Opole

The name Opole likely originated from the medieval Slavic term for a group of settlements.[http://dir.icm.edu.pl/pl/Slownik_geograficzny/Tom_VII/560 Opole], Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom VII, nakł. Filipa Sulimierskiego i Władysława Walewskiego, 1880-1914

Names for the city in other relevant languages include {{langx|sli|Uppeln}}, {{langx|cs|Opolí}}, {{langx|la|Oppelia}}, {{lang|la|Oppolia}} or {{lang|la|Opulia}}.

File:Opole, rokonstrukcja grodu X-XII w.jpg

File:Opole 0011 - mury przy Katedrze Świętego Krzyża.jpg defensive walls that once surrounded Opole]]

Opole's history begins in the 8th century. At this time, according to the archeological excavations,B. Gediga, Początki i rozwój wczesnośredniowiecznego ośrodka miejskiego na Ostrówku w Opolu, Slavia Antiqua t. 16, Wrocław 1970. the first settlement was founded on the Ostrówek – the northern part of the Pasieka Island in the middle of the Oder river. In the early 10th century it developed into one of the main "gords" of the Lechitic (Polish) Opolans tribe.

At the end of the century Silesia became part of Poland and was ruled by the Piast dynasty; the land of the pagan Opolanie was conquered by Duke Mieszko I in 992. From the 11th–12th centuries it was also a castellany. After the death of Duke Władysław II the Exile, Silesia was divided in 1163 between two Piast lines – the Wrocław line in Lower Silesia and the Opole-Racibórz of Upper Silesia. Opole would become a duchy in 1172 and would share much in common with the Duchy of Racibórz, with which it was often combined. In 1281 Upper Silesia was divided further between the heirs of the dukes. The Duchy of Opole was temporarily reestablished in 1290.

In the early 13th century, Duke Casimir I of Opole decided to move the settlement from the Pasieka Island to the right shore of the Oder river (since the 17th century, the old stream bed of the Oder, known as the Młynówka). All of the inhabitants had to be moved in order to accommodate the castle that was built in place of the old city.W. Dziewulski, F. Hawranek, Opole - Monografia miasta, Instytut Śląski Opole 1975, p. 57. Former inhabitants of Ostrówek, together with German merchants that immigrated from the West, received the first town rights probably as early as around 1217, although this date is disputed.This opinion is shared i.e. by W. Dziewulski, F. Hawranek, Opole - Monografia miasta, Instytut Śląski Opole 1975, p. 57 and G. A. Stenzel, Geschichte Schlesiens, T1. 1, Breslau 1853, p. 41. The opposite opinion is presented i.e. by K. Buczek, Targi i miasta na prawie polskim (okres wczesnośredniowieczny), Wrocław 1964, p. 114. Opole received German town law in 1254, which was expanded with Neumarkt law in 1327. Opole developed during the rule of duke Bolko I of Opole. The castle was finally completed around this time and new buildings, including the city walls and the Holy Cross Church, were constructed.

File:Oppeln 1535.jpg

Along with most of Silesia, in 1327 the Duchy of Opole came under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Bohemia, itself part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1521 the Duchy of Opole inherited the Duchy of Racibórz (Ratibor), by then also known by its German equivalent – Oppeln. The second castle of Opole was probably founded in the 14th century by duke Vladislaus II, though some sources claim that it was originally a wooden stronghold of Opole's castellan dating into 12th century.W. Dziewulski, F. Hawranek, Opole - Monografia miasta, Instytut Śląski Opole 1975, pp. 58–60.

With the death of King Ludvík II of Bohemia at the Battle of Mohács, Silesia was inherited by Ferdinand I, placing Opole under the sovereignty of the Habsburg monarchy of Austria. The Habsburgs took control of the region in 1532 after the last Piast duke of Opole, Jan II the Good, died. At that time the city was still mainly Polish-speaking (around 63%), with other nationalities represented mainly by Germans, Czechs and Jews.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} The last two dukes of Opole, Nicholas II and Janusz II the Good, did not master the German language.W. Dziewulski, F. Hawranek, Opole - Monografia miasta, Instytut Śląski Opole 1975, p.78.

Beginning in 1532 the Habsburgs pawned the duchy to different rulers including several monarchs of Poland (see Dukes of Opole). After the Swedish invasion of Poland, in 1655 the King of Poland, John II Casimir Vasa, stayed with his entire court in Opole. In Opole in November 1655, the Universal of Opole (Uniwersał opolski) was issued by the King, calling for Poles to rise against the Swedes, who at that time occupied a large part of Poland.

