Strzelce Opolskie

Strzelce Opolskie
Wielge Strzelce
Town hall
Flag
Coat of arms
Strzelce Opolskie
Coordinates: 50°30′N 18°17′E / 50.500°N 18.283°E / 50.500; 18.283
Country Poland
Voivodeship Opole
CountyStrzelce
GminaStrzelce Opolskie
First mentioned13th century
Government
 • MayorJan Wróblewski
Area
 • Total
30.13 km2 (11.63 sq mi)
Population
 (2019-06-30[1])
 • Total
17,900
 • Density594/km2 (1,540/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
47-100
Car platesOST
National roads
Voivodeship roads
Websitehttp://www.strzelceopolskie.pl

Strzelce Opolskie [ˈstʂɛlt͡sɛ ɔˈpɔlskʲɛ] ⓘ (Silesian: Wielge Strzelce, German: Groß Strehlitz) is a town in southern Poland with 17,900 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Opole Voivodeship.[2] It is the capital of Strzelce County.

Etymology

The name of the town is of Polish origin and comes from the old Polish word strzelec, which means "hunter" or "archer".[3]

History

The settlement was mentioned in 13th-century documents, when it was part of Piast-ruled Kingdom of Poland. It received town rights probably in the 13th century. Local dukes of the Piast dynasty erected a castle in the town.

The town was annexed by Prussia in the 18th century. In the 18th century, Strzelce Opolskie belonged to the tax inspection region of Prudnik.[4] From the unification of Germany in 1871 until the end of World War II in 1945, the town was part of Germany. According to the German census of 1890, it had a population of 5,112, of which 500 (9.8%) were Poles.[5] A local branch of the Polish Sokół movement was established in 1904, however, the local German authorities initially did not allow registration, threatened expulsion from the town, and led to the dismissal of two founders from the local sewerage company.[6] Twelve company workers quit their jobs in solidarity and found new jobs in other towns.[6]

In the Upper Silesia plebiscite held in 1921, the residents were asked to choose between remaining in Germany and rejoining Poland, which just regained independence after World War I. In Groß Strehlitz, 85.7% of the votes were cast in favour of remaining in Germany, whereas in the present-day districts (then neighbouring localities) of Nowa Wieś, Mokre Łany and Adamowice 69.7%, 59.9%, 59.2%, respectively, voted to rejoin Poland, and in Suche Łany 59.1% voted for Germany.[7]

In a secret Sicherheitsdienst report from 1934, the town was named one of the main centers of the Polish movement in western Upper Silesia.[8] Polish activists were persecuted intensively since 1937.[9] In April and May 1939, multiple German attacks on Poles took place in the town.[10] Nazi German militants attacked the actors of the Polish theater from Katowice and the gathered Polish public, and demolished the theater hall of the Polish bank.[10] The Hitler Youth devastated the headquarters of Polish organizations, Polish enterprises (bank and cooperative) and houses of local Polish activists.[10] In August and September 1939, the Germans carried out arrests of prominent local Poles, including chairmen of the Polish bank, cooperative and local branch of the "Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society, and confiscated the assets of the Polish bank.[11] During World War II, Nazi Germany operated a detention center where it would send prisoners to forced labour.[12] Many died from exhaustion and/or starvation. Among the prisoners were Poles arrested for rescuing Jews from the Holocaust.[13] The Germans also operated the E365 labour subcamp of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp at the local lime quarry,[14] and a forced labour camp for Jews.[15] After the defeat of Germany in the war in 1945, the town became again part of Poland.

Demographics

Strzelce Opolskie is one of the biggest centers of German minority in Poland.

Transport

The town is located along the major rail line which joins Gliwice and Opole. Until 1999, there was a branch line connecting Strzelce Opolskie with Kędzierzyn Koźle. It closed as part of PKP's cost-cutting measures, although the rails still (2006) remain in site.

The town is located on the Polish National road No. 94, and the Voivodeship roads 409 and 426.

Sports

The local football club is Piast Strzelce Opolskie with men and women sections.[16] Both sections compete in the lower leagues.

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

See twin towns of Gmina Strzelce Opolskie.

  • Town hall
  • Castle park
  • Ruins of the Piast Dukes' Castle, 14th century
  • Old stable of the castle complex
  • Monument to the victims of wars

See also

References

  1. ^ "Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2019. As of 30th June". stat.gov.pl. Statistics Poland. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  2. ^ "Główny Urząd Statystyczny" [Central Statistical Office] (in Polish). To search: Select "Miejscowości (SIMC)" tab, select "fragment (min. 3 znaki)" (minimum 3 characters), enter town name in the field below, click "WYSZUKAJ" (Search).
  3. ^ Damrot, Konstanty (1896). Die älteren Ortsnamen Schlesiens, ihre Entstehung und Bedeutung. Mit einem Anhange über die schlesisch-polnischen Personennamen. Beiträge zur schlesischen Geschichte und Volkskunde (in German). Verlag von Felix Kasprzyk. p. 115.
  4. ^ "Historia Powiatu Prudnickiego - Starostwo Powiatowe w Prudniku". 2020-11-16. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  5. ^ "Deutsche Verwaltungsgeschichte Schlesien, Kreis Gross-Strehlitz". treemagic.org. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  6. ^ a b Ogrodziński, Wincenty (1937). Dzieje Dzielnicy Śląskiej "Sokoła" (in Polish). Katowice. p. 70.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ "Landsmannschaft der Oberschlesier in Karlsruhe". Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  8. ^ Rosenbaum, Sebastian; Węcki, Mirosław (2010). Nadzorować, interweniować, karać. Nazistowski obóz władzy wobec Kościoła katolickiego w Zabrzu (1934–1944). Wybór dokumentów (in Polish). Katowice: IPN. p. 60. ISBN 978-83-8098-299-4.
  9. ^ Cygański, Mirosław (1984). "Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945". Przegląd Zachodni (in Polish) (4): 24.
  10. ^ a b c Cygański, p. 26-27
  11. ^ Cygański, p. 32-34
  12. ^ "Zuchthaus und Haftanstalt Sicherungsanstalt Groß Strehlitz". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  13. ^ Rejestr faktów represji na obywatelach polskich za pomoc ludności żydowskiej w okresie II wojny światowej (in Polish). Warszawa: IPN. 2014. pp. 75, 97, 99.
  14. ^ "Working Parties". Lamsdorf: Stalag VIIIB 344 Prisoner of War Camp 1940 - 1945. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  15. ^ "Zwangsarbeitslager für Juden Groß Strehlitz". Bundesarchiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  16. ^ "Piast Strzelce Opolskie - strona klubu" (in Polish). Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Weihbischof Franziskus Eisenbach verstorben". bistummainz.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  18. ^ Dimitrow, Radosław (2019-03-23). "Arkadiusz Jakubik ujawnił księdza pedofila ze Strzelec Opolskich. Prokuratura ustaliła, że molestował 2 osoby, ale sprawa jest przedawniona". Nowa Trybuna Opolska (in Polish). Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  19. ^ "Krzysztof Mehlich – Polski Komitet Olimpijski". olimpijski.pl. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
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