SILESIAN UPRISING MEMORIAL TRAIL IN THE OPOLE REGION
On the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First Silesian Uprising, the Silesian Uprising Memorial Trail was created in the Opole region. The trail passes through important locations associated with the uprising battles of 1919–1921. It was founded in collaboration with the Ministry of National Defence as part of the programme "The History of the Polish Armed Forces, Tradition and Culture in the Background". The trail leads from the north of the voivodeship (Praszka, Gorzów Śląski), along the front line during the Third Silesian Uprising in 1921 (Ozimek, Gogolin, Góra Św. Anny) to the south (Kędzierzyn-Koźle to Racibórz). Currently, there are 22 towns and villages on the trail. The trail is suitable for walking, cycling or driving.
A website and exhibition were created for the trail, developed by members of the associations Stowarzyszenie Biało-Czerwone Opole and the Stowarzyszenia Sympatyków Odry Opole "Jedna Odra". The exhibition consists of 24 boards, which also feature forgotten towns and villages where battles to incorporate Silesia into Poland took place (e.g. the little-known Kalinów, Strzebniów, and Kadłub Wolny). The exhibition is temporary. In Opole, it could be viewed at at the Voivodeship Office and the University of Opole Library, among other places. The exhibition was displayed in Brzeg, Kamień Śląski, Nysa, Praszka, Góra Św. Anny, Skarbimierz and others.
In 2020, the Silesian Institute in Opole published a Guide to the Silesian Uprising Memorial Trail in the Opole Region edited by Krzysztof Kleszcz, and a year later, a cycling guide entitled Cycling through Opole Silesia. Places of Remembrance of the Silesian Uprisings and the Plebiscite, compiled by Krzysztof Kleszcz A three-level Insurrection Cycling Badge has also been established. Anyone who has earned a certain number of points, which are awarded for kilometres travelled on designated routes, can apply for it. The guide describes 14 cycling routes that pass through towns and villages with sites related to the Silesian uprisings and the plebiscite in Upper Silesia (monuments, graves,
commemorative plaques and others). Detailed rules for earning the badge are contained in the guide.
