The Warsaw Voivodeship was a

voivodeship A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in ...

(province) of the

Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...

, with capital in

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 ...

, that was located in

Masovia Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...

. It was established on 22 August 1944,
Ustawa z dnia 28 maja 1975 r. o dwustopniowym podziale administracyjnym Państwa oraz o zmianie ustawy o radach narodowych.
' and until 28 June 1945, it remained under the administration of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland,Paweł Wieczorkiewicz: ''Historia polityczna Polski 1935–1945'', Warsaw: Książka i Wiedza publishing house, 2005. ISBN 83-05-13441-5, p. 459). which then was replaced by the

Provisional Government of National Unity The Provisional Government of National Unity (, TRJN) was a puppet government formed by the decree of the State National Council (, KRN) on 28 June 1945 as a result of reshuffling the Soviet-backed Provisional Government of the Republic of Pola ...

.Aleksander Gella: ''Zagłada Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej 1945–1947'', Warsaw, 1998. On, 19 February 1947, the provisional government was replaced by the

.Andrzej Ajnenkiel: ''Polskie konstytucje''. Warsaw: Wiedza Powszechna. 1983. ISBN 83-214-0256-9. It existed until 31 May 1975, when it was partitioned into the voivodeships of

Biała Podlaska Biała Podlaska (; ) is a city in the Lublin Voivodeship in eastern Poland with 56,498 inhabitants It is the capital of Biała Podlaska County, although the city is not part of the county (it constitutes a separate city county). The city lies on ...

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...

, Ciechanów,

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 ...

Łomża Łomża () is a city in north-eastern Poland, approximately to the north-east of Warsaw and west of Białystok. It is situated alongside the Narew river as part of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Łomża County and has been the se ...

Ostrołęka Ostrołęka (; ) is a small city in northeastern Poland on the Narew river, about northeast of Warsaw, with a population of 51,012 (2021) and an area of . It is the capital of both Ostrołęka County and Ostrołęka City County in the Masovian V ...

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 ...

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...

Siedlce Siedlce () ( ) is a city in the Masovian Voivodeship in eastern Poland with 77,354 inhabitants (). The city is situated between two small rivers, the Muchawka and the Helenka, and lies along the European route E30, around east of Warsaw. It is ...

, Skierniewice, and Warsaw Capital.
Ustawa z dnia 28 maja 1975 r. o dwustopniowym podziale administracyjnym Państwa oraz o zmianie ustawy o radach narodowych.
'

History

The Warsaw Voivodeship was established on 22 August 1944, by the Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland, within the borders of the Warsaw Voivodeship of 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 ...

, that existed from 1919 to 1939. It replaced the subdivisions of the

General Government The General Government (, ; ; ), formally the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (), was a German zone of occupation established after the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Slovak Republic (1939–1945), Slovakia and the Soviet ...

. Its capital was located in the city of

, which itself, functioned as the separate city voivodeship. On 28 June 1945 the Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland had been replaced by the

, and on the 19 February 1947, the provisional government was replaced by the

. On 18 August 1945, the

Łomża County __NOTOC__ Łomża County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Podlaskie Voivodeship, north-eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 19 ...

, was ceded to the Białystok Voivodeship. In 1946 it had a population of 2 114 415 people,
Powszechny Sumaryczny Spis Ludności z dn. 14 II 1946 r.
', Warsaw: Central Statistical Office, 1947, p. 13 (p. 29 of the PDF document). and in 1947, it had an area of 28 999 km². On 12 March 1948, the Błonie County was replaced by the

Grodzisk Mazowiecki County __NOTOC__ Grodzisk County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 199 ...

. On 1 January 1949, the city of

, and the Siedlce County, were incorporated into the voivodeship, from the

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 ...

. On 1 July 1952, the Warsaw County, was partitioned into the counties of Piaseczno,

Pruszków Pruszków is a city in east-central Poland, capital of Pruszków County in the Masovian Voivodeship. Pruszków is located along the western edge of the Warsaw metropolitan area. Pruszków is the largest city in the Warsaw metropolitan area outs ...

, Nowy Dwór, and the Otwock Urban-Spa County. The Radzymin County was replaced by the

Wołomin County __FORCETOC__ Wołomin County () is a territorial and administrative division in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. The administrative ...

