The town is located along the major rail line which joins Gliwice and Opole.

In the 18th century, Strzelce Opolskie belonged to the tax inspection region of Prudnik.

[4] In the Upper Silesia plebiscite held in 1921, the residents were asked to choose between remaining in Germany and rejoining Poland, which just regained independence after World War I.

In a secret Sicherheitsdienst report from 1934, the town was named one of the main centers of the Polish movement in western Upper Silesia.

[8] During World War II, Nazi Germany operated a detention center where it would send prisoners to forced labour.

The local football club is Piast Strzelce Opolskie with men and women sections.