Opole ([ɔ:pɔlε] (help·info); German: Oppeln (help·info)) is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River (Odra). It has a population of 129,553 and is the capital of the Opole Voivodeship, and also the seat of Opole County. It is the historical capital of Upper Silesia. Today, many German Upper Silesians and Poles of German ancestry live in the Opole region and the city itself.

History
¹ First census of the city
² 8,320 German nationality (93,7%) and 557 Polish nationality (6,3%)
³ 80% German-speaking, 16% Polish- or Slavic Silesian-speaking, and 4% German- and Polish-speaking

Historical population
Alongside German, many citizens of Opole-Oppeln before 1945 used a strongly German-influenced Silesian dialect known as Upper Silesian, Wasserpolnisch, or Wasserpolak. Because of this, the Soviet puppet-state administration after the annexation of Silesia in 1945 did not initiate a general expulsion of German-speakers in Opole, as was done in Lower Silesia, for instance, where the population exclusively spoke the German language. Because they were considered "autochthonous" (Polish), the Wasserpolak-speakers instead received the right to remain in their homeland. Many German-speakers took advantage of this decision, allowing them to remain in their Oppeln, even when they considered themselves to be of German nationality. The city and its surroundings presently contain the largest German and Upper Silesian minorities in Poland. (See also Germans of Poland.)

Attractions

state-run universities and colleges:

• Opole University of Technology (Politechnika Opolska)
  University of Opole (Uniwersytet Opolski)
  Public Higher Medical Professional School in Opole (Państwowa Medyczna Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa w Opolu)
  privately run colleges:
  
  
  
  • Management and Administration College in Opole (Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania i Administracji w Opolu)
    Bogdan Jański Academy (Szkoła Wyższa im. Bogdana Jańskiego) Education
    Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Opole constituency
    
    Dorota Jazłowiecka, PO
    Tadeusz Jarmuziewicz, PO
    Ryszard Knosala, PO
    Leszek Korzeniowski, PO
    Sławomir Kłosowski, PiS
    Teresa Ceglecka-Zielonka, PiS
    Mieczysław Walkiewicz, PiS
    Henryk Kroll, German minority
    Ryszard Galla, German minority
    Józef Stępkowski, Samoobrona
    Sandra Lewandowska, Samoobrona
    Tomasz Garbowski, SLD
    Marek Kawa, LPR Famous residents
    
    Alytus, Lithuania
    Agioi Anargyroi, Greece
    Bonn, Germany
    Bruntál, Czech Republic
    Carrara, Italy
    Grasse, France
    Ingolstadt, Germany
    Kuopio, Finland
    Mülheim, Germany
    Potsdam, Germany
    Roanoke, USA
    Székesfehérvár, Hungary
    Kragujevac, Serbia