Złotoryja

Złotoryja [zwɔtɔˈrɨja] (German: Goldberg, Latin: Aureus Mons, Aurum) is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship of southwestern Poland. It is located in the Kaczawa river valley, close to Legnica. It is the seat of Złotoryja County, and of the smaller district of Gmina Złotoryja (although it is not part of the territory of the latter, since the town is a gmina in its own right).

Since the Middle Ages the town was a centre of gold and copper mining. Currently it has approximately 16,000 inhabitants and is one of the important centres of basalt mining.

Town's name

During its long existence Złotoryja was referred to by various names. Since the Middle Ages it was referred to as either Aurum (Latin for "gold"), Aureus Mons ("Golden Mountain"), Goldberg (German for "Golden Mountain") or by its Polish name. Złotoryja in Polish literally means "gold-digging".

Coat of arms and flag

The Coat of Arms features a black Silesian eagle of the Piast dynasty standing over three green hills, with the golden background. Its heraldic blazon is "Or, an eagle displayed sable on a base three-invected vert". It has been used since the 15th century.