Oleśnica | |
|---|---|
 Market Square and town hall  Wrocław Gate  Saint John Basilica  Holy Trinity Church  Public library | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Miasto wież i róż "A Town of Towers and Roses" | |
  Oleśnica | |
| Coordinates:51°12′N17°23′E / 51.200°N 17.383°E /51.200; 17.383 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Lower Silesian Voivodeship |
| County | Oleśnica |
| Gmina | Oleśnica (urban gmina) |
| First mentioned | 1189 |
| Town rights | 1255 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Adam Horbacz |
| Area | |
• Total | 20.96 km2 (8.09 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 150 m (490 ft) |
| Population (2019-06-30[1]) | |
• Total | 37,169 |
| • Density | 1,773/km2 (4,593/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 56-400 |
| Area code | +48 71 |
| Car plates | DOL |
| Highways |  |
| Voivodeship roads |   |
| Website | http://www.olesnica.pl |
Oleśnica (Polish:[ɔlɛˈɕɲit͡sa];German:Oels) is a town inLower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-westernPoland, within theWrocław metropolitan area.[2] It is the administrative seat ofOleśnica County and also of the rural district ofGmina Oleśnica, although it is not part of the territory of the latter, the town being an urbangmina in its own right.
Established in medieval Poland, Oleśnica was the capital of a small eponymous principality from 1313 to 1884. It was a notable center of Polish printing in the early modern period. The town is famed for its large 16th-centuryducal castle. The castle's inner courtyardarcades, a masterpiece ofRenaissance architecture, are iconic in the region. The town also contains architecture in other styles, includingGothic,Baroque,Neoclassical andRenaissance Revival, and is home of the only survivingchained library in Central Europe. It is located on theRoute of the Heroes of the Battle of Warsaw 1920, the main highway connectingWrocław withŁódź,Warsaw andBiałystok.
The town's name comes fromPolisholsza ("Alder");Olcha is anOld Slavic word for this common plant and tree.[3][4] On 22 February 1255 theSilesian dukeHenry III the White, son of thePolish High DukeHenry II the Pious, vestedcivitas nostra Olsnicz ("our town Oleśnica") withtown privileges.[5]
The town is situated in theSilesian Lowlands east of theTrzebnickie Hills, part of thehistorical region ofLower Silesia. It is situated on theOleśnica River, atributary ofWidawa. Located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of theSilesian capitalWrocław, it has been a stop on an importanttrade route to theGreater Poland region,Kalisz,Łódź andWarsaw; it had close ties withKraków viaNamysłów in the east.[citation needed] It was the site of an importantprinting press andgymnasium.
The town quarters are Centrum, Serbinów, Lucień, Lucień Osiedle, Wądoły, Rataje (Stare, Nowe) and Zielone Ogrody.
ThePiast castle with a nearbyabbey and trading settlement was first mentioned in an 1189 deed. It was part of fragmentedPoland under thePiast dynasty. In 1255, it was grantedtown rights by DukeHenry III the White. From the 13th century onwards, the area was largely settled by Germans in the course of theOstsiedlung.[6] From the 13th century, it had acoin mint. In the 13th century Oleśnica was part of theDuchy of Silesia, in 1294 it became part of theDuchy of Głogów[7] and in 1313 it became capital of theDuchy of Oleśnica, just partitioned from Głogów. By that time a hospital already existed in Oleśnica, mentioned in a document from 1307.[7] From 1320/21 the formercastellany served as the residence of the Piast dukeKonrad I of Oleśnica; his son DukeKonrad II the Gray also inheritedKoźle. The dukes of Oleśnica in the 14th century still claimed to be heirs of the entire Kingdom of Poland, even though they ruled only in their principality, which caused animosity from other Polish dukes in Silesia and monarchs of all Poland.[7] Oleśnica was located on an important trade route which connected Wrocław with Kalisz and Toruń.[7]
In 1329, Duke Konrad I was forced to accept the overlordship of theBohemian (Czech) Crown, although he retained vast autonomy.[7] Local Polish dukes granted numerousprivileges to Oleśnica,[7] and the Duchy of Oleśnica was still ruled from the town until the 1492 death of DukeKonrad X the White, last of the local Piasts. During theHussite Wars, Oleśnica was invaded by the Hussites in 1432, and later Polish–Hussite negotiations took place there.[7] During theBohemian–Hungarian War local dukes switched sides several times. In 1469 they recognized the overlordship of KingMatthias Corvinus ofHungary, in the 1470s Duke Konrad X sided with Bohemian KingVladislaus Jagiellon, in 1480 he recognized Hungarian suzerainty again, and then revolted in 1489.[7] Afterwards it was again a Bohemianfief.
According to an agreement from 1491, the duchy was supposed to pass to future Polish KingJohn I Albert, but eventually in 1495 it was sold to DukeHenry I of Münsterberg, son of the Bohemian (Czech) kingGeorge of Poděbrady.[7] His grandson DukeJohn of Münsterberg-Oels established agymnasium at Oleśnica in 1530. When theCzechPodiebrad family became extinct in 1647, town and duchy were inherited by theSwabian dukes ofWürttemberg, and in 1792 by theWelf dukes ofBrunswick-Lüneburg.
On September 11, 1535, a violent F4 tornado completely destroyed part of the town. The written account of this tornado was done by Dr. Alfred Wegener, which is in the CLIMDAT archive located atLeipzig University and the F4 rating on theFujita scale was assigned by theEuropean Severe Storms Laboratory.[8][9]
In the 17th century, the Polish-German language border ran close to Oleśnica, including the town to the territory dominated by the Polish language.[10] Polish religious writersAdam Gdacius (nicknamedRey of Silesia) and Jerzy Bock published their works in Oleśnica.[11]
In the 18th century, one of two main routes connecting Warsaw andDresden ran through the town and KingsAugustus II the Strong andAugustus III of Poland often traveled that route.[12] As a result of theFirst Silesian War the Duchy of Oels (Oleśnica) came under suzerainty of theKingdom of Prussia in 1742. Following administrative reform in 1807 during theNapoleonic Wars, Oels became the seat ofLandkreis Oels in theProvince of Silesia, remaining capital of the Duchy of Oels (Oleśnica). In 1884 the duchy was incorporated into Prussia, itself part ofGermany since the 1871 Prussian-ledunification of Germany.
AfterWorld War I, Oels was included within theProvince of Lower Silesia. Nazi Germany operated a prison in the town,[13] and aforced labour camp forItalian,English,Yugoslavian,Belgian andPolishprisoners of war duringWorld War II.[14] Dozens ofPolish resistance members, including women, were held in the local prison, and at least 14 were sentenced to death in the town in 1942.[15] The German administration evacuated almost the entire population, leaving only a few Germans and the forced laborers. The town was heavily damaged by theRed Army in 1945 in the final stages of World War II, having approximately 60-80% of its buildings destroyed. The city became part of Poland again after thePotsdam Conference under its historic Polish nameOleśnica. The remaining German-speaking population was subsequentlyexpelled in accordance to thePotsdam Agreement and the town wasresettled with Poles many of whom were expelled from formereastern Poland annexed in 1945 by theSoviet Union. Some 3,000 Italians remained in the town until the end of 1945, and organized artistic shows to which they invited young Polish activists.[16]
The majority of monuments in the Old Town have been rebuilt since the 1960s.
The officially protectedtraditional food of Oleśnica, as designated by theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland, is the Oleśnica wheat and rye gingerbread.[17]
Football clubPogoń Oleśnica is based in the town. It played at thePolish second division in the 1990s.
Chrudim, Czech Republic
Jaunay-Marigny, France
Warendorf, Germany
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