The town was founded in the 1250s, and was historically part of thePiast-ruledDuchy of Opole, and afterwards was located within theHabsburg monarchy, thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Habsburg monarchy again,Prussia, theGerman Reich, and eventually Poland again. It was once an important industrial hub known for its shoe-making traditions and more recently towel making by theZPB "Frotex" Company, one of the largest towel manufacturers in Europe.[5] The town also possesses numerous architectural monuments and historic buildings such as the MainTown Hall and "Wok's Tower" (Wieża Woka) from the 13th century.
18th-century document mentioning the nameNowe Miasto Królewskie
The name "Prudnik" was created after the Polish wordprąd (flow, stream, Czech:proud, Silesian:prōnd), similarly to the nearby villages ofPrężyna andPrężynka, and means a river with a fast stream. In the Middle Ages, the town's name was written with a letteru, which was a Czech counterpart ofą (1262Pruthenos, 1331Prudnik). Since the 17th century, the namePrudnik was used alongside the German nameNeustadt.[6]
The town's German name was also written in its Latin form –Neostadium. Its occasionally used Polish and Czech translations were:Nowe Miasto andNové Město. The town's older name also had its Latin form –Prudnicium. The town was also calledPolnisch Neustadt ("Polish New Town"),[7][8] but in 1708 it got replaced withKönigliche Stadt Neustadt ("Royal Town New Town").[6] Its Polish counterpart,Nowe Miasto Królewskie, was used in a Polish document published in 1750 byFrederick the Great.
In the 19th century, the town's name was changed toNeustadt in Oberschlesien ("New Town in Upper Silesia"), while the Slavic namePrudnik was still used by its Polish inhabitants, which was mentioned in Upper Silesia's topographical description from 1865: "Der ursprünglische Stadtname "Prudnik" ist noch jetz bei den polnischen Landbewohnern üblich".[6] In the alphabetic list of cities of Silesia published by Johann Knie inWrocław in 1830, Polish namePrudnik was used along with GermanNeustadt ("Prudnik, polnische Benennung der Kreistadt Neustadt").[9]
In Polish publications since the 20th century, the town's name was written asPrądnik.[7] This name was also used formally in 1945. The town's name was changed toPrudnik on 7 May 1946.[10]
Traces of human presence in the area of the present-day town of Prudnik, confirmed by archaeological research, date back to thePaleolithic era. The oldest settlements near Prudnik were formed by groups of hunters who exploited the surrounding flint deposits. Their products, found duringexcavations, are typical of theAcheulean culture, from the interglacial era.[11] The local population ofearly Slavs held trade contacts withRome, as documented by Roman coins found in Prudnik dating back to 700 BC–1250 AD.[12] On a hill by the Złoty Potok river, in the western part of town, the remains of a warrior of theGermanicVandals tribe, who died in the 4th century AD, were excavated.[13]
In the Autumn of 1255, KingOttokar II of Bohemia instructedVok of Rosenberg to help new settlers move into the borderland. Between 6 November and the middle of December of that year, Vok founded theWogendrüssel castle in the defensive bend of thePrudnik river. The castle controlled the trade route betweenNysa andOpava. The foundation of the castle in this place is equivalent to the foundation of Prudnik as a settlement.[17] Prudnik was the northernmost stronghold of theKingdom of Bohemia.[18]
Vok's son,Henry I of Rosenberg, obtainedMagdeburg rights for the town in 1279. After Henry's death, Prudnik was passed over to knight Jaxa de Snelwald.[19] Prudnik belonged to the historical region ofMoravia until 1337, when the town became a part of theDuchy of Opole in theUpper Silesia region, and remained under the rule of local Polish dukes of thePiast dynasty until the dissolution of the duchy in 1532, when it was incorporated into theAustrian-ruledBohemian (Czech) Crown. It was located on a trade route betweenWrocław andVienna.[20]
14th-century seal showing Prudnik's coat of arms
In 1373, the town suffered aplague epidemic. Several residents survived the epidemic by escaping into the nearbyOpawskie Mountains. Having returned to Prudnik, they burned down most of the buildings and started the process of rebuilding the town.[21] The oldest known form of Prudnik's coat of arms comes from a 1399 wax seal.[22]
