The origins of the town can be traced back to the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. There was a castle which had a defensive function for those who crossed the Nysa Kłodzka River. There was also a trade route crossing the town, leading from Hungary to Silesia, which was called a Hungarian branch of the Amber Route.
Lewin was granted town privileges around 1257. Duke Władysław Bytomski paid in 1327 feudal homage to the King of Bohemia and from that time Lewin was under the Bohemian supremacy and shared the political fortunes with Silesia. Louis II Jagiellon, King of Hungary and Bohemia, died in 1526, and because there was no heir to the throne, the Archduke of Austria Ferdinand Habsburg became the King of Bohemia. This fact made Lewin to be under the supremacy of the Habsburgs.
Various armies plundered Lewin several times during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Lewin became a part of Prussia in 1742. 651 inhabitants lived in the town in 1751.
The local economy began flourishing at the beginning of the 19th century, making the town a more developing place. In 1825 Lewin had 1,105 inhabitants whereas in 1839 – 2,187.
In 1843 a railroad connecting Lewin with Wroclaw and Opole was opened. Thanks to this, the town’s economy was stimulated. In 1875 the town had 2,000 inhabitants. In 1882 a sugar refinery and agricultural machinery factory were built. Again, it helped the town’s economy to flourish. The town had 3,249 inhabitants in 1900.
In January 1945 German forces occupied Lewin. The name of the town was changed to Lewin Brzeski.
Bibliography
- Banik J., Kochler J., Lewin Brzeski – monografia miasta, Lewin Brzeski 2005, s. 111
- Lasończyk I., Zarys historii Lewina Brzeskiego, Opole 1962, s. 27
