A voivodeship ( ; ; plural: ) is the highest-level

administrative division Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, corresponding to a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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 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 ...

adopted in 1998, which went into effect on 1 January 1999, reduced the number of voivodeships to sixteen. These 16 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 Opole Voivodeship ( , , ), is the smallest and least populated voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) of Poland. The province's name derives from that of the region's capital and largest city, Opole. It is part of Silesia. A relatively lar ...

) to over (

Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship or Mazowieckie Province (, ) and any variation thereof, is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, containing Poland's capital Warsaw. Masovian Voivodeship has an area of and had a 2019 po ...

), 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 voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...

(), an elected assembly called a , and an

executive board A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

() chosen by that assembly, headed by a

voivodeship marshal A voivodeship marshal (, ) is the head of the provincial-level government for each of the sixteen voivodeships of Poland. Elected by councillors from the provincial assembly, the marshal is the head of the collective voivodeship executive board, ...

(). Voivodeships are further divided into ('counties') and ('communes' or 'municipalities'), the smallest

administrative divisions of Poland The administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. The territory of Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, ''voivodeships'' (provinces); these are further divided into ''powiats'' (counties or ...

Etymology and use

Some English-language sources, in historical contexts, speak of " palatinates" rather than "voivodeships". The term " palatinate" 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 spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, which traces back to ''palatium'' ("palace"). More commonly used now is ''province'' or ''voivodeship''. The latter is a

loanword A loanword (also a loan word, loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language (the recipient or target language), through the process of borrowing. Borrowing is a metaphorical term t ...

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 historical grounds: before the third, last Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, in 1795, each of the main constituent ''regions'' of the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

—

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

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 ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, and

Royal Prussia Royal Prussia (; or , ) or Polish PrussiaAnton Friedrich Büsching, Patrick Murdoch. ''A New System of Geography'', London 1762p. 588/ref> (Polish: ; German: ) became a province of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, which was annexed follow ...

—was sometimes idiosyncratically referred to as a "province" (). According to the argument, such a ''prowincja'' (for example, Greater Poland) cannot consist of a number of subdivisions ("", the plural of "") that are likewise called "provinces". This, however, is an antiquarian consideration, as the word "province" has not been used in Poland in this sense of a ''region'' for over two centuries; and those former larger political units, all now obsolete, can now be referred to in English as what they actually were: "regions". The Polish , designating a second-tier Polish or Polish–Lithuanian administrative unit, derives from , (etymologically, a '

warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...

', 'war leader' or 'leader of warriors', but now simply the

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

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 and adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can ca ...

(a "state or condition"). The English ''voivodeship'', which is a hybrid of the

''voivode'' and ''-ship'' (the latter a

that

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 principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'', 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.

Current

Poland administrative division 1999 literki

Administrative powers

Competences and powers at voivodeship level are shared between the

(governor), the

sejmik A sejmik (, diminutive of ''sejm'', occasionally translated as a ''dietine''; ) was one of various local parliaments in the history of Poland and history of Lithuania. The first sejmiks were regional assemblies in the Kingdom of Poland (before ...

(regional assembly) and the

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

. In most cases these institutions are all based in one city, but in Kuyavian-Pomeranian and

Lubusz Voivodeship Lubusz Voivodeship ( ) is a voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in western Poland with a population of 972,140. Its regional capitals are Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra. The region is characterized by a landscape of forests, lake ...

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 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

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 whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

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), 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 authority. The higher authority, generally a legislature or some othe ...

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 dir ...

'' (), 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 Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

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

at various points over the period from the mid-16th century until the late 18th century: *

Poznań Voivodeship Poznań Voivodeship was the name of several former administrative regions (''województwo'', rendered as ''voivodeship'' and usually translated as "province") in Poland, centered on the city of Poznań, although the exact boundaries changed over t ...

(''województwo poznańskie'',

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

) * Kalisz Voivodeship (''województwo kaliskie'',

Kalisz Kalisz () is a city in central Poland, and the second-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, with 97,905 residents (December 2021). It is the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of Gr ...

