Osiedle (Polish plural: ''osiedla'', from
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
''Ansiedlung'' meaning ''settlement'') is a term used in
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 ...
to denote a designated subdivision or
neighbourhood
A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural a ...
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
Legal capacity is a quality denoting either the legal aptitude of a person to have rights and liabilities (in this sense also called transaction capacity), or altogether the personhood itself in regard to an entity other than a natural pers ...
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
A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country.
Popular throughout the United States ...
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
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