POLSKA	POLAND
województwo: Dolnośląskie	voivodship: Lower Silesia
powiat: Wołów	county: Wołów

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The town of Wołów in the province Lower Silesia in southern Poland was founded in 1288. The name is probably derived from the Polish word wol, which means 'bull'. The oldest known seal of the town dates from 1473 and already shows a bull, as do all later seals. Until 1675, Wołów was a residence of the Piast Dukes of Legnica-Brzeg-Wołów (Liegnitz-Brieg-Wohlau). For centuries the nearby Cistercian abbey of Lubiąż (Leubus) was a cultural centre of Lower Silesia.

The town hall [left, no. 2835: top picture: centre right; and right, no. 1372: centre right] in the center of the market square goes back to a building that was erected on this spot in 1464. However, it was destroyed by a fire in 1465, which had also destroyed most of the whole town. The town hall was then rebuilt in late Gothic style. The façades date from the Baroque period.

The tower depicted in the left background belongs to the Catholic parish church St. Laurence (kościół św. Wawrzyńca). The first stone church replaced an older wooden church in 1391. The church was then rebuilt in late Gothic style between 1471 and 1483. The church was enlarged in 1908. The organ of the church was constructed in 1716 and is one of the very few remaining of that period in Europe.

Wołów castle [left, no. 2835: bottom right picture] was founded in the early 14th century by Duke Heinrich III of Glogau (Głogów) (ruled 1373/74–1309). The tower on the north side of the castle was built by his son Konrad I, Duke of of Namslau (Namysłów; 1312–1320/21) and of Oels (Oleśnica; 1320/21–1366). In 1579 the west aisle with its Renaissance arcades and another building on the north side were added. Further modifications including demolitions of the previous defensive fortifications followed in 1652–1672 and 1714–1725. In the 19th century the castle was again modified in order to serve as an administrative building. Today the former castle is the seat of the administration of Wołów county.
[http://www.szlakikulturowe.dolnyslask.pl/de/die-routen/burgen-und-schloesser-niederschlesiens/beschreibung-der-sehenswuerdigkeiten-der-umgebung/wolow-rathaus-mit-marktplatz-schloss/]

The lower left picture on glass n.2835 [left] shows a view of the constabulary school (in German: Gendarmerie-Schule), which was one of three of its kind in Prussia besides the schools in Einbeck and Munich. The schools in Einbeck and Wohlau (Wołów) were founded in 1899.
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendarmerie; http://www.seitengewehr.de/schule.html]

[The German name of Wołów, Wohlau, is also the German name of Volyně in South Bohemia, Czech Republic]