History

Among other things, the municipality is home to the Kaczawa Cooperation Network – an informal group of independent artists, educators, geologists and enthusiasts of the region. In 2023, the initiative was recognized with the Best Tourist Product of Lower Silesia award.

Świerzawa was granted city rights as early as the end of the 13th century, and never had city walls. The town’s history was marked by natural disasters (floods, fires), pestilence and war damage. After World War II it lost its city rights, which it regained only in 1984.

There are several interesting buildings in the area of the historic center. The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, has retained many features of a Gothic building. Among the elements of the original structure are cross-ribbed vaults, high pointed windows and richly decorated portals. Interior furnishings include an 18th-century high altar.
The former Protestant church in Market Square is now used as a Catholic church. Erected in the mid-18th century, was converted to neo-Gothic in 1876-78. One architectural block with the Evangelical church forms the town hall from the early 19th century.
The Church of St. John the Baptist and St. Catherine of Alexandria in Swierzawa is one of the most valuable monuments of sacred architecture in the region, and is also one of the oldest monuments of Romanesque architecture in Poland.
By the road in the Kamiennik valley, leading to the stone dam of the dry flood control reservoir, there are interesting geological exposures of Permian age rocks.

The main attractions of the city of Swierzawa:

City Hall
Built in 1810 on the site of the previous one, destroyed in a fire. Three-story with a staircase, leading to the main entrance on the second floor. Also notable is the square tower, ending in a gallery with an overhang, decorated with a clock.

Railroad station
The station consists of a 19th century station building, a wooden shed and a circular water tower from the early 20th century. The railroad line was brought to Świerzawa from Zlotoryja in 1895. It was extended toward Marciszow the following year. After the war, the line was rebuilt in 1948.

City center
Świerzawa has retained the original layout of a market settlement. Liberty Square, which is the center of the town, is one of the largest in Lower Silesia. It was laid out in the size of a 4 x 7.5 cord. The buildings consist of 2-3 story townhouses, most of which date back to the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Flood control dam
Flood control embankment from the early. 20th century, forming a dam for a reservoir with a capacity of 1.6 million cubic meters (now serving as a dry flood control reservoir). Nearby, the construction of a band shell began in the 1970s, but unfortunately the project was not completed.

Lark
(German: Lerchen Berg) Hill with a height of 318 meters. At the top is one of the water intakes for the city. It provides a good vantage point overlooking the city and the hills on the right bank of the river.

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