In 1506, a SilesianSejm took place in Prudnik, in the presence of KingSigismund I the Old of Poland. While in Prudnik, the King recruited 200 troops into thelight cavalry to maintain public order inSilesia.[28] After the death of DukeJan II the Good in 1532, Prudnik, along with the entireDuchy of Opole and Racibórz, was incorporated into the Habsburg monarchy. In 1562, the Austrian-ruled Duchy of Opole and Racibórz passed a resolution that obligatedJews to sell their houses, pay their debts, and leave the duchy in a year. On the basis of this resolution, in 1564, Jews were ordered to leave Prudnik, but Krzysztof Prószkowski, who leased the land there, let them stay until 1570.[29]
In the years 1645–1666, Prudnik belonged to thePolish–LithuanianHouse of Vasa as afief.[citation needed] As aroyal city, Prudnik became a hub of trade and industry.Linen makers of Prudnik were exporting their products to theNetherlands.Tanning businesses were also started in the town. Since the 16th century, the richest noblemen of the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz were settling in the town, and Prudnik became the most important industrial and political hub of Upper Silesia.[citation needed] It was also the place in which the Silesian Sejms took place.[30] The noble family of Bilitzer originated from Prudnik.[31]
The population of Prudnik was decimated during theThirty Years' War. In 1625, the town suffered a plague epidemic. On 12 February 1629, EmperorFerdinand II exiled the Protestant clergy of Prudnik, while people of the town were forced to convert to Catholicism.[32] In 1642, theSwedish army captured Prudnik, then they plundered it and burned it down. After the end of the war, the town was rebuilt thanks to EmperorFerdinand III's financial help.[33] Soon, Prudnik would become the biggest city of Upper Silesia.[34] Prudnik was a place ofwitch trials.[35]
Because of Prudnik being located at the borderlands, the town was a sight of multiple battles during theSilesian Wars. On 30 June 1761, KingFrederick the Great of Prussia visited the town.[36] In February 1779, during theWar of the Bavarian Succession, Austrians led an artillery attack on Prudnik, burning down most of the town's buildings. In an act of revenge, Prussians destroyedKrnov.[37] Prudnik was visited by EmperorJoseph II in August 1779.[38] On 20 August 1788, KingFrederick William II of Prussia was passing through the town. He spent the night in the localTown House, while his sonFrederick William III accommodated in a house by the Market Square.[39]
In the middle of the 18th century, Prudnik was considered to be the richest town of Upper Silesia. Its incomes were ten times higher than that ofOpole, the capital of the region. This was caused by the fact that the town was an owner of eleven nearby villages: Czyżowice,Dębowiec,Dytmarów, Jasiona, Krzyżkowice, Lubrza,Piorunkowice,Pokrzywna, Skrzypiec,Szybowice,Wieszczyna and a part ofRudziczka. After the feudal service was abolished in the 19th century and the villages became independent, Prudnik's Town Council began to look for a source of income inforestry. Prudnik owned one of the biggest communal forest complexes in Upper Silesia (the Prudnik Forest), with an area of more than 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres).[40]
The start of the 19th century saw further development of the town, mainly through the accommodation of Prussian soldiers. During theNapoleonic Wars, Prudnik was captured by the French army at the start of 1807.[41] In accordance to EmperorNapoleon Bonaparte's decree from 6 April 1807, anuhlan regiment of theLegion of the Vistula was formed in Prudnik. The regiment was made up of Polish troops returning from Italy, reinforced with recruits fromGreater Poland.[42] Prudnik remained under French occupation until 1812, when it was captured by Russians.[43] After the wars, in 1816 the town had a debt of 82,330 thalers, with revenues of 14,687 thalers and expenses of 14,238 thalers. The debt lasted until theFranco-Prussian War of 1870. In 1828, the town had about 4,000 inhabitants. The firstspinning andweaving mills for wool, linen and silk were built in the town, as well as a textile factory (known asZPB "Frotex" since 1945) founded by the Jewish industrialistSamuel Fränkel. A brickyard, a brewery, mills and a vinegar factory were also built. In reference to the main professions of its inhabitants, Prudnik was nicknamed the "town of weavers and shoemakers".[44][45]
