Żagań

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Żagań

(Flag)	(Coat of arms)


Basic Information
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Lubusz
Population	26,665 (2004)
Founded	12th century
City rights	1280
Area	39,92 km²
Density	668/km²
Economy and Traffic
Administration
Mayor	Sławomir Jan Kowal
Municipal Website

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.

1 History
2 Notable residents
3 Gallery
4 External links

[edit] 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 Lobkowitz.

In 1786 the fief of Sagan was purchased by Peter 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.