Otmuchów

Otmuchów (pronounced: [ɔtˈmuxuf]; German: Ottmachau) is a town in Nysa County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland, with 6,581 inhabitants (2019).

In 1613 the Silesian regionalist and historian Nicholas Henkel stated in his own work entitled Fri Silesiographia two names in Latin, Otmuchovia and Othmuchaw.

Establishment of the coat of arms of the city dates back to 1347, when Bishop of Wrocław Przecław of Pogorzela vested Otmuchów with town rights.

Destroyed by many wars throughout history, the town lost its importance due to a nearby developing city of Nysa, which was the capital of the principality of the bishop.

[3] After the war the town was revived thanks to Polish prince and Bishop of Wrocław Karol Ferdynand Vasa, who turned the castle into an episcopal seat.

During the Second World War, the Germans operated two forced labour subcamps (E276, E282) of the Stalag VIII-B/344 prisoner-of-war camp for English-speaking POWs in the town.

Otmuchów coat of arms at the medieval castle