Grodków (; szl, Grodkōw) is a town in

Brzeg County __NOTOC__ Brzeg County ( pl, powiat brzeski ) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Opole Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government refor ...

Opole Voivodeship Opole Voivodeship, or Opole Province ( pl, województwo opolskie ), is the smallest and least populated voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province's name derives from that of the region's capital and largest city, Opole. It is part of Upper S ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, the administrative seat of Gmina Grodków. It is located in the

Silesian Lowlands Silesian Lowlands (or Silesian Plains, pl, Nizina Śląska, cs, Slezská nížina, german: Schlesische Niederung) are lowlands located in Silesia, Poland in Central Europe. A small part is located in the Czech Republic. It is part of the Centra ...

of the

Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...

basin, in the historic

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located ...

region, about south of

Brzeg Brzeg (; Latin: ''Alta Ripa'', German: ''Brieg'', Silesian German: ''Brigg'', , ) is a town in southwestern Poland with 34,778 inhabitants (December 2021) and the capital of Brzeg County. It is situated in Silesia in the Opole Voivodeship on the ...

. In the north it has access to the A4 autostrada. The town has 8,595 inhabitants (2019).

History

The area was included in the emerging Polish state around 990 by its first historic ruler

Mieszko I Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was the first ruler of Poland and the founder of the first independent Polish state, the Duchy of Poland. His reign stretched from 960 to his death and he was a member of the Piast dynasty, a son of Siemomysł and ...

of the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...

and after the 12th-century fragmentation of the realm it was part of the Polish duchies of

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

and

. The settlement of ''villa Grodcobichi'' in the Duchy of Silesia was first mentioned in a 1210 deed. Its name is of Polish origin and comes from the word ''gród'', which means "stronghold" in Polish.Heinrich Adamy, ''Die Schlesischen Ortsnamen ihre entstechung und bedeutung'', 1888, p. 10 (in German) The neighbouring settlement of Nowy Grodków (''Neu Grottkau'') was laid out by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

settlers in the course of the ''

Ostsiedlung (, literally "East-settling") is the term for the Early Medieval and High Medieval migration-period when ethnic Germans moved into the territories in the eastern part of Francia, East Francia, and the Holy Roman Empire (that Germans had al ...

'', it was granted

town rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

modeled on

Środa Śląska Środa Śląska (german: Neumarkt in Schlesien) is a town in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of Środa Śląska County, and of the smaller administrative district (gmina) called Gmina Środa Śląska. The ...

in 1268 by the Silesian duke

Henryk IV Probus Henryk IV Probus (Latin for ''the Righteous'') ( pl, Henryk IV Probus or ''Prawy''; german: Heinrich IV. der Gerechte) ( – 23 June 1290) was a member of the Silesian branch of the royal Polish Piast dynasty. He was Duke of Silesia at Wro ...

. Defensive walls were built in 1296. Also in the 13th century the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

St. Michael's Church, one of the most distinctive and valuable historic landmarks of Grodków, was built. The medieval city plan was characterized by a rectangular

marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

and four streets leading to the towers of the city gates and the nearby towns of

Nysa Nysa may refer to: Greek Mythology * Nysa (mythology) or Nyseion, the mountainous region or mount (various traditional locations), where nymphs raised the young god Dionysus * Nysiads, nymphs of Mount Nysa who cared for and taught the infant ...

Ziębice Ziębice (german: Münsterberg) is a town in Ząbkowice Śląskie County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. The town lies on the Oława River, approximately east of Ząbkowice Śląskie and south of the regional capital ...

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

and

Lewin Lewin is a Germanic name, usually originating from either of two different sources, the Old English Leofwine or a variant of the Jewish Levin. People with the name include: * Albert Lewin (1894–1968), American film director, producer, and sc ...

. In 1308 it was granted

staple right The staple right, also translated stacking right or storage right, both from the Dutch ''stapelrecht'', was a medieval right accorded to certain ports, the staple ports. It required merchant barges or ships to unload their goods at the port and to ...

