History

The first written information about Nysa comes from the 13^th century. We may learn from it that as early as in 1198, the Bishop of Wrocław, Jarosław, consecrated the St. Jacob Church and donated the Nysa land to the Bishopric of Nysa. The beneficial location of the town, at the intersection of trade routes, as well as the fact of making Nysa the seat of the Bishopric of Wrocław had a decisive influence on the development of the town. Since the 13^th century, the area of the land belonging to the Bishopric has been regularly growing which turned Nysa into a wealthy duchy of bishops which survived until 1810. At that time, trade and crafts also flourished. Nysa was famous for, inter alia, goldsmith’s products and jewellery, it was also an important centre of trade in salt. The bishops cared not only for the economic development but also for education. Many schools were created in the town and the literacy was fairly common. Along with the development of the town, beautiful buildings, both secular and sacred, were erected there, inter alia, the Assumption of Mary Church, Baroque Weigh House, ornamental grille of the Beautiful Well or the Triton Fountain, modelled on the work by Bernini. The situation changed after losing the First Silesian War. Then, Nysa was taken over by the Prussians. The town has been transformed into a military garrison. In the 19^th century, the railway, waterworks and sewerage system were built. At the end of WWII, the town was almost completely destroyed by the Red Army. The reconstruction of Nysa has taken many years, while the restoration of the monuments has been carried out to this day, thanks to which the town regains its former glory.