Ozimek (; ) is a town in

Opole County __NOTOC__ Opole County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Opole Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. ...

Opole Voivodeship Opole Voivodeship ( , , ), is the smallest and least populated voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province's name derives from that of the region's capital and largest city, Opole. It is part of Silesia. A relatively lar ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, with 8,657 inhabitants (2019).

History

Ozimek dates back to an

early modern The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

settlement. It was named both ''Ozimek'' and ''Małapanew'', with both names being of Polish origin. The former name is derived either from a local mill owner named Ozimek or from

winter cereal Winter cereals, also called winter grains, fall cereals, fall grains, or autumn-sown grains, are Biennial plant, biennial cereals, cereal crops sown in the autumn. They germinate before winter comes, may partially grow during mild winters or simply ...

(''rośliny ozime'' in Polish),Heinrich Adamy, ''Die Schlesischen Ortsnamen ihre entstechung und bedeutung'', 1888, s. 81 while the latter comes from the river

Mała Panew The Mała Panew () is a river in south-western Poland, Silesian and Opole Voivodeships. It is a right tributary of the Oder, merging with it near the village of Czarnowąsy near Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the ...

. Polish Baroque poet mentioned it under the latter name in his 1612 poem ''Officina ferraria, abo huta y warstat z kuźniami szlachetnego dzieła żelaznego''. In 1742 it was annexed by

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, and in German it was named ''Malapane''. In 1753 the first steelworks in

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

was opened there. In the mid-19th century, Ozimek was located on the major rail route

Lubliniec Lubliniec (, ; Silesian language, Silesian: ''Lublini'c'') is a town in southern Poland with 23,784 inhabitants (2019). It is the capital of Lubliniec County, part of Silesian Voivodeship. Geography Lubliniec is situated in the north of the his ...

–

Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...

and the town quickly developed. However, it was not officially incorporated as a town until 1962. From 1871 to 1945 it was part of Germany, although in the 19th century it was inhabited predominantly by

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

and

Czechs The Czechs (, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common Bohemia ...

, mostly of

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

confession.''Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich'', Tom VII, Warszawa, 1886, p. 789 (in Polish) During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the Germans established two

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, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

camps and three

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held 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 prisoners of war for a ...

labour units in the village. After the defeat of Nazi Germany in the war, Ozimek became part of Poland. The local populace was expelled.

Landmarks

Among objects of interest, there is the

Ozimek Suspension Bridge The Ozimek Suspension Bridge () is a suspension bridge over the Mała Panew River in Ozimek, Poland. Designed by Karl Schottelius and completed in 1827, it is the second oldest wrought iron suspension bridge in Europe. The bridge was manufactured ...

, one of the oldest wrought iron suspension bridges in Europe, opened in 1827 and listed as a Historic Monument of Poland. There is also the Museum of Metallurgy of the Mała Panew Valley ('' Muzeum Hutnictwa Doliny Małej Panwi'').

Sports

football club is based in the town. It competes in the lower leagues. Polish international players

Waldemar Sobota Waldemar Sobota (born 19 May 1987) is a Polish former professional footballer and futsal player. Career Sobota joined Śląsk Wrocław on a four-year contract deal in June 2010. He joined FC St. Pauli from Club Brugge in January 2015. In March ...

, Paweł Olkowski and

Adam Ledwoń Adam Ryszard Ledwoń (15 January 1974 – 11 June 2008) was a Polish professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Ledwoń was born in Olesno, Upper Silesia, Poland. He played for Bayer 04 Leverkusen (1997–1999), Fortuna Köln (1 ...

started their careers in the club.

Twin towns – sister cities

See twin towns of Gmina Ozimek.

References

Cities and towns in Opole Voivodeship Opole County Cities in Silesia {{OpoleCounty-geo-stub