Kędzierzyn-Koźle | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Kędzierzyn-Koźle | |
| Coordinates:50°21′N18°12′E / 50.350°N 18.200°E /50.350; 18.200 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship |  Opole |
| County | Kędzierzyn-Koźle |
| Gmina | Kędzierzyn-Koźle(urban gmina) |
| Government | |
| • City mayor | Sabina Nowosielska |
| Area | |
• Total | 123.42 km2 (47.65 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 180 m (590 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2024) | |
• Total | 50,927 [1] |
| • Density | 412.63/km2 (1,068.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 47-200, 47-220, 47-232 |
| Vehicle registration | OK |
| City districts | Azoty, Blachownia Śląska, Cisowa, Kędzierzyn,Koźle, Koźle Port, Koźle Rogi, Kłodnica, Kuźniczka, Lenartowice, Miejsce Kłodnickie, Sławięcice |
| Highways |  |
| National roads |  |
| Voivodeship roads |      |
| Website | www |
Kędzierzyn-Koźle[kɛɲˈd͡ʑɛʐɨn ˈkɔʑlɛ] ⓘ (Silesian:Kandrzin-Koźle) is acity in southernPoland, theadministrative center ofKędzierzyn-Koźle County.[2] With 58,899 inhabitants as of 2021, it is the second most-populous city in theOpole Voivodeship.[1]
Founded from the merger of the previously separate towns of Kędzierzyn andKoźle, both dating back to theMiddle Ages, the city is a major river port and center ofchemical industry, and is particularly known forZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle, one of the topvolleyball clubs in Europe in the 2020s.
Kędzierzyn-Koźle is located in the historicSilesia (Upper Silesia) region at the confluence of theOder River and itsKłodnica tributary. Situated on the lower reaches of theGliwice Canal, it is a place of a major river port, has rail connections with all major cities of Poland and lies close to the west of theMetropolis GZM. The town is a major location ofchemical industry, the site of several factories and a power plant at Blachownia Śląska.Zakłady Azotowe Kędzierzyn, a subsidiary ofGrupa Azoty located in Kędzierzyn, is one of the largest chemical plants in Poland.
In 1975, the historic coreKoźle on the left bank of the Oder was merged with the municipalities of Kędzierzyn,Sławięcice, andKłodnica on the right bank, which had developed to suburbs since the 19th centuryindustrialisation, to form present-day Kędzierzyn-Koźle.
The name of the city is of Polish origin, with Kędzierzyn coming from the male nameKędziora orKędzierzawy,[3] and Koźle coming from the wordkozioł, which means "he-goat, buck". The city has acanting arms as it depicts three heads of goats.
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A border fortress held by a minor member of the PolishPiast dynasty was first mentioned in 1104, when it was besieged by thePřemyslid princeSvatopluk of Olomouc. The Koźlecastellany was part of the PolishDuchy of Silesia since 1138, from 1172/73 of the Upper SilesianDuchy of Racibórz under the rule of theSilesian Piasts. In 1281, it was inherited by DukeCasimir of Bytom, who also called himself Duke of Koźle. Casimir soon turned to the neighbouringKingdom of Bohemia; in 1289, he paid homage to KingWenceslaus II and received his duchy as aBohemian fief. In 1293, he vested Koźle withtown privileges, had walls erected. After Casimir was succeeded by his sonWładysław in 1312, Koźle remained the capital of an autonomous duchy, ruled by theBytom branch of the Silesian Piasts until the death of DukeBolesław in 1355. KingCharles IV adjudicated the reverted Bohemian fief to the Piast dukeKonrad I of Oleśnica, whereafter the town remained a possession of theOleśnica line until it became extinct in 1492. In 1431, DukeKonrad VII the White founded a Monastery of theOrder of Friars Minor in Koźle.[4]
Again purchased by the Opole dukeJan II the Good in 1509, the Koźle estates were ultimately incorporated into theLands of the Bohemian Crown upon his death in 1532. Within theHabsburg monarchy, it was temporarily pawned to theHohenzollern Margraves ofBrandenburg-Ansbach. The fortress was besieged several times during theThirty Years' War and occupied by Danish troops under the command of DukeJohn Ernest I of Saxe-Weimar in 1627, before they were defeated byImperial forces underAlbrecht von Wallenstein. Again conquered by aSwedish contingent led byLennart Torstensson in 1642, the town remained almost completely devastated. In 1645, it returned to Polish rule under theHouse of Vasa.