Samuel Fränkel's textile factory
Despite Prudnik being one of the biggest industrial centres of Upper Silesia, no workers' protests against capitalists were recorded to take place in the town, even during theSilesian weavers' uprising of 1844 and theRevolutions of 1848.[46] In preparations to theJanuary Uprising of 1863, theCentral National Committee designated Prudnik as a "contact point" and a "weapons collection point". Poles carried out conspiratorial activities in the vicinity of the town. After the start of the uprising, controls on the border between Prussia and Austria were tightened. Everybody arriving in Prudnik had to report to the police, and the local military garrison was put on alert and took over the duties of units from nearby cities, as they were sent to guard the Prussian–Russian border. Three Polish soldiers from Prudnik took part in the January Uprising: Hieronim Olszewski, Piotr Linowski and Antoni Strogiński.[47]
In 1876, Prudnik was connected with Nysa andKoźle via a railway line,[48] and in 1896, a railway line between Prudnik andGogolin started operating. In January 1898, the firstsocial democratic conference of Upper Silesia took place in Prudnik.[49]
Arrival of a train with migrant workers from Western Germany in Prudnik during the 1921 plebiscite
At the beginning of the 20th century, a municipal bathhouse, a Town Park and military barracks were built in Prudnik. The town became a military garrison.[50] The Polish minority was subject toGermanisation policies. Due to the lack of Polish schools, local Poles sent their children to schools in so-calledCongress Poland in theRussian Partition of Poland.[51] Local Polish activist, publicist and teacherFilip Robota [pl], was investigated by the local Prussian administration and police for writing about this practice in theGazeta Toruńska, a major Polish newspaper in thePrussian Partition of Poland.[51] In July 1903, Prudnik and its surrounding area suffered a giant flood. One month later, EmpressAugusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein visitedGłuchołazy,Jarnołtówek and Prudnik to inspect places destroyed during the flood. She provided money for the construction of a water dam in Jarnołtówek.[52] According to a 1 December 1910 census, among 18,864 inhabitants of Prudnik, 18,072 spokeGerman, 565 spokePolish, 3 spoke a different language, and 224 were bilingual.[53] During theFirst World War, a military hospital operated in theFatebenefratelli monsatery in Prudnik.[54]
An aerial photograph of the town's centre in the 1930s
Prudnik remained part of Germany after Poland regained independence in 1918, however, Polish organizations still operated in the town in theinterbellum, including theUnion of Poles in Germany and the Polish-Catholic School Society.[20] Polish Prime MinisterIgnacy Jan Paderewski proposed to incorporate Prudnik into Poland in his unrealized political concept of theUnited States of Poland, which was presented to the US PresidentWoodrow Wilson.
Only the eastern territory of thedistrict of Prudnik was part of the1921 Upper Silesia plebiscite. A Polish Plebiscite Committee was established in Prudnik, but over time it was moved to Głogówek and then toStrzeleczki, as its headquarters in Prudnik were demolished.[55] Prudnik was a concentration place for German militias. The town housed a secret warehouse of military equipment for paramilitary units. It was a recruitment base forFreikorps troops.[56] During theSilesian Uprisings, several Polish sabotage groups operated in Prudnik and its vicinity, with a goal of hindering German military operations.[57] During the Third Silesian Uprising in 1921, a Germankangaroo court operated in Prudnik. Poles convicted by the court were executed by shooting in a forest between Prudnik andNiemysłowice.[58] Field hospitals for wounded soldiers and volunteers operated in the town.[59]
