Editing Opole (section)

===In modern Poland===
After the end of the Second World War in 1945, Oppeln was transferred from Germany to Poland, pursuant to the agreements of the [[Potsdam Conference]], and given its original Slavic name of Opole. Opole became part of the [[Katowice Voivodeship]] from 1946–1950, after which it became part of the [[Opole Voivodeship]]. Unlike other parts of the so-called [[Recovered Territories]], Opole and the surrounding region's indigenous population partly remained and was only partly [[expulsion of Germans after World War II|expelled as elsewhere]]. Over 1 million Silesians who considered themselves Poles or were treated as such by the authorities due to their language and customs were allowed to stay after they were verified as Poles in a special verification process. It involved declaring [[Polish people|Polish nationality]] and an oath of allegiance to the Polish nation. Additionally, many Poles displaced from the former Polish [[Kresy]] annexed by the USSR (for example [[Lviv|Lwów]]) came to Opole and the surrounding area and settled here after the Second World War.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://dzieje.pl/aktualnosci/opolscy-kresowianie-wciaz-zyja-wspomnieniami-o-rodzinnych-stronach | title=Opolscy Kresowianie wciąż żyją wspomnieniami o rodzinnych stronach }}</ref>

In the later years however many Germans (and German Silesians) left to [[West Germany]] to flee the communist [[Eastern Bloc]] (see [[Emigration from Poland to Germany after World War II]]). Today Opole, along with the surrounding region, is known as a centre of the [[German minority in Poland]] that recruits mainly from the descendants of the positively verified autochthons. In the city itself however only 2.46% of the inhabitants declared German nationality according to the last national census of 2002.

On 1 January 2017 [[Borki, Opole Voivodeship|Borki]], [[Chmielowice, Opole Voivodeship|Chmielowice]], [[Czarnowąsy]], [[Krzanowice, Opole Voivodeship|Krzanowice]], [[Sławice]], [[Świerkle]], [[Winów]], [[Wrzoski, Opole Voivodeship|Wrzoski]], [[Żerkowice, Opole Voivodeship|Żerkowice]] as well as parts of [[Brzezie, Opole Voivodeship|Brzezie]], [[Dobrzeń Mały]] and [[Karczów, Opole Voivodeship|Karczów]] became a part of Opole, enlargening its population by about 9,500, and its area by over 5,300 ha, despite the protests of inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/DetailsServlet?id=WDU20160001134|title=Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 19 lipca 2016 r. w sprawie ustalenia granic niektórych gmin i miast, nadania niektórym miejscowościom statusu miasta oraz zmiany nazwy gminy|website=isap.sejm.gov.pl|access-date=26 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.tvn24.pl/wroclaw,44/opole-sie-powieksza-czesc-mieszkancow-niezadowolona,662315.html|title=Opole się powiększa kosztem okolicznych wsi. Ich mieszkańcy protestują."To skok na kasę"|work=TVN24.pl|access-date=2017-10-04}}</ref>