File:Oppeln F.B. Werner.png

With the abdication of King John II Casimir of Poland as the last Duke of Opole in 1668, the region passed to the direct control of the Habsburgs. At the beginning of the 18th century, the German population of Opole was estimated at 20%.W. Dziewulski, F. Hawranek, Opole - Monografia miasta, Instytut Śląski Opole 1975, p.159.

King Frederick II of Prussia conquered most of Silesia from Austria in 1740 during the Silesian Wars; Prussian control was confirmed in the Peace of Breslau in 1742. In the 18th century, Opole belonged to the tax inspection region of Prudnik.{{Cite web |date=2020-11-16 |title=Historia Powiatu Prudnickiego - Starostwo Powiatowe w Prudniku |url=http://www.powiatprudnicki.pl/powiatprudnicki-historiapowiatu.html |access-date=2021-12-07 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116133028/http://www.powiatprudnicki.pl/powiatprudnicki-historiapowiatu.html |archive-date=16 November 2020 |url-status=dead}} Under Prussian rule the ethnic structure of the city began to change. In the early 20th century the number of Polish and bilingual citizens of Opole, according to the official German statistics, varied between 25% and 31%.W. Dziewulski, F. Hawranek, Opole - Monografia miasta, Instytut Śląski Opole 1975, p. 263–268". Nonetheless, Opole remained an important cultural, social and political center for the Poles of Upper Silesia. From 1849 the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wiejska dla Górnego Śląska was published in Opole. Polish reporter and opponent of Germanisation Bronisław Koraszewski founded the newspaper Gazeta Opolska in 1890 and the People's Bank in Opole (Opolski Bank Ludowy) in 1897.T. Hunt Tooley, National Identity and Weimar Germany. Upper Silesia and the Eastern Border, 1918–1922, University of Nebraska Press, 1997, p. 15 Another Polish newspaper, the Nowiny was founded by Franciszek Kurpierz in 1911.

From 1816–1945 Opole was the capital of Regierungsbezirk Oppeln within Prussia. The city became part of the German Empire during the unification of Germany in 1871.

File:1921 UpperSilesia 15 25Pfg Oppeln Opole Poland.jpg

After the defeat of Imperial Germany in World War I, a plebiscite was held on 20 March 1921 in Oppeln to determine if the city would be in the Weimar Republic or become part of the Second Polish Republic, which just regained independence. 20,816 (94.7%) votes were cast for Germany, 1,098 (5.0%) for Poland, and 70 (0.3%) votes were declared invalid. Voter participation was 95.9%. Results of the plebiscite in the Oppeln-Land county were different, with 30% of the population voting for Poland. The local newspaper Oppelner Nachrichten was published in Oppeln.

Oppeln was the administrative seat of the Province of Upper Silesia from 1919–1939. In the years 1928–1931, by the decision of the German regional administration, the Piast Castle was demolished. Thanks to the strong opposition of the local Polish community and protests of the Union of Poles in Germany, the castle tower was saved from demolition.Spotkania z Zabytkami. 6, 2005, p. 21. (in Polish) Nowadays called the Piast Tower it is one of the city's landmarks. In 1929, a Polish theatre from Katowice came to Opole to perform the opera Halka by Stanisław Moniuszko. After the performance, the actors were brutally beaten by a German militia with the silent consent of the German police.Dorota Simonides, Jan Zaremba, Śląskie miscellanea: literatura-folklor, 2006, p. 82 (in Polish)

File:Piastenschloss und Schlossteich in Oppeln.jpg, prior to its demolition by the German authorities]]

Local Polish activists were intensively persecuted from 1937 onwards.{{cite journal|last=Cygański|first=Mirosław|year=1984|title=Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945|journal=Przegląd Zachodni|language=pl|issue=4|page=24}} The local Gestapo terrorized and spied on Polish activities in the German-held part of Upper Silesia, participated in espionage and sabotage in the Polish part of Silesia and prepared border provocations against Poland.Cygański, p. 29 There was strong anti-Polish propaganda in the city and region.

The local Polish newspaper Nowiny Codzienne was frequently confiscated from 1937 and its editors were harassed, its work obstructed, its distributors persecuted, and its readers threatened.Cygański, p. 30–31 In 1938–1939, the local Gestapo carried out expulsions of Polish activists from the region, which the local Polish press could still report.Cygański, p. 25 On 2 July 1939 a Nazi militia attacked and severely beat Poles going to a Polish service in the Saint Sebastian Church.