During theSecond World War, a military hospital was opened in the Fatebenefratelli monsatery again, with subsidiaries in the building of a local school and in theCastle in nearbyMoszna.[64] The Germans established fourforced labour camps and four working units for British and Sovietprisoners of war.[20] On 26 September 1944, asubcamp of theAuschwitz concentration camp was founded in theSchlesische Feinweberei AG textile mill (nowZPB "Frotex").[65] Around 400 women, mostly from German-occupied Hungary, were imprisoned in the subcamp, and some died.[65] In January 1945, the prisoners of the subcamp were evacuated by the Germans to theGross-Rosen concentration camp in adeath march.[65][66] During the final months of the war, the town was also a stopping place of death marches of thousands of prisoners of several other subcamps of Auschwitz,[66] and ofAllied prisoners-of-war transferred by the Nazis from all over Europe tostalags built in occupied Poland. About 30,000 PoWs were force-marched westward across Poland, Czechoslovakia and Germany in winter conditions, lasting about four months from January to April 1945.[67]
Nazi military parade at the Market Square
TheRed Army started planning an attack on Prudnik in March 1945. It was supposed to be the most important part of theUpper Silesian offensive.[68] The Soviets captured the town on 17 March 1945. In April of that year, the Red Army organised a ghetto for around 9,000 German inhabitants of the town. Prudnik remained on the frontline until May 1945, as German units stationed in close proximity to the town. Around 200 thousand soldiers took part in fighting for the town. On 23 April 1945, the Market Square, Parish Square and Castle Square were bombarded by the Soviet airforce. However, it is not known whether the bombing was intentional. According to a local priest Franz Pietsch, the bombardment was caused by drunk Russians shooting out incorrect light signals.[69]
Around 15% of the buildings in Prudnik were destroyed during the war, including the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Sanctuary and the Schwedenschanze tourist shelter. The northern part of the Market Square with Town Hall was heavily damaged.[70]
Polish administration took over civil rule in the Prudnik County on 11 May 1945.[71] A part of Poles from theEastern Borderlands were relocated to the Prudnik and its surrounding area. Specifically, people fromNadwórna (now Nadvirna, Ukraine),[72] the area ofTarnopol (now Ternopil),[73] settled in the town, along with immigrants from Central Poland and people relocated fromCzerniowce (now Chernivtsi, Ukraine).[74] The majority of the German inhabitants of the town were expelled to Germany, however, unlike other parts of the so-calledRecovered Territories, the surrounding region's indigenous population remained and was notforcibly expelled as elsewhere.[75]
The first name given to the town under Polish administration wasPrądnik. It was changed toPrudnik on 7 May 1946.[76] The change was preceded by months of debate in the local press, and at one point both names were in use simultaneously.[77] The first Polish mayor of the town was Antoni Błaszczyński, and the firststarosta was Józef Sopa. The Red Army terrorised the local population by robbing people and raping women, including children.[78] On 3 June 1945, Czechoslovak militia fromZlaté Hory arrived in Prudnik and captured the local Town Hall, announcing that the town belongs to Czechoslovakia. Polish soldiers convinced the Czechs to leave without a firefight.[79]
Since 1945 to 1956, aSecurity Office was located at the Klasztorna Street in Prudnik. Ananti-communist military organizationUnderground Home Army operated in the town and its vicinity.[80] Since 6 October 1954 to 27 October 1955, cardinalStefan Wyszyński was imprisoned in the Franciscan monastery in Prudnik.[81]
The Museum of Prudnik Region and the Prudnik Forest District were founded in 1959.[82][83] In the years 1964–1974, the Nowotki housing estate (since 1990 the Wyszyńskiego housing estate) was built in the southern part of the town.[84] In the 1970s, the Jasionowe Wzgórze housing estate was built in the eastern part of town.[85] In August 1977, Prudnik and its surrounding area were hit by a flood caused by heavy rainfall. The flood wave destroyed a railway bridge at Słowicza Street.[86]
Anti-communist demonstrations in Prudnik, 1981
In September 1980, 1,500 workers of ZPB "Frotex" and firefighters from the factory's fire brigade went on the biggest anti-communist strike in Opole Voivodeship. The strike lasted 5 days (5–10 September). Other factories in the town also went on strikes.
