Opole

A castle and a settlement appeared at the current location of Opole as early as in the 9^th century. The first mention of the castle dates back to the year 845; it is a note called Descriptio civitatum et regionum ad septentrionalem plagam Danubii, written by the so-called Bavarian Geographer for Louis the German. The place was one of the settlements of the Opolan tribe.

Probably towards the end of the 9^th century, the territory became a part of Great Moravia and later came into the Czech sphere of influence. In 990, Opole, together with the entire Silesia, was annexed by Poland. In 1039, however, it came back under the Czech rule for another 11 years. In the 12^th century, the town became a castellan stronghold and a part of the Silesian Province. In 1179, the province was divided between the heirs of Władysław II the Exile. The newly created Duchy of Opole was ruled over by Jarosław and, later on, by Mieszko I Tanglefoot – the progenitor of all dynasty lines of the Silesian Piasts in Upper Silesia.

Opole was granted city rights by Mieszko, the son of Duke Casimir I of Opole, sometime before 1217. In 1241, the settlement surrounding the castle was burnt down by Tatar troops. In 1283, the town once again came under Czech rule and shared its political fate with the entire region of Silesia. In 1350, the town's population was estimated to amount to ca. 2,300 inhabitants.

After the death of Jan II the Good, the last member of the Opolian line of the Piast Dynasty, in 1532, Czech King Ferdinand I placed the town under the dominion of the Ansbach line of the Hohenzollern Dynasty for the following 20 years. Later on, the town came under the direct rule of the Habsburg Dynasty. In 1632, during the Thirty Years' War, Opole was taken and plundered by Swedes. In the years 1645–1666, the Polish line of the Vasa dynasty kept the Duchy of Opole and the Duchy of Racibórz as a pledge for the dowry of their Habsburgian wives. During the Swedish invasion on Poland in 1655, King John II Casimir and his court resided in Opole.

In 1742, Opole came under Prussian rule. The town had its own local garrison, created in 1747. During the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), the city was twice taken by Austria (in 1757 and in 1762) and once by Russia (in 1761). During the Napoleonic Wars, in 1807, the town came under the control of the Bavarian Army, allied with France.

Opole became the capital of one of the three administrative districts in the Prussian Silesian Province. In the years 1819–1848, the city walls and fortified towers of Opole were torn down in order to create better conditions for the town's development. Major economical growth came with the opening of a rail connection with Wrocław in 1843. In the same period, the shipping industry on the Odra River was revived.

In a plebiscite carried out in 1921, only 5% of Opole's population voted for incorporating the town into the newly restored Poland, so it remained a part of Germany. During WWII, forced labour camps were established in Opole by the German government. In January 1945, the Soviet Army captured Opole after a period of heavy battles, which resulted in 60% of the city being destroyed.

After the war, Opole was incorporated into Poland by virtue of the agreements of the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences. The German population of Opole was displaced, while numerous Polish citizens and people displaced from kresy wschodnie (Eastern Borderlands) started to settle in the town. In 1950, Opole became the capital of a newly created province, which contributed to the town's speedy restoration and growth. In 1972, the Diocese of Opole was established by Pope Paul VI, and in 1994, the University of Opole was opened. Since 1999, the town, with the population of about 1,200 people, has been the capital of one of the 16 Polish provinces.

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