SWIDNICA

German Schweidnitz, town, Walbrzych wojewdztwo (province), southwestern Poland, on the Bystrzyca River, a tributary of the Oder. Located in the Sudeten (Sudety) foothills, the town is an economic centre for the Lower Silesia agricultural area. A junction on the Wroclaw-Walbrzych rail line, it has metal, chemical, wood, sugar, and textile industries. The town began as a Slavic settlement on the crossroads of two trade routes. A castle was built there in the 12th century, and the area was annexed to the independent duchy of Swidnica in 1291. The town developed as a commercial centre until the 17th century. It passed to Prussia in 1742 and returned to Poland in 1945. Pop. (1989 est.) 61,800.