Brzeg

Town hall

Flag

Coat of arms

Brzeg

Coordinates: 50°52′N 17°29′E / 50.867°N 17.483°E

Country

Poland

Brzeg (urban gmina)

Town rights

1248

Government

• Mayor

Jerzy Wrębiak

Area

• Total

16.0 km² (6.2 sq mi)

Elevation

150 m (490 ft)

Population (2015)

• Total

36,381

• Density

2,490.1/km² (6,449/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Brzeżanin

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

49-300

Car plates

Website

Official Website

Brzeg ([bʐɛk]; former German name: Brieg) is a town in southwestern Poland with 36,381 inhabitants (2015) and the capital of Brzeg County. It is situated in Silesia in the Opole Voivodeship on the left bank of the Oder.

The town of Brzeg was first mentioned as a trading and fishing settlement in the year 1234. In 1248, Duke Henry III the White granted the settlement town rights and by the late 13th century the city became fortified. During the interwar period, Brzeg, often referred to as “the garden town”, was considered one of the most beautiful locations on the Oder River. Its size greatly expanded after the construction of dwelling houses which were located on the city outskirts.

Towards the end of World War II, in February 1945, the Soviet army captured Brzeg, which resulted in moderate destruction of the town's buildings and infrastructure. In accordance with the Yalta and Potsdam agreements, the area was annexed by Poland. Subsequently the town’s German population was deported and replaced with Polish settlers from the Eastern Borderlands. Since 1950 the reconstructed town has been a part of the Opole Voivodeship.

Brzeg was in earlier documents referred to as Civitas Altae Ripae, meaning "city at high banks" of the Oder (Odra) river; its name is derived from the Polish Brzeg (shore). The historian Konstanty Darmot (1841-1895), in his book of the etymology of Silesian localities, states that in a Latin document from 1234, the settlement's name was Visoke breg (Polish: Wysokibrzeg; German: Wissokembreghe) (High Bank).

...
Wikipedia