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60-582: Opole Voivodeship is bordered by Lower Silesian Voivodeship to the west, Greater Poland and Łódź Voivodeships to the north, Silesian Voivodeship to the east, and the Czech Republic ( Olomouc Region and Moravian-Silesian Region ) to the south. Opole Province's geographic location, economic potential, and its population's level of education make it an attractive business partner for other Polish regions (especially Lower Silesian and Silesian Voivodeships ) and for foreign investors. Formed in 1997,

120-684: A mayor-council government . The legislative and oversight body of each gmina is the elected municipal council ( rada gminy ), in an urban-rural gmina called the town and gmina council ( rada miasta i gminy ), while in an urban gmina it is called the town/city council ( rada miasta ). Any local laws considered non-compliant with the national ones may be invalidated by the respective voivode , whose rulings may be appealed to an administrative court. Decisions in individual cases may in turn be appealed to quasi-judicial bodies named local government boards of appeal  [ pl ] , their ruling subject to appeal to an administrative court. Executive power

180-400: A starosta , while the city council has the powers and duties of a powiat (county) council; both nevertheless being elected under the municipal election rules rather than those applicable to county elections. A recall referendum may be triggered either in respect to the wójt/town mayor/city mayor or to the municipal council through a petition supported by at least 1/10 of eligible voters, but

240-494: A city exercises also powers and duties of a powiat while not belonging to any; nevertheless, it may still be a seat of a regular powiat, albeit without belonging to it administratively (such powiat thus being often "doughnut-shaped"). In such cities, the roles of the powiat organs are fulfilled by the ones of the urban gmina. For a complete listing of all the gminy in Poland, see List of Polish gminas . Polish gminy operate under

300-473: A city mayor ( prezydent miasta ) instead of a town mayor (burmistrz), the status awarded automatically to all urban gminy over 100,000 inhabitants or those with a status of a city with powiat rights, with some others allowed to retain the earlier awarded title due to historical reasons. 66 among the 107 cities (including all voivodeship seats and all cities over 100,000 inhabitants) have the special status of city with powiat rights (miasto na prawach powiatu). Such

360-478: A fear of 'alienation' should one find themselves residing in a new, unfamiliar region. The solution came in late 1999, when Olesno was, after 24 years apart, finally reunited with the Opole Voivodeship to form the new legally defined region. A historic moment came in 2006 when the town of Radłów changed its local laws to make German, alongside Polish, the district's second official language, becoming

420-622: A result, many areas are officially bilingual and the German language and culture play a significant role in education in the region. Ethnic Germans first came to this region during the Late Middle Ages. The area was once part of the Prussian province of Silesia . The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 10.1 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 2.0% of Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power

480-764: A subordinate administrative role. In rural areas these are called sołectwa , in towns they may be dzielnice or osiedla and in an urban-rural gmina, the town itself may be designated as an auxiliary unit. The only gmina which is statutorily obliged to have auxiliary units is Warsaw , which is divided since 2002 into 18 boroughs exercising some devolved powers, though not considered separate entities. Each gmina carries out two classes of tasks: The tasks can be also divided into another two categories: Own tasks include matters such as spatial harmony, real estate management, environmental protection and nature conservation, water management, country roads, public streets, bridges, squares and traffic systems, water supply systems and source,

540-612: A total of c. 90,800 overnight stays were hosted for international tourists, a figure making up 12.4% of the total amount of overnight stays for Opole Voivodeship. The majority (44.7%) of international overnight stays were hosted in the city of Opole , followed by Kędzierzyn-Koźle County (9.9%) and Nysa County at (9.4%). The transport route from Germany to Ukraine , the A4 , runs through Opole. The region has four border crossings, and direct rail connections to all important Polish cities, as well as to Frankfurt , Munich , Budapest , Kyiv , and

