Wleń

Wleń
View of the town
Coat of arms
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lower Silesian
County	Lwówek Śląski
Gmina	Wleń
Area
• Total	7.22 km2 (2.79 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,855
• Density	260/km2 (670/sq mi)
Website	http://www.wlen.pl

Wleń [vlɛɲ] (German: Lähn) is a town in Lwówek Śląski County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is located on the Bóbr river in the historic Lower Silesian region, approximately 13 kilometres (8 mi) south-east of Lwówek Śląski, and 97 kilometres (60 mi) west of the regional capital Wrocław.

The town is the seat of the administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Wleń. As of 2011, it has a population of 1,855.

Wleń was established in 1214 by the Silesian duke Henry I the Bearded and his wife Hedwig of Andechs. The ruins of Łupki Castle (German: Lehnhaus), until 1945 property of the Haugwitz noble family, lie off the town's center, it served to protect the nearby borders with Bohemia and Upper Lusatia and was devastated during the Thirty Years' War. A Baroque palace was rebuilt underneath it. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany. After World War II the region was placed under Polish administration and ethnically cleansed according to the post-war Potsdam Agreement. The native German populace was expelled and replaced with Poles.

Łupki castle, also known as Zamek Wleń, and its only remaining tower is visible from the town. The picture shows the view of Wleń from the top of the tower, which currently stands less than half its original height. In 2005, a western portion of one of the castle's outer walls crumbled, forcing the castle to be temporarily closed to tourists. The crumbled section of the outer wall was rebuilt over time using funds from the Polish government and the European Union and completed in 2009.