Baborów


Baborów is a small town in southern Poland near Głubczyce, in the Opole Voivodeship, Głubczyce County, Gmina Baborów.

History

The first mention of the town comes from 1296 in which a wójt Jarosław is mentioned. The town was most likely founded by a Bohemian magnate, Bavor. Later it was part of an independent duchy, Habsburg-ruled Bohemia, the Kingdom of Prussia and from 1871 and 1945 also Germany. After the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II it became part of Poland. It was granted town rights before 1340, although deprived of them from 1575 to 1718.
The town marked the 19th-century linguistic border between German, Polish, and Czech.
During the Second World War the town, then known as Bauerwitz, was the base for two working parties of British and Commonwealth prisoners of war, under the administration of the German Stalag VIII-B/344 POW camp at Łambinowice. In January 1945, as the Soviet armies resumed their offensive and advanced from the east, the prisoners were marched by the Germans westward in the so-called Long March or Death March. Many of them died from the bitter cold and exhaustion. The lucky ones got far enough to the west to be liberated by the allied armies after some four months of travelling on foot in appalling conditions. The town's German population was interned in Łambinowice camp, and expelled.

Notable people

See twin towns of Gmina Baborów.

Gallery