Zalesie Śląskie

Zalesie Śląskie
Salesche
Village
Railway station in Zalesie Śląskie
Zalesie Śląskie
Coordinates: 50°25′N 18°16′E / 50.417°N 18.267°E / 50.417; 18.267
Country Poland
VoivodeshipOpole
CountyStrzelce
GminaLeśnica
First mentioned1223
Population
1,468
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Vehicle registrationOST
Websitehttp://www.zalesieslaskie.pl

Zalesie Śląskie [zaˈlɛɕɛ ˈɕlɔ̃skʲɛ], additional name in German: Salesche,[1] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Leśnica, within Strzelce County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland.[2]

Its flower carpets during the Corpus Christi procession is along with other villages listed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity maintained by UNESCO.[3]

History

The village was first mentioned under its Old Polish name Zalese in 1223, when it was part of fragmented Piast-ruled Poland.[4] Its name comes from the Polish word las, which means "forest", and is typical of the area.[4] In the 18th century it was annexed by Kingdom of Prussia, and from 1871 to 1945 it was part of Germany. The Germanized name Salesche appeared in 1845, and in 1935, the German administration renamed the village to Gross Walden to erase traces of Polish origin.

In the final stages of World War II, in May 1945, a group of Polish and Soviet prisoners of war from the German Stalag VIII-A prisoner-of-war camp was liberated in the village by the advancing Soviet troops.[5] Afterwards the village became again part of Poland, and its historic name was restored, with the addition of the adjective Śląskie after the region of Silesia within which it is located, for distinction from other settlements with the same name.

References

  1. ^ Państwowy Rejestr Nazw Geograficznych – miejscowości – format XLSX, Place Names Register of Poland – PRNG, Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography, 31 August 2025, PRNG identifier: 157621
  2. ^ "Główny Urząd Statystyczny" [Central Statistical Office] (in Polish). To search: Select "Miejscowości (SIMC)" tab, select "fragment (min. 3 znaki)" (minimum 3 characters), enter town name in the field below, click "WYSZUKAJ" (Search).
  3. ^ "Flower carpets tradition for Corpus Christi processions". ich.unesco.org. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Pradzieje i średniowiecze". Strona internetowa miejscowości Zalesie Śląskie (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. ^ Lusek, Joanna; Goetze, Albrecht (2011). "Stalag VIII A Görlitz. Historia – teraźniejszość – przyszłość". Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny (in Polish). 34. Opole: 45.