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, alt_name = province, state , map = , category =
Province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
s (unitary local government subdivision) , territory = Republic of Poland , start_date = , current_number = 16 voivodeships , number_date = , population_range = 966,000 (
Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city l ...
) – 5,432,000 ( Masovian) , area_range = (
Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city l ...
) – ( Masovian) , government = Voivodeship government, National government , subdivision =
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 "''powiat ...
(county) A voivodeship (; pl, województwo ; plural: ) is the highest-level
administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
of
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 populou ...
, corresponding to a
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
in many other countries. The term has been in use since the 14th century and is commonly translated into English as "province". The Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998, which went into effect on 1 January 1999, created sixteen new voivodeships. These replaced the 49 former voivodeships that had existed from 1 July 1975, and bear a greater resemblance (in territory, but not in name) to the voivodeships that existed between 1950 and 1975. Today's voivodeships are mostly named after historical and geographical regions, while those prior to 1998 generally took their names from the cities on which they were centered. The new units range in area from under ( Opole Voivodeship) to over ( Masovian Voivodeship), and in population from nearly one million (Opole Voivodeship) to over five million (Masovian Voivodeship). Administrative authority at the voivodeship level is shared between a government-appointed governor called a
voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...
(), an elected assembly called a , and an executive board () chosen by that assembly, headed by a voivodeship marshal (). Voivodeships are further divided into ('counties') and ('communes' or 'municipalities'), the smallest administrative divisions of Poland.


Etymology and use

Some English-language sources, in historic contexts, speak of ''palatinate''''s'' rather than ''voivodeships''. The term " palatine" traces back to the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
. More commonly used now is ''province'' or ''voivodeship''. The latter is a
loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because ...
-
calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...
hybrid formed on the Polish . Some writers argue against rendering in English as ''province'', on historic grounds. Before the third and last Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which occurred in 1795, each of the main constituent regions of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest cit ...
,
Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...
,
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
, and Royal Prussia—was sometimes idiosyncratically referred to as a "Province" (). According to the argument, a ''province'' (such as Greater Poland) cannot consist of a number of subdivisions ("", the plural of "") that are likewise called "provinces". This is an antiquarian consideration, as " province" has not been used in this sense in Poland for over two centuries. The former larger political units, all now obsolete, can be referred to in English as they were, "regions". The Polish , designating a second-tier Polish or Polish–Lithuanian administrative unit, derives from , (etymologically, a '
warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...
', 'war leader' or 'leader of warriors', but now simply the
governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of a ) and the
suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carr ...
(a "state or condition"). The English ''voivodeship'', which is a hybrid of the
loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because ...
''voivode'' and ''-ship'' (the latter a
suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carr ...
that
calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...
s the Polish suffix ), has never been much used and is absent from many dictionaries. According to the ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...
'', it first appeared in 1792, spelled "woiwodship", in the sense of "the district or province governed by a voivode." The word subsequently appeared in 1886 also in the sense of "the office or dignity of a voivode." Poland's Commission on Standardization of Geographic Names outside the Republic of Poland, prefers the form which omits the 'e', recommending the spelling "", for use in English.


Since 1999


Administrative powers

Competences and powers at voivodeship level are shared between the
voivode Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...
(governor), the sejmik (regional assembly) and the marshal. In most cases these institutions are all based in one city, but in Kuyavian-Pomeranian and
Lubusz Voivodeship Lubusz Voivodeship, or Lubuskie Province ( pl, województwo lubuskie ), is a voivodeship ( province) in western Poland. It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra Voivodeships, pursuant to the ...
the voivode's offices are in a different city from those of the executive and the sejmik. Voivodeship capitals are listed in the table below. The ''voivode'' is appointed by the
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
and is the regional representative of the central government. The voivode acts as the head of central government institutions at regional level (such as the police and fire services, passport offices, and various inspectorates), manages central government property in the region, oversees the functioning of local government, coordinates actions in the field of public safety and environment protection, and exercises special powers in emergencies. The voivode's offices collectively are known as the . The is elected every five years. (The first of the five-year terms began in 2018; previous terms lasted four years.))
Elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
for the fall at the same time as that of local authorities at and level. The passes
by-law A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authori ...
s, including the voivodeship's development strategies and budget. It also elects the and other members of the executive, and holds them to account. The ''
executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive di ...
'' (), headed by the drafts the budget and development strategies, implements the resolutions of the , manages the voivodeship's property, and deals with many aspects of regional policy, including management of
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
funding. The marshal's offices are collectively known as the .


