Osiedle (Polish plural: ''osiedla'', from
German ''Ansiedlung'' meaning ''settlement'') is a term used in
Poland to denote a designated subdivision or
neighbourhood of a city or its
dzielnica, or of a town, with its own council and executive. Like the
dzielnica and
sołectwo, an osiedle is an auxiliary unit (''jednostka pomocnicza'') of a
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 ...
. These units are created by decision of the gmina council, and do not have
legal personality in their own right. In the case of an urban-rural gmina, it is also possible for a whole town to be designated an auxiliary unit.
Not all Polish cities or towns have ''osiedla'' in the above sense. However the word ''osiedle'' is also frequently used to denote any
housing estate or development. (In this sense it sometimes appears in addresses, where the abbreviation "Os." is commonly used.)
References
Polish Act of 8 March 1990 on gmina self-government, as amended(in Polish)
Subdivisions of Poland
Types of administrative division
{{poland-geo-stub