Szlaki województw śląskiego i opolskiego

Olesno is a town in the Olesno district and the seat of the Olesno urban-rural municipality. It lies on the Woźniki-Wieluń Upland, which is part of the Silesian-Kraków Upland. The Stobrawa river flows through the town, inhabited by 9.4 thousand people. The first mention of the town comes from a document from 1226, which was issued by the Bishop of Wrocław, Wawrzyniec, on the order of Duke Casimir I of Opole. The town was located by Duke Władysław of Opole in 1275. Olesno developed thanks to its location on the amber route from the Mediterranean basin to the coast of the Baltic Sea, as well as on the royal route from Wrocław to Kraków. In the 13th century, the town was under the rule of the Dukes of Wrocław, and then the Habsburgs. In 1742, Olesno – along with most of Silesia – was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia. During World War I, Olesno was a hospital town for wounded soldiers of various nationalities from the Eastern Front. In 1945, the troops of the Red Army entered the town, burning the town and killing the civilian population. Olesno found itself within the borders of the Polish state after World War II. The monuments of the town include the Church of St. Michael from the 14th century, built from the foundation of Duke Władysław of Opole, the 16th-century indulgence Church of St. Anne, the town hall building housing the municipal museum, and the defensive walls.