Żagań
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Żagań | |||
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  Żagań
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country |  Poland |
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| Voivodeship | Lubusz | ||
| County | Żagań County | ||
| Gmina | Żagań (urban gmina) | ||
| Established | 12th century | ||
| Town rights | 1280 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Sławomir Jan Kowal | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 39.92 km² (15.4 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 26,580 | ||
| - Density | 665.8/km² (1,724.5/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 68-100 to 68-103 | ||
| Area code(s) | +48 68 | ||
| Car plates | FZG | ||
| Website: http://www.um.zagan.pl | |||
Żagań [ˈʐagaɲ] (French and German: Sagan) is a town in western Poland, with 26,665 inhabitants (2004). Historically the seat of the Silesian Dukes of Sagan, the town is the capital of Żagań County.
Previously in the Zielona Gora Voivodeship (1975-1998), Żagań has been situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship since 1999.
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[edit] History
Żagań is the site of the castle of Sagan at the center of a fief that belonged to Albrecht von Wallenstein, the generalissimo of the Thirty Years' War. It then passed to the illustrious Bohemian family of Lobkowicz.
In 1786 the fief of Sagan was purchased by Peter von Biron, Duke of Courland, and eventually (1843) passed to his daughter Dorothea, the wife of Edmond de Talleyrand, a nephew of the great French diplomat Talleyrand, who came to pass her retirement years at Żagań. A patent of King Frederick William IV of Prussia on January 6, 1845 invested her as Duchess of Sagan and Napoleon III recognized the title in France, in favor of her son Louis.
In France there is a prince and a duc de Sagan. The double title, both Prussian and French, served to render the duc de Sagan a neutral party in World War II: his Château de Valençay provided a safe haven for treasures of the Louvre during the German occupation of France. During World War II, the town was the location of the infamous Stalag Luft III. The town was transferred from Germany to Poland in 1945.
[edit] Sports
- Czarni Żagań
- WKS Sobieski Żagań
- Formoza Żagań
- KS Bóbr Żagań
- UKS Orzeł Żagań
[edit] Notable residents
- Adolf Engler (1844-1930), botanist
- Wolfgang Samuel, author. He recounts his childhood flight from the invading Russians in his memoir, "German Boy".
[edit] Twin towns
[edit] Gallery
 Palace in Żagań |
 Railway station |
 town panorama |
[edit] External links
- Official town webpage
- Map from mapa.szukacz.pl (Polish)
- "Le château de Sagan" (French)
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