Opole Voivodeship

The Opole Voivodeship ( also German Opole Voivodeship, Polish województwo opolskie ) with its capital Opole is one of the 16 provinces of the Republic of Poland. It covers the western part of Upper Silesia, the region around Opole, supplemented by the formerly Lower Silesia circles Brzeg and Namyslów. The Opole Voivodeship was created in 1950, with the administrative reform in the years 1975 and 1999, there was marginal or corrections to the exchange of territory.

The Opole Voivodeship is the center of the German minority in Poland, which has its election committee since 1998, share in the administration of the local Sejmik.

  • 3.1 Landscape
  • 3.2 climate
  • 3.3 Largest cities
  • 3.4 rivers
  • 5.1 1950
  • 5.2 the beginning of the 21st century
  • 5.3 Population development
  • 5.4 Religion
  • 7.1 Agriculture
  • 7.2 industry
  • 7.3 Tourism
  • 8.1 Literature
  • 8.2 External links
  • 8.3 footnotes

Coat of arms

Description: In a completely blue golden crowned eagle.

Administrative divisions

The Opole Voivodeship is divided into 11 counties ( Powiats ), the city of Opole remains acyclic. Although it is under their name also a county not belong to him even on though.

Independent Cities

Counties ( powiaty )

(Residents on June 30, 2006)

The largest surface area in the country districts of the region are Opole and Nysa.

Geography

Landscape

The Opole Voivodeship is located in the southwestern part of Poland in the neighborhood of Woidwodschaften Lower Silesia, Silesia, Lodz and Wielkopolska. In the south, it has a 185 km long border with the Czech Republic. The landscape is mostly flat. It is a part of the Silesian Lowland. Upland areas are in the south west ( Sudetenvorland ), to the east ( Silesian Plateau ) and the North East to be found ( Wieluƒ plateau ). The highest elevation of the region is the Bishop Koppe ( Biskupia Kopa ) with 891 m at the border with the Czech Republic. The Oder forms a border between the southwestern dominated by agriculture, which is characterized by forestry northeast.

Climate

The province is characterized by a continental climate with warm summers and cold winters. The average January temperature is -3 ° C and in July 18.5 ° C. The average annual temperature is 8.5 ° C. The average number of days with precipitation fluctuates 160-180 a year. The average snow cover in the province varies between 40 and 60 days per year and increases from west to east. The average annual precipitation is 650 mm.

Largest cities

The only major city in the province is the provincial capital Opole.

  • Glatzer Neisse
  • Hotzenplotz / Ossa
  • Klodnitz
  • Malapane
  • Or
  • Oppa with Goldoppa
  • Stober
  • Zinna

History

By 1945, this region was part of the Prussian province of Silesia. After the Second World War in 1946 it was merged with the Silesian Voivodeship. 1950 is evident from the Opole Voivodeship a local government reform. From the former Province of Lower Silesia and the circles Brzeg Namyslów the new province are affiliated. In a third area of ​​reform of 1975, the district of Katowice Voivodeship Racibórz and a part of the circle of Częstochowa Voivodeship Olesno be connected. In a fourth area of ​​reform in 1999, which had the aim to make historical provinces, Opole Voivodeship which should be resolved according to the plans of the Polish government. The western part with the circles Brzeg and Namyslów should the Lower Silesia be ceded and most of the province should, together with the Katowice Voivodeship, and part of Częstochowa Voivodeship the Silesian Voivodeship. The population of the Opole Voivodeship made ​​a huge resistance to these plans to the government, since the influence of the German minority would perish in the state government through the formation of the Silesian Voivodeship. The resistance was supported not only by the German minority from the region, but also by the Polish Silesians and Poles who feel connected to their province. With the dissolution of Częstochowa Voivodeship in 1999, the powiat Oleski was in 24 years affiliated with the Opole Voivodeship. In 2006 Radlau was also the first officially bilingual community of the province and led a German as a second official language.

Population

1950

At the foundation of the Opole Voivodeship in 1950, 870,000 people live here. The population is living here in 1950 from three different groups:

  • Indigenous people ( German Silesians and Polish Silesians ); Share in 1950: 55 %
  • Repatriates from the former eastern Poland and returnees, share 1950: 25 %
  • Settlers from Central Poland, share 1950: 20 %

Beginning of the 21st century

The census of 2002 gave the following result for the Opole Voivodeship:

¹ is not recognized as a nationality Silesian, though this term has been used in the 2002 Census

Sources for tables:

  • Http://www.dat.prosilesia.net/cms/news/detail.php?nr=671&kategorie=news
  • Http://www.stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/opole/ASSETS_nsp2002_raport.pdf (PDF file, 1.43 MB)

Population Development

Religion

Most of the inhabitants of the province are baptized Roman Catholic. As a next largest religious communities the Protestant churches and the witnesses follow Jehovah. The remainder of the population belong to other faiths or no religious affiliation small.