File:WK15 Opole Główne (45) Lichen99.jpg

On August 31, the day before the German invasion of Poland that began World War II, the Germans began mass arrests of prominent Poles in the city, which were continued in September.Cygański, p. 32 Among the arrested Poles were activists, entrepreneurs, journalists, editors, scout leaders, the director of the local Polish bank and the director of the local Polish library.Cygański, p. 32–34 The Nowiny Codzienne newspaper was closed down on September 1, and its editorial team, including editor-in-chief Jan Łangowski, was deported to concentration camps.Cygański, p. 33 In September 1939, local Polish organizations were closed down by the German police and Gestapo, and the assets of the local Polish bank were confiscated.Cygański, p. 32–33 On 13 September and 4 October 1939, arrested Poles were deported from the city to concentration camps, men to Buchenwald and women to Ravensbrück.Cygański, p. 32, 35 Some local Poles avoided arrest by escaping earlier to Poland.Cygański, p. 30

The German 10th Army and 14th Army attacked Poland from the city, and the Einsatzgruppe I and II followed the armies from Opole to various Polish cities to commit crimes against the Polish people.{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2009|title=Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=IPN|page=58}} After the defeat of Poland, Polish Eastern Upper Silesia was re-annexed to the Province of Upper Silesia and Oppeln lost its status as provincial capital to German-occupied Katowice (renamed Kattowitz).

Polish prisoners from the city co-founded the secret resistance movement in Buchenwald, while Polish escapees from the city participated in the Polish resistance in occupied Poland.Cygański, p. 60–62 Local members of the Polish resistance were expelled from the city.Cygański, p. 59

During the war, the Nazis operated thirteen forced labour subcamps of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs in the city, and two in the present-day district of Groszowice.{{cite web|url=https://www.lamsdorf.com/working-parties.html|title=Working Parties|website=Lamsdorf.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029103834/https://www.lamsdorf.com/working-parties.html|access-date=12 November 2021|archive-date=29 October 2020}}

The New Synagogue was built in 1893–1897, designed by Felix Henry. During the Kristallnacht on 9–10 November 1938 Nazis forced Rabbi Hans Hirschberg to set the building on fire.

File:Oppeln-Rathaus-Aussen-vNorden-IMG 6080-5x5B-360x180G-PanoS-06-08-2024 (cropped)3.jpgFile:Opole - katedra i Most Piastowski.jpg Bridge and Opole Cathedral in the background with its two iconic Gothic towers]]

After the end of the Second World War in 1945, Oppeln was transferred from Germany to Poland, pursuant to the agreements of the Potsdam Conference, and given its original Slavic name of Opole. Opole became part of the Katowice Voivodeship from 1946–1950, after which it became part of the Opole Voivodeship. Unlike other parts of the so-called Recovered Territories, Opole and the surrounding region's indigenous population partly remained and was only partly expelled as elsewhere. Over 1 million Silesians who considered themselves Poles or were treated as such by the authorities due to their language and customs were allowed to stay after they were verified as Poles in a special verification process. It involved declaring Polish nationality and an oath of allegiance to the Polish nation. Additionally, many Poles displaced from the former Polish Kresy annexed by the USSR (for example Lwów) came to Opole and the surrounding area and settled here after the Second World War.{{cite web | url=https://dzieje.pl/aktualnosci/opolscy-kresowianie-wciaz-zyja-wspomnieniami-o-rodzinnych-stronach | title=Opolscy Kresowianie wciąż żyją wspomnieniami o rodzinnych stronach }}

In the later years however many Germans (and German Silesians) left to West Germany to flee the communist Eastern Bloc (see Emigration from Poland to Germany after World War II). Today Opole, along with the surrounding region, is known as a centre of the German minority in Poland that recruits mainly from the descendants of the positively verified autochthons. In the city itself however only 2.46% of the inhabitants declared German nationality according to the last national census of 2002.

On 1 January 2017 Borki, Chmielowice, Czarnowąsy, Krzanowice, Sławice, Świerkle, Winów, Wrzoski, Żerkowice as well as parts of Brzezie, Dobrzeń Mały and Karczów became a part of Opole, enlargening its population by about 9,500, and its area by over 5,300 ha, despite the protests of inhabitants.{{cite web|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/DetailsServlet?id=WDU20160001134|title=Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 19 lipca 2016 r. w sprawie ustalenia granic niektórych gmin i miast, nadania niektórym miejscowościom statusu miasta oraz zmiany nazwy gminy|website=isap.sejm.gov.pl|access-date=26 October 2017}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.tvn24.pl/wroclaw,44/opole-sie-powieksza-czesc-mieszkancow-niezadowolona,662315.html|title=Opole się powiększa kosztem okolicznych wsi. Ich mieszkańcy protestują."To skok na kasę"|work=TVN24.pl|access-date=2017-10-04}}