Occupied by the troops of KingFrederick the Great in theFirst Silesian War, Koźle asCosel with the bulk of Silesia became aPrussian possession by the 1742Treaty of Breslau. The king ordered the extension of the fortifications, nevertheless the town was occupied by HabsburgPandurs during theSecond Silesian War in 1744 and had to be reconquered by thePrussian Army two years later; the shelling again caused heavy losses and damages. The rebuilt fortress held against Austrian sieges during theSeven Years' War, even GeneralErnst Gideon von Laudon in 1760 had to raise his siege. In the 18th century, Cosel belonged to the tax inspection region of Neustadt (Prudnik).[5] In 1807 the Prussian garrison withstood another besiegement by the alliedNapoleonic andBavarian forces under GeneralBernhard Erasmus von Deroy until a peace was made by theTreaty of Tilsit. In 1815, Cosel was incorporated into the PrussianProvince of Silesia, from 1871 part of theGerman Empire. The development of the town was promoted by the construction of theKłodnica Canal from the Oder port toGliwice from 1806 until 1907. In 1903, the PolishBank Ludowy was founded in the town.[6]
AfterWorld War I and theUpper Silesia plebiscite of March 1921, thePolish insurgents temporarily captured the part of the town east of the Oder during theThird Silesian Uprising. In Koźle, the insurgents seized large supplies of ammunition and food, and some 1,000railroad cars.[7] After the uprising, however, the town remained part of Germany in theinterbellum. Local Polish activists were intensively persecuted by the Germans since 1937.[8]
DuringWorld War II, the German administration operated threeforced labour subcamps (E2, E153, E155) of theStalag VIII-B/344prisoner-of-war camp in the town.[9] In the course of theVistula–Oder Offensive, the SovietRed Army from 21 January 1945 attacked the Koźlebridgehead. Afterwards, it became again part of Poland under there-drawing of borders after World War II.
Kędzierzyn was founded as a village in the 13th century, andSławięcice was first mentioned in 13th-century documents, when both settlements were part of fragmented Piast-ruledPoland. Sławięcice even obtainedtown rights before 1260, but lost them in 1260, as DukeWładysław Opolski transferred them to nearbyUjazd. Sławięcice was once home to a now lostpalace.
During the Third Silesian Uprising, the area was the site of heavy fighting between Polish insurgents and Germans.[7] On May 4, 1921, the insurgents captured Sławięcice, then Blachownia Śląska andCisowa on May 8, Kędzierzyn on May 9, andKłodnica on May 10.[7] Sławięcice was an essential logistical center for the insurgents for a month, with a field hospital and the headquarters of an insurgent unit.[7] In June 1921, the Germans attacked the Polish insurgents, and recaptured Kędzierzyn.[10] The Germans then massacred captured Polish prisoners of war in nearbyLichynia.[10]
During World War II, the Germans operated multipleforced labour camps in the area. In Kędzierzyn there was a forced labour "education" camp,[11] and three subcamps (BAB 20/E794, BAB 40/E794, E711A) of theStalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp.[9] In the present-day district of Blachownia Śląska there was a forced labour subcamp of the prison inStrzelce Opolskie,[12] and four subcamps (BAB 21/E793, BAB 48/E793, E3, E714) of the Stalag VIII-B/344 camp.[9] In the present-day district of Kłodnica, there was the E800 subcamp of the Stalag VIII-B/344 camp.[9] In Sławięcice there was another forced labour "education" camp,[13] two subcamps (E6, E207) of the Stalag VIII-B/344 camp,[9] and asubcamp of theAuschwitz concentration camp[14] which operated from April 1, 1944, to January 26, 1945.[15] In Sławięcice, there was also acrematorium for the victims of the camps,[16] which is now a memorial.Alliedprisoners of war of various nationalities,Jews, and Polish children[17] were among the victims of the forced labour camps. In the final stages of the war, in 1945, a German-conducteddeath march of thousands of prisoners of several subcamps of the Auschwitz concentration camp passed through Blachownia and Koźle towards theGross-Rosen concentration camp.[18]
Following Nazi Germany's defeat in the war, the region was transferred fromGermany toPoland as stipulated by thePotsdam Agreement. In the years immediately following World War II, the ethnic German population wasexpelled, also in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement. The remaining Polish population was joined by Poles displaced from theeastern territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union and by 600 Poles repatriated fromLupeni,Romania.[19]
In 1954, Blachownia and Lenartowice merged to form theBlachownia Śląska district in Sławięcice.[clarification needed]
In 1999, the branch line connecting the city withStrzelce Opolskie closed as part ofPolskie Koleje Państwowe cost-cutting.
The town is home toZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle, one of the most successful Polishvolleyball clubs, the nine–timePolish Champion, ten–timePolish Cup winner, and three–time winner ofCEV Champions League (2021,2022,2023).
There are five railway stations in the city. Kędzierzyn-Koźle is located at the intersection ofNational road 40 andVoivodeship roads 408, 410, 418, 423 and 426, and theA4 motorway runs nearby, just north of the city.
Kędzierzyn-Koźle istwinned with:[20]
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