Oława

History

Oława began to develop during the 11th or early 12th century at a site that was protected by the rivers Oder and Oława, when it was part of the Piast-ruled Kingdom of Poland. It was first mentioned as Oloua in a document of 1149 confirming Piotr Włostowic's donation to the abbey of St. Vincent in Wrocław. Oława found itself again under Polish rule, when Polish prince James Louis Sobieski, son of King John III Sobieski, became duke of Oława in years 1691–1737. Together with most of Silesia, the town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1742. The 18th and 19th centuries were a period of economic growth and Oława (then as Ohlau) became well known as a centre of tobacco-growing. In 1842 a railroad between Ohlau and Wrocław, the first in Silesia, was opened. Ethnic Polish traditions and population remained strong in the area. Poles smuggled large amounts of gunpowder through the town to the Russian Partition of Poland during the January Uprising in 1863. Folkorist Julius Roger noted local Polish folk songs in his 1863 work, and a substantial concentration of Poles in and around the town was still noted in 1896. The historic town of Ohlau did not suffer any damage during World War I, however, in World War II about 60% of the buildings were destroyed. On 2 September 1939, a Polish PZL.23 Karaś bomber (scout) plane bombed a German factory in the city in the first attack on German territory after the German invasion of Poland and the outbreak of World War II the day before. During the war, the Germans established and operated two labour subcamps of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp in the town. At least five Polish resistance members were sentenced to death in the city by a German court in 1942. After Nazi Germany's defeat in the war, the town became again part…

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  391
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  326
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  320
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  307
• Great Spotted Woodpecker

  Dendrocopos major (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  274
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  242
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  230
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  227

Most recent

• M 4.5 — 2025-09-12
  3 km NE of Lubin, Poland
• M 4.3 — 2025-08-13
  4 km NNW of Rudna, Poland
• M 4.2 — 2025-05-19
  4 km NE of Lubin, Poland
• M 4.4 — 2024-12-18
  5 km NNE of Rudna, Poland
• M 4.2 — 2024-01-03
  3 km SSW of Rudna, Poland
• M 4.2 — 2023-11-27
  5 km S of Rudna, Poland