Prudnik Land ( pl, ziemia prudnicka, german: Neustädter Land) is a part of the historical region of

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, locate ...

, located in southern

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 populou ...

. It's named after the town of

Prudnik Prudnik (, szl, Prudnik, Prōmnik, german: Neustadt in Oberschlesien, Neustadt an der Prudnik, la, Prudnicium) is a town in southern Poland, located in the southern part of Opole Voivodeship near the border with the Czech Republic. It is the ...

, the largest town in the region. Towns located in the region are: Prudnik, Biała,

Głogówek Głogówek (pronounced , German: ''Oberglogau'', cs, Horní Hlohov, szl, Gogōwek) is a small historic town in southern Poland. It is situated on the Osobloga River, in Opole Voivodeship of the greater Silesian region. The city lies approximat ...

and Strzeleczki. Throughout a large part of its history, the region had been ruled by the

Duchy of Opole Duchy of Opole ( pl, Księstwo opolskie; german: Herzogtum Oppeln; cs, Opolské knížectví) was one of the duchies of Silesia ruled by the Piast dynasty. Its capital was Opole (Oppeln, Opolí) in Upper Silesia. Duke Boleslaw III 'the Wrymo ...

and other

Silesian Duchies The Duchies of Silesia were the more than twenty divisions of the region of Silesia formed between the 12th and 14th centuries by the breakup of the Duchy of Silesia, then part of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1335, the duchies were ceded to the King ...

, formed as a result of the medieval fragmentation of

Piast 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 ...

-ruled Poland. Following the

Silesian Wars The Silesian Wars (german: Schlesische Kriege, links=no) were three wars fought in the mid-18th century between Prussia (under King Frederick the Great) and Habsburg Austria (under Archduchess Maria Theresa) for control of the Central European ...

the region found itself within

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 ...

, and from 1871 it was also part of Germany. Following Germany's defeat in

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 opposing ...

in 1945, in accordance with the

Oder–Neisse line The Oder–Neisse line (german: Oder-Neiße-Grenze, pl, granica na Odrze i Nysie Łużyckiej) is the basis of most of the international border between Germany and Poland from 1990. It runs mainly along the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers a ...

, Prudnik Land became again part of Poland.

Geography

Prudnik Land is located in the southwestern part of Upper Silesia, in the region known as Opolian Silesia, near the

Czech Republic–Poland border The Czech-Polish border is the inter-state border between the Czech Republic and the Republic of Poland. The Czech Republic is one of the seven countries currently bordering Poland. This condition persists since January 1, 1993, when Czechoslo ...

. The western edge of the Prudnik Landmarks the border between historic Upper and

Lower Silesia Lower Silesia ( pl, Dolny Śląsk; cz, Dolní Slezsko; german: Niederschlesien; szl, Dolny Ślōnsk; hsb, Delnja Šleska; dsb, Dolna Šlazyńska; Silesian German: ''Niederschläsing''; la, Silesia Inferior) is the northwestern part of the ...

. In the current administrative division, the Prudnik Land is located in the

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 Si ...

. The current

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

does not coincide with its borders. In addition to the entire area of Prudnik County (gminas of

, Lubrza,

and Biała), the Prudnik Land also includes the entire

gmina Strzeleczki __NOTOC__ Gmina Strzeleczki, German Gemeinde Klein Strehlitz is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Strzeleczki (Klein Strehlitz), which lies approxim ...

, gmina Walce excluding the village of Stradunia, the villages of Borek, Kórnica, Nowy Dwór Prudnicki, Pietna, Steblów and Ściborowice in gmina Krapkowice, villages Jarnołtówek and Pokrzywna in gmina Głuchołazy, villages Biernatów and Klisino, and villages Ścinawa Mała, Borek, Przechód and Rzymkowice in gmina Korfantów. The southwestern part of the Prudnik Land is located in the

Opawskie Mountains The Opawskie Mountains ( pl, Góry Opawskie, german: Oppagebirge) or Zlatohorská Highlands / Zlaté Hory Highlands ( cs, Zlatohorská vrchovina, German: ''Zuckmanteler Bergland'') are a mountain range of the Eastern Sudetes in the Czech Republic ...

(

Eastern Sudetes The Eastern Sudetes ( pl, Sudety Wschodnie, cs, Východní Sudety or ''Jesenická oblast'') are the eastern part of the Sudetes mountains on the border of the Czech Republic and Poland. They stretch from the Kłodzko Valley and the Eastern Neiss ...

). Mountains can be found in the vicinity of Prudnik, Jarnołtówek, Pokrzywna, Moszczanka,

Wieszczyna Wieszczyna is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Prudnik, within Prudnik County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, close to the Czech border. It lies approximately south-west of Prudnik and south-west of the regional cap ...

, Dębowiec and Trzebina. The highest mountains in the Prudnik Land are: Biskupia Kopa (890 m), Srebrna Kopa (785 m) and Zamkowa Góra (571 m). The area around Głogówek and Strzeleczki is mostly flat land. The area near Biała is characterized by numerous hills. Most of the Prudnik Land is occupied by fertile soils. The most fertile soils are located in the vicinity of Wierzch, southwest of Głogówek and near Biała. The least fertile soils are found near the villages of Dobra, Steblów, Wawrzyńcowice,

Mokra Mokra may refer to the following places: * Mokra, Łódź Voivodeship (central Poland) * Mokra, Silesian Voivodeship (south Poland) * Mokra, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (south-central Poland) * Mokra, Greater Poland Voivodeship (west-central Poland ...

, Brzeźnica.

References

{{Reflist Geography of Opole Voivodeship Historical regions in Poland Upper Silesia History of Prudnik