Grodków

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Map of Poland, position of Grodków highlighted
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Map of Poland, position of Grodków highlighted

Grodków (German: ) is a town in Opole Voivodeship in Poland. It has approximately 9,100 inhabitants and lies 20 km south of Brzeg.

Grodków was granted city rights in 1268 by Duke Henryk IV Probus. The methodically planned medieval townscape was characterized by a rectangular ring and four streets leading to the towers of the town gates.

Historically it was the seat of an homonymous Silesian duchy, which was bought by a bishop of Wrocław from Duke Bolesław of Brieg and added to the episcopal territory of Nysa. The Prince-bishops of Wrocław had, therefore, after this the temporal princely titles of Prince of Nysa and Duke of Grodków, and took precedence of the other Silesian rulers.

The Prussian garrison of the town was disbanded in 1920. The town had 4,867 inhabitants in 1939 and was the seat of Landkreis Grottkau until 1945; in that year Grodków was transferred from Germany to Poland.

Two of the town gate towers remain standing today.

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This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia.

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Coordinates: 50°42′N 17°23′E