. Upon the 1311 partition of the Silesian duchy, Grodków fell to the

Duchy of Brzeg The Duchy of Brzeg ( pl, Księstwo Brzeskie) or Duchy of Brieg (german: Herzogtum Brieg; cs, Knížectví břežské) was one of the Duchies of Silesia, created in 1311 during the fragmentation of the Duchy of Wrocław. A Bohemian fief from 1329 ...

ruled by Duke

Bolesław III the Generous Boleslaw III the Wasteful ( pl, Bolesław III Rozrzutny; 23 September 1291 – Brieg, 21 April 1352), was a Duke of Legnica, Brzeg (Brieg) from 1296 until 1342, and Duke of Wrocław from 1296 until 1311. He was the eldest son of Henry V the Fa ...

, who became a

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

vassal in 1327. In 1344 he sold the town to Bishop Przecław of

, who attached it to his Silesian

Duchy of Nysa The Duchy of Nysa ( pl, Księstwo Nyskie, cs, Niské knížectví) or Duchy of Neisse (german: Herzogtum Neisse) was one of the duchies of Silesia with its capital at Nysa in Lower Silesia. Alongside the Duchy of Siewierz, it was the only eccle ...

. Later their suzerain, the Bohemian king

Wenceslaus Wenceslaus, Wenceslas, Wenzeslaus and Wenzslaus (and other similar names) are Latinized forms of the Czech name Václav. The other language versions of the name are german: Wenzel, pl, Wacław, Więcesław, Wieńczysław, es, Wenceslao, russian: ...

, granted the Wrocław bishops the title of a "Duke of Grodków", which they retained until the

secularisation In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...

of the bishopric in 1810. Grottkau Ansicht 19

Grodków was devastated during the

Hussite Wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...

and again in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

, after which it was rebuilt under the rule of its native son Bishop

Sebastian von Rostock Sebastian von Rostock (24 August 1607 – 9 June 1671) was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Breslau. He was born Nicolaus Bauckhe at Grottkau, Silesia, then a part of the Holy Roman Empire. His father, Sebastian, was a craftsman and his mother's name wa ...

. With the Bohemian kingdom, the town was incorporated into the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

in 1526. After the

First Silesian War The First Silesian War (german: Erster Schlesischer Krieg, links=no) was a war between Prussia and Austria that lasted from 1740 to 1742 and resulted in Prussia's seizing most of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland) from Austria. T ...

of 1740–42, it was annexed by King

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

, the Prussian

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

established after the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

in 1763 was not disbanded until 1920. From 1815 onwards, under the Germanized name ''Grottkau'', it was part of the

Silesia Province The Province of Silesia (german: Provinz Schlesien; pl, Prowincja Śląska; szl, Prowincyjŏ Ślōnskŏ) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1919. The Silesia region was part of the Prussian realm since 1740 and established as an official p ...

. Its population was predominantly

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. The town had 4,867 inhabitants in 1939 and was a district seat (''Landkreis Grottkau'') until 1945. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the Germans established a

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...

camp and two

prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

labour camps in the town. The town was heavily damaged during the Vistula–Oder Offensive of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

and after the war it became part of Poland again.

Economy

Grodków is the centre for commerce, business and

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

in the regional locality of Gmina Grodków. The town's gmina is largely dependent on the

agricultural sector The primary sector of the economy includes any industry involved in the extraction and production of raw materials, such as farming, logging, fishing, forestry and mining. The primary sector tends to make up a larger portion of the economy in de ...

