Koźle

Koźle stood beside the Oder in Upper Silesia. Its medieval town charter preceded its role as the centre of the Duchy of Koźle–Bytom between 1281 and 1355. The duchy had become a Bohemian fief in 1289, placing the town within the political orbit of the Bohemian Crown. In 1526 the Habsburg inheritance of the Bohemian lands brought another change of dynasty.

Prussian forces seized Koźle early in 1741, and the town became an important fortress. Its military role sharply affected urban life in 1807: a siege during the war against Napoleon lasted from January to July and caused extensive destruction, although the fortress held out. Transport also changed during this period. Construction of the Kłodnica Canal between 1792 and 1812 improved the region's water connections. In 1808 a town council of twenty-four members and a mayor introduced a new form of municipal administration alongside the continuing presence of the fortress.