Smolarnia, Opole Voivodeship
Encyclopedia
Smolarnia s, German Pechhütte is a village
in the administrative district of Gmina Strzeleczki
(Gemeinde Klein Strehlitz), within Krapkowice County
, Opole Voivodeship
, in Upper Silesia
in south-western Poland. It lies approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) west of Strzeleczki
, 14 km (9 mi) west of Krapkowice
, and 23 km (14 mi) south-west of the regional capital Opole
.
Before 1945 the area was part of Germany (see Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
). Since 2006 the village, like the entire commune, has been bilingual in German and Polish.
The village has a population of 252 inhabitants. The nearby hamlet of Serwitut
(Servitut), with a population of 69 people, is administered as part of this village.
(as was nearby Servitut). Its name derives from the pitch
industry that occupied the villagers. The Polish name, Smolarnia, does not appear before the 19th century, and was first recorded in an official record from 1828. The parish church for Pechhütte and Servitut was in Polnisch Rasselwitz.
German documents of the early 19th century do not provide separate census data for Pechhütte and Servitut, but in the 1830s there were counted between Pechhütte, Servitut, and Sedschütz 44 households with 420 inhabitants. By the 1890s there were 25 families living in the village. However, there was very little arable land, as much of the area was taken up by the forest, an Easement
property called the Oberglogauer Servitutwald because it was owned by the wealthy Oppersdorff family from Oberglogau. So, many of the villagers had to work in the forest and on nearby estates. In WWI several soldiers from the village died, but the village itself, like most of Germany, was untouched by physical damage. In 1915, Pechhütte and Servitut had 1111 inhabitants.
In the Upper Silesia plebiscite
of 20 March 1921 541 villagers voted to remain with Germany and 321 voted to join the newly created state of Poland. As a result, Pechhütte remained in Germany. Before 1945 it belonged to the district of Landkreis Neustadt O.S. Up until 1945 the forest around Pechhütte, by then known as the Sedschützer Servitutwald belonged to Count Klaus von Tiele-Winkler of Moschen
. During the war, the town suffered minimal damage, with only the school burning down.
In 1945 Silesia was given to Poland and the German population of Pechhütte was largely expelled, dramatically reducing the town's population; it has not since reached its former size. The village was renamed Smolarnia and annexed to the newly created Silesian Voivodeship
. In 1950 it was reassigned to Opole Voivodeship
, and in 1999 reassigned from Prudnik County (formerly Neustadt O.S.) to Krapkowice County. On 17 May 2006 the entire commune of Strzelecki/Klein Strehlitz was declared bilingual in German and Polish, and on 24 November 2008 the old name German name Pechhütte was also made official.
In the center of the town is a memorial to the soldiers from Pechhütte killed in World War I and II.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the administrative district of Gmina Strzeleczki
Gmina Strzeleczki
Gmina Strzeleczki, German Gemeinde Klein Strehlitz is a rural gmina in Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Strzeleczki , which lies approximately west of Krapkowice and south of the regional capital Opole.The gmina covers an area of , and as...
(Gemeinde Klein Strehlitz), within Krapkowice County
Krapkowice County
Krapkowice 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 Krapkowice, which lies ...
, Opole Voivodeship
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 :...
, in Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
in south-western Poland. It lies approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) west of Strzeleczki
Strzeleczki
Strzeleczki , German Klein Strehlitz is a village in Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Strzeleczki...
, 14 km (9 mi) west of Krapkowice
Krapkowice
Krapkowice is a town in south-western Poland with 17,840 inhabitants , situated in the Opole Voivodeship, straddling both banks of the Oder River at the point where it joins with the Osobłoga. It is the regional capital of Krapkowice County....
, and 23 km (14 mi) south-west of the regional capital 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...
.
Before 1945 the area was part of Germany (see Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
The territorial changes of Poland after World War II were very extensive. In 1945, following the Second World War, Poland's borders were redrawn following the decisions made at the Potsdam Conference of 1945 at the insistence of the Soviet Union...
