I am curious to read your uncensored opinions and experiences in the Opole voivodeship (vvs), whether you love or hate some place or anything in between.
I am most familiar with Opole, Nysa, Glucholazy and Prudnik.
You can read more about the vvs and it's capital here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opole_Voivodeship
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojew%C3%B3dztwo_opolskie
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opole
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opole
Here are just a few brief blurbs and links about some places to get an introductory idea of the area.
I will provide both English and Polish links when possible:
- Opole vvs is the smallest of the 16 vvs and part of the Śląsk / Silesia region.
There are Poles, Germans, Silesians, Czechs, Roma and recently Ukrainians as the "main visible groups" of people living here.
I couldn't find a detailed demographic map for each vvs in English, maybe this data exists somewhere in Polish.
cudzoziemcy.opole.uw.gov.pl/en/on-foreigners-and-repatriates-who-no-longer-want-to-settle-in-small-communes-in-the-region
- There are many historical churches, castles, forts, villages - some are functional or reconstructed and others are abandoned
opole.pl/en/dla-turysty/atrakcja/opole-rural-museum
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moszna_Castle
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamek_w_%C5%81%C4%85ce_Prudnickiej
- Prudnik (formerly Neustadt) was the site of some dark events in WW2
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudnik#Interbellum_and_World_War_II
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudnik#II_wojna_%C5%9Bwiatowa
- As a result of the border changes in WW2 the resulting population "transfer" had a major affect on the area
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Silesia#Poland,_Czech_Republic_and_Germany
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_%C5%9Al%C4%85ska#%C5%9Al%C4%85sk_od_1945_roku
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recovered_Territories#Polonization_of_the_Recovered_Territories
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziemie_Odzyskane#Sytuacja_po_wojnie
- The region has post-industrial areas with many unused brick buildings such as warehouses, factories and barns. The made in Poland Nysa van was produced in Nysa up until 1994. Textiles were produced by Frotex in Prudnik.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZSD_Nysa
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZSD_Nysa
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zak%C5%82ady_Przemys%C5%82u_Bawe%C5%82nianego_%22Frotex%22
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zak%C5%82ady_Przemys%C5%82u_Bawe%C5%82nianego_%E2%80%9EFrotex%E2%80%9D
- The area is prone to recurring flooding and was the site of the Great Flood of 1997, about which a tv series was recently made
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Central_European_flood
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pow%C3%B3d%C5%BA_tysi%C4%85clecia
imdb.com/title/tt15096728/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Water_(TV_series)
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wielka_woda_(serial_telewizyjny)
- Prudnik has experienced a decline in population from approximately 24k in 1995 to 19k today, a lot of people have left the area for whatever reasons. Many small businesses have also closed in the recent "Covid years" and because of larger corps building stores and mini mall plazas around the city which has affected the city square.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudnik
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudnik
polskawliczbach.pl/Prudnik
- There are many hotels, spas, hiking trails and agri-tourism along the border with Czechia and the closest large Czech cities are Opava, Olomouc and Ostrava. This Poland-Czechia border area is also known as the Krnovski Mikroregion.
mikroregionkrnovsko.cz/mikroregion-krnovsko/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Silesia
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Al%C4%85sk_Czeski
- A search on PolishForums and Polish subreddits for Opole and Silesia turns up the following discussions:
polishforums.com/index.php?phrase=opole&searchType=3&where=0&forum=&posterName=&action=search&searchGo=1
reddit.com/r/poland/search/?q=opole&type=link&cId=452ba7af-c5e3-4f7c-ba00-8feb22c57c16&iId=44c0a43f-3b75-4624-9a1a-a3ca5ea5d5e7
reddit.com/r/poland/search/?q=silesia&type=link&cId=af30d8aa-a460-4d62-9e5f-d03cd34e3f71&iId=3688a4f9-2ad3-4801-acfa-15dcc74246f4
reddit.com/r/Polska/search/?q=opole&type=link&cId=5601c244-7c3c-4c38-bff3-d63f73bd69df&iId=ee3ef066-643f-4c55-ae90-df6f520e7943
reddit.com/r/Polska/search/?q=%C5%9Al%C4%85sk&type=link&cId=924a1700-ac8b-45fb-8853-a02b60cd699a&iId=54754f19-54cc-4eec-82dd-dc80f1f7e0ba
As for my own opinion and experience after several visits over two decades from late 1990s to present, overall some of the public infrastructure has improved and is better than some areas in the Northeast USA where I have lived and traveled. I have mixed opinions about both regions as I see a similar post-industrial landscape and the usual "job struggle survival mode of life" and government dysfunction in some places. Like anywhere I think some parts could be better but I still need to explore and research more.
