Oleśnica (pronounced ; german: Oels; szl, Ôleśnica) is a town in

Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrz ...

, in south-western

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 ...

, within the Wrocław metropolitan area. It is the administrative seat of Oleśnica County and also of the rural district of Gmina Oleśnica, although it is not part of the territory of the latter, the town being an urban

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' , from German ''Gemeinde'' meaning ''commune'') is the principal unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,477 gminas throughout the country, encompassing over 4 ...

in its own right. The town is famed for its large 16th-century

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

, which has previously been the seat of several dukes and lords. The castle's inner courtyard arcades, a masterpiece of

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

, are iconic in the region.

Name

The town's name comes from

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

''olsza'' (" Alder"); ''Olcha'' is an

Old Slavic Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic () was the first Slavic literary language. Historians credit the 9th-century Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius with standardizing the language and using it in translating the Bible and other ...

word for this common plant and tree. On 22 February 1255 the Silesian duke

Henry III the White Henry III the White ( pl, Henryk III Biały) ( – 3 December 1266), a member of the Silesian Piasts, was Duke of Silesia at Wrocław from 1248 until his death, as co-ruler with his brother Władysław. Life He was the third son of the Polish hi ...

, son of the

High Duke Henry II the Pious, vested ''civitas nostra Olsnicz'' ("our town Oleśnica") with

town privileges 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 ...

Geography

The town is situated 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 ...

east of the

Trzebnickie Hills The Trzebnickie Hills ( pl, Wzgórza Trzebnickie, also ''Kocie Góry'' from german: Katzengebirge, "Cat Mountains") is a mountain range in southwestern Poland. It is named after the town of Trzebnica on the northern slope. The range is located in ...

, part of the

historical region Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that ...

of Lower Silesia. Located about northeast of the

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 ...

n 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 ...

, it has been a stop on an important

trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over bodies of water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a sing ...

to the

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed ...

region, Kalisz,

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

and

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

; it had close ties with

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

via

Namysłów Namysłów (pronounced , german: Namslau) is a historic town in southern Poland, within Opole Voivodeship. Located along the Widawa River, it is the capital of Namysłów County. Its population was 16,551 in 2019. History The town began to dev ...

in the east. It was the site of an important

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...

and ''gymnasium''. The town quarters are Centrum, Serbinów, Lucień, Lucień Osiedle, Wądoły, Rataje (Stare, Nowe) and Zielone Ogrody.

History

The Piast castle with a nearby

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

and trading settlement was first mentioned in an 1189 deed. It was part of fragmented

under 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 ...

. In 1255, 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 ...

by Duke

. From the 13th century onwards, the area was largely settled by Germans 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 ...

''. From the 13th century, it had a coin mint. In the 13th century Oleśnica was part of the

Duchy of Silesia The Duchy of Silesia ( pl, Księstwo śląskie, german: Herzogtum Schlesien, cs, Slezské knížectví) with its capital at Wrocław was a medieval duchy located in the historic Silesian region of Poland. Soon after it was formed under the Pia ...

, in 1294 it became part of the

Duchy of Głogów The Duchy of Głogów ( pl, Księstwo głogowskie, cs, Hlohovské knížectví) or Duchy of Glogau (german: Herzogtum Glogau) was one of the Duchies of Silesia ruled by the Silesian Piasts. Its capital was Głogów in Lower Silesia. History In ...

and in 1313 it became capital of the

Duchy of Oleśnica The Duchy of Oels (german: Herzogtum Oels) or Duchy of Oleśnica ( pl, Księstwo Oleśnickie, la, Ducatus Olsnensis) was one of the duchies of Silesia with its capital in Oleśnica in Lower Silesia, Poland.Zofia Uszyńska, University of MichiganP ...