600-1015: Is a National Institute and Library of great importance, and the Pan Tadeusz Museum, containing the manuscript of the Polish national epos, Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz , serves as its branch. Bolesławiec , center of pottery production since the Middle Ages, hosts the Museum of Ceramics. The former gold mines in Złoty Stok and Złotoryja , tin and cobalt mine in Krobica , nickel mine in Szklary , coal mine in Nowa Ruda and uranium ore mine in Kowary are available for tourists. There

660-742: Is also an underground tourist route in historic cellars under the old town of Kłodzko . Lower Silesia boasts three World Heritage Sites and 15 Historic Monuments of Poland : There are several burial sites of Polish monarchs and dukes from the Piast dynasty , including at Henryków , Lubiąż , Trzebnica , and several in Legnica and Wrocław. The Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Krzeszów and Church of St. John

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720-493: Is bordered by Lubusz Voivodeship to the north-west, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the north-east, Opole Voivodeship to the south-east, the Czech Republic ( Hradec Králové Region , Liberec Region , Olomouc Region and Pardubice Region ) to the south, and Germany ( Saxony ) to the west. Wrocław Airport serves as an international and domestic airport. Wrocław Główny is the largest railway station in Poland, serving an average of 21.2 million passengers annually. It offers

780-474: Is divided into 30 counties ( powiaty ), four of which are city counties. These are further divided into 169 gminy . Lower Silesia is divided into three additional delegation districts governed by the provincial government, with Wrocław serving as the capital of the administrative region: The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population). Speedway , football , basketball , handball and volleyball enjoy

840-421: Is held in the municipality by a directly elected official, called wójt in rural gminy, a town mayor ( burmistrz ) in urban-rural and most urban gminy which contain towns, or a city mayor ( prezydent miasta ) in the 107 urban gminy containing cities, the status awarded automatically to all urban gminy over 100,000 inhabitants or those with a status of a city with powiat rights, with some others allowed to retain

900-709: Is host to several spa towns , many castles and palaces , and the Giant Mountains with several ski resorts . For this reason tourism is a large part of this region's economy. In the past 1,200 years, the region has been part of Great Moravia , the Medieval Kingdom of Poland , the Crown of Bohemia , Kingdom of Hungary , Habsburg monarchy (Austria), Kingdom of Prussia , the German Empire , and modern Poland after 1945. Silesian tribes settled

960-579: Is most frequently visited by international tourists from countries located in Europe (94.6%). The rank was followed by tourists from Asia , compromising 2.4% of the total international tourist figure, followed by that of North America at 1.8%. The general composition of international tourists visiting the Opole Voivodeship remains unchanged, with 46.2% of tourists heading from Germany . International tourists visiting Opole Voivodeship with an overnight stay according to country of permanent residence: In 2015,

1020-527: Is mostly located within the voivodeship. The village of Henryków Lubański contains Poland's oldest tree, an over-1200-year-old yew , listed as a natural monument . The voivodeship has a number of mineral springs and is host to a large number of spa towns . The highest point in the voivodeship is Mount Śnieżka (1603 m above sea level) while the lowest point is located in the Oder River Valley (69 m above sea level). Lower Silesian Voivodeship

1080-489: Is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. It covers an area of 19,946 square kilometres (7,701 sq mi), and as of 2019 has a total population of 2,899,986. It is one of the wealthiest provinces in Poland as natural resources such as copper , brown coal and rock materials are widely present. Its capital and largest city is Wrocław , situated on the Oder River . The voivodeship

1140-402: Is the basic unit of the administrative division of Poland , similar to a municipality . As of 1 January 2019 , there were 2,477 gminy throughout the country, encompassing over 43,000 villages. Nine hundred and forty gminy include cities and towns, with 322 among them constituting an independent urban gmina ( Polish : gmina miejska ) consisting solely of a standalone town or one of