{{Historical populations|1950|38464|1960|63500|1970|86900|1978|111266|1988|126404|2002|129946|2011|131867|2021|127387|footnote=Source:{{cite web | url=https://www.polskawliczbach.pl/Opole | title=Opole (Opolskie) » mapy, nieruchomości, GUS, noclegi, szkoły, regon, atrakcje, kody pocztowe, wypadki drogowe, bezrobocie, wynagrodzenie, zarobki, tabele, edukacja, demografia }}{{cite web |title=Demographic and occupational structure and housing conditions of the urban population in 1978-1988|url=https://statlibr.stat.gov.pl/exlibris/aleph/a22_1/apache_media/RQ1U9XAX48KJJDQ54QSAFQKQ6AK6GS.pdf}}{{cite web |title=Statistics Poland - National Censuses|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/podgrup/temat/}}}}

In the early 20th century the number of Polish and bilingual citizens of Opole, according to the official German statistics, varied from 25 to 31%.

File:Opolska Wenecja nocą1.jpg

Alongside German and Polish, many citizens of the city before 1945 used a strongly German-influenced Silesian dialect (sometimes called wasserpolnisch or wasserpolak). Because of this, the post-war Polish state administration after the annexation of Silesia in 1945 did not initiate a general expulsion of all former inhabitants of Opole, as was done in Lower Silesia, for instance, where the population almost exclusively spoke the German language. Because they were considered "autochthonous" (Polish), the Wasserpolak-speakers instead received the right to remain in their homeland after declaring themselves as Poles. Some German speakers took advantage of this decision, allowing them to remain in Opole, even when they considered themselves to be of German nationality. The city surroundings currently contain the largest German and Upper Silesian minorities in Poland. However, Opole itself is only 2.46% German.{{cite web|url=http://www2.mswia.gov.pl/portal.php?serwis=pl&dzial=61&id=37#niemcy|title=German minority in Poland on the Ministry of Interior and Administration webpage|website=2.mswia.gov.pl|access-date=26 October 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225161545/http://www2.mswia.gov.pl/portal.php?serwis=pl&dzial=61&id=37#niemcy|archive-date=25 February 2012}} (See also Germans of Poland.)

Opole hosts the annual National Festival of Polish Song. The city is also known for its 10th-century Church of St. Adalbert and the 14th-century Church of the Holy Cross. There is a zoo, the Ogród Zoologiczny w Opolu.

Structures and buildings

• Piast Tower on the island, the only part that remained of the medieval Piast Castle, the local residence of the dukes of Opole
• Holy Trinity Church, a 14th-century Gothic Franciscan church, which contains a mausoleum of the dukes of the Opole line of the Piast dynasty
• a 19th-century Town Hall
• the Church of our Lady of Sorrows and St. Adalbert (Kościół Matki Boskiej Bolesnej i św. Wojciecha)
• the 14th-century Holy Cross Cathedral (Bazylika katedralna Podwyższenia Krzyża Świętego), which contains the Piast Chapel with the tomb of Jan II the Good, the last duke of Opole from the Piast dynasty
• The art nouveau Penny Bridge (Most Groszowy), currently named Green Bridge (Zielony Mostek)
• Opole Main Station, an eclectic building from early 20th century.

Museums

• Diocesan Museum (Muzeum Diecezjalne)
• Opole Regional Museum (Muzeum Śląska Opolskiego)
• Opole Village Museum (Muzeum Wsi Opolskiej)
• Central POW Museum (Centralne Muzeum Jeńców Wojennych)

Cemetery

• The Jewish Cemetery in Opole was established in 1822, and it is a peculiar pantheon of the Jews of Opole.{{cite web|title=JEWISH CEMETERY IN OPOLE (GRANICZNA STREET)|url=http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/article/opole/12,cemeteries/1595,the-jewish-cemetery-in-opole-graniczna-street-/|publisher=Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich|access-date=20 October 2012}}{{cite web|title=OPOLE: Opolskie|url=http://www.iajgsjewishcemeteryproject.org/poland/opole.html|publisher=International Jewish Cemetery Project|access-date=20 October 2012}}

File:Uopole - panorama z opisem.jpg

Opole is one of the warmest cities in Poland. The national all-time heat record was measured in Prószków, near Opole. The climate is oceanic with sizeable continental influences.

