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| Opole | ||
| Voivodeship | Opole | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 127.792 (2017) | |
| height | 176 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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Opole(Polish: Opole) is a large university city and capital of the historical Upper Silesia as well as today's capital of the voivodeship Opole.
background
The city dates back to the 10th century and came to Poland around 990. When Silesia was divided in the course of Polish particularism in the 12th century, Opole became the capital of the Duchy of Upper Silesia and remained the most important city in the region for a long time, even when the Duchy itself split into smaller duchies in the following century. It received city rights in 1217. In the 14th century, it was granted by the Silesian Piasts ruled the Duchy of Opole a Bohemian fiefdom and remained so until the conquest of Silesia by Prussia in the middle of the 18th century.
Under Prussian rule the number of inhabitants multiplied, around 1820 the mark of 5,000, in the 1890s the mark of 20,000 and in 1936 the mark of 50,000. From 1813 Opole was the seat of government in one of the three administrative districts of the Prussian province of Upper Silesia. As early as 1845 it was connected to the Prussian railway network by the Upper Silesian Railway. From the middle of the 19th century Opole developed into an important center of the cement industry. From 1871 the city belonged to the German Empire, from 1918 to the Weimar Republic. After the division of Prussian Silesia into two provinces in 1919, Opole was the capital of the province of Upper Silesia. In the referendum in 1921, almost 95% of those eligible to vote in Opole voted to remain with the German Reich.
Towards the end of the Second World War, the entire population was evacuated to Wroclaw in January 1945, so that the Red Army took an almost deserted city. This then came under Polish administration. Poles were settled, some of whom had been driven out of the Polish eastern regions. As early as 1950, the pre-war population had been reached again. During the Polish period, the number of inhabitants continued to rise sharply, and in 1975 the city status was achieved with 100,000 inhabitants.
getting there
By plane
Opole does not have a regular airport. The two closest airports with regular operations are in Wroclaw (WRO; 105 km northeast, a good 1 hour by car or 1:45 hours by bus and train) and Katowice (KTW; 100 km east, 1½ hours by car or a good 2 hours by bus and train Gliwice). Both can be reached by direct flights from German-speaking countries, with Katowice being a little more frequented.
By train
The central station 1 Opole Główne
lies on the frequently traveled route Breslau – Katowice or Breslau – Częstochowa – Warsaw / Krakow. Intercity and TLK trains (equivalent to Interregio) leave from Wroclaw approximately every half hour, with which the journey takes about 50 minutes, plus the somewhat slower regional trains. From Gliwice (travel time approx. 55 minutes) and Katowice (1:20 hours) IC or TLK travel almost every hour, as does Częstochowa (approx. 1½ hours); Approximately every two hours from Krakow (2½ hours), Warsaw (3½ hours) or Poznan (3½ – 4 hours). The Express InterCity (EIC), the highest type of train on the Polish railways, runs three times a day from Warsaw to Opole, so the journey takes just under three hours.
From Berlin (5 hours), Frankfurt / Oder (3:50 hours) and Vienna (a good 6 hours) there is a direct connection with the Eurocity / Nightjet once a day. In addition, connections from Germany usually require a change in Rzepin, Kostrzyn or Breslau; from Austria in Katowice.
By bus
Long-distance coaches drive from many German cities to Opole.
In the street
The Polish A4 motorway (Gorlitz–Legnica–Wroclaw–Oppeln–Gliwice–Katowice–Krakow–Przemyśl) passes Opole a few kilometers southwest. You can get there from the west at the junction Nysa/ Opole leave from where the 
leads to the city center; Coming from the east at the exit Opole /Racibórz/Krapkowice and then about that 
.
The country road runs almost parallel to the A4 
, which also connects Wroclaw and the Upper Silesian industrial area around Katowice, but is toll-free and brings you closer to Opole. However, due to the numerous through-passages, it is much slower to make progress on it.
Landstrasse 45 leads from the north from Kluczbork and Łódź to Opole. Landstrasse 46 provides the connection with Czestochowa here.
Of Austria or southern Germany is best driven through Czech Republic (either via Prague/Hradec Králové/Kłodzko or over Brno/Olomouc/Krnov). However, there is no continuous motorway here and you should have good map material or navigation software, as you have to change the road or the orientation destination several times on the way and Opole is only signposted on the last section.
By boat
One can get to Opole via a boat trip on the Or to reach.
mobility
The old town can be explored on foot or by bike. Public buses drive to the more remote parts of the city.
Tourist Attractions
Churches
- 1 Holy Cross Cathedral (Bazylika katedralna Podwyższenia Krzyża Świętego).
The first wooden church was built on this site at the beginning of the 11th century. It has been a stone building since the second half of the 13th century. However, this had to be rebuilt several times in history after fires and collapses. The church received its current late Gothic appearance around 1520. At the end of the 19th century, the interior was renovated in the neo-Gothic style. The two 73-meter-high towers - the tallest in the city - were built in 1898–99. Since the establishment of the Diocese of Opole in 1972, the Holy Cross Church has had the status of a cathedral.
- 2 Franciscan Church (Kościół Świętej Trójcy), plac Wolności 2, Zamkowa (south of the market).Church of the former Franciscan monastery. It dates from the 14th century and is in the Gothic style. Remarkable are the surviving medieval wall paintings. The tower was added in the 15th century. The interior is largely baroque.
- 3 Church of Our Lady of Sorrows (Kościół Matki Boskiej Bolesnej, Bergelkirche), Mały Rynek.The choir of the church is Gothic and dates back to the early 14th century. Other parts, however, have been redesigned in the Baroque and Neo-Romanesque style over the centuries.
