POLSKA | POLAND |
województwo: Dolnośląskie | voivodship: Lower Silesia |
powiat: Ząbkowice Śląskie | county: Ząbkowice Śląskie |
Złoty Stok (in German: Reichenstein in Schlesien; in Czech: Rychleby) is situated at an elevation of 348 m in the powiat Ząbkowicki (district Ząbkowice Śląskie) of the voivodship Dolnośląskie (Lower Silesia) in southestern Poland, dt the border to the Czech Republic. The town is situated at the northern slopes of the Góry Złote ('Golden Mountains'; German: Reichensteiner Gebirge; Czech: Rychlebské hory), about 19 km south of Ząbkowice Śląskie and 77 km south of the regional capital Wrocław. Across the border are Bílá Voda to the east and Javorník to the southeast. The municipality of Złoty Stok has a population of about 2,900 (2012).
Reichenstein began to develop at the southeastern border of the later duchy of Münsterberg (Ziębice), which originated after the partion in 1321 of the Piast duchy of Schweidnitz (Świdnica), bordering the principality of the bishopric of Neisse (Nysa), a territory of the bishops of Wrocław, and the County of Glatz (Kłodzko). In the second half of the 13th century it was in possession of the monastery of Kamenz (Kamieniec Ząbkowicki). Nothing is known about a planned foundation of the town; the first mention of Richinstein in a written document is found in a document dating from 1291. Already in 1273 the monastery of Kamenz had obtained the mining rights in this area, and it is assumed that this refered to the mines of Reichenstein. In 1344 it was mentioned for the first time as 'oppidum', a little town or market. In the 14th and 15th century Reichenstein belonged to various owners. In 1491 Duke Henry I (H. the Elder) of Münsterberg-Oels (Ziębice-Oleśnica) granted Reichenstein the full privileges of a town and the status of a free mining town. In 1599 Reichenstein was sold to the duchy of Liegnitz-Brieg (Legnica-Brzeg). With the death of the last Piast duke of Legnica in 1675 the area fell back to the Bohemian Crown. After the First Silesian War of 1740–1742 it became part of Prussia. After World War II it became part of Poland and was renamed Złoty Stok ('Golden Slope').
Reichenstein, later Bergreichenstein, was also the old German name of Kašperské Hory (Czech Republic).
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Złoty_Stok; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzogtum_Münsterberg]