. On 1 January 1956 were created the counties of

Łosice Łosice (; ''Loshitz'', ''Lositze'') is a town in eastern Poland, seat of the Łosice County and Gmina Łosice (commune) in the Masovian Voivodeship. History Łosice was first mentioned in 1264, as a medieval settlement from around the 11th– ...

Ryki Ryki is a town in the Lublin Voivodeship in eastern Poland, capital of Ryki County. It has 9,767 inhabitants (as of 2007). It is situated between Warsaw and Lublin. Ryki belongs to Lesser Poland, and historically is part of ''Ziemia Stężycka' ...

, Wyszków, and

Żuromin Żuromin is a town in north-central Poland, in Masovian Voivodeship, about northwest of Warsaw. It is the capital of Żuromin County. History Żuromin was founded within medieval Piast dynasty, Piast-ruled Kingdom of Poland, Poland. It was ment ...

. In 1956, it had an area of 29 421 km². On 1 January 1958, the Otwock Urban-Spa County had been partitioned into the city county of

Otwock Otwock (Yiddish: אָטוואָצק) is a city in the Masovian Voivodeship in east-central Poland, some south-east of Warsaw, with 43,895 inhabitants (2024). Otwock is part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. It is situated on the right bank of the ...

and the Otwock County. In 1970, it had an area of 29 410 km², and in 1974, it had a population of 2 558 000 people.''

Encyklopedia powszechna PWN An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

'', vol. 3, Warsaw: Polish Scientific Publishers PWN, 1975, p. 577. The voivodeship existed until 31 May 1975, when it was partitioned into the voivodeships of

, Ciechanów,

, Skierniewice, and Warsaw Capital.

Subdivisions

The voivodeship was divided into

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

. Over the years, those were: * Błonie County (seat:

Grodzisk Mazowiecki Grodzisk Mazowiecki () is a town in central Poland, the capital of Grodzisk Mazowiecki County in the Masovian Voivodeship, with 34,718 inhabitants (2024). Grodzisk Mazowiecki is a town that developed from an Early Middle Ages, early medieval forti ...

; 1944–1948); *

Ciechanów County Ciechanów County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its a ...

(seat: Ciechanów); * Działdowo County (seat: Działdowo); *

Garwolin County __NOTOC__ Garwolin County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 199 ...

(seat:

Garwolin Garwolin is a town on the Wilga (Garwolin), Wilga river in eastern Poland, capital of Garwolin County, situated in the southeast part of the Garwolin plateau in Masovian Voivodeship, southeast of Warsaw, northwest of Lublin. As of December 2021, ...

); *

(seat:

; 1948–1975); * Gostynin County (seat: Gostynin); * Grójec County (seat: Grójec); *

Łosice County __NOTOC__ Łosice County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998 ...

(seat:

; 1956–1975); *

(seat:

; 1944–1945); *

Maków County __NOTOC__ Maków County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998 ...

(seat:

Maków Mazowiecki Maków Mazowiecki () is a town in Poland, in the Masovian Voivodship. It is the powiat capital of Maków County (or Powiat of Maków). Its population is 10,850. History The town obtained its town charter in 1421. It was a Polish royal town, ad ...

); *

Mińsk County __NOTOC__ Mińsk County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It was (re)created on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 19 ...

(seat:

Mińsk Mazowiecki Mińsk Mazowiecki (, ) is a town in eastern Poland with 40,999 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship and is a part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. It is the capital of Mińsk County. Located 20 kilometers from the city li ...

); * Mława County (seat: Mława); * Nowy Dwór County (seat:

Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki (pronounced ), often simply referred to as Nowy Dwór, is a town in east-central Poland in the Masovian Voivodeship with ca. 28500 inhabitants (2021). It is the capital of Nowy Dwór County, Masovian Voivodeship, Nowy Dwór ...

; 1952–1975); *

Ostrołęka County __NOTOC__ Ostrołęka County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in ...

(seat:

); * Ostrów County (seat: Ostrów Mazowiecka); *

( city county; 1958–1975); * Otwock County (seat:

; 1958–1975); * Otwock Urban-Spa County (seat:

; 1952