). Since 2006 the village, like the entire commune, has been bilingual in German and Polish.
The village has a population of 252 inhabitants. The nearby hamlet of Serwitut
Serwitut, Opole Voivodeship
Serwitut is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Strzeleczki, within Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Strzeleczki, west of Krapkowice, and south-west of the regional capital Opole.Before 1945 the area was part of...
(Servitut), with a population of 69 people, is administered as part of this village.
History
The village can trace its history back to 12 November 1663, when a large estate was granted to a nobleman which later became the center of the new town, attracting settlers from nearby villages.. The village's name was first recorded as Dziedzützer Pechhüte, indicating it was a hamlet of DziedziceDziedzice
Dziedzice may refer to the following places:* Dziedzice, Greater Poland Voivodeship * Dziedzice, Masovian Voivodeship * Dziedzice, Krapkowice County in Opole Voivodeship...
(as was nearby Servitut). Its name derives from the pitch
Pitch (resin)
Pitch is the name for any of a number of viscoelastic, solid polymers. Pitch can be made from petroleum products or plants. Petroleum-derived pitch is also called bitumen. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin. Products made from plant resin are also known as rosin.Pitch was...
industry that occupied the villagers. The Polish name, Smolarnia, does not appear before the 19th century, and was first recorded in an official record from 1828. The parish church for Pechhütte and Servitut was in Polnisch Rasselwitz.
German documents of the early 19th century do not provide separate census data for Pechhütte and Servitut, but in the 1830s there were counted between Pechhütte, Servitut, and Sedschütz 44 households with 420 inhabitants. By the 1890s there were 25 families living in the village. However, there was very little arable land, as much of the area was taken up by the forest, an Easement
Easement
An easement is a certain right to use the real property of another without possessing it.Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond...
property called the Oberglogauer Servitutwald because it was owned by the wealthy Oppersdorff family from Oberglogau. So, many of the villagers had to work in the forest and on nearby estates. In WWI several soldiers from the village died, but the village itself, like most of Germany, was untouched by physical damage. In 1915, Pechhütte and Servitut had 1111 inhabitants.
In the Upper Silesia plebiscite
Upper Silesia plebiscite
The Upper Silesia plebiscite was a border referendum mandated by the Versailles Treaty and carried out in March 1921 to determine a section of the border between Weimar Germany and Poland. The region was ethnically mixed, chiefly among Germans, Poles and Silesians. According to prewar statistics,...
of 20 March 1921 541 villagers voted to remain with Germany and 321 voted to join the newly created state of Poland. As a result, Pechhütte remained in Germany. Before 1945 it belonged to the district of Landkreis Neustadt O.S. Up until 1945 the forest around Pechhütte, by then known as the Sedschützer Servitutwald belonged to Count Klaus von Tiele-Winkler of Moschen
Moszna
Moszna is a small village in south-west Poland, approximately from Opole, known for its notable castle.-The village:In 1309 the area, which is nowadays occupied by Moszna, was settled by a family called Mosce or Moschin. In 1679 the village belonged to the family of von Skalls and it became the...
. During the war, the town suffered minimal damage, with only the school burning down.
In 1945 Silesia was given to Poland and the German population of Pechhütte was largely expelled, dramatically reducing the town's population; it has not since reached its former size. The village was renamed Smolarnia and annexed to the newly created Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...
. In 1950 it was reassigned to Opole Voivodeship
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 :...
, and in 1999 reassigned from Prudnik County (formerly Neustadt O.S.) to Krapkowice County. On 17 May 2006 the entire commune of Strzelecki/Klein Strehlitz was declared bilingual in German and Polish, and on 24 November 2008 the old name German name Pechhütte was also made official.
In the center of the town is a memorial to the soldiers from Pechhütte killed in World War I and II.