Olesno
Encyclopedia
Olesno o is a town
in Opole Voivodship
, Poland
about 42 kilometres (26 mi) north-east of the city of Opole
. It is the capital of Olesno County
and seat of the Gmina Olesno
.
had been settled since the Neolithic
era. Olesno was first mentioned in a 1226 deed by Bishop Lorenz (Wawrzyniec) of Wrocław though it may refer to the neighbouring village of Stare Olesno (Old Olesno). In 1229 it was acquired by Duke Henry I the Bearded
of Wrocław. Olesno became seat of a Castellan
and received town privileges
about 1292. It then was a part of the Duchy of Opole
which became a fiefdom
of the Kingdom of Bohemia
in 1327 and was finally incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire
by Charles IV
in 1355.
After the First Silesian War
and the Peace of Breslau in 1742 Olesno became a Prussian
town, part of the Province of Silesia
from 1815 on. In 1945 according to the results of the Potsdam Conference
it fell to Poland
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Opole Voivodship
Opole Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Opole Voivodeship is divided into 12 counties : 1 city county and 11 land counties. These are further divided into 71 gminas.The counties are listed in the following table .- Economy :...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
about 42 kilometres (26 mi) north-east of the city of Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
. It is the capital of Olesno County
Olesno County
Olesno County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Opole Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Olesno, which lies ...
and seat of the Gmina Olesno
Gmina Olesno, Opole Voivodeship
Gmina Olesno is an urban-rural gmina in Olesno County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Olesno, which lies approximately north-east of the regional capital Opole....
.
History
The area near the ancient Amber RoadAmber Road
The Amber Road was an ancient trade route for the transfer of amber. As one of the waterways and ancient highways, for centuries the road led from Europe to Asia and back, and from northern Africa to the Baltic Sea....
had been settled since the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
era. Olesno was first mentioned in a 1226 deed by Bishop Lorenz (Wawrzyniec) of Wrocław though it may refer to the neighbouring village of Stare Olesno (Old Olesno). In 1229 it was acquired by Duke Henry I the Bearded
Henry I the Bearded
Henry I the Bearded , of the Silesian line of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1201 and Duke of Kraków and thus High Duke of all Poland - internally divided - from 1232 until his death.-Heir of Wroclaw:...
of Wrocław. Olesno became seat of a Castellan
Castellan
A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
and received town privileges
German town law
German town law or German municipal concerns concerns town privileges used by many cities, towns, and villages throughout Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.- Town law in Germany :...
about 1292. It then was a part of the Duchy of Opole
Duchy of Opole
Duchy of Opole was one of the duchies of Silesia ruled by the Piast dynasty. Its capital was Opole in Upper Silesia.After Bolesław I the Tall and his younger brother Mieszko I Tanglefoot backed by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa had retained their Silesian heritage in 1163, they divided the...
which became a fiefdom
Fiefdom
A fee was the central element of feudalism and consisted of heritable lands granted under one of several varieties of feudal tenure by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the...
of the Kingdom of Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
in 1327 and was finally incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
by Charles IV
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV , born Wenceslaus , was the second king of Bohemia from the House of Luxembourg, and the first king of Bohemia to also become Holy Roman Emperor....
in 1355.
After the First Silesian War
Silesian Wars
The Silesian Wars were a series of wars between Prussia and Austria for control of Silesia. They formed parts of the larger War of the Austrian Succession and Seven Years' War. They eventually ended with Silesia being incorporated into Prussia, and Austrian recognition of this...
and the Peace of Breslau in 1742 Olesno became a Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
town, part of the Province of Silesia
Province of Silesia
The Province of Silesia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1815 to 1919.-Geography:The territory comprised the bulk of the former Bohemian crown land of Silesia and the County of Kladsko, which King Frederick the Great had conquered from the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy in the 18th...
from 1815 on. In 1945 according to the results of the Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
it fell to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Notable people
- David RosinDavid RosinDavid Rosin was a German Jewish theologian from Rosenberg, Silesia.Having received his early instruction from his father, who was a teacher in his native town, he attended the yeshibah of Kempen, of Myslowitz , and of Prague ; but, wishing to receive a regular school education, he went to Breslau,...
, theologian, born May 27, 1823 in Rosenberg, died December 31, 1894 in Breslau - Hermann FriedbergHermann FriedbergHermann Friedberg was a Jewish German physician from Rosenberg , Silesia.He studied at the universities of Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Paris, and Breslau, receiving from the last-named the degree of doctor of medicine in 1840...
, physician, born July 5, 1817 in Rosenberg, died March 2, 1884 in Breslau - Reinhold SaltzwedelReinhold SaltzwedelOberleutnant zur See Reinhold Saltzwedel was a successful and highly decorated German U-boat commander in the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I.Saltzwedel sank a total of 111 merchant vessels for...
, U-boat commander, born November 23, 1889 in Rosenberg, died December 2, 1917 on UB-81, English ChannelEnglish ChannelThe English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover... - Helmuth von PannwitzHelmuth von PannwitzHelmuth von Pannwitz was a German general who distinguished himself as a cavalry officer during the First and the Second World Wars. Lieutenant General of the Wehrmacht and Supreme Ataman of the XV...
, general, born October 14, 1898 in BotzanowitzBodzanowiceBodzanowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Olesno, within Olesno County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately east of Olesno and north-east of the regional capital Opole....
, Rosenberg County, died January 16, 1947 in MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... - Adam LedwońAdam LedwonAdam Ledwoń was a Polish football player. He was born in Olesno, Upper Silesia, Poland and died in Klagenfurt, Austria.-Career:...
, football player, born January 15, 1974 in Olesno, died June 11, 2008 in KlagenfurtKlagenfurt-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. - Franciszek KokotFranciszek KokotFranciszek Kokot is a Polish nephrologist and endocrinologist. Kokot is known as the pioneer of nephrology in Eastern Europe. He is a full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences, having previously served as its rector....
, nephrologist, born 24 November 1929.