{{Weather box

| location = Opole (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)

| metric first = y

| single line = y

| Jan record high C = 15.8

| Feb record high C = 19.9

| Mar record high C = 24.5

| Apr record high C = 29.3

| May record high C = 33.9

| Jun record high C = 36.0

| Jul record high C = 37.1

| Aug record high C = 37.9

| Sep record high C = 35.4

| Oct record high C = 26.8

| Nov record high C = 21.9

| Dec record high C = 15.2

| year record high C = 37.9

| Jan high C = 2.5

| Feb high C = 4.3

| Mar high C = 8.9

| Apr high C = 15.5

| May high C = 20.2

| Jun high C = 23.6

| Jul high C = 25.8

| Aug high C = 25.6

| Sep high C = 20.1

| Oct high C = 14.2

| Nov high C = 8.2

| Dec high C = 3.5

| year high C = 14.4

| Jan mean C = -0.5

| Feb mean C = 0.7

| Mar mean C = 4.1

| Apr mean C = 9.6

| May mean C = 14.2

| Jun mean C = 17.8

| Jul mean C = 19.7

| Aug mean C = 19.4

| Sep mean C = 14.5

| Oct mean C = 9.6

| Nov mean C = 5.0

| Dec mean C = 0.8

| year mean C = 9.6

| Jan low C = -3.4

| Feb low C = -2.5

| Mar low C = 0.0

| Apr low C = 4.0

| May low C = 8.5

| Jun low C = 12.2

| Jul low C = 14.0

| Aug low C = 13.7

| Sep low C = 9.6

| Oct low C = 5.8

| Nov low C = 2.1

| Dec low C = -1.9

| year low C = 5.2

| Jan record low C = -28.0

| Feb record low C = -29.7

| Mar record low C = -22.3

| Apr record low C = -6.8

| May record low C = -2.5

| Jun record low C = -0.1

| Jul record low C = 4.8

| Aug record low C = 3.4

| Sep record low C = -2.6

| Oct record low C = -7.5

| Nov record low C = -12.9

| Dec record low C = -26.3

| year record low C = -29.7

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 31.5

| Feb precipitation mm = 29.0

| Mar precipitation mm = 35.2

| Apr precipitation mm = 36.9

| May precipitation mm = 62.6

| Jun precipitation mm = 78.2

| Jul precipitation mm = 89.4

| Aug precipitation mm = 54.2

| Sep precipitation mm = 56.7

| Oct precipitation mm = 41.5

| Nov precipitation mm = 37.8

| Dec precipitation mm = 31.9

| year precipitation mm = 585.0

| Jan snow depth cm = 6.4

| Feb snow depth cm = 6.0

| Mar snow depth cm = 3.5

| Apr snow depth cm = 0.9

| May snow depth cm = 0.0

| Jun snow depth cm = 0.0

| Jul snow depth cm = 0.0

| Aug snow depth cm = 0.0

| Sep snow depth cm = 0.0

| Oct snow depth cm = 0.4

| Nov snow depth cm = 2.4

| Dec snow depth cm = 4.2

| year snow depth cm =

| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 15.83

| Feb precipitation days = 13.63

| Mar precipitation days = 14.37

| Apr precipitation days = 10.93

| May precipitation days = 13.17

| Jun precipitation days = 13.27

| Jul precipitation days = 13.37

| Aug precipitation days = 11.63

| Sep precipitation days = 11.33

| Oct precipitation days = 12.83

| Nov precipitation days = 13.80

| Dec precipitation days = 14.83

| year precipitation days = 159.00

| unit snow days = 0 cm

| Jan snow days = 14.9

| Feb snow days = 11.3

| Mar snow days = 4.7

| Apr snow days = 0.7

| May snow days = 0.0

| Jun snow days = 0.0

| Jul snow days = 0.0

| Aug snow days = 0.0

| Sep snow days = 0.0

| Oct snow days = 0.2

| Nov snow days = 3.2

| Dec snow days = 8.3

| year snow days = 43.3

| Jan humidity = 84.0

| Feb humidity = 80.4

| Mar humidity = 75.3

| Apr humidity = 68.9

| May humidity = 71.8

| Jun humidity = 72.1

| Jul humidity = 71.3

| Aug humidity = 71.9

| Sep humidity = 78.0

| Oct humidity = 81.8

| Nov humidity = 85.0

| Dec humidity = 85.1

| year humidity = 77.2

| Jan sun = 56.1

| Feb sun = 77.6

| Mar sun = 129.4

| Apr sun = 197.5

| May sun = 239.4

| Jun sun = 243.0

| Jul sun = 257.2

| Aug sun = 247.4

| Sep sun = 170.0

| Oct sun = 118.2

| Nov sun = 66.9

| Dec sun = 49.6

| year sun = 1852.3

| source 1 = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

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| title = Średnia dobowa temperatura powietrza

| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020

| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

{{cite web

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| archive-date = 15 January 2022

| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMIN_AVE

| title = Średnia minimalna temperatura powietrza

| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020

| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

{{cite web

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| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMAX_AVE

| title = Średnia maksymalna temperatura powietrza

| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020

| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

{{cite web

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| archive-date = 9 January 2022

| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_SUMA

| title = Miesięczna suma opadu

| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020

| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

{{cite web

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| archive-date = 15 January 2022

| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_01

| title = Liczba dni z opadem >= 0,1 mm

| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020

| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

{{cite web

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| archive-date = 15 January 2022

| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_SR_GRUB

| title = Średnia grubość pokrywy śnieżnej

| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020

| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

{{cite web

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| archive-date = 21 January 2022

| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_0

| title = Liczba dni z pokrywą śnieżna > 0 cm

| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020

| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220115055331/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/USL

| archive-date = 15 January 2022

| url = https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/USL

| title = Średnia suma usłonecznienia (h)

| work = Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020

| publisher = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

|source 2 = Meteomodel.pl (records, relative humidity 1991–2020)

{{cite web

| url = https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=350170530&par=tmax&max_empty=3

| title = Opole Absolutna temperatura maksymalna

| publisher = Meteomodel.pl

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

{{cite web

| url = https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=350170530&par=tmin&max_empty=3

| title = Opole Absolutna temperatura minimalna

| date = 6 April 2018

| publisher = Meteomodel.pl

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

{{cite web

| url = https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=350170530&par=rh&max_empty=3

| title = Opole Średnia wilgotność

| date = 6 April 2018

| publisher = Meteomodel.pl

| language = pl

| access-date = 2 February 2022}}

}}

File:PL Opole collegiummaius.jpg

• state-run universities and colleges:
• Opole University of Technology ([http://www.po.opole.pl/ Politechnika Opolska])
• University of Opole ([http://www.uni.opole.pl/ Uniwersytet Opolski])
• Public Higher Medical Professional School in Opole ([https://web.archive.org/web/20071216070114/http://www.wsm.opole.pl/pierwsza.htm Państwowa Medyczna Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa w Opolu])
• privately run colleges:
• Management and Administration College in Opole ([http://www.wszia.opole.pl/ Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania i Administracji w Opolu])
• Bogdan Jański Academy ([http://opole.janski.edu.pl/ Szkoła Wyższa im. Bogdana Jańskiego])
• WSB Merito Universities - WSB Merito University in Wrocław,[http://www.wsb.pl/english/about-wsb-group/wsb-wroclaw WSB University in Wrocław] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301121749/http://www.wsb.pl/english/about-wsb-group/wsb-wroclaw |date=2016-03-01 }} - WSB Universities departments of Economics

File:Opole Subdivisions-PL.svg

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Opole constituency

• Danuta Jazłowiecka, PO
• Tadeusz Jarmuziewicz, PO
• Ryszard Knosala, PO
• Leszek Korzeniowski, PO
• Sławomir Kłosowski, PiS
• Teresa Ceglecka-Zielonka, PiS
• Mieczysław Walkiewicz, PiS
• Henryk Kroll, German minority
• Ryszard Galla, German minority
• Józef Stępkowski, Samoobrona
• Sandra Lewandowska, Samoobrona
• Tomasz Garbowski, SLD
• Marek Kawa, LPR

File:Opole city budget income sources 2015.png

Opole is the Opole Voivodeship's centre for commerce, banking, industrial complexes and other major service sector industries.{{cite web|title=Nowe firmy Opole 2016, 2015, 2014 r., nowo rejestrowane firmy w Opolu i województwie opolskim|url=http://www.coig.com.pl/nowe-firmy-opole_rejestr_KRS_ceidg_2016_2015_opolu_opolskim.php|website=Coig.com.pl|access-date=30 January 2017|language=en}}{{cite web|title=Zainwestowali|url=http://investinopole.pl/firmy/|website=Invest in Opole|access-date=30 January 2017|language=pl-PL}}{{cite web|title=OPOLE Firmy i Instytucje|url=http://www.info-net.com.pl/katalog/opole|website=Info-net.com.pl|access-date=30 January 2017}}

