Europe Travel Guide

Ogrodzieniec – a small town near Zawiercie in Silesian voivodship, Poland, known for big, picturesque ruins of a medieval castle, which was likely damaged during the Swedish invasion of the years 1655-1660.

Okonek is town in Poland, in Wielkopolska Province, with approximately 4200 inhabitants. Town and commune in Zlotow County. Chartered as a town in 1754. Prior to World War II in Germany and called Ratzebuhr.

Olecko (town)
Olecko (German: Marggrabowa since 1560, also Oletzko, Treuburg since 1928) is a town in Masuria, in the Warminsko-Mazurskie voivodship of Poland, near Elk and Suwalki. It is situated at the mouth of the Lega river into the Great Olecko Lake (Jezioro Oleckie Wielkie) on its south-western shore.

History
Marggrabowa was founded as a town by Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach, Duke of Duke of Prussia, on January 1, 1560. The town’s name comes from the German word Markgraf, the duke’s title as the margraviate of Brandenburg’s prince. At the same place there has been since 1544 a hunting lodge called Oletzko. At a peninsula towards the lake, across the Lega river, in 1619 the Castle of Oletzko (Schloss Oletzko) was established as a regional administrative seat.

Between 1818 and 1945, Marggrabowa was the head of the Prussian Oletzko County (Kreis Oletzko, later named Kreis Treuburg) of the Prussian province Ostpreuen.

Sights
The town’s beautiful market square. In its northern part, a Catholic (formerly Lutheran) church is situated on a tree-covered hill.

Ole?nica (German Oels or ls.) is a town in south-western Poland with 38,900 inhabitants (1995). Situated in the Lower Silesian Voivodship (since 1999), previously in Wroclaw Voivodship (1975-1998).

History
The village of Ole?nica received the city rights ( law of ?redzko Civitas nostra Olsnicz) on 22 February 1255 from Henryk III White, son of Henry II the Pious. From 1320 it becames the capital of the Duchy of Olesnica and the seat of Konrad of Mazovia. After the death of Konrad Bialy Mlodszy, last of the local Piast dynasty in 1492 the Duchy of Olesnica has been sold to the Czech Zi?ba-Podebrad line, and in 1647 has been acquired by the dukes of Wrttemberg (ksia??ta wirtemberscy).

The city has been part of an important trade route between major city of Wroclaw to Wielkopolska region, and had close ties with Krakw. It was the site of important printing press and gymnasium. From 13th century it had a coin mint.

The city has been incorporated to Poland in 1945, after the Second World War. It has been destroyed in 80% by the Red Army.

Famous people born in Olesnica
Antoni Cieszynski

Olkusz is a town in south Poland with 40,500 inhabitants (1995).

Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodship (since 1999), previously in Katowice Voivodship (1975-1998).

Olsztyn (pronounce: [:?l?tin], German Allenstein) is a city in north-east Poland, historically capital of Warmia, on the Lyna River, with a population of 173,350 (2004). Olsztyn is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodship, previously Olsztyn Voivodship.

Geography
The town is beautifully situated in a lake region of forests and plains, barely touched by man. There are 11 lakes inside the administrative bounds of the town and many more surrounding it: (Krzywe, Dlugie, Zbik, Redykajny and others).

Economy
For industry, it features a tire company, Stomil, a subsidiary of Michelin. There are also food processing plants and furniture manufacturers.

Buildings
FM- and TV-mast Olsztyn-Pieczewo, height 360 metres, since the collapse of the Warsaw radio mast the tallest construction in Poland

Regional and scientific societies
Masurian Institute (est. 1943)

Sports
PZU AZS Olsztyn – men’s volleyball team playing in Polish Volleyball League (Polska Liga Siatkwki, PLS)
OKS 1945 Olsztyn – men’s football team, (8th season in Polish Ekstraklasa as Stomil Olsztyn)
Warmia Traveland Olsztyn – men’s handball team (1st league seria A in season 2005/2006)

Famous people
Nicolaus Copernicus for some time lived at the Olsztyn castle, where he was administrator and was in charge of the King’s of Poland forces to defend the city against the Teutonic Knights .
Lucas David, a historian of Olsztyn wrote a number of volumes on Prussian history, some are in the collection (Prussica Sammlung Trunz) started by Dr. August Trunz (1875-1963) of Olsztyn.
Erich Mendelsohn, architect
August Trunz, founder of the Prussica-Sammlung Trunz
Hans-Jrgen Wischnewski, politician
Johannes Knolleisen

O?awa (German Ohlau, Czech Olava) is a town in southwestern Poland with 31,800 inhabitants (1995).

Situated in the Lower Silesian Voivodship (since 1999), previously in Wroclaw Voivodship (1975-1998).

O?awa began to develop during the early 12th century at a site that was protected by the rivers Odra and O?awa. It was first mentioned as Oloua in a document of 1149 confirming its donation to the abbey of St. Vincent in Wroc?aw. In 1206 O?awa became one of the residence towns of the dukes of the Piast dynasty, who also granted O?awa the status of a town in 1234. During its history O?awa was destroyed completely three times. In 1241 it was destroyed by the Tatars, in 1448 by the Hussites, and again in 1634 during the Thirty Years’ War. After the Polish King Casimir III had renounced his rights on Silesia with the contract of Tren?n in 1335, Silesia became a Bohemian fief. In 1526, when the Habsburgs gained the Bohemian crown, Silesia came under Austrian sovereignty.

After the death of the last Piast duke in 1675, O?awa ceased to be a residence town. Together with most of Silesia, the town became part of Prussia in 1741. The 18th and 19th centuries were a period of economic growth and O?awa became well-known as a centre of tobacco-growing. In 1842 the railroad between O?awa and Wroc?aw, the first one in Silesia (and of modern Poland), was opened. The historic town of O?awa did not suffer much damages during World War I, but in World War II about 60% of the town were destroyed. O?awa became part of Poland in 1945 and its German-speaking population was expelled. After the war, O?awa became a garrison town of the Soviet Army and remained so until 1992.

Opoczno – a town in central Poland with 23,000 inhabitants (2002).

Situated in the Lodz Voivodship (since 1999), previously in Piotrkow Trybunalski Voivodship (1975-1998).

Famous people from Opoczno
Edmund Biernacki

Opole (pronounce: [?:p?l?], German Oppeln) is a town in southern Poland on the Oder River. It has a population of 129,553 and is the capital of the Opole Voivodship. It is the historical capital of Upper Silesia. Opole has a large German minority.

As a result of regional division of Poland following the death of Boleslaus III the Wrymouth, since 1283 Opole and all adjoining lands were a separate duchy, that initially shared the fate of Poland and then the fate of the rest of Silesia. Although the last ruler to hold the title of Duke of Opole was Jan Kazimierz II, who abdicated in 1668, the duchy continued to be an unit of administrative division until 1742, ruled by the Austrian Habsburgs as Kings of Bohemia.

Education
state-run universities and colleges:
Technical University of Opole (Politechnika Opolska)
University of Opole (Uniwersytet Opolski)
State Medical College in Opole (Pa?stwowa Medyczna Wy?sza Szko?a Zawodowa w Opolu)
privately-run colleges:
Management and Administration College in Opole (Wy?sza Szko?a Zarz?dzania i Administracji w Opolu)
Bogdan Ja?ski College (Szko?a Wy?sza im. Bogdana Ja?skiego)

Opole Lubelskie is a town in eastern Poland. It has 9,200 inhabitants (1994).

Situated in the Lublin Voivodship (since 1999). It is the capital of Opole Lubelskie County.

It was founded in the XIV century.