Every design for Opole

The Wieża Piastowska recalls the centuries when Opole was the seat of the Piast Duchy of Opole, but the story it stands for is older still. The first settlement appeared in the 8th century on Ostrówek, the northern part of Pasieka Island in the middle of the Oder, and grew into a stronghold of the Opolans tribe; Duke Mieszko I took their land in 992. Opole later belonged to the Bohemian Crown, the Habsburgs, Prussia and the German Reich before it became Polish after the Second World War, and it is still regarded as the historical capital of Upper Silesia.

What makes Opole unusual is its water. The Oder splits into arms and canals here, the Młynówka runs through the historic centre, and the stretch known as Opolska Wenecja is why the city is sometimes called 'The Venice of Poland'. Since 1963 it has also hosted the National Festival of Polish Song every year, and the Zamek Piastowski w Opolu and the Muzeum Śląska Opolskiego keep the region's memory.

Cross a bridge over the Młynówka towards the Old Town, and the city closes around you like home.