Amerykan

Amerykan is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Strzeleczki, within Krapkowice County, Opole Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It is situated in the historical region of Prudnik Land.
The village is uninhabited. Ruins of a historic mill complex are located here.

History

The first written mention of two watermills in the area of Pisarzowice is dated 17 November 1301. They were owned by the Cistercians. By 1502, only one mill was still operating. In 1646, the mill complex was acquired by the Oppersdorff family. Until 1742, the village was a part of in the Habsburg Empire. After the First Silesian War, it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia was incorporated into Prudnik County.
Count von Oppersdorff modernized the mills in the early 1860s, based on a design by Oliver Evans. Because the mills operated on an "American system", the village became known locally as Amerikon in German and Amerykan in Polish. In 1930, businessman Pius Ianocha purchased the property from the Oppersdorff family and expanded it into a small agricultural estate. There was also a sawmill in the complex.Following the Second World War, from March to May 1945, Prudnik County was controlled by the Soviet military commandant's office. On 11 May 1945, it was passed on to the Polish administration. Since then, some of the buildings in Amerykan served as a weapons depot and a storage facility. The mill itself was no longer in operation. The Ianocha family owned the mill complex until the 1970s, after which the property was abandoned. The surrounding lands have remained in agricultural use, but the mill complex has fallen into ruin.