, just partitioned from Głogów. By that time a hospital already existed in Oleśnica, mentioned in a document from 1307. From 1320/21 the former castellany served as the residence of the Piast duke

Konrad I of Oleśnica Konrad I of Oleśnica ( – 22 December 1366) was a Duke of Żagań and Ścinawa during 1309–1312 (with his brothers as co-rulers), Duke of Oleśnica, Namysłów, Gniezno and Kalisz during 1312–1313 (with his brother as co-ruler), Duke of Kali ...

; his son Duke

Konrad II the Gray Konrad II the Gray ( pl, Konrad II Siwy) (c. 1340 – 10 June 1403) was a Duke of Oleśnica, Koźle and half of Bytom since 1366 and Duke of half of Ścinawa since 1397 until his death. He was the second child but only son of Duke Konrad I of Ole ...

also inherited Koźle. The dukes of Oleśnica in the 14th century still claimed to be heirs of the entire Kingdom of Poland, even though they ruled only in their principality, which caused animosity from other Polish dukes in Silesia and monarchs of all Poland. Oleśnica was located on an important

which connected

with Kalisz and

Toruń )'' , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = POL Toruń flag.svg , image_shield = POL Toruń COA.svg , nickname = City of Angels, Gingerbread city, Copernicus Town , pushpin_map = Kuyavian-Pom ...

. In 1329, Duke Konrad I was forced to accept the overlordship of the Bohemian (Czech) Crown, although he retained vast autonomy. Local Polish dukes granted numerous

privileges Privilege may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Privilege'' (film), a 1967 film directed by Peter Watkins * ''Privilege'' (Ivor Cutler album), 1983 * ''Privilege'' (Television Personalities album), 1990 * ''Privilege (Abridged)'', an alb ...

to Oleśnica, and the

was still ruled from the town until the 1492 death of Duke Konrad X the White, last of the local

Piasts 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. Branche ...

. 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 ...

, Oleśnica was invaded by the Hussites in 1432, and later Polish–Hussite negotiations took place there. During the Bohemian–Hungarian War local dukes switched sides several times. In 1469 they recognized the overlordship of King

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several mi ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, in the 1470s Duke Konrad X sided with Bohemian King Vladislaus Jagiellon, in 1480 he recognized Hungarian suzerainty again, and then revolted in 1489. Afterwards it was again a Bohemian

fief A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an Lord, overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a for ...

According to an agreement from 1491, the duchy was supposed to pass to future Polish King John I Albert, but eventually in 1495 it was sold to Duke Henry I of Münsterberg, son of the Bohemian (Czech) king

George of Poděbrady George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad ( cs, Jiří z Poděbrad; german: Georg von Podiebrad), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the ...

. His grandson Duke John of Münsterberg-Oels established a gymnasium at Oleśnica in 1530. When the Czech Podiebrad family became extinct in 1647, town and duchy were inherited by the

Swabia Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...

n dukes of

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...

, and in 1792 by the

Welf Welf is a Germanic first name that may refer to: *Welf (father of Judith), 9th century Frankish count, father-in-law of Louis the Pious *Welf I, d. bef. 876, count of Alpgau and Linzgau *Welf II, Count of Swabia, died 1030, supposed descendant of W ...

dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. On September 11, 1535, a violent F4 tornado completely destroyed part of the town. The written account of this tornado was done by Dr. Alfred Wegener, which is in the CLIMDAT archive located at Leipzig University and the F4 rating on the Fujita scale was assigned by the European Severe Storms Laboratory. In the 17th century, the Polish-German language border ran close to Oleśnica, including the town to the territory dominated by the Polish language. Polish religious writers

Adam Gdacius Adam Gdacius or Gdacjusz or Gdak, also called ''Rey of Silesia'' (1615–1688) was a Poland, Polish-language writer and a Lutheran pastor at the Wilna church He was born and died in the Silesian town of Kreuzburg (now Kluczbork), where from 1644 ...