List


Economies

According to 2017 Eurostat data, the GDP per capita of Polish voivodeships varies notably and there is a large gap between the richest per capita voivodeship (being the Masovian Voivodeship at 33,500 EUR) and the poorest per capita (being the Lublin Voivodeship at 14,400 EUR).


Historical development


Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth


Greater Poland (''Wielkopolska'')

The following is a list of the Voivodeships within
Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest cit ...
at various points over the period from the mid-16th century until the late 18th century: * Poznań Voivodeship (''województwo poznańskie'',
Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
) * Kalisz Voivodeship (''województwo kaliskie'', Kalisz) *
Gniezno Voivodeship Gniezno Voivodeship ( Polish: ''Województwo Gnieźnieńskie'', Latin: ''Palatinatus Gnesnensis'') was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland for a short time from 1768, when it was cut from the Kalisz Voivodeship, to ...
(''województwo gnieźnieńskie'', Gniezno) from 1768 *
Sieradz Voivodeship Sieradz Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by Łódź Voivodeship. A Voivodeship is an area administered by a voivode (Governor), and the Sieradz Voivodeshi ...
(''województwo sieradzkie'', Sieradz) * Łęczyca Voivodeship (''województwo łęczyckie'', Łęczyca) * Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship (''województwo brzesko-kujawskie'', Brześć Kujawski) * Inowrocław Voivodeship (''województwo inowrocławskie'', Inowrocław) * Chełmno Voivodeship (''województwo chełmińskie'', Chełmno) * Malbork Voivodeship (''województwo malborskie'', Malbork) * Pomeranian Voivodeship (''województwo pomorskie'',
Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
) * Duchy of Warmia (''Księstwo Warmińskie'', Lidzbark Warmiński) *
Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the region of Prussia establish ...
(''Księstwo Pruskie'', Królewiec) *
Płock Voivodeship Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to ...
(''województwo płockie'', Płock) * Rawa Voivodeship (''województwo rawskie'', Rawa Mazowiecka) * Masovian Voivodeship (''województwo mazowieckie'', Warszawa)


Lesser Poland (''Małopolska'')

The following is a list of the Voivodeships within
Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...
over the period of the mid-16th century until the late 18th century: * Kraków Voivodeship (''województwo krakowskie'',
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
) *
Sandomierz Voivodeship Sandomierz Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo Sandomierskie, la, Palatinatus Sandomirensis) was a unit of administration and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of the Lesser Polan ...
(''województwo sandomierskie'', Sandomierz) * Lublin Voivodeship (''województwo lubelskie'',
Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of ...
) * Podlaskie Voivodeship (''województwo podlaskie'', Drohiczyn) * Ruthenian Voivodeship (''województwo ruskie'', Lwów oday_Lviv,_Ukraine.html"_;"title="Lviv.html"_;"title="oday_Lviv">oday_Lviv,_Ukraine">Lviv.html"_;"title="oday_Lviv">oday_Lviv,_Ukraine *_Bełz_Voivodeship.html" ;"title="Lviv">oday_Lviv,_Ukraine.html" ;"title="Lviv.html" ;"title="oday Lviv">oday Lviv, Ukraine">Lviv.html" ;"title="oday Lviv">oday Lviv, Ukraine * Bełz Voivodeship">Lviv">oday_Lviv,_Ukraine.html" ;"title="Lviv.html" ;"title="oday Lviv">oday Lviv, Ukraine">Lviv.html" ;"title="oday Lviv">oday Lviv, Ukraine * Bełz Voivodeship (, Bełz [Belz, Ukraine]) * Wołyń Voivodeship (1569–1795), Volhynian Voivodeship (''województwo wołyńskie'', Łuck [Lutsk, Ukraine]) * Podole Voivodeship (''województwo podolskie'', Kamieniec Podolski nowiki/>Kamianets-Podilskyi,_Ukraine.html" ;"title="Kamianets-Podilskyi.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Kamianets-Podilskyi">nowiki/>Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine">Kamianets-Podilskyi.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Kamianets-Podilskyi">nowiki/>Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine * Bracław Voivodeship (''województwo bracławskie'', Bracław [Bratslav, Ukraine]) * Kijów Voivodeship (''województwo kijowskie'', Kijów [Kyiv, Ukraine, or Kiev]) * Czernihów Voivodeship (''województwo czernichowskie'', Czernihów nowiki/>Chernihiv,_Ukraine.html" ;"title="Chernihiv.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Chernihiv">nowiki/>Chernihiv, Ukraine">Chernihiv.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Chernihiv">nowiki/>Chernihiv, Ukraine


Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Voivodeships of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were based on the administrative structure that existed in the Duchy prior to the Commonwealth's formation, from at least the early-15th century. They were: * Wilno Voivodship (''województwo wileńskie'', Wilno nowiki/>Vilnius,_Lithuania.html" ;"title="Vilnius.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Vilnius">nowiki/>Vilnius, Lithuania">Vilnius.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Vilnius">nowiki/>Vilnius, Lithuania1413 * Troki Voivodship (, Troki [Trakai, Lithuania]) * Nowogródek Voivodeship (1507–1795), Nowogrodek Voivodship (''województwo nowogrodzkie'', Nowogródek [Novogrudok, Belarus]) * Brest-Litovsk Voivodship (''województwo brzesko-litewskie'', Brześć Litewski Brest.html" ;"title="nowiki/> Brest">nowiki/> Brest, Belarus * Minsk Voivodship (''województwo mińskie'', Mińsk nowiki/>Minsk,_Belarus *_Mscislaw_Voivodship.html" ;"title="Minsk,_Belarus.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Minsk, Belarus">nowiki/>Minsk, Belarus * Mscislaw Voivodship">Minsk,_Belarus.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Minsk, Belarus">nowiki/>Minsk, Belarus * Mscislaw Voivodship (''województwo mścisławskie'', Mścisław [Mstsislaw, Belarus]) * Smolensk Voivodship (''województwo smoleńskie'', Smoleńsk [Smolensk, Russia]) * Vitebsk Voivodship (''województwo witebskie'', Witebsk [Vitebsk, Belarus]) * Polock Voivodship (''województwo połockie'', Połock nowiki/>Polotsk,_Belarus.html"_;"title="Polotsk.html"_;"title="nowiki/>Polotsk">nowiki/>Polotsk,_Belarus">Polotsk.html"_;"title="nowiki/>Polotsk">nowiki/>Polotsk,_Belarus *_Eldership_of_Samogitia.html" ;"title="olotsk">nowiki/>Polotsk,_Belarus.html" ;"title="Polotsk.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Polotsk">nowiki/>Polotsk, Belarus">Polotsk.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Polotsk">nowiki/>Polotsk, Belarus * Eldership of Samogitia">Duchy of Samogita (''księstwo żmudzkie'', Miedniki-Wornie [Varniai, Lithuania])


Duchy of Livonia

While the Duchy of Livonia was part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, approximately 1569–1772, in various periods it comprised the following voivodeships in varying combinations: * Wenden Voivodship (''województwo wendeńskie'', Wenden nowiki/>Cēsis,_Latvia.html" ;"title="Cēsis.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Cēsis">nowiki/>Cēsis, Latvia">Cēsis.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Cēsis">nowiki/>Cēsis, Latvia from 1598 until the 1620s * Dorpat Voivodship (''województwo dorpackie'', Dorpat [Tartu, Estonia]) from 1598 until the 1620s * Parnawa Voivodship (''województwo parnawskie'', Parnava [Pärnu, Estonia]) from 1598 until the 1620s * Inflanty Voivodeship (''województwo inflanckie'' Dyneburg nowiki/>Daugavpils,_Latvia.html" ;"title="Daugavpils.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Daugavpils">nowiki/>Daugavpils, Latvia">Daugavpils.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Daugavpils">nowiki/>Daugavpils, Latvia from the 1620s * Duchy of Courland and Semigalia (''księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii''), Mitawa [Jelgava, Latvia])


Congress Poland

From 1816 to 1837 there were 8 voivodeships in Congress Poland. * Augustów Voivodeship * Kalisz Voivodeship (1816–1837), Kalisz Voivodeship * Kraków Voivodeship * Lublin Voivodeship * Mazowsze Voivodeship *
Płock Voivodeship Płock (pronounced ) is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by GUS on 31 December 2021, there were 116,962 inhabitants in the city. Its full ceremonial name, according to ...
* Podlaskie Voivodeship *
Sandomierz Voivodeship Sandomierz Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo Sandomierskie, la, Palatinatus Sandomirensis) was a unit of administration and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of the Lesser Polan ...


