__NOTOC__ Karkonosze County ( pl, powiat karkonoski; german: Riesengebirgslandkreis) 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

Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrz ...

, south-western

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. The county covers an area of . Its administrative seat is the city of

Jelenia Góra Jelenia Góra (pron. ; Polish: ; german: Hirschberg im Riesengebirge; Exonym: ''Deer Mountain''; szl, Jelyniŏ Gōra) is a historic city in southwestern Poland, within the historical region of Lower Silesia. Jelenia Góra is situated in the Low ...

, although this city is not part of the county (it forms a separate city county, which is an

enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

within Karkonosze County). There are four towns within the county:

Karpacz Karpacz (German: ''Krummhübel'') is a spa town and ski resort in Jelenia Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland, and one of the most important centres for mountain hiking and skiing, including ski jumping. Its population ...

Szklarska Poręba Szklarska Poręba (german: Schreiberhau) is a town in Jelenia Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. The town has a population of around 6,500. It is a popular ski resort. An important regional and national centre fo ...

Kowary Kowary (german: Schmiedeberg im Riesengebirge) is a town in Jelenia Góra County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland, with a population of around 11,000. It lies approximately south-east of Jelenia Góra, and south-west of the ...

and

Piechowice Piechowice (german: Petersdorf) is a town in Karkonosze County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Jelenia Góra, and west of the regional capital Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Bres ...

. The first two of these are major

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...

resorts. As at 2019 the total population of the county is 63,639, out of which the population of the towns totals 28,213 and the rural population is 35,426. Until July 2020 it was named Jelenia Góra County ( pl, powiat jeleniogórski). The change formally took effect on January 1, 2021.Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 29 lipca 2020 r. w sprawie zmiany nazwy powiatu jeleniogórskiego na powiat karkonoski
''dziennikustaw.gov.pl'', 14 October 2020 The current name references the Karkonosze Mountains.

Neighbouring counties

Apart from the city of

, Karkonosze County is bordered by

Lwówek Śląski County Lwówek (german: Neustadt bei Pinne or ''Kirschneustadt'' from 1943-1945) is a town in Nowy Tomyśl County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,939 inhabitants (2004). 540 Jews lived in the town in 1871. Twin towns – sister cities * K ...

and

Złotoryja County __NOTOC__ Złotoryja County ( pl, powiat złotoryjski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish loca ...

to the north, and

Jawor County __NOTOC__ Jawor County ( pl, powiat jaworski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local governme ...

and

Kamienna Góra County __NOTOC__ Kamienna Góra County ( pl, powiat kamiennogórski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Poli ...

to the east. It also borders the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

to the south and west.

Administrative division

The county is subdivided into nine

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 (four urban and five rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jelenia Gora County Land counties of Lower Silesian Voivodeship