Removal of the Red Army monument from the Wolności Square, 1990
After thefirst elections to local self-government in Poland after its restoration in 1990, Jan Roszkowski became the mayor of Prudnik.[87] In December 1990, a monument to the Red Army was removed from the Wolności Square.[88] A monument to Polish soldiers was erected in its place in 1996.[89] The military garrison of Prudnik was liquidated in May 1994.[90] In June 1997, the municipal sewage treatment plant at Poniatowskiego Street was put into operation.[91]
Prudnik was the first town in Poland to be flooded during theJuly 1997 Central European flood. Water from the Złoty Potok river destroyed the pedestrian bridge at Kościuszki Street. The streets of Kochanowskiego, Morcinka, Chrobrego, Batorego, Powstańców Śląskich, Kolejowa, Ogrodowa, Nyska, as well as numerous industrial plants were flooded by water from the Prudnik river. In total, 192 people were evacuated from the town and surrounding villages.[92]
In 2007 and 2014, two of the biggest factories in the town were shut down: Prudnickie Zakłady Obuwia "Primus" and Zakłady Przemysłu Bawełnianego "Frotex".[93][94] In 2009, the local castle tower, known as "Wok's Tower", was renovated and adapted into a scenic viewpoint.[95] On 20 June 2015, Prudnik joined theCittaslow International organisation.[96]
Prudnik was flooded during the2024 Central European floods. The water destroyed several elements of the town's historical architecture and three pedestrian bridges. Two industrial plants and sports infrastructure were flooded.[97][98]
The town is located at the borderline between theSilesian Lowlands and theOpawskie Mountains (Eastern Sudetes). According to Krzysztof Badora's 2017 physical and geographical division of Opole Voivodeship, Prudnik is situated in four microregions: Prudnik Valley (Dolina Prudnika), Prudnik Depression (Obniżenie Prudnickie), Głuchołazy–Prudnik Foreland (Przedgórze Głuchołasko-Prudnickie) and Długota Mountains (Wzgórza Długockie).[102] The town lies at the confluence of thePrudnik river and its Złoty Potok tributary.
There are several mountains within the administrative boundaries of the town: Czyżykowa Góra, Kapliczna Góra, Kozia Góra, Okopowa, Szubieniczna Góra, Święta Góra, Wróblik. The town's lowest elevation is situated at 238 metres (781 ft), and the highest elevation is at 403 metres (1,322 ft).[103]
Prudnik is currently governed by the town's mayor and a municipal legislature known as the town council. The town council is made up of 21 councilors and is directly elected by the town and gmina's inhabitants. The town's current mayor, re-elected for his second term in 2024, is Grzegorz Zawiślak.
Historically, Prudnik was a hub of textile, footwear and wood industries. Currently, the town is home to automotive, wood/furniture, metal, lighting, glass processing, construction and agriculture sectors.[105] As of 2023, there were 13 industrial plants in Prudnik that were classified as "big companies":Henniges Automotive, Steinpol Central Services, Spółdzielnia "Pionier", Moretto Group, Woisch, Torkonstal, Furnika, Diversa, Wa-Bet, Stryi, TaBet, Bardusch and Stadnina Koni Prudnik.[106]
The first significant textile factories in the city were established in the 1820s.[107] The largest enterprise in Prudnik, which was also one of the largest textile manufacturers in the world, was a factory founded in 1845 bySamuel Fränkel, known after 1945 asZakłady Przemysłu Bawełnianego "Frotex". In its heyday, "Frotex" employed 4,000 people, and the company's activities contributed significantly to the development of the town.[108] It was the largest producer ofterry towels in Poland.[109] In 2011, "Frotex" was declared bankrupt, and Prudnik's textile industry came to an end.[110]
By the end of the 19th century, seven shoe factories were established in the town.[111] Along withPirmasens and Borne, Prudnik was a leading centre of shoe production in Germany.[112] In 1945, the footwear factories of Prudnik were merged into one enterprise, known as Prudnickie Zakłady Obuwia "Primus" since 1952.[113] The factory employed almost 2,000 people, making it the second most important employer in the city after "Frotex". "Primus", affected by the economic changes of 1989, was shut down in 2007.[114]
Bardusch Polska
In 1998, the German company Bardusch opened its plant in Prudnik, servicing and renting workwear for companies in the food, electronics, chemical and automotive industries. It was one of the first Western companies to open its plants in Prudnik after 1989. The headquarters and main plant of Bardusch Polska are located in Prudnik, employing about 100 people.[115]