) * Gniezno Voivodeship (''województwo gnieźnieńskie'',

Gniezno Gniezno (; ; ) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The city is the administrative seat of Gniezno County (''powiat'') ...

) 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 Voivodesh ...

(''województwo sieradzkie'',

Sieradz Sieradz (,) is a city on the Warta river in central Poland with 40,891 inhabitants (2021). It is the seat of the Sieradz County, situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. Sieradz is a capital of the historical Sieradz Land. Sieradz is one of the olde ...

) *

Łęczyca Voivodeship Łęczyca Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from the 14th century until the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of Greater Poland Province, and its capital was in Łęczyca. The voivod ...

(''województwo łęczyckie'',

Łęczyca Łęczyca (; in full the Royal Town of Łęczyca, ; ; ) is a town of inhabitants in central Poland. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the Łęczyca County. Łęczyca is a capital of the historical Łęczyca Land. Or ...

) *

Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship The Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship (, ) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland (later Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth), from the 14th century to the Second Partition of Poland in 1793. It was part of th ...

(''województwo brzesko-kujawskie'',

Brześć Kujawski Brześć Kujawski (Polish pronunciation: ; ) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in central Poland. Once a royal seat of Kuyavia, the town has been the seat of one of two small duchy, duchies into which Kuyavia had been temporarily di ...

) *

Inowrocław Voivodeship Inowrocław Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the First Partition of Poland in 1772. Together with the neighbouring Brześć Kujawski Voivodeship it was part of the Kuyavia ...

(''województwo inowrocławskie'',

Inowrocław Inowrocław (; , ) is a city in central Poland with a total population of 68,101 (as of December 2022). It is situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is one of the largest and most historically significant cities within the historic re ...

) *

Chełmno Voivodeship The Chełmno Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland since 1454/1466 until the Partitions of Poland in 1772/1793. Its capital was at Chełmno. Together wi ...

(''województwo chełmińskie'',

Chełmno Chełmno (; older ; , formerly also ) is a town in northern Poland near the Vistula river with 18,915 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the seat of the Chełmno County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Due to its regional importance ...

) * Malbork Voivodeship (''województwo malborskie'',

Malbork Malbork (German: ''Marienburg'') is a town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is the seat of Malbork County and has a population of 36,709 people as of 2024. The town is located on the Nogat river, in the historical region of Pomerelia. Fo ...

) *

Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship ( ; ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. The voivodeship was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former voivodeships of Gdańsk Voivo ...

(''województwo pomorskie'',

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

) * Duchy of Warmia (''Księstwo Warmińskie'',

Lidzbark Warmiński Lidzbark Warmiński (; , ), often shortened to Lidzbark, is a historical town located within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the capital of Lidzbark County. Lidzbark Warmiński was once the capital of Warmia and fo ...

) *

Duchy of Prussia The Duchy of Prussia (, , ) or Ducal Prussia (; ) was a duchy in the region of Prussia established as a result of secularization of the Monastic Prussia, the territory that remained under the control of the State of the Teutonic Order until t ...

(''Księstwo Pruskie'', Królewiec) *

Płock Voivodeship Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

(''województwo płockie'',

Płock Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

) *

Rawa Voivodeship Rawa Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland since 15th century until the partitions of Poland in 1795. It was part of the Greater Poland Province. Together with the Plock and Masovian V ...

(''województwo rawskie'',

Rawa Mazowiecka Rawa Mazowiecka is a town in central Poland, with 16,090 inhabitants (2022). It lies in the Łódź Voivodeship and is the capital of the Rawa County. From 1562 the city hosted the ''Rawa Treasury'' for the Military of the Polish–Lithuanian Com ...

) *

(''województwo mazowieckie'',

Warszawa Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at 1.86 million residents within a greate ...

)

Lesser Poland (''Małopolska'')

The following is a list of the Voivodeships within

over the period of the mid-16th century until the late 18th century: * Kraków Voivodeship (''województwo krakowskie'',

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

) *

Sandomierz Voivodeship Sandomierz Voivodeship (, ) 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 Poland region and the Lesser Poland Province. Originally Sandomier ...