(nicknamed ''

Rey Rey may refer to: *Rey (given name), a given name *Rey (surname), a surname * Rey (''Star Wars''), a character in the ''Star Wars'' films * Rey, Iran, a city in Iran * Ray County, in Tehran Province of Iran * ''Rey'' (film), a 2015 Indian film *The ...

of Silesia'') and Jerzy Bock published their works in Oleśnica. Oels

In the 18th century, one of two main routes connecting

and

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

ran through the town and Kings Augustus II the Strong and

Augustus III of Poland Augustus III ( pl, August III Sas, lt, Augustas III; 17 October 1696 5 October 1763) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1733 until 1763, as well as Elector of Saxony in the Holy Roman Empire where he was known as Frederick Aug ...

often traveled that route. As a result of the First Silesian War the Duchy of Oels (Oleśnica) came under suzerainty of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

in 1742. Following administrative reform in 1807 during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, Oels became the seat of

Landkreis Oels The District of Oels was a Prussian district in Silesia, which existed from 1742 to 1945. Its capital was the city of Oels. Today, the territory of this district is part of the Polish Lower Silesian Voivodeship. History After conquering most of ...

in the

Province of Silesia 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 ...

, remaining capital of the Duchy of Oels (Oleśnica). In 1884 the duchy was incorporated into Prussia, itself part of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

since the 1871 Prussian-led

unification of Germany The unification of Germany (, ) was the process of building the modern German nation state with federalism, federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without multinational Austria), which commenced on 18 August 1866 with ad ...

. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Oels was included within the

Province of Lower Silesia The Province of Lower Silesia (german: Provinz Niederschlesien; Silesian German: ''Provinz Niederschläsing''; pl, Prowincja Dolny Śląsk; szl, Prowincyjŏ Dolny Ślōnsk) was a province of the Free State of Prussia from 1919 to 1945. Between ...

. Nazi Germany operated a prison in the town, and 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 for Italian,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, Yugoslavian, Belgian and

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, 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 priso ...

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 German administration evacuated almost the entire population, leaving only a few Germans and the forced laborers. The town was heavily damaged by 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 ...

in 1945 in the final stages of World War II, having approximately 60-80% of its buildings destroyed. The city was placed in Poland's borders after the

Potsdam Conference The Potsdam Conference (german: Potsdamer Konferenz) was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris Pe ...

and its official name became Oleśnica. The remaining German-speaking population was subsequently expelled in accordance to the

Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement (german: Potsdamer Abkommen) was the agreement between three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union on 1 August 1945. A product of the Potsdam Conference, it concerned th ...

and the town was resettled with Poles many of whom were expelled from

Eastern Poland Eastern Poland is a macroregion in Poland comprising the Lublin, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie, and Warmian-Masurian voivodeships. The make-up of the distinct macroregion is based not only of geographical criteria, but also econo ...

annexed in 1945 by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. The majority of monuments in the Old Town have been rebuilt since the 1960s.

Sports

Football club

Pogoń Oleśnica Pogoń Oleśnica is a Polish multi-sports club based in Oleśnica, Poland. It was founded in 1945. The team's official colors are white, blue and amaranth red. The club is best known for their football team that played at the second level of Polis ...

is based in the town. It played at the Polish second division in the 1990s.

Notable people

Joachim of Münsterberg-Oels Joachim of Münsterberg ( cs, Jáchym z Minstrberka, german: Joachim von Münsterberg or ''Joachim of Münsterberg-Oels''), also: Joachim of Poděbrady (German: ''Joachim von Podiebrad''; Czech: ''Jáchym z Poděbrad'', pl, Joachim Podiebradowicz ...

(1503–1562), Duke of Münsterberg and from 1536 to 1542 also Duke of Oels * Hedwig of Münsterberg-Oels (1508–1531), Margravine of Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach *

John, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels John of Münsterberg-Oels (also known as ''John of Poděbrady''; german: Johann von Münsterberg-Bernstadt; cz, Hanuš z Minstrberka; 4 November 1509, Oleśnica – 28 February 1565, Oleśnica) was Duke of the Münsterberg from 1542 to 1565, Du ...