Spółdzielnia Pracy Różnej Wytwórczości i Usług "Ogniwo", founded in Prudnik in 1947, produced equipment elements for cars manufactured inFSC Lublin,ZSD Nysa,FSM andFSC Star.[116] "Ogniwo" was shut down in 1998.[117] Another factory, Spółdzielnia "Pionier", founded in 1951, has been producing plastic and metal products for the automotive market since 1965. "Pionier" supplies components to brands such as:Ford,Fiat,Volkswagen,Bentley,Toyota,Audi,Lancia,BMW,Mini,Peugeot,Porsche,Citroën,Suzuki,Volvo,Saab,Hyundai andAbarth.[118] It is the largestsheltered workshop in Opole Voivodeship.[119] In 2016, an American automotive manufacturing company,Henniges Automotive, opened its plant in Prudnik. It is a producer of anti-vibration components and encapsulated glass systems.[120] At the end of 2017, the Henniges Automotive plant in Prudnik employed about 150 people.[121]
Dairy cooperative Okręgowa Spółdzielnia Mleczarska was founded in 1946. It owned plants inŚcinawa Mała,Głogówek andŁambinowice. 80% of the dairy's products were delivered to retail chains operating on the Polish market.[122] In 2023, the dairy cooperative of Prudnik was declared bankrupt.[123] In 2010, a service and storage hall was built in Prudnik for the Cream company, which deals with servicing equipment and production lines in bakeries and confectioneries.[124]
Grain elevator
In the communist era, aState Agricultural Farm operated in Prudnik. Since 1994, it functions as a private limited company under the name of Stadnina Koni Prudnik. The company engages in breeding sport horses, breeding and raising cattle, crop production, and horse riding lessons.[125] On the northern outskirts of Prudnik there is a 100-meter-tall grain elevator used for cleaning, sorting and storing grain with a capacity of approximately 1,000 cubic metres (1,300 cu yd).[126]
In 1978, the Diversa company began its operations as a manufacturer of aquariums.[127] Since 1996, the Artech Polska plant, part of the French Armor group, has been operating in Prudnik. It manufactures printer cartridges.[128] In 2000, a branch of Steinpol Central Services, owned bySteinhoff International, was founded, producing upholstered furniture.[129] By the road that leads from Prudnik toDębowiec, there is a quarry, which belongs to Kopalnie Odkrywkowe Surowców Drogowych ofNiemodlin.[130] Torkonstal, a manufacturer of metal containers and bins, was established as the property of Gmina Prudnik. It was privatized in 2007.[131] Furnika, which produces LED lighting for furniture, moved to Prudnik fromNysa in 2014.[132] Moretto, an Italian manufacturer of automated systems for plastics processing, also operates in the town.[133] In 2024, the Wood of Fire company, which produces wood fired using the top charring technique, was established in Prudnik.[134]
The Industrial District was designated in the northern part of Prudnik in 1989. In 2009, the "Prudnik Subzone" of theWałbrzych Special Economic Zone was designated on 12 hectares (30 acres) of land in the Industrial District. The area, expanded to 20 hectares (49 acres), was taken over by theKatowice Special Economic Zone (Gliwice Subzone).[135] The zone is located at Przemysłowa and Meblarska streets, near the city’s northern bypass.[119]
M Park Prudnik shopping mall
In 2013, the Czerwona Torebka retail chain opened its shopping arcade by the Skowrońskiego Street in Prudnik.[136] In 2021, in the immediate vicinity of the buildings of Prudnik, in the area belonging to Gmina Lubrza, the Premium Park shopping center was opened.[137] It was acquired by the British company London & Cambridge Properties Ltd. and changed its name to M Park Prudnik.[138][139] It is a major shopping mall for the southern part of Opole Voivodeship. Among the businesses located in the mall is aMcDonald's fast-food restaurant.[140] In the years 2024–2025, a shopping mall by the Sybiraków and Podgórna streets was constructed.[141][142]
Prudnik is situated at the crossroad of important routes. A communication route from Northern to Southern Europe runs through the town.National road 40, which leads fromGłuchołazy toPyskowice, runs through Prudnik.National road 41, starting inNysa, ends at a border crossing with the Czech Republic near Prudnik, in the village ofTrzebina.Voivodeship road 414 connects Prudnik to the region's capital ofOpole.[105]
The bus station in Prudnik is situated at the Kościuszki Street, in the town's center. It was modernised in 2023.[147] Apublic transport bus service operates in the town. Since 2022, the use of public transit in Prudnik is free of charge for all passengers.[148] Long-distance bus connections are operated by localMotor Transport Companies.[149]
Prudnik has a developed bike infrastructure with a network of bicycle routes connected with tourist paths in the Czech Republic.[150] Long-distance bicycle routes connect Prudnik withPokrzywna andMoszna, popular tourist destinations.[151]
As of 2016, the town of Prudnik had a population of 21,368.