1200-673: The Ostsiedlung , the cultural and ethnic Germanic influence grew with an influx of immigrants from the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire , and since the 1330s when it was subjugated to the Kingdom of Bohemia , although large portions of Lower Silesia still formed Polish-ruled duchies under the houses of Piast, Jagiellon and Sobieski , some up to the 17th and 18th century. Chief medieval ducal capitals of

1260-973: The Baltic ports. There are three state-run universities in the region: the Opole University , the Opole University of Technology , and the Public Higher Medical Professional School in Opole . All of them are based in the voivodeship's capital. Among the region's private schools, the Opole School of Management and Administration has been certified as a degree-granting institution by the Ministry of National Education. Most popular surnames in Opole Voivodeship: Opole Voivodeship

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1320-813: The Market Square , the Cathedral Island and Wrocław's dwarfs . The Festival of Good Beer is held every year of June. The annual international Chopin Festival is held in the Fryderyk Chopin Theatre in the town of Duszniki-Zdrój . Other major attraction of the town is the Museum of Papermaking , established in a 17th-century paper mill . Śnieżka is the highest peak of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship and

1380-490: The Middle Ages , gold (Polish: złoto ) and silver (Polish: srebro ) were mined in the region, which is reflected in the names of the former mining towns of Złotoryja , Złoty Stok and Srebrna Góra . The voivodeship contains 8 cities and 83 towns. The cities, governed by a city mayor ( Polish : prezydent miasta ), are listed below in descending order of population (as of 2019): Lower Silesian Voivodeship

1440-729: The Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. Although much of the region is relatively low-lying, Lower Silesia includes the Sudeten Foreland , as well as part of the Sudetes mountain range, that runs along the Polish/ Czech border. Ski resorts in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship include Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba in the Karkonosze mountains. Lower Silesian Forest , the largest continuous forest of Poland,

1500-552: The Praděd/Pradziad Euroregion with its headquarter in Prudnik has facilitated economic, cultural and tourist exchanges between the border areas of Poland and the Czech Republic . The territory became part of the emerging Polish state in the 10th century, and later on, Brzeg , Namysłów , Niemodlin , Opole , Prudnik and Strzelce Opolskie were ducal seat of local lines of the Piast dynasty . Opole Voivodeship

1560-683: The Protestant Reformation , the Silesian Wars , Napoleonic Wars , industrialisation and the two World Wars . Before and during World War II , the region's Polish and Jewish populations were persecuted by Nazi Germany . During the war, Germany operated numerous prisons and camps in the region, most notably the Gross-Rosen concentration camp and Stalag VIII-A prisoner-of-war camp for Allied POWs of various nationalities, both with multiple subcamps scattered throughout

1620-400: The 107 cities, the latter governed by a city mayor ( prezydent miasta ). The gmina has been the basic unit of territorial division in Poland since 1974, when it replaced the smaller gromada (cluster). Three or more gminy make up a higher level unit called a powiat , except for those holding the status of a city with powiat rights . Each and every powiat has the seat in a city or town, in

1680-656: The Archdiocese Museum in Wrocław, which contains the Book of Henryków . Wrocław also hosts the Post and Telecommunications Museum, Poland's chief museum dedicated to postal history. The Regional Museum in Środa Śląska holds the Środa Treasure , containing medieval gold and silver coins, jewellery and royal regalia , considered one of the most precious archaeological findings of 20th-century Europe. The Ossolineum in Wrocław

1740-844: The Baptist in Legnica contain entire Baroque mausoleums of the Piast dukes from the Świdnica and Legnica lines, respectively. Other rather unique historic structures include the Skull Chapel in Kudowa-Zdrój and the Vang Stave Church in Karpacz . The Ducal Tower in Siedlęcin contains one of the best preserved medieval frescos in Poland, and the world's only in situ depiction of Sir Lancelot . World War II sites include

1800-427: The area were Wrocław , Legnica , Głogów , Świdnica and Jawor . Lower Silesia was, during the Middle Ages , one of Poland's cultural centers. The Book of Henryków (1273), which contains the earliest known sentence written in the Polish language, as well as a document which contains the oldest printed text in Polish, were both created within it. The first granting of municipal privileges in Poland took place in