, due to the

's fertile soil, being a major factor in the town's economy alike. The town has a department for the local shopping chain "Wimar Bort", located by Henryk Sienkiewicz Street (''ul. Henryka Sienkiewicza''). The settlement has a major industrial complex located to its north, including: "Grodkono"

waffle A waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe used ...

s food production; "Nalewki Kresowe" producing the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

alcoholic beverage

nalewka Nalewka (), plural nalewki, is a traditional alcoholic beverage from Poland. Similar to medicinal tinctures, it is usually 40% to 45% alcohol by volume, though some can be as strong as 75%. Nalewka is created by macerating and / or infusing variou ...

, as well as a

vulcanisation Vulcanization (British: Vulcanisation) is a range of processes for hardening rubbers. The term originally referred exclusively to the treatment of natural rubber with sulfur, which remains the most common practice. It has also grown to include ...

plant, all located by Lipowa Street (''ul. Lipowa'').

Transport

Grodków is located south of the Przylesie interchange (''Węzeł Przylesie''), connecting the Voivodeship Road 401 to the A4 motorway. The town has a railway station, with the

–Grodków–

line crossing through the city.

Climate

Sports

Handball club is based in the town.

Notable people

Melchior Adam Melchior Adam (c. 1575 – 26 December 1622) was a German Calvinist literary historian. Life Adam was born in Grottkau, Duchy of Nysa, Nysa, Habsburg Silesia (present-day Grodków, Opole Voivodeship). He visited the college in ''Brieg'' Brzeg, t ...

(1575–1622), literature historian *

(1607–1671), Bishop of Wrocław *

Sylvius Leopold Weiss Sylvius Leopold Weiss (12 October 168716 October 1750) was a German composer and lutenist. Born in Grottkau near Breslau, the son of Johann Jacob Weiss, also a lutenist, he served at courts in Breslau, Rome, and Dresden, where he died. Until ...

(1687–1750), composer *

Józef Elsner Józef Antoni Franciszek Elsner (sometimes ''Józef Ksawery Elsner''; baptismal name, ''Joseph Anton Franz Elsner''; 1 June 176918 April 1854) was a composer, music teacher, and music theoretician, active mainly in Warsaw. He was one of the firs ...

(1769–1854), composer, teacher of

Fryderyk Chopin The Fryderyk is the annual award in Polish music. Its name refers to the original Polish spelling variant of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin's first name. Its status in the Polish public can be compared to the American Grammy and the UK's BRI ...

* Julius von Roeder (1806–1889), Prussian General *

Johannes Ronge Johannes Ronge (16 October 1813 – 26 October 1887) was the principal founder of the New Catholics. A Roman Catholic priest from the region of Upper Silesia in Prussia, he was suspended from the priesthood for his criticisms of the church, and w ...

(1813–1887), founder of the

German Catholics , native_name_lang = de , image = Hohe_Domkirche_St._Petrus.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = Cologne Cathedral, Cologne , abbreviation = , type = Nati ...

, worked as a chaplain at the Grottkau parish church from 1840 to 1843. * Bruno von Kern (1860–1932), Prussian General * Hans-Georg Herzog (1912–1959),

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

officer * Helmut Scholz (1920–1997), German officer * (born 1952), former Polish basketball player and member of Poland men's national basketball team * (born 1960), former Polish handball player and member of Poland men's national handball team * (born 1960), former Polish handball player and member of Poland men's national handball team *

Piotr Gacek Piotr Marcin Gacek (born 16 September 1978) is a former Polish volleyball player, member of the Poland men's national volleyball team in 2005–2010 and 2015–2016, 2009 European Champion, silver medallist of the 2006 World Championship, two� ...

(born 1978), former Polish volleyball player and member of Poland men's national volleyball team * Marek Gancarczyk (born 1983), Polish footballer * (born 1998), Polish handball player and member of Poland men's national handball team

Twin towns – sister cities

See twin towns of Gmina Grodków.

References

External links

*
biggest website
*
Municipal website
*

Jewish Community in Grodków
on Virtual Shtetl {{DEFAULTSORT:Grodkow Cities in Silesia Cities and towns in Opole Voivodeship Brzeg County