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The town of Wołów in the province Lower Silesia in southern Poland was founded in 1288. The name is probably derived from the Polish word 'wol', which means 'bull'. The oldest known seal of the town dates from 1473 and already shows a bull, as do all later seals. Until 1675, Wołów was a residence of the Piast Dukes of Legnica-Brzeg-Wołów (Liegnitz-Brieg-Wohlau). For centuries the nearby Cistercian abbey of Lubiąż (Leubus) was a cultural centre of Lower Silesia.

The town hall [left, no.1372: center right] in the center of the market square goes back to a building that was erected on this spot in 1464. However, it was destroyed by a fire in 1465, which had also destroyed most of the whole town. The town hall was then rebuilt in late Gothic style. The façades date from the Baroque period.

The tower depicted in the left background belongs to the Catholic parish church St. Laurence (kościół św. Wawrzyńca). The first stone church replaced an older wooden church in 1391. The church was then rebuilt in late Gothic style between 1471 and 1483. The church was enlarged in 1908. The organ of the church was constructed in 1716 and is one of the very few remaining of that period in Europe.

[The German name of Wołów, Wohlau, is also the German name of Volyně in South Bohemia, Czech Republic.]