1860-825: The castle in Brzeg , built during the reign of the Piast dynasty —pearl of the Silesian Renaissance, the Franciscan monastery on top of Góra Świętej Anny (Saint Anne Mountain), as well as the medieval old town and defence fortifications in Paczków (referred to as the Upper Silesian Carcassonne ), all designated Historic Monument of Poland . According to the Central Statistical Office of Poland , Opole Voivodeship

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1920-471: The cities of Legnica , Głogów , Lubin and Polkowice produces copper , as well as other valuable minerals, making Poland the second largest producer of copper in Europe, and the largest producer of silver and rhenium in Europe and one of the largest in the world (as of 2024). Strzegom and its surroundings are the site of granite mining, and the town is called the "capital of Polish granite". One of

1980-454: The development of agriculture , which is among the most productive in the country. A total of nineteen industries are represented in the voivodeship. The most important are cement and lime, furniture, food, car manufacturing, and chemical industries. In 1997, the biggest production growth in the area was in companies producing wood and wood products, electrical equipment, machinery and appliances, as well as cellulose and paper products. In 1997,

2040-445: The domestic and international connections of various carriers. The A4 motorway , A8 motorway , A18 motorway and S3 Expressway , S5 Expressway , S8 Expressway also run through the voivodeship. Tourism is important for Lower Silesian Voivodeship. There are 99 castles and hundreds of palaces. A lot are located Jelenia Góra Valley . Wrocław being the largest city in the voivodeship has many sights and attractions, including

2100-410: The earlier awarded title due to historical reasons. A town or city mayor may be scrutinized or denied funding for his/her projects by the council, but is not politically responsible to it and does not require its confidence to remain in office; therefore, cohabitation is not uncommon. In a city with powiat rights , the city mayor additionally has the powers and duties of a powiat executive board and

2160-600: The first town in the region to do so. The voivodeship lies in southwestern Poland, the major part on the Silesian Lowland ( Nizina Śląska ). To the east, the region touches upon the Silesian Upland ( Silesian Uplands , Wyżyna Śląska ) with the famous Saint Anne Mountain ; the Sudetes range, the Opawskie Mountains , lies to the southwest. The Oder River cuts across the middle of

2220-606: The following table (ordering is by decreasing population). The voivodeship contains 2 cities and 34 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (as of 2019): Towns: The Opole Voivodeship is the smallest region in the administrative makeup of the country in terms of both area and population. About 15% of the one million inhabitants of this voivodeship are ethnic Germans , which constitutes 90% of all ethnic Germans in Poland. Towns with particularly high concentrations of German speakers include: Strzelce Opolskie ; Dobrodzien ; Prudnik ; Głogówek ; and Gogolin . As

2280-484: The lands at the end of the first millennium after the Migration Period . In the 9th century, the region became part of Great Moravia under Svatopluk I of Moravia and in the 10th century, Mieszko I of the Piast dynasty eventually incorporated the region to Poland. The region withstood German invasions with decisive Polish victories at Niemcza (1017) and Głogów (1109), both commemorated with monuments. It

2340-602: The largest following in the voivodeship with several accomplished teams. Since the establishment of the province, various major international sports competitions were co-hosted by the province, including the EuroBasket 2009 , 2009 Women's European Volleyball Championship , 2010 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships , UEFA Euro 2012 , 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship , 2016 European Men's Handball Championship , 2017 World Games . Gmina The gmina ( Polish: [ˈɡmina] , plural gminy [ˈɡminɨ] )

2400-476: The latter case either an urban gmina or a part of an urban-rural one. There are three types of gmina: Some rural gminy have their seat in a town which itself is outside of the gmina's territory. For example, the rural Gmina Augustów is administered from the town of Augustów , but does not include the town, as Augustów is an urban type gmina in its own right. One hundred and seven urban gminy constitute cities, distinguished from towns through being governed by

