Kietrz ([kʲɛtʂ]; Czech: Ketř; Silesian: Ketrz) is a town in Głubczyce County, Opole Voivodeship, in southern Poland, near the border with the Czech Republic. As of 2019, it has a population of 6,005.

History

During World War II, in 1941, Nazi Germany established the Stalag 338 and Stalag 348 prisoner-of-war camps for Polish and French POWs, which, however, were soon relocated to Kryvyi Rih and Rzeszów, respectively. From 1942 to 1945, the Germans operated a Polenlager forced labour camp for Poles in the town. In January 1945, a German-conducted death march of prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camp and its subcamps passed through the town.

Notable people

• Alfons Luczny (1894–1986), Luftwaffe general
• Olga Tokarczuk (born 1962), Polish writer, Nobel laureate

Twin towns – sister cities

See twin towns of Gmina Kietrz.