Piotrówka, Opole Voivodeship
Encyclopedia
Piotrówka p, German Petersgrätz is a village
in the administrative district of Gmina Jemielnica
(Gemeinde Himmelwitz), within Strzelce County
, Opole Voivodeship
, in the south-western Polish region of Upper Silesia
. It lies approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) north of Jemielnica
/Himmelwitz, 11 km (7 mi) north-east of Strzelce Opolskie
, and 34 km (21 mi) east of the regional capital Opole
.
Before 1945 the area was part of Germany (see Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
). Since 2006 the village has been officially bilingual in German and Polish, a large German population having remained behind when Silesia was annexed by Poland after WWII.
The village has a population of 1,000.
. The colonists were mainly members of the Unity of the Brethren
(Hussites), and the town was named after their pastor, Peter Schikora, who was actively involved in the village's establishment. In 1841 a Protestant school opened, which was replaced by a new building in 1882, and in 1892 the first Protestant church was built.
In the Upper Silesia plebiscite
of March 1921, 639 villagers voted to remain in Germany and 169 voted to join the newly created Second Polish Republic
. As a result, Petersgrätz remained as a village of the Weimar Republic
.
In 1945, the Red Army occupied the village and drove a large part of its population out. The town was first renamed Piotrogród, then later Piotrówka. The Protestant church was converted into a Catholic church, and in 1946 a separate parish was formed for the village.
In 2006 the village was declared bilingual in German and Polish, and in 2008 the original German name of Petersgrätz was again made official.
In the center of town there is a war memorial honoring the soldiers from Petersgrätz who died in WWII.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the administrative district of Gmina Jemielnica
Gmina Jemielnica
Gmina Jemielnica, German Gemeinde Himmelwitz is a rural gmina in Strzelce County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Jemielnica , which lies approximately north-east of Strzelce Opolskie and south-east of the regional capital Opole.The gmina covers an area of...
(Gemeinde Himmelwitz), within Strzelce County
Strzelce County
Strzelce County is a unit of territorial administration and local government 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. Its administrative seat and largest town is Strzelce Opolskie, which...
, Opole Voivodeship
Opole Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Opole Voivodeship is divided into 12 counties : 1 city county and 11 land counties. These are further divided into 71 gminas.The counties are listed in the following table .- Economy :...
, in the south-western Polish region of Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
. It lies approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) north of Jemielnica
Jemielnica
Jemielnica is a village in Strzelce County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Jemielnica...
/Himmelwitz, 11 km (7 mi) north-east of Strzelce Opolskie
Strzelce Opolskie
Strzelce Opolskie is a town in south-western Poland with 19,628 inhabitants , situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Strzelce County. Strzelce Opolskie is one of the biggest centers of German minority in Poland....
, and 34 km (21 mi) east of the regional capital Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
.
Before 1945 the area was part of Germany (see Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
The territorial changes of Poland after World War II were very extensive. In 1945, following the Second World War, Poland's borders were redrawn following the decisions made at the Potsdam Conference of 1945 at the insistence of the Soviet Union...
). Since 2006 the village has been officially bilingual in German and Polish, a large German population having remained behind when Silesia was annexed by Poland after WWII.
The village has a population of 1,000.
History
The village of Petersgrätz was founded in 1832 by 60 colonists from the nearby village of FriedrichsgrätzGrodziec, Gmina Ozimek
Grodziec is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ozimek, within Opole County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland....
. The colonists were mainly members of the Unity of the Brethren
Unity of the Brethren
The Unity of the Brethren is a Christian denomination whose roots are in the pre-reformation work of priest and philosopher Jan Hus, who was martyred in 1415.-History in Bohemia:...
(Hussites), and the town was named after their pastor, Peter Schikora, who was actively involved in the village's establishment. In 1841 a Protestant school opened, which was replaced by a new building in 1882, and in 1892 the first Protestant church was built.
In the Upper Silesia plebiscite
Upper Silesia plebiscite
The Upper Silesia plebiscite was a border referendum mandated by the Versailles Treaty and carried out in March 1921 to determine a section of the border between Weimar Germany and Poland. The region was ethnically mixed, chiefly among Germans, Poles and Silesians. According to prewar statistics,...
of March 1921, 639 villagers voted to remain in Germany and 169 voted to join the newly created Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. As a result, Petersgrätz remained as a village of the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
.
In 1945, the Red Army occupied the village and drove a large part of its population out. The town was first renamed Piotrogród, then later Piotrówka. The Protestant church was converted into a Catholic church, and in 1946 a separate parish was formed for the village.
In 2006 the village was declared bilingual in German and Polish, and in 2008 the original German name of Petersgrätz was again made official.
In the center of town there is a war memorial honoring the soldiers from Petersgrätz who died in WWII.