(1509–1565), Duke of the Münsterberg from 1542 to 1565, Duke of Oels from 1548 to 1565 and Duke of Bernstadt from 1548 to 1565 *

George II, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels George II of Münsterberg-Oels (also: ''George II of Poděbrady''; german: Georg II. (Münsterberg-Oels), cz, Jiří II z Minstrberka; 30 April 1512 in Oleśnica – 13 January 1553 in Oleśnica) was a Duke of Münsterberg 1536–1542 and Duke o ...

(1512–1553), Duke of Münsterberg from 1536 to 1542 and Duke of Oels *

Henry III, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels Henry III of Münsterberg-Oels (also: ''Henry III of Poděbrady'', ''Henry III of Bernstadt''; german: Heinrich III. von Podiebrad; cz, Jindřich III-Minstrbersko Olešnický; 29 April 1542, Oleśnica – 10 April 1587, Oleśnica) was Duke of M� ...

(1542–1587), Duke of Münsterberg from 1565 to 1574 and Duke of Bernstadt *

Karl II, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels Charles II of Münsterberg-Oels (also: ''Charles II of Poděbrady''; cs, Karel II. z Minsterberka; 15 April 1545 – 28 January 1617) was Duke of Oels from 1565 to 1617 and Duke of Bernstadt from 1604 to 1617. He also held the titles of Duke o ...

(1545–1617), Duke of Oels from 1565 to 1617 and Duke of Bernstadt from 1604 to 1617 *

Karl Christoph, Duke of Münsterberg Charles Christopher, Duke of Münsterberg (also ''Charles Christopher of Poděbrady'', cz, Karel Krištof z Poděbrad or ; 22 May 1545, Oleśnica – 17 March 1569, Oleśnica) was duke of Münsterberg from 1565 until his death. He also held the ...

(1545–1569), Duke of Münsterberg from 1565 to 1569 *

Henry Wenceslaus, Duke of Oels-Bernstadt Henry Wenceslaus, Duke of Oels-Bernstadt (also known as: ''Henry Wenceslaus of Poděbrady'', ''Henry Wenceslaus of Bernstadt'' or ''Henry Wenceslaus of Münsterberg'', german: Heinrich Wenzel von Oels und Bernstadt, , or , cz, Hynek Václav z Mi ...

(1592–1639) *

Abraham von Franckenberg Abraham von Franckenberg (24 June 1593 – 25 June 1652) was a German mystic, author, poet and hymn-writer. Life Abraham von Franckenberg was born in 1593 into an old Silesian noble family in Ludwigsdorf bei Oels. He attended the Gymnasium in ...

(1593–1652), mystic, born in nearby Bystre * Karl Friedrich I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels (1593–1647), Duke of Oels from 1617 to 1647 and Duke of Bernstadt from 1639 to 1647 *

Elisabeth Marie, Duchess of Oels Elisabeth Marie of Oels (11 May 1625 – 17 March 1686) was the last member of the House of Poděbrady and a regent of the Duchy of Oels. Life Elizabeth Marie was the only child of Duke Charles Frederick I of Münsterberg-Oels (1593–1647) fr ...

(1625–1686), German noblewoman * Christian Ulrich I, Duke of Württemberg-Oels (1652–1704), German nobleman, Duke of Württemberg-Bernstadt from 1669 to 1697 and Duke of Oels-Württemberg from 1697 until his death * Julius Siegmund, Duke of Württemberg-Juliusburg (1653–1684), was Duke of Württemberg-Juliusburg * Eugen of Württemberg (1788–1857), general * Carl Heinrich Zöllner (1792–1836), German composer *

Julius Hübner Rudolf Julius Benno Hübner (27 January 1806 – 7 November 1882) was a German historical painter of the Düsseldorf school of painting. He was also known as a poet and the father of Emil Hübner, a distinguished classical scholar. Lif ...

(1806–1882), painter *

Gustav Becker Gustav Eduard Becker (May 2, 1819 in Oels, Silesia - September 17, 1885 in Berchtesgaden) was a German clockmaker and founder of the brand Gustav Becker. Biography Early life Becker learned clockmaking in Silesia and enriched his skills by lear ...

