Olesno

For similarly named villages, see Olesno, Lesser Poland Voivodeship and Oleśno.
Olesno

Wooden Saint Anne church in Olesno, built in 1518, expanded in 1668-1670

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Olesno
Coordinates: 50°52′30″N 18°25′0″E / 50.87500°N 18.41667°E
Country  Poland
Voivodeship Opole
County Olesno County
Gmina Gmina Olesno
Government
  Mayor Sylwester Piotr Lewicki
Area
  Total 15.1 km2 (5.8 sq mi)
Elevation 240 m (790 ft)
Population (2006)
  Total 10,106
  Density 670/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 46-300
Car plates OOL
Website http://www.olesno.pl/

Olesno [ɔˈlɛsnɔ] (German: Rosenberg O.S.) 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.

History

The area near the ancient Amber Road 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 the Upper Silesia plebiscite of 20 March 1921 3,286 inhabitants voted to remain in Germany, 473 for Poland. Thus Rosenberg remained part of the Weimar Republic.[1] On 21 January 1945 it was taken by the Soviet troops of the 5th Guards Army. In 1945 according to the results of the Potsdam Conference it fell to Poland and the native German populace was expelled.

Notable people

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Olesno is twinned with:

References

External links

Coordinates: 50°52′30″N 18°25′30″E / 50.87500°N 18.42500°E