The name of the village is of Slavic origin, and comes from the first name of its Czech founder Racław or Razlav.[3] The village was possibly devastated by Mongols retreating following the Battle of Legnica during the first Mongol invasion of Poland in 1241.[3] The village was first mentioned in a document from 1252 as a possession of the Diocese of Olomouc.[3] It formed part of the Kingdom of Bohemia,[3] until it was sold to the Duchy of Niemodlin, a minor Upper Silesian duchy formed during the fragmentation of Poland into smaller duchies, by the Bohemian King in 1337, and later it passed to the Duchy of Opole, remaining under the rule of the Piast dynasty until 1532.[4]
In 1861, the village had a population of 2,295.[2] In the late 19th century, villagers who were not engaged in agriculture either worked as shoemakers or mostly emigrated for work to Congress Poland in the Russian Partition.[2]
A local stone bridge was destroyed during a flood in 1903.[5] A new steel bridge was built in the following years, and a water tower at the railway station was built in 1905.[5]
On 3 May 1921, during the Third Silesian Uprising of Poles against German rule, a Polish insurgent unit led by Józef Siber attempted to blow up the bridge, leading to its damage.[5] Some of the insurgents were subsequently captured by the Germans in Głubczyce.[5]
During the final stages of World War II, in January 1945, a German-perpetrated death march of prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camp passed through the village. In March 1945, refugees passed through the village fleeing advancing Soviet troops.[6] On 17 March 1945, an evacuation order was announced, however, some residents did not manage to escape before the Soviets arrived, and some were ordered to return to the village from German-occupied Czechoslovakia in May 1945.[6] In total, 392 inhabitants of the village died in the war, including 231 soldiers and 161 civilians.[6]
Until recently, Racławice was a rail junction, with trains leaving in three directions - towards Nysa, Kędzierzyn-Koźle and Głubczyce. Currently, the line Racławice-Głubczyce is closed.
^ abcSłownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom IX (in Polish). Warszawa. 1888. p. 368.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ abcdPreisner, Johannes (2013). "Zarys historii Racławic Śląskich do roku 1946". Życie Głogówka (in Polish). No. 9 (212). p. 15. ISSN1425-9591.
^Preisner, Johannes (2013). "Zarys historii Racławic Śląskich do roku 1946. Część II". Życie Głogówka (in Polish). No. 10 (213). p. 15. ISSN1425-9591.