Prószków

Not to be confused with Pruszków.

Prószków
Prószków Castle Prószków Castle
Coat of arms of Prószków Coat of arms
Prószków
Coordinates:
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Opole Voivodeship
County	Opole County
Gmina	Prószków
Area
• Total	16.31 km2 (6.30 sq mi)
Population (2006)
• Total	2,713
• Density	170/km2 (430/sq mi)
Postal code	46-060
Website	http://www.proszkow.pl/

Prószków ([ˈpruʂkuf], German: Proskau) is a town in Opole County, Opole Voivodeship in southwestern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Gmina Prószków, a Polish/German bilingual commune since 2006.

Geography

File:Proskau - St. Georg Kirche.JPG

St George Church

The town is located in the historic Upper Silesia region, about 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Opole. As of 2013 it has 2,646 inhabitants.

On July 29, 1921 a temperature of 40.2 °C (104 °F) was recorded in the city. Since then, it is the highest temperature ever recorded in any city located in present-day Poland (the town was then a part of Germany).

History

Prószków in the Silesian Duchy of Opole was first mentioned in a 1250 deed. From the 14th century onwards the estates were held by the Proskowski noble family. Count Jerzy Proskowski had the parish church and a Renaissance castle built in the late 16th century, which both were set ablaze by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War and had to be rebuilt in their present Baroque style after the war.

After the First Silesian War the town became part of Prussia in 1742. From 1763 Proskau Castle housed a famous Faience manufacture. The House of Dietrichstein briefly held the Proskau manor from 1769, before it was purchased by the Prussian king Frederick the Great in 1783. From 1847 the castle was used as an agronomic college, which was relocated to Berlin in 1881. The succeeding institute for pomological research, including an arboretum and extensive orchards, exists up to today.

After World War II only parts of the German population were expelled. Prószków regained a town charter in 2004, it officially adopted its German name Proskau on 30 April 2010.

International relations

File:Proskau Prószków Ring Rynek.JPG

Main square

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland

Twin towns — Sister cities

Prószków is twinned with:

• Pruszków, Poland
• Hünfeld, Germany