__NOTOC__
Bielsko County ( pl, powiat bielski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (
powiat
A ''powiat'' (pronounced ; Polish plural: ''powiaty'') is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture ( LAU-1, formerly NUTS-4) in other countries. The term "''powia ...
) in
Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province ( pl, województwo śląskie ) is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia ('), with Katowice serving as its capital.
Despite the Silesian ...
, southern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the
Polish local government reforms
The administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. The territory of Poland is divided into ''voivodeships'' (provinces); these are further divided into ''powiats'' (counties or districts), and these i ...
passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the city of
Bielsko-Biała
Bielsko-BiaÅ‚a (; cs, BÃlsko-BÄ›lá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-BjoÅ‚o) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...
, although the city is not part of the county (it constitutes a separate city county). The county contains three towns:
Czechowice-Dziedzice
Czechowice-Dziedzice (, szl, Czechowice-Dziydzice), previously known until 1958 as Czechowice, is a town in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 35,684 inhabitants as of December 2021. It lies on the northeastern edge of t ...
, north-west of Bielsko-Biała,
Szczyrk
Szczyrk (german: Schirk) is a town in the Beskid Śląski mountains of southern Poland, situated in the valley of the Żylica river. It is part of the Silesian Voivodeship (since 1999), previously being part of the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship (19 ...
, south of Bielsko-Biała, and
Wilamowice
Wilamowice (earlier ''Willamowice'', german: Wilmesau, Wymysorys: ''Wymysoü'') is a rural town in southern Poland, situated in the Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town is inhabited by a Germanic ethnic group of Vilamovians, who speak ...
, north-east of Bielsko-Biała.
The county covers an area of . As of 2019 its total population is 165,374, out of which the population of Czechowice-Dziedzice is 35,926, that of Szczyrk is 5,734, that of Wilamowice is 3,100, and the rural population is 120,614.
Neighbouring counties
Apart from the city of
Bielsko-Biała
Bielsko-BiaÅ‚a (; cs, BÃlsko-BÄ›lá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-BjoÅ‚o) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...
, Bielsko County is also bordered by
Pszczyna County
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Pszczyna County ( pl, powiat pszczyński) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government re ...
and
Oświęcim County
__NOTOC__
Oświęcim County ( pl, powiat oświęcimski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local gove ...
to the north,
Wadowice County
__NOTOC__
Wadowice County ( pl, powiat wadowicki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government ...
to the east,
Żywiec County
__NOTOC__
Żywiec County ( pl, powiat żywiecki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Slovakia, Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of ...
to the south, and
Cieszyn County
__NOTOC__
Cieszyn County ( pl, powiat cieszyński) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Czech and Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result o ...
to the west.
Administrative division
![Bielsko County administrative map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Bielsko_County_administrative_map.svg)
The county is subdivided into 10
gmina
The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' , from German ''Gemeinde'' meaning ''commune'') is the principal unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,477 gminas throughout the country, encompassing over 4 ...
s (one urban, two urban-rural and seven rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.
See also
*
Cieszyn Silesia
Cieszyn Silesia, TěšÃn Silesia or Teschen Silesia ( pl, ÅšlÄ…sk CieszyÅ„ski ; cs, TěšÃnské Slezsko or ; german: Teschener Schlesien or ) is a historical region in south-eastern Silesia, centered on the towns of Cieszyn and ÄŒeský TÄ› ...
*
Euroregion Cieszyn Silesia
Euroregion Cieszyn Silesia ( pl, Euroregion ÅšlÄ…sk CieszyÅ„ski, cs, Euroregion TěšÃnské Slezsko) is one of the euroregions (transnational co-operation structures) between Poland and Czech Republic. It has area of 1741,34 km² and 658,2 ...
References
{{Coord, 49, 49, N, 19, 02, E, region:PL_type:city, display=title
Bielsko
Bielsko (german: Bielitz, cs, BÃlsko) was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with BiaÅ‚a Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-BiaÅ‚a. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that tow ...