(''województwo sandomierskie'',

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; , ) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (), situated on the Vistula River near its confluence with the San, in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy ...

) *

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 ...

(''województwo lubelskie'',

Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...

) *

Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship in northeastern Poland. The name of the voivodeship refers to the historical region of Podlachia (in Polish, ''Podlasie''), and significant part of its territory corresponds to th ...

(''województwo podlaskie'',

Drohiczyn Drohiczyn () (, ) is a town in Siemiatycze County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. The town has a population of 2,110 and is situated on the bank of the Bug River. Drohiczyn has a long and rich history, as in the past it was one of the most impo ...

) *

Ruthenian Voivodeship The Ruthenian Voivodeship (; ; ) was a voivodeship of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1434 until the First Partition of Poland in 1772, with its center in the city of Lwów (lat. Leopolis) (modern day Lviv). Together with a number of ot ...

(''województwo ruskie'', Lwów 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">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">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">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">Minsk<_a>,_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">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">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 The Inflanty Voivodeship (), or Livonian Voivodeship (), also known as Polish Livonia, was an administrative division and local government in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, since it was formed in the 1620s out of the Wenden Voivodeship and ...

(''województwo inflanckie'' Dyneburg 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 *

* Mazowsze Voivodeship *

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 People's Republic of Poland, Republic of Poland. It was signed by the Provisional Governme ...

were very similar to the current voivodeships. Collapsed list of car registration plates from 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 Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

and

Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ) is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with powiat rights, city with county rights. The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents Olsz ...

, and partly joined to

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

and

voivodeships. Two cities were granted voivodeship status:

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

and

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

. In 1950, new voivodeships were created:

Koszalin Koszalin (; ; , ) is a city in northwestern Poland, in Western Pomerania. It is located south of the Baltic Sea coast, and intersected by the river Dzierżęcinka. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomera ...

(previously part of

Opole Opole (; ; ; ) is a city located in southern Poland on the Oder River and the historical capital of Upper Silesia. With a population of approximately 127,387 as of the 2021 census, it is the capital of Opole Voivodeship (province) and the seat of ...

(previously part of

), and

Zielona Góra Zielona Góra (; ''Green Mountain''; ) is the largest city in Lubusz Voivodeship, located in western Poland, with 140,403 inhabitants (). The region is closely associated with vineyards and holds an annual Zielona Góra Wine Fest, Wine Fest. Zie ...

(previously part of

and

voivodeships). In 1957, three more cities were granted voivodeship status:

and

. Collapsed list of car registration plates from 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'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

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—

and

—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.

Notes

References

* "Poland", ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

'', 15th edition, 2010, '' Macropaedia'', volume 25, p. 937. * "Poland", ''

The Columbia Encyclopedia The ''Columbia Encyclopedia'' is a one-volume encyclopedia produced by Columbia University Press and, in the last edition, sold by the Gale Group. First published in 1935, and continuing its relationship with Columbia University Columb ...

'', sixth edition, edited by Paul Lagassé,

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's la ...

, 2000, p. 2256. * "Poland", ''

The Encyclopedia Americana ''Encyclopedia Americana'' is a general encyclopedia written in American English. It was the first general encyclopedia of any magnitude to be published in North America. With '' Collier's Encyclopedia'' and ''Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclo ...

'', 1986, volume 22, p. 312. * "Poland", in

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

, '' 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 principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editi ...

'', second edition, volume XIX, Oxford,

Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press 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
''CIA World Factbook'' / Poland / Administrative divisions"
{{Authority control Poland 1 Provinces, Poland Lists of subdivisions of Poland

Etymology and use

Current

Administrative powers

List

Economies

Historical development

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Greater Poland (''Wielkopolska'')

Lesser Poland (''Małopolska'')

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Duchy of Livonia

Congress Poland

Second Polish Republic

Polish People's Republic

See also

Notes

References

External links