Opole, capital city of the Opole region in Poland, has a population of 130,000. It is situated on both banks of the Oder river in the Silesian Lowland. The first traces of the settlement go back to the end of the 8th century and the town of Opole was founded during the years 1211-1217.
Opole is a center of industry, trade, banking, culture and education. It lies along international route E-40 and on several important inland roads leading to Warsaw and Poznan. The city is also an important railway hub. The Odra is included in the West-European system of waterways; however, water transportation is not used on a large scale.
