Żagań

Żagań
Town center
Flag Coat of arms
{{Location map|Poland
label = Żagań	lat =	long =	lat_deg=51	lat_min=37	lat_sec=	lat_dir=N	lon_deg=15	lon_min=19	lon_sec=	lon_dir=E	float = none	caption =	border = none	position = bottom	width = 250 }}
Coordinates: 51°37′N 15°19′E / 51.617, 15.317
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lubusz
Powiat	Żagań County
Gmina	Żagań
Established	12th century
City Rights	1280
Government
- Mayor	Sławomir Jan Kowal
Area
- Total	39.92 km² (15.4 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- Total	26,665
- Density	668/km² (1,730.1/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: www.um.zagan.pl

Żagań (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.

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.

Notable residents

• Adolf Engler (1844-1930), botanist

Twin towns

• Duns, Scotland

Gallery

Palace in Żagań

Railway station

town panorama

External links

• Official town webpage
• Map from mapa.szukacz.pl (Polish)
• "Le château de Sagan" (French)

Coordinates: 51°37′N, 15°19′E