In the Diocese of Opole, which is not identical with the Opole Voivodship, about 850,000 people have been baptized Roman Catholic in 2010. The diocese includes parts of counties Brzeg and Namyslów not, in addition, however, the district Racibórz in Silesia. The largest group of Protestants forming the Evangelical - Augsburg Church. The faithful of the Opole Voivodeship belong to the Diocese of Katowice and counted in the year 2008 1.600 people (0.15 %). It is followed by the followers of the Pentecostal movement with 1,081 members (0.1%) and numerous smaller Protestant churches. Jehovah's Witnesses were among 2010 3.158 members ( 0.3%).

The percentages are based on the population of 1,029,894 in 2010 and the year 2008.

Language

In the Opole Voivodeship (also see German Silesia ) is predominantly Polish (see Polish Silesia ) and partly also German spoken. In the larger cities in the province and in the south west dominated the Polish language, on land and in the eastern province of Silesian Polish and German. In 28 municipalities, the share of the German population exceeds 20%. In 14 of these municipalities German is the official auxiliary language. Radlau was allowed to set up in 2006 as the first community in Poland bilingual place-name signs. Meanwhile, other communities have followed. The use of the German language and the Silesian dialect was forbidden until the turn and was punished as a misdemeanor. This has the consequence that many Silesian German or Silesian dialect have not learned or after 1990. Most residents of the Province address both the Silesian dialect (in daily life ) as the Polish high-level language ( in the profession). The German language dominate the older generation and the younger generation can learn German in school. According to results of the last census ( 2002) 84 % of the population speak Polish at home and 8.3 % German.

Economy

The Opole Voivodeship is one of the poorer regions in Poland. Expressed in comparison with the EU GDP in purchasing power standards reached the province in 2006 an index of 42.1 (EU-27 = 100).

Most workers are employed in the tertiary sector ( 40.1% ), 30 % in the primary sector and 29.9 % in the secondary sector. In the period of 2001-2003 have been reduced in the secondary sector more than 10,000 jobs. The official unemployment rate in December 2009 was 12.6 percent.

Many go obtain employment abroad, mainly in Germany and in the Netherlands after.

Agriculture

The Opole Voivodeship represents 3.2 % of total agricultural land in Poland dar. to the most fertile soils in the region are formed on the loess chernozems, which are common in the southwest of the province. The soils of the province are among the most productive soils in Poland. There are primarily grown sugar beet, cereals, oilseed rape and potatoes.

Industry

The spread of industry in the province is mainly limited to cities and the southern section of the Oder of Krapkowice until after Kędzierzyn -Koźle. The largest industrial centers are found in the room in Opole and powiat Kędzierzyńsko - Kozielski. One of the dominant industries of the province include the fuel industry ( coal coke in Zdzieszowice ( Odertal ) ), electrical engineering, construction (cement, lime), the mineral, chemical, automotive and furniture industry and the food industry. The focus of the chemical industry in the powiat Kędzierzyńsko - Kozielski. The degradation of natural resources for the construction industry is widespread in the center of the province the most. In the city of Opole and around the industry is very versatile.

Tourism

Among the tourist attractions in the province include cities such as Opole, Brzeg, Nysa, Paczków and Głogówek, the pilgrimage Góra Świętej Anny (St. Annaberg ) and numerous castles in the region. Also of importance are the tourism Jezioro Nyskie and Jeziora Turawskie.

References

Municipality Voivodeship (Poland) German Minority Electoral Committee Voivodeship sejmik Eagle (heraldry) Brzeg County Kluczbork County Krapkowice County Opole County Prudnik County Strzelce County Kluczbork Kłodnica Mała Panew Moszna Castle Radłów, Opole Voivodeship Germans Ukrainians Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland Roman Catholic Diocese of Opole Racibórz County Gross domestic product Nyskie Lake Kielce Voivodeship Konin Voivodeship Krosno Voivodeship Legnica Voivodeship Leszno Voivodeship Radom Voivodeship Siedlce Voivodeship Skierniewice Voivodeship Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship Wrocław Voivodeship (1975–98)
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