Prior to World War II, due to major limestone deposits in Opole's vicinity, the city developed as a centre for cement production in Germany, with the Cementownia "Odra" being active till this day. The French building materials company Lafarge is also active in the area, having its roofing division, Lafarge Roofing, together with its German subsidiary Schiedel (chimney manufacturing) based in Opole.{{cite web|title=Historia Opola|url=http://www.opole.pl/dzial/miasto/wizytowka/historia-opola/|website=Opole.pl|access-date=30 January 2017|language=pl-PL}}

File:Solaris Center - main entrance.jpg

Other companies in the city include: IT companies: Atmoterm SA{{cite web |title=Atmoterm SA|url = https://www.atmoterm.pl/ |language=pl}}, the German valve manufacturer Kludi; the German men's fashion manufacturer Ahlers and the American automotive manufacturer Tower Automative. As is the case with the entire Opole Voivodeship, there is a strong presence of food industry services in the city. The largest companies in the food sector include: Zott, the Dutch baby food and nutrition company Nutricia, part of the Danone food-products corporation.

Opole has branches of all major banks, including: PKO, Pekao, Deutsche Bank and Raiffeisen Zentralbank.

The retail sector in Opole includes major Metro AG brand stores: Metro Cash and Carry and Media-Saturn-Holding, as well as Real. The city has a plethora of other major supermarket chains, namely: the Polish supermarket chains Biedronka, Lidl, Aldi and Netto.{{cite web|title=Wyborcza.pl|url=http://opole.wyborcza.pl/opole/1,35114,15030705,Tlumy_na_otwarciu_sklepu_Aldi_w_Opolu__WIDEO_.html?disableRedirects=true|website=opole.wyborcza.pl|access-date=30 January 2017}} Other major brand stores include the shoe retailer Deichmann and Rossmann drugstores.{{cite web|title=Drogeria Rossmann - województwo opolskie|url=http://www.rossmann.pl/drogerie/opolskie,16|website=Rossmann.pl|access-date=30 January 2017|language=pl}}

Furthermore, the city has three major shopping centres. The Solaris Center, with a total of 86 shops, opened in May 2009 and is located in the centre of Mikołaj Kopernik Square. In the city's suburbs, by Wrocławska Street (ul. Wrocławska) is the location of Karolinka Shopping Centre (Centrum Handlowe Karolinka). The shopping centre, which opened in September 2008, has a total area of 38,000 m², with a total of 99 stores, including fashion, hardware and electronics stores. To the east of the city, by the National Road 46, is the smallest of the three shopping centres, Turawa Park, with a total of 50 stores. Other shopping centres include Galeria Opolanin, built between 1974 and 1981 and upon its completion, was the largest shopping centre in Poland.{{cite web|title=Galeria Opolanin Opole|url=http://www.galeria-opolanin.pl/|website=Galeria-opolanin.pl|access-date=30 January 2017|language=en}}

Among the city's sports team are:

• Odra Opole – football club, playing in the Polish second division. From the 1950s to the 1980s the team competed in the country's top-flight, finishing 3rd in 1964.
• Orlik Opole – ice hockey club, playing in the Polish Hockey League, the country's top division.
• Kolejarz Opole – speedway club who race at the Marian Spychała Speedway Stadium and compete in the Polish leagues. In the 1970s and 1980s, the team competed in the country's top-flight, finishing 3rd in 1970.
• Gwardia Opole – handball club, playing in the Polish Superliga, the country's top division, and finishing 3rd in 1964 and, recently, in 2019.
• Rodło Opole – football club, originally formed in 1996 as a youth side now have a team competing in the lower leagues.{{cite web |title=Historia |url=http://rodloopole.pl/historia |website=rodloopole.pl |access-date=8 July 2024 |language=Polish}}

File:JanKasprowicz1901 (cropped).jpg]]

File:2016209185719 2016-07-27 Champions for Charity - Sven - 1D X - 0149 - DV3P4742 mod.jpg]]

File:Remigiusz_Mroz.jpg]]