- baroque Sebastian Church
- Gothic Alexius Chapel
- neo-Gothic Peter and Paul Church
- baroque Norbertaner church
Synagogues
- neo-Gothic old synagogue
Castles, chateaux and palaces
- 4 Piast Tower (Wieża Piastowska).The only surviving part of the Opole Piast Castle. It dates from the 13th century and is one of the oldest architectural monuments in Poland. The castle, which had been the seat of the Prussian district government since the 19th century, was demolished in 1931 to make way for a modern government building. Only the tower was preserved.
- Gothic Upper Castle
Buildings
- 5 town hall (Ratusz), Rynek.The stone town hall in the middle of the market square was built in the 16th century, before there was a wooden building in the same place. Since then, the town hall has been redesigned several times. It received its current classicist shape in the first half of the 19th century. The formerly baroque town hall tower was replaced in 1863 by a neo-Gothic one, which is modeled on the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.
- 6 Penny Bridge (Most Groszowy), ul.Wolfganga Amadeusza Mozarta, Piastowska - Mozarta (between Plac Wolności and ul. Piastowska).The pretty pedestrian bridge leads over the Mühlgraben (a tributary of the Oder) and connects the old town with the island of Pascheke. The green painted steel structure was built in 1894 and is designed in the Art Nouveau style. It is part of an idyllic promenade along the Mühlgraben.
- Collegium Maius
- Collegium Minus
- neo-Gothic water tower
- neo-Gothic post office
- Voivodeship Office
- railway station
Monuments
- 7 Ceres fountain, Ignacego Daszyńskiego Square.The Art Nouveau fountain created in 1904–07 by the Berlin sculptor Edmund Gomansky stands on the beautifully green Plac Ignacego Daszyńskiego, which was formerly called Friedrichsplatz. The monument shows the Roman agriculture goddess Ceres, surrounded by her daughter Proserpina, the water god Neptune and the demigod Hercules. The quarter around the square was built in the 19th century and is characterized by Wilhelminian and Art Nouveau buildings.
Museums
- 8 Museum of the Opole Village (Muzeum Wsi Opolskiej), ul.Wrocławska 174 (Bierkowice district, on DW 414 in the direction of Wrocław, just under 5 km northwest of the old town).
The open-air museum gathers village buildings from the Opole Voivodeship, with residential buildings, windmills, water mills, blacksmiths and wooden churches, vegetable and flower gardens.
- Museum of Opole Silesia
- Museum of the Diocese of Opole
- Polish Song Museum
- Museum of Prisoners of War
- Modern Art Gallery
Streets and squares
- 9 ring (Rynek).As in many Silesian cities, the market square of Opole is ring-shaped, with the town hall in the middle. The baroque and classicist town houses from the 18th century are also worth seeing. Most were badly damaged or completely destroyed in World War II. In the 1950s, however, they were rebuilt true to the original (at least the facades). The classicistic old post house (Rynek No. 11) on the north side of the ring deserves special attention.
- Freedom Square
Parks
- Opole Zoo
- Jewish Cemetery
various
- Remains of the Gothic city wall
- Avenue of the Stars of the Polish Song Festival
- Open air theater
- "Venice of Opole" on the Oder
activities
- 1 Social-cultural society of the Germans in Opole Silesia (Towarzystwo Społeczno-Kulturalne Niemców na Śląsku Opolskim), ul.Marii Konopnickiej 6 (on the banks of the Oder, 250 m from the cathedral).Organizes cultural events in German.
shop
There are numerous shopping opportunities in Opole, from large shopping malls to small mom and pop shops. The largest shopping centers include:
- Centrum Handlowe Karolinka
- Auchan Sosnkowskiego
- Galeria Ozimska
- Galeria Opolanin
- Galeria Piastowska
- Galeria Ziemowit
- Solaris Center
kitchen
The traditional cuisine in Opole is the Silesian cuisine. But you can also find a lot of international restaurants.
Cheap
- 1 Naleśnikarnia “Grabówka”, ul.Mozarta 2. Tel.: 48 77 454 17 96. Crêpes restaurant in a pavilion between the green Plac Wolności and the Mühlgraben. French-style crepes and gallettes with a wide variety of savory or sweet fillings and homemade sauces.Open: Mon-Fri 10 am–8pm, Sat-Sun 11 am–7pm.Price: pancakes 7-14 zł, salads 8 zł.
medium
Upscale
nightlife
Cheap
medium
Upscale
accommodation
Cheap
medium
Upscale
Learn
Opole is a university city.
Work
German native speakers are wanted as private language teachers.
security
It's pretty safe.
health
The supply of doctors and pharmacies is good.
Practical advice
trips
- 10 Moschen Castle (Zamek Moszna), Zamkowa 1, 47-370 Moszna (33 km southwest of Opole, on the DW 414 towards Prudnik).Fairytale castle from the 18th to 19th centuries with baroque, neo-gothic and neo-renaissance elements. From 1866 it served as the seat of the von Tiele-Winckler family of coal magnates. It is surrounded by an extensive and very beautiful landscape park.
- Strzelce Opolskie (Groß Strehlitz; 33 km southeast; 27 minutes by train)
- Brzeg (Brieg; 42 km northwest; 20 minutes by train)
- Nysa (Neisse; 55 km southwest)
- Gliwice (Gleiwitz; 75 km southeast; 55 minutes by train)
- Wroclaw (90 km northwest; 50 minutes by train)
- In the nearby Sudeten (Zuckmanteler Bergland) you can hike, ride a bike and do winter sports. As a starting point z. B. the city 50 km from Opole Prudnik (Neustadt O.S).
literature
See article too Poland.
Web links
- http://www.opole.pl (pl) - Official website of Opole
- http://www.orf-oberschlesien.de/oppeln - Online travel guide to Upper Silesia
