home venue of the Śląsk Wrocław football team]]

thumb|[[Olympic Stadium (Wrocław)|Olympic Stadium, one of the arenas of the Speedway Grand Prix of Poland and home venue of the Sparta Wrocław speedway team and Panthers Wrocław American football team]]

thumb|[[Centennial Hall (Wrocław)|Centennial Hall]]

Speedway, football, basketball, handball and volleyball enjoy the largest following in the voivodeship with several accomplished teams.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%"

|+ Professional sports teams

!Club

!Sport

!League

!Trophies

|Śląsk Wrocław

|Basketball (men's)

|Polish Basketball League

|18 Polish Championships 14 Polish Cups

|Górnik Wałbrzych

|Basketball (men's)

|Polish Basketball League

|2 Polish Championships (1982, 1988) 1 Polish Cup (2025)

|Ślęza Wrocław

|Basketball (women's)

|Basket Liga Kobiet

|2 Polish Championships (1987, 2017)

|BC Polkowice

|Basketball (women's)

|Basket Liga Kobiet

|5 Polish Championships 6 Polish Cups

|Śląsk Wrocław

|Handball (men's)

|Liga Centralna (2nd tier)

|15 Polish Championships 7 Polish Cups

|SPR Chrobry Głogów

|Handball (men's)

|Polish Superliga

|Zagłębie Lubin

|Handball (men's)

|Polish Superliga

|1 Polish Championship (2007) 1 Polish Cup (1993)

|Miedź Legnica

|Handball (men's)

|Liga Centralna (2nd tier)

|Zagłębie Lubin

|Handball (women's)

|Superliga

|6 Polish Championships 10 Polish Cups

|KPR Kobierzyce

|Handball (women's)

|Superliga

|1 Polish Cup (2022)

|MKS Jelenia Góra

|Handball (women's)

|Liga Centralna (2nd tier)

|Dziewiątka Legnica

|Handball (women's)

|Liga Centralna (2nd tier)

|Sparta Wrocław

|Speedway

|Ekstraliga

|5 Polish Championships

|Śląsk Wrocław

|Football (men's)

|I liga (2nd tier)

|2 Polish Championships (1977, 2012) 2 Polish Cups (1976, 1987)

|Zagłębie Lubin

|Football (men's)

|Ekstraklasa

|2 Polish Championships (1991, 2007)

|Miedź Legnica

|Football (men's)

|I liga (2nd tier)

|1 Polish Cup (1992)

|Chrobry Głogów

|Football (men's)

|I liga (2nd tier)

|Śląsk Wrocław

|Football (women's)

|Ekstraliga

|Gwardia Wrocław

|Volleyball (men's)

|I liga (2nd tier)

|3 Polish Championships 1 Polish Cup (1981)

|Gwardia Wrocław

|Volleyball (women's)

|Tauron Liga

|Panthers Wrocław

|American football

|European League of Football

|4 Polish Championships

|Jaguars Kąty Wrocławskie

|American football

|Polish Football League

Since the establishment of the province, various major international sports competitions were co-hosted by the province, including the EuroBasket 2009, 2009 Women's European Volleyball Championship, 2010 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships, UEFA Euro 2012, 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, 2016 European Men's Handball Championship, 2017 World Games.

Curiosities

The city of Bolesławiec is a center of pottery production since the Middle Ages. See also: Bolesławiec pottery.
Gompa Drophan Ling in Darnków, Poland's only Buddhist gompa, is located in the voivodeship.
There are several sites in the province associated with Princess Marianne of the Netherlands, most notably the Kamieniec Ząbkowicki Palace, a Historic Monument of Poland.