Szlak JelonkówGerman names of Jelenia Góra and the surrounding area
Until 1945 the towns, mountains and rivers of the Jelenia Góra valley carried official German names: Hirschberg, Bad Warmbrunn, Hermsdorf unterm Kynast, Agnetendorf. Knowing them makes old maps, postcards and books far easier to read – below is a Polish-German table for the city, its districts and the immediate surroundings.
Where the name Hirschberg comes from
Hirschberg means literally „deer mountain" (Hirsch – deer, Berg – mountain). In the records the name appears as Hyrzberc (1281), Hyrspergk (1305) and Hirsberg (1521); from 1927 the official form was Hirschberg im Riesengebirge. After 1945 it was translated directly into Jelenia Góra, and the Polish name was confirmed in May 1946. The same deer stands in the city's coat of arms, and the legend of the ducal hunt explains how it got there.
The German column gives the primary name. In italics below it: later official forms with the year they came into use, spelling variants and caveats.
Jelenia Góra and its districts
| Polish name | German name |
|---|---|
| Jelenia Góra | Hirschberg from 1927 to 1945 officially Hirschberg im Riesengebirge |
| Śródmieście (Centrum) | Innenstadt the modern German word for the city centre, not a historical proper name |
| Cieplice Śląskie-Zdrój | Warmbrunn from 1935, after it was granted town rights, Bad Warmbrunn |
| Sobieszów | Hermsdorf unterm Kynast between 1935 and 1945 officially shortened to Hermsdorf (Kynast) |
| Jagniątków | Agnetendorf |
| Maciejowa | Maiwaldau |
| Czarne | Schwarzbach |
| Goduszyn | Gotschdorf |
| Grabary | Hartau |
| Strupice | Straupitz |
| Zabobrze | Sabors the name of a former hamlet; today’s housing estate was built after 1945 |
The Jelenia Góra valley and around
| Polish name | German name |
|---|---|
| Szklarska Poręba | Schreiberhau |
| Piechowice | Petersdorf |
| Karpacz | Krummhübel |
| Kowary | Schmiedeberg im Riesengebirge shortened in official lists to Schmiedeberg i. Rsgb. |
| Mysłakowice | Erdmannsdorf from 1 April 1937 Zillerthal-Erdmannsdorf, after the merger with the Tyrolean settlement of Zillerthal |
| Podgórzyn | Giersdorf |
| Staniszów | Stonsdorf |
| Karpniki | Fischbach |
| Stara Kamienica | Altkemnitz also written as two words: Alt Kemnitz |
| Janowice Wielkie | Jannowitz |
| Jeżów Sudecki | Grunau also Grunau bei Hirschberg, to tell it from other places of that name |
| Siedlęcin | Boberröhrsdorf |
| Wleń | Lähn |
Mountains, hills and rivers
| Polish name | German name |
|---|---|
| Karkonosze | Riesengebirge |
| Śnieżka | Schneekoppe formerly also Riesenkoppe or simply Koppe |
| Śnieżne Kotły | Schneegruben |
| Kotlina Jeleniogórska | Hirschberger Tal |
| Góry Izerskie | Isergebirge |
| Rudawy Janowickie | Landeshuter Kamm |
| Góry Kaczawskie | Bober-Katzbach-Gebirge not to be confused with Bober-Katzbach-Vorgebirge – that is the Kaczawa Foothills |
| Chojnik (góra i zamek) | Kynast the name of both the hill and the castle; hence Hermsdorf unterm Kynast |
| Wzgórze Krzywoustego | Hausberg |
| Góra Sołtysia | Scholzenberg in older sources also Schulzenberg |
| Bóbr | Bober |
| Kamienna | Zacken in German used with the article: der Zacken |