Second Polish Republic

The administrative division of Poland in the interwar period included 16 voivodeships and Warsaw (with voivodeship rights). The voivodeships that remained in Poland after World War II as a result of
Polish–Soviet border agreement of August 1945 The Border Agreement between Poland and the USSR of 16 August 1945 established the borders between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the Republic of Poland. It was signed by the Provisional Government of National Unity (Tymczas ...
were very similar to the current voivodeships. Collapsed list of car plates since 1937, please use table-sort buttons.


Polish People's Republic

After World War II, the new administrative division of the country within the new national borders was based on the prewar one and included 14 (+2) voivodeships, then 17 (+5). The voivodeships in the east that had not been annexed by the Soviet Union had their borders left almost unchanged. The newly acquired territories in the west and north were organized into the new voivodeships of Szczecin,
Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...
and
Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini'' * Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...
, and partly joined to
Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
,
Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popu ...
and
Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
voivodeships. Two cities were granted voivodeship status:
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
and
Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of ca ...
. In 1950, new voivodeships were created: Koszalin (previously part of Szczecin),
Opole Opole (; german: Oppeln ; szl, Ôpole) ; * Silesian: ** Silesian PLS alphabet: ''Ôpole'' ** Steuer's Silesian alphabet: ''Uopole'' * Silesian German: ''Uppeln'' * Czech: ''Opolí'' * Latin: ''Oppelia'', ''Oppolia'', ''Opulia'' is a city l ...
(previously part of
Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popu ...
), and
Zielona Góra Zielona Góra is the largest city in Lubusz Voivodeship, located in western Poland, with 140,403 inhabitants (2021). Zielona Góra has a favourable geographical position, being close to the Polish-German border and on several international road ...
(previously part of
Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
,
Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...
and Szczecin voivodeships). In 1957, three more cities were granted voivodeship status:
Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, r ...
,
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
and
Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
. Collapsed list of car plates since 1956 – please use table-sort buttons Poland's voivodeships 1975–1998 Administrative division of Poland between 1979 and 1998 included 49 voivodeships upheld after the establishment of the
Third Polish Republic Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hi ...
in 1989 for another decade. This reorganization of administrative division of Poland was mainly a result of local government reform acts of 1973–1975. In place of the three-level administrative division (voivodeship, county, commune), a new two-level administrative division was introduced (49 small voivodeships, and communes). The three smallest voivodeships—
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...
,
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
and
Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of ca ...
—had the special status of municipal voivodeship; the city president (mayor) was also provincial governor. Collapsed list of Voivodeships: 1975–1998, please use table-sort buttons.


See also

* Armorial of Poland * Flags of Polish voivodeships * ISO 3166-2:PL * List of Polish voivodeships by GRP * , provinces in Poland * Polish historical regions


Notes


References

* "Poland", ''
Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
'', 15th edition, 2010, '' Macropaedia'', volume 25, p. 937. * "Poland", '' The Columbia Encyclopedia'', sixth edition, edited by Paul Lagassé,
Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fie ...
, 2000, p. 2256. * "Poland", '' The Encyclopedia Americana'', 1986, volume 22, p. 312. * "Poland," in
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
, '' The CIA World Factbook 2010'', New York, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2009, , p. 546. * "Voivodeship," ''
The Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...
'', second edition, volume XIX, Oxford,
Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 1989, p. 739.


External links


Map of Polish Regions

Administrative division of Poland (from Commission on Standardization of Geographical Names Outside Poland website, in English)

Official map by Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography



Toponymic Guidelines Of Poland for Map Editors and Other Users
Head Office Of Geodesy And Cartography, 2002
Administrative divisions"">''CIA World Factbook'' --> "Poland --> Administrative divisions"
{{Authority control Poland 1 Provinces, Poland Lists of subdivisions of Poland