Kielce Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

during the years 1921–1939. At the time, it covered the northern counties of the historic province of

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...

, including the cities of Radom,

Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship. However, Częstochowa is historically part of Lesser Poland, not Si ...

and Sosnowiec. On 1 April 1938, its borders changed (see: Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on 1 April 1938). Its capital city was

Kielce Kielce (; ) is a city in south-central Poland and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the banks of the Silnic ...

Location and area

In early 1939, the Voivodeship's area was 22 204 square kilometers. It was located in central Poland, bordering Germany and Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship to the west,

Łódź Voivodeship Łódź Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province is named after its capital and largest city, Łódź, pronounced . Łódź Voivodeship is bordered by six other voivodeships: Masovian Voivodeship ...

and Warsaw Voivodeship to the north,

Lublin Voivodeship Lublin Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland, located in the southeastern part of the country, with its capital being the city of Lublin. The region is named after its largest city and regional capital, Lu ...

and Lwów Voivodeship to the east and Kraków Voivodeship to the south. Landscape was flat in the northern part and hilly in mid and south, with the Świętokrzyskie Mountains located in the heart of the area. Forests covered 21.2%, with the national average 22.2% (as for January 1, 1937).

Population

According to the 1931 Polish census, the population was 2,935,697. Poles made 88.9% of population,

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

- 10.7%. The latter preferred to live in the cities and towns - in 1931 Jews made 28.7% of Voivodeship's cities inhabitants. Illiterate (in 1931) was 25.7%, higher than the national average of 23.1%.

Industry

Kielce Voivodeship was very divided in industrial terms. Its western part, with such cities as Częstochowa, Sosnowiec or Będzin was highly industrialized and urbanized, with numerous coalmines. Also Radom, located in the north, was a big industrial center, together with newly built or newly industrialized nearby towns Pionki and Starachowice. Eastern part, on the other hand, was backward, with little industry and underdeveloped agriculture. In mid-1930s Polish government started a huge public works program, called Centralny Okreg Przemyslowy, which was a great boost to overpopulated and poor central and eastern counties.

Cities and administrative divisions

Between April 1, 1938, and September 1, 1939, it consisted of 18 powiats (counties). These were: * Będzin county (area 459 km², pop. 231 300), *

county (area 1 855 km², pop. 182 600), * city of Częstochowa county (powiat czestochowski grodzki), (area 48 km², pop. 117 200), *

Iłża Iłża () is a small town in Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. In 2006 Iłża had approximately 5,165 inhabitants. The town belongs to the historical region of Lesser Poland, and from its foundation until 1795, it was part of Lesser Poland’s Sandomie ...

county (area 1 835 km², pop. 162 400), * Jędrzejów county (area 1 277 km², pop. 108 800), *

county (area 2 052 km², pop. 244 100), * Kozienice county (area 1 857 km², pop. 143 100), * Miechów county (area 1 353 km², pop. 153 700), * Olkusz county (area 1 361 km², pop. 151 300), * Opatów county (area 1 639 km², pop. 186 500), *

Pińczów Pińczów is a town in southern Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about 40 km south of Kielce. It is the capital of Pińczów County. The population is 10,946 (2018). Pińczów belongs to the historical region of Lesser Poland (Polish: ...

county (area 1 148 km², pop. 126 000), * Radom county (area 2 095 km², pop. 166 900), * city of Radom county (powiat radomski grodzki) (area 25 km², pop. 77 900), * Sandomierz county (area 1 186 km², pop. 124 400), * city of Sosnowiec county (powiat sosnowiecki grodzki) (area 33 km², pop. 109 000), *

Stopnica Stopnica is a town in Busko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Stopnica. It lies in Lesser Poland, approximately east of Busko-Zdrój and south-east o ...

county (area 1 590 km², pop. 153 200), * Włoszczowa county (area 1 446 km², pop. 101 600), *

Zawiercie Zawiercie () () is a town in southern Poland located in the Silesian Voivodeship with 49,334 inhabitants (2019). It is situated in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland near the source of the Warta River. The town lies near the historical region of Sil ...

county (area 945 km², pop. 131 000). According to the 1931 census, biggest cities in Kielce Voivodeship were: * Częstochowa (pop. 117 200), * Sosnowiec (pop. 109 000), * Radom (pop. 77 900), * Kielce (pop. 58 200), * Będzin (pop. 47 600), * Dąbrowa Górnicza (pop. 36 900), * Zawiercie (pop. 32 900), * Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski (pop. 25 900).

Voivodes

* Stanisław Franciszek Pękosławski 19 November 1919 – 31 May 1923 * Adam Kroebl 1 July 1923 – 31 August 1923 (acting) * Mieczysław Bilski 1 September 1923 – 6 May 1924 * Ignacy Manteuffel 24 May 1924 – 17 August 1927 * Adam Kroebl 20 August 1927 – 20 October 1927 (acting) * Władysław Korsak 21 October 1927 – 28 February 1930 * Jerzy Paciorkowski 18 February 1930 – 15 May 193 * Stanisław Jarecki 17 May 1934 – 9 July 1934 (acting) * Władysław Dziadosz 9 July 1934 – September 1939

References