Remains of a German inscription on a tenement house at Młyńska Street
Historically, Prudnik was a predominantlyGerman-speaking town, unlike nearbyBiała,Głogówek andStrzeleczki, which were Polish. Following the end of the Second World War andpost-1945 expulsions of the remaining pre-war population, Prudnik became predominantlyPolish-speaking. New incomers were primarily resettled fromareas in the east which Poland lost (Stanisławów andTarnopol voivodeships), or from other provinces, notably theLesser Poland region. German nationals, as well as Silesians, who stayed in the town were either resettled in the late 1940s and 1950s, or assimilated.[152] A cultural society exists to promote German culture in the still-existingGerman minority.[153]
In theNational Population and Housing Census 2021, among the residents of Prudnik there were people who declared German, Silesian,Romani, English, Irish, Dutch, Ukrainian, Norwegian, Italian, American and Swedish nationalities. Furthermore, on the county level, the census noted Belarusians, Russians, Czechs, Armenians, Jews, Australians, Austrians, Moldovans, Slovaks, French, Canadians, Swiss,Tatars,Karaites, Lithuanians,Lemkos, Belgians, Japanese, Greeks, Spaniards, Kazakhs and Scots.[154] Following the 2022Russian invasion of Ukraine, the number of Ukrainians in Prudnik has increased to about 150, making them the second biggest minority group in Prudnik after Germans.[155]
Evangelical church and two Catholic churches of Prudnik depicted on a historical postcard
Prudnik's population is predominantlyRoman Catholic, like the rest of Poland. Historically, the town was inhabited by Catholics, Protestants and Jews. As of 2022, among the residents of Prudnik there were Catholics,Pentecostals,Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as individual followers ofJudaism andProtestantism.[156]
Prudnik is a seat of a local Catholic decanate. The town houses two Catholic parishes, which are dedicated to St. Michael and to Divine Mercy. There are four Catholic churches in Prudnik:St. Michael's,Saints Peter and Paul,St. Joseph andDivine Mercy. The ruins of nearby Nativity of the Virgin Mary Sanctuary were demolished after World War II. Since 2021,Stefan Wyszyński is the town'spatron saint.[157]
The town lost most of its Protestant population following the post-1945 expulsions of Germans. The Evangelical parish of Prudnik was shut down in the 1960s, and the local Evangelical church was demolished.[158] Since 1990, a congregation of thePentecostal Church in Poland operates in the town.[159] In 2025, an Evangelical Church of God was established in Prudnik.[160]
The town had a significant Jewish population. The Jewish community of Prudnik did not recover after the Second World War andthe Holocaust.[161] The town commemorates its Jewish heritage by naming locations after its notable Jewish residents.[162]
AKingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses is located at Piastowska Street.[163] The town also has aRaëlian community.[164]
Prudnik houses seven kindergartens, four primary schools, four high schools (including two for adults), threetechnikums, four vocational school, a music school and four tertiary schools.
