city, Dolnośląskie województwo (province), southwestern Poland, on the Piława River in Lower Silesia. The community was founded as Reichenbach in the 12th century and received town rights in the 13th. The duke of Ziębice (Münsterberg) pledged the town to Bohemia (1335), whence it passed to the Habsburgs. In 1742 it was surrendered, with Silesia, to Prussia; it returned to Poland in 1945 and was renamed for the Polish priest Jan Dzierżoń. The economy of Dzierżoniów was long based on heavy industry, though this activity had fallen into decline by the late 20th century. It is the major trading centre for its surrounding area. Pop. (2002) 35,437.