{{Category see also|People from Opole}}

{{div col}}

• Leo Baeck (1873–1956), rabbi
• Anna Brzezińska (born 1971), fantasy writer
• Jerzy Buzek (born 1940), academic and politician, President of the European Parliament, former Prime Minister of Poland
• Jan Fethke (1903–1980), film director
• Damian Grabowski (born 1980), mixed martial artist
• Jerzy Grotowski (1933–1999), theater director
• Danuta Jazłowiecka (born 1957), politician
• Jakub Kania (1872–1957), Polish poet and writer, soldier in the Silesian Uprisings
• Jan Kasprowicz (1860–1926), poet
• Paul Kleinert (1837–1920), German theologian
• Miroslav Klose (born 1978), football player (playing in the Germany national football team)
• Bronisław Koraszewski (1863–1924), Polish activist, founder of Gazeta Opolska
• Szymon Koszyk (1891–1972), reporter, teacher and Polish activist from Opole
• Andrzej Jerzy Lech (born 1955), artist and photographer
• Simon Bar Jona Madelka (before 1550–{{circa|1598}}), Czech composer
• Chester Marcol (born 1949), American football placekicker for the Green Bay Packers
• Rochus Misch (1917–2013), communications' chief of the Reichskanzlei and member of the Leibstandarte-SS Adolf Hitler
• Jacek Morajko (born 1981), cyclist
• Remigiusz Mróz (born 1987), writer
• Marcin Ociepa (born 1984), politician
• Edmund Osmańczyk (1913–1989), reporter, politician (6 times elected to the sejm and once to the senate)
• Emin Pasha (born Eduard Schnitzer) (1840–1892), explorer and governor of Africa
• Bolesław Polnar (born 1952), graphic artist and painter
• Joachim Prinz (1902–1988), rabbi, born here
• Oscar Slater (1872–1948), German/Scottish victim of miscarriage of justice
• Krzysztof Szramiak (born 1984), Polish weightlifter
• Maksymilian Szuber (born 2002), Polish-German ice hockey player
• Bronisław Trentowski (1808–1869), Polish philosopher, pedagogist and journalist
• Vladislaus II of Opole, count palatine of Poland 1378
• Karolina Wydra (born 1981), actress
• Piotr Zioła (born 1995), rock singer

{{div col end}}

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}

Opole is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Miasta partnerskie|url=https://www.opole.pl/en/taxonomy/term/485|website=opole.pl|publisher=Opole|access-date=2020-03-04}}

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}

• {{flagicon|LTU}} Alytus, Lithuania
• {{flagicon|CZE}} Bruntál, Czech Republic
• {{flagicon|ITA}} Carrara, Italy
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Grasse, France
• {{flagicon|GER}} Ingolstadt, Germany
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
• {{flagicon|FIN}} Kuopio, Finland
• {{flagicon|GER}} Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
• {{flagicon|GER}} Potsdam, Germany
• {{flagicon|USA}} Roanoke, United States
• {{flagicon|HUN}} Székesfehérvár, Hungary

{{div col end}}

File:Opole - Kolegium jezuickie 01.jpg|Jesuit College, now a regional museum

File:Opole- kościół św. Trójcy.jpg|Church of the Holy Trinity

File:Market Square in Opole Southside 2019.jpg|Rynek (Market Square) filled with historic townhouses

File:PL Opole Mostek.JPG|Green Bridge

File:Mühlgraben6.jpg|Młynówka Canal (Little Venice)

File:OpoleFontannaCeres.JPG|Ceres Fountain

File:Opole - Gmach Dworca Głównego 01.jpg|Opole Główne railway station

File:Miejska Biblioteka Publiczna w Opolu.jpg|John Paul II Library

File:Opole, kościół, ob. par. p.w. Matki Boskiej Bolesnej, poł.XIV, 1701-1708, 1931-1938.JPG|Church of St. Adalbert, also known as the "Church on the Rock" and "Church on the Hill"

File:PL Opole tablica.JPG|Signs showing direction of twin cities

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. "[http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0836736.html Opole]". Columbia University Press. Accessed June 4, 2006.

{{Wikivoyage|Opole}}

{{Commons category|Opole}}

• [http://www.visitopolskie.pl/ Opole - Official Tourist Information]
• [http://www.opole.pl/ Municipal website]
• [http://www.herder-institut.de/town-atlas-silesia Urban development of Opole] in the Historical-Topographical Atlas of Silesian Towns
• [http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/city/opole/ Jewish Community in Opole] on Virtual Shtetl
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120710004240/http://www.um.opole.pl/kamera Webcam showing Krakowska Street in Opole] {{in lang|pl}}
• [https://cityon.pl/opole CityOn.pl - things to do in Opole] {{in lang|pl}}
• [https://tripycal.com/posts/Opole-Trip-Venice-on-Mlynowka-Piast-Tower-Rynek-661d78242433c0d7e0499602 Opole Trip: Venice on Młynówka, Piast Tower, Rynek] {{in lang|en}}

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Category:Cities in Silesia

Category:Cities and towns in Opole Voivodeship

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