Gmina Chrząstowice,

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 **Ge ...

: Gemeinde Chronstau is a rural

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 ...

(administrative district) in Opole County,

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 ...

, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Chrząstowice, which lies approximately east of the regional capital

Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city l ...

. The gmina is officially bilingual (Polish and German), a significant German community having remained behind after the area was transferred to Poland from Germany in 1945. The gmina covers an area of , and as of 2019 its total population is 6,948.

History

In the Middle Ages, the area belonged to the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Królestwo Polskie; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a state in Central Europe. It may refer to: Historical political entities * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom existing from 1025 to 1031 * Kingdom of Poland, a kingdom exi ...

, with occasional periods of

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

n rule. After the feudal fragmentation of Poland it had a certain amount of autonomy, before becoming part of the Habsburg Empire in 1526. In the second half of the 17th century it again briefly came under Polish rule, before returning to the Habsburgs. After the

War of Austrian succession War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

the area, along with rest of Silesia was taken by

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''. ...

, and was part of it and its successor states; the gmina was located in the former German

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. Betwe ...

. After World War II, the area became part of Poland again.

Villages

The commune contains the villages and settlements of: Chrząstowice, Dąbrowice, Daniec, Dębie, Dębska Kuźnia, Falmirowice, Lędziny, Niwki and Suchy Bór.

Neighbouring gminas

Gmina Chrząstowice is bordered by the city of

and by the gminas of

Izbicko Izbicko (German: Stubendorf) is a village in Strzelce County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Izbicko, which has been bilingual in Polish and German since 2006. It ...

Ozimek Ozimek (german: Malapane; szl, Uoźimek) is a town in Opole County, Opole Voivodeship, Poland, with 8,657 inhabitants (2019). History Ozimek dates back to an early modern settlement. It was named both ''Ozimek'' and ''Małapanew'', with bot ...

Tarnów Opolski Tarnów Opolski (german: Tarnau) is a village in Opole County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Tarnów Opolski. It lies approximately south-east of the regional capital Op ...

and Turawa.

Twin towns – sister cities

Gmina Chrząstowice is twinned with: * Glashütte, Germany *

Zátor Zátor (german: Seifersdorf) is a municipality and village in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region The Moravian-Silesian Region ( cs, Moravskoslezský kraj; pl, Kraj morawsko-śląski; sk, Moravsko-sliezsky kraj) is one of the 14 ...

, Czech Republic

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gmina Chrzastowice Chrzastowice Opole County Bilingual communes in Poland