| Kędzierzyn-Koźle | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Zakłady Chemiczne Blachownia (pictured) and Zakłady Azotowe Kędzierzyn S.A. power plants in Kędzierzyn-Koźle. | |||
|
|||
|
Kędzierzyn-Koźle
|
|||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Poland | ||
| Voivodeship | Opole | ||
| County | Kędzierzyn-Koźle County | ||
| Gmina | Kędzierzyn-Koźle (urban gmina) | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Tomasz Wantuła | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 123.42 km2 (47.7 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 180 m (591 ft) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| • Total | 64,219 | ||
| • Density | 520.3/km2 (1,347.6/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 47-200, 47-220, 47-232 | ||
| Car plates & City districts |
OK Azoty, Blachownia Śląska, Cisowa, Kędzierzyn, Koźle, Koźle Port, Koźle Rogi, Kłodnica, Kuźniczka, Lenartowice, Miejsce Kłodnickie, Sławięcice |
||
| Website | A Town of Opportunities | ||
Kędzierzyn-Koźle [kɛnˈd͡ʑɛʐɨn ˈkɔʑlɛ] (German: Kandrzin-Cosel) is the capital city of Kędzierzyn-Koźle County, Silesia, Poland. Kędzierzyn-Koźle is a place of a major river port, has rail connections with all major cities of Poland and serves western outskirts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union.
Contents |
Kędzierzyn was founded as a village in the 13th century. During World War II, Sławięcice (German: Slawentziz, Ehrenforst)[1] was the location of two camps of several Arbeitslager Blechhammer labor and POW camps in the area (the crematorium was also in Sławięcice).[2] Kędzierzyn, along with the eastern 25% of Germany's pre-war area was transferred from Germany to Poland as stipulated by the Potsdam Agreement. In the years immediately following World War II, the majority of the area's population, ethnic Germans, was forcibly expelled and their property was expropriated. The area was subsequently repopulated by ethnic Poles, some of which came from the former eastern territories of Poland.
In 1954, Blachownia and Lenartowice merged to form the Blachownia Śląska district in Sławięcice.
In 1975, the municipalities of Kędzierzyn, Koźle, Sławięcice, and Kłodnica (German: Koldnitz) combined to form Kędzierzyn-Koźle. In 1999, the branch line connecting the city with Strzelce Opolskie closed as part of Polskie Koleje Państwowe cost-cutting. In 2003, the Mostostal-Azoty Kędzierzyn-Koźle won the Polish Volleyball League title for the 4th straight year, and in 2006, the Chemik Kędzierzyn-Koźle football team was reactivated.