(1819–1885), clockmaker *

Willy Hellpach Willy Hugo Hellpach (26 February 1877 in Oels, Silesia – 6 July 1955 in Heidelberg) was the sixth State President of Baden. He was a member of the German Democratic Party (DDP). He was also a physician and psychologist. Early life and educati ...

(1877–1955), physicist and politician * Antoni Cieszyński (1882–1941), surgeon * Werner Krolikowski (born 1928), East German politician * Sigmar Polke (1941–2010), artist *

Piotr Czech Piotr Czech (; born August 17, 1986) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Wagner College. Czech was raised in Keyport, New Jersey and ...

(born 1986), kicker for

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

Wojciech Bartnik Wojciech Stanisław Bartnik (born 2 December 1967 in Olesnica) is a former southpaw boxer from Poland, who won a Light Heavyweight Bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Amateur career *1992 – Bronze Medal (Light Heavyweight) at the ...

(born 1967), boxer, Olympic bronze medallist *

Kasia Glowicka Kasia Glowicka (born Katarzyna Głowicka, October 12, 1977), also known as Katarina Glowicka, is a Polish composer and lecturer of computer music at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Her body of musical work encompasses compositions for opera ...

(born 1977), composer *

Jerzy Rogalski Jerzy Rogalski (born 11 April 1948, Oleśnica, Poland) is a Polish film and theatre actor. Biography Rogalski was a graduate of the National Film School in Łódź. From 1970 to 1974 he was associated with the Baltic Dramatic Theatre them. Jul ...

(born 1948), film and theatre actor *

Rafał Dębski Rafał Dębski (born 1969) is a Polish writer of fantasy, historic, sensational and criminal novels. He works as a psychologist. Since June 2009 he has been editor in chief of the magazine '' Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror''. He debuted in ...

(born 1969), Polish writer * Babatunde Aiyegbusi (born 1989), Polish-Nigerian

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player

Twin towns – sister cities

Oleśnica is twinned with: *

Chrudim Chrudim () is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest town of the region. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. Admin ...

, Czech Republic *

Jaunay-Marigny Jaunay-Marigny () is a commune in the department of Vienne, western France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2017 by merger of the former communes of Jaunay-Clan (the seat) and Marigny-Brizay.Warendorf, Germany

Gallery

SM Oleśnica Kościół Jana Apostoła ID 596390.jpg, Saint John the Evangelist Basilica Oleśnica Kościół pw. Świętej Trójcy.jpg, A timber-framed house and the Holy Trinity Church Cerkiew Zaśnięcia NMP w Oleśnicy 2013 01.jpg, Holy Virgin Mary Church Oleśnica Urząd Pocztowy.jpg, Main post office Oleśnica - Kasyno Oficerskie.jpg, Former Officers' Mess Oleśnica Siedziba Sądu Rejonowego.jpg, District court Oleśnica - Szkoła Podstawowa nr 7 im. Jana Pawła II.jpg, Elementary school no. 7 Oleśnica II Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Ks. Jana Twardowskiego.jpg,

Liceum Ogólnokształcące A general education liceum (Polish: ''Liceum ogólnokształcące'' ) is an academic high school in the Education in Poland, Polish educational system. They are attended by those who plan to further their academic education upon graduation from Educa ...

no. 2 (high school) Oleśnica Pomnik Kombatantów Rzeczypospolitej.jpg, The Polish Veteran's Memorial Oleśnica - Pomnik II Armii Wojska Polskiego.jpg,

Polish Second Army The Polish Second Army ( pl, Druga Armia Wojska Polskiego, 2. AWP for short) was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944 as part of the People's Army of Poland. The organization began in August under the command of generals Karol Ś ...

Memorial Oleśnica Rynek 47-48 2013 01.jpg, Old townhouses at the Market Square S.Joevan.jpg, Manhole cover with the Oleśnica coat of arms