2460-773: The museum at the former Nazi German Gross-Rosen concentration camp and memorials at the sites of other Nazi camps and prisons and to the Polish resistance movement , etc. A portion of the underground structures built as part of the unfinished Nazi German Project Riese is available for tourists. There are also the Kłodzko and Srebrna Góra fortresses, which initially served for military purposes, and during World War II as German prisons for prisoners of various nationalities, especially Polish. Protected areas in Lower Silesian Voivodeship: and many areas of Natura 2000 network. The gross domestic product (GDP) of

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2520-422: The proposed Silesian Region, they would have formed a very small minority among a great number of ethnic Poles). To the surprise of many of the ethnic Germans in Opole however, the local Polish Silesian population and groups of ethnic Poles also rose up to oppose the planned reforms; this came about as a result of an overwhelming feeling of attachment to the voivodeships that were scheduled to be 'redrawn', as well as

2580-629: The province was 41.1 billion euro in 2018, accounting for 8.3% of the Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €23,400 or 78% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 85% of the EU average. Lower Silesia Voivodeship is the province with the second highest GDP per capita in Poland. The wealth of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship is partly due to mining and production of various minerals. The Legnica-Głogów Copper Basin (Polish: Legnicko-Głogowski Okręg Miedziowy ) with

2640-589: The province. In 1469, Lower Silesia passed to Hungary , and in 1490 it fell back to Bohemia, then ruled by the Jagiellonian dynasty, then together with it became part of the Habsburg monarchy (1526). In 1742/44, the territory was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia , and subsequently became part of the German Empire (1871). Over the centuries, Lower Silesia has experienced several epochal events such as

2700-604: The region and beyond, including forced labour camps at the Project Riese construction project. There was also a camp for kidnapped Polish children up to 5 years of age deemed " racially worthless " in Wąsosz , and a youth prison in Wołów with several forced labour subcamps in the region, whereas Kamieniec Ząbkowicki was the place of Aktion T4 murders of mentally ill children by involuntary euthanasia . In 1945, Lower Silesia

2760-481: The region, with the granting of rights for Złotoryja by Henry the Bearded . Medieval municipal rights modeled after Lwówek Śląski and Środa Śląska , both established by Henry the Bearded, became the basis of municipal form of government for several cities and towns in Poland, and two of five local Polish variants of medieval town rights. Burial sights of medieval Polish monarchs from the Piast dynasty are located in

2820-480: The self-government initiatives and cooperation within the commune including with non-governmental organizations, interaction with regional communities from other countries, etc. Commissioned tasks cover the remaining public tasks resulting from legitimate needs of the state, commissioned by central government for the units of local government to implement. The tasks are handed over on the basis of statutory by-laws, charters and regulations, or by way of agreements between

2880-408: The sewage system, removal of urban waste, water treatment, maintenance of cleanliness and order, sanitary facilities, dumps and council waste, supply of electric and thermal energy and gas, public transport, health care, welfare, care homes, subsidised housing, public education, cultural facilities including public libraries and other cultural institutions, historic monuments conservation and protection,

2940-453: The sports facilities and tourism including recreational grounds and devices, marketplaces and covered markets, green spaces and public parks, communal graveyards, public order and safety, fire and flood protection with equipment maintenance and storage, maintaining objects and devices of the public utility and administrative buildings, pro-family policy including social support for pregnant women, medical and legal care, supporting and popularising

3000-493: The three largest lignite mines in Poland is located in Bogatynia . Wałbrzych and Nowa Ruda are former bituminous coal mining centers. Szklary was the location of the country's sole nickel ore mine, and one of only five places in the world, where the rare chrysoprase , carnelian and opal were extracted, and the place of discovery of the extremely rare szklaryite , nioboholtite and titanoholtite minerals. In

