Opole is a small city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 128,000, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of Opole County. With its long history dating back to the 8th century, Opole is one of the oldest cities in today’s Poland. It is also the smallest city in Poland to be the largest city in its province. Opole has been a capital of its own Duchy carved out of Poland in the 13th century, when the Polish Piast dynasty started dividing the country into local hereditary fiefdoms. This lasted until the 16th century, when the dynasty died out and a complicated history of the city and region changing hands begun, with it ending in Prussia and later the German Empire, with Germans becoming the majority. After the Second World War, Opole was given to Poland and much of the local German population expelled. Opole is sometimes referred to as “Polish Venice” because of its picturesque Old Town and several canals and bridges connecting parts of the city.