Gmina Prudnik governs three school complexes, which consist of kindergartens and primary schools.[165] Under the governance of the Prudnik County are the Adam Mickiewicz and Stefania Sempołowska high schools, the Centre for Vocational and Continuing Education (Centrum Kształcenia Zawodowego i Ustawicznego), the District Centre for Practical Education (Powiatowe Centrum Kształcenia Praktycznego) and the agricultural school (Zespół Szkół Rolniczych).[166] The local government of the Opole Voivodeship governs the medical school (Zespół Szkół Medycznych) in Prudnik.[167]
Prudnik is a town rich in historic architecture from various periods. Among its sights are:
medieval Wok's Tower (Wieża Woka), a remnant of the castle
preserved parts of the medieval town walls with the Lower Gate (Brama Dolna) and the Katowska and Mała towers which are part of the local historical museum (Muzeum Ziemi Prudnickiej)
Park Miejski ("Town Park") with theDiana statue, a monument to local Polish activists fallen in theSilesian Uprisings and murdered inNazi concentration camps, a monument commemorating the 1000th anniversary of the founding of the Polish State, etc.
Prudnik Culture Centre (Prudnicki Ośrodek Kultury)
World War II memorials, including a memorial to Polish children and youth, heroes and victims of the war at the Plac Szarych Szeregów ("Gray Ranks Square"), a monument to Polish soldiers fighting on various war fronts for Poland's freedom at the Plac Wolności ("Freedom Square"), and two mass graves of prisoners of the Nazi GermanAuschwitz concentration camp, murdered in the town in 1945
MUKS Pogoń Prudnik, women's football, table tennis, chess,boxing team.
Other sports clubs which operated in Prudnik include football teams WKS Kabewiak Prudnik and LUKS Flora Prudnik, cycling clubs LZS Prudnik, Włókniarz Prudnik, Pogoń Prudnik, Zryw Prudnik, PTTK Prudnik, Góral Ziemia Prudnicka, SKS Prudnik, as well as theice hockey team Pogoń Prudnik. Prior to the Second World War, four football clubs operated in Prudnik: SV Guts Muths Neustadt, VfR Neustadt, SC Preußen Neustadt, DJK Neustadt.[168]
Prudnik is home to the only men's Basketball Youth Sports Training Center of thePolish Basketball Federation in Opole Voivodeship.[169]
^Olesch, Reinhold (1958).Der Wortschatz der polnischen Mundart von Sankt Annaberg. Wiesbaden: Kommission bei Otto Harrassowitz.
^"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).
^Knie, Johann (1830).Alpabetisch-statistisch-topographische Uebersicht aller Dörfer, Flecken, Städte und andern Orte der Königl. Preus. Provinz Schlesien... Breslau.
^Kwaśniewski, Tadeusz (16 August 2002)."Nie zapłacili za księcia".Nowa Trybuna Opolska (in Polish). Retrieved18 December 2020.
^Bezeg, Bolesław (24 January 2022)."Kartka z kalendarza".Radio Opole (in Polish). Retrieved24 January 2025.
^Walerjański, Dariusz.Z dziejów Żydów na Górnym Śląsku do 1812 roku.
^Hatalska, Marta (2004). "Prudnik – miejscem obrad sejmiku opolsko-raciborskiego od połowy".Ziemia Prudnicka. Prudnik: Spółka Wydawnicza "Aneks".
^Husak, Marcin (24 February 2016). "Prudnicki burmistrz Mathias der altere Bilitzer, czyli... słów kilka o sposobie sprawowania władzy pod panowaniem Habsburgów cz. 2".Tygodnik Prudnicki.8 (1313): 14.ISSN1231-904X.
^"Pieczęcie".dokumentyslaska.pl (in Polish). Retrieved24 January 2025.
^Kwak, Jan (1977).Miasta księstwa opolsko-raciborskiego w XVI–XVIII wieku. Opole. pp. 97–98.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^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.ISBN978-83-8098-299-4.
^Cygański, Mirosław (1984). "Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945".Przegląd Zachodni (in Polish) (4): 24,32–34.
^Dereń, Andrzej (10 January 2024). "Strzeleczki ponownie miastem: Czwarte miasto ziemi prudnickiej".Tygodnik Prudnicki.2 (1716). Prudnik: Spółka Wydawnicza "Aneks": 19.
^"EUREGIO PL-CZ".www.euroregions.org. Retrieved17 February 2019.
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