3060-661: The top company in the region was Zakłady Azotowe S.A. in Kędzierzyn-Koźle , whose income was over PLN 860 million. The voivodship's economy consists of more than 53,000 businesses, mostly small and medium-sized, employing over 332,000 people. Manufacturing companies employ over 89,000 people; 95.7% of all the region's business operate in the private sector. The Opole Voivodeship is a green region with three large lakes: Turawskie , Nyskie , and Otmuchów (the latter two are connected). The Opawskie Mountains between Prudnik and Głuchołazy are extremely popular. The region also includes

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3120-475: The turnout in the recall referendum must be at least 3/5 of the number of people voting in the original election in order for the referendum to be valid and binding. In addition, elected bodies of any municipality may be suspended by the prime minister of Poland in case of persisting law transgressions or negligence , resulting in such case in the municipality being placed under receivership . A gmina may create auxiliary units ( jednostki pomocnicze ), which play

3180-543: The voivodeship. The northern part of the voivodeship, along the Mała Panew River, is densely forested, while the southern part consists of arable land. The region has the warmest climate in the country. Protected areas in Opole Voivodeship include the following three areas designated as Landscape Parks : Opole Voivodeship is divided into 12 counties ( powiats ): 1 city county and 11 land counties. These are further divided into 71 gminas . The counties are listed in

3240-401: The whole of the Sudetes . The voivodeship contains 11 spa towns ( Długopole-Zdrój , Duszniki-Zdrój , Jedlina-Zdrój , Kudowa-Zdrój , Lądek-Zdrój , Polanica-Zdrój , Przerzeczyn-Zdrój , Szczawno-Zdrój , Świeradów-Zdrój ), more than any other province of Poland. There are various museums, including the major National Museum in Wrocław with the branch Racławice Panorama Museum, and

3300-448: Was 17,000 euros or 56% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 66% of the EU average. The Opole Voivodeship is an industrial as well as an agricultural region. With respect to mineral resources, of major importance are deposits of raw materials for building: limestone ( Strzelce Opolskie ), marl (near Opole ), marble , and basalt . The favourable climate , fertile soils, and high farming culture contribute to

3360-651: Was also a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland between 1975 and 1998. Major cities and towns (population in 1995): This administrative region of the People's Republic of Poland (1950–1975) was created as a result of the partition of Katowice Voivodeship in 1950. 50°38′54″N 17°54′02″E  /  50.64833°N 17.90056°E  / 50.64833; 17.90056 Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship ( Polish : Województwo dolnośląskie , [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ dɔlnɔˈɕlɔ̃skjɛ] ) in southwestern Poland,

3420-482: Was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Opole Voivodeship and parts of Częstochowa Voivodeship , pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. Originally, the government, advised by prominent historians, had wanted to disestablish Opolskie and partition its territory between the Lower Silesian and Silesian Voivodeship (eastern Upper Silesia and western Lesser Poland ). The plan

3480-582: Was divided into small realms reigned by Silesian branches of Piast dukes after the testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138. Wrocław was mentioned as one of three centers of the Kingdom of Poland, along with Kraków and Sandomierz , in the early-12th-century Gesta principum Polonorum chronicle. In 1241, it was the place of the Battle of Legnica , the largest battle of the Mongol invasions of Poland. With

3540-478: Was made again part of Poland as agreed at the post-war Potsdam Conference . As a consequence, Lower Silesia suffered a nearly total loss of its pre-war population between 1945 and 1950. Polish citizens dispossessed by the Soviets were then settled in the now emptied lands. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław , Legnica , Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra Voivodeships, following

3600-611: Was that Brzeg and Namysłów, as the Western part of the region, were to be transferred to Lower Silesia, while the rest was to become, along with a part of the Częstochowa Voivodeship, an integral part of the new 'Silesian' region. However, the plans resulted in an outcry from the German minority population of Opole Voivodeship, who feared that should their region be abolished, they would lose all hope of regional representation (in

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