I am most familiar with Opole, Nysa, Glucholazy and Prudnik.
You can read more about the vvs and it's capital here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opole_Voivodeship
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojew%C3%B3dztwo_opolskie
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opole
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opole
Here are just a few brief blurbs and links about some places to get an introductory idea of the area.
I will provide both English and Polish links when possible:
- Opole vvs is the smallest of the 16 vvs and part of the Śląsk / Silesia region.
There are Poles, Germans, Silesians, Czechs, Roma and recently Ukrainians as the "main visible groups" of people living here.
I couldn't find a detailed demographic map for each vvs in English, maybe this data exists somewhere in Polish.
cudzoziemcy.opole.uw.gov.pl/en/on-foreigners-and-repatriates-who-no-longer-want-to-settle-in-small-communes-in-the-region
- There are many historical churches, castles, forts, villages - some are functional or reconstructed and others are abandoned
opole.pl/en/dla-turysty/atrakcja/opole-rural-museum
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moszna_Castle
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamek_w_%C5%81%C4%85ce_Prudnickiej
- Prudnik (formerly Neustadt) was the site of some dark events in WW2
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudnik#Interbellum_and_World_War_II
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudnik#II_wojna_%C5%9Bwiatowa
- As a result of the border changes in WW2 the resulting population "transfer" had a major affect on the area
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Silesia#Poland,_Czech_Republic_and_Germany
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_%C5%9Al%C4%85ska#%C5%9Al%C4%85sk_od_1945_roku
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recovered_Territories#Polonization_of_the_Recovered_Territories
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziemie_Odzyskane#Sytuacja_po_wojnie
- The region has post-industrial areas with many unused brick buildings such as warehouses, factories and barns. The made in Poland Nysa van was produced in Nysa up until 1994. Textiles were produced by Frotex in Prudnik.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZSD_Nysa
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZSD_Nysa
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zak%C5%82ady_Przemys%C5%82u_Bawe%C5%82nianego_%22Frotex%22
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zak%C5%82ady_Przemys%C5%82u_Bawe%C5%82nianego_%E2%80%9EFrotex%E2%80%9D
- The area is prone to recurring flooding and was the site of the Great Flood of 1997, about which a tv series was recently made
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Central_European_flood
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pow%C3%B3d%C5%BA_tysi%C4%85clecia
imdb.com/title/tt15096728/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Water_(TV_series)
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wielka_woda_(serial_telewizyjny)
- Prudnik has experienced a decline in population from approximately 24k in 1995 to 19k today, a lot of people have left the area for whatever reasons. Many small businesses have also closed in the recent "Covid years" and because of larger corps building stores and mini mall plazas around the city which has affected the city square.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudnik
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudnik
polskawliczbach.pl/Prudnik
- There are many hotels, spas, hiking trails and agri-tourism along the border with Czechia and the closest large Czech cities are Opava, Olomouc and Ostrava. This Poland-Czechia border area is also known as the Krnovski Mikroregion.
mikroregionkrnovsko.cz/mikroregion-krnovsko/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Silesia
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Al%C4%85sk_Czeski
- A search on PolishForums and Polish subreddits for Opole and Silesia turns up the following discussions:
polishforums.com/index.php?phrase=opole&searchType=3&where=0&forum=&posterName=&action=search&searchGo=1
reddit.com/r/poland/search/?q=opole&type=link&cId=452ba7af-c5e3-4f7c-ba00-8feb22c57c16&iId=44c0a43f-3b75-4624-9a1a-a3ca5ea5d5e7
reddit.com/r/poland/search/?q=silesia&type=link&cId=af30d8aa-a460-4d62-9e5f-d03cd34e3f71&iId=3688a4f9-2ad3-4801-acfa-15dcc74246f4
reddit.com/r/Polska/search/?q=opole&type=link&cId=5601c244-7c3c-4c38-bff3-d63f73bd69df&iId=ee3ef066-643f-4c55-ae90-df6f520e7943
reddit.com/r/Polska/search/?q=%C5%9Al%C4%85sk&type=link&cId=924a1700-ac8b-45fb-8853-a02b60cd699a&iId=54754f19-54cc-4eec-82dd-dc80f1f7e0ba
As for my own opinion and experience after several visits over two decades from late 1990s to present, overall some of the public infrastructure has improved and is better than some areas in the Northeast USA where I have lived and traveled. I have mixed opinions about both regions as I see a similar post-industrial landscape and the usual "job struggle survival mode of life" and government dysfunction in some places. Like anywhere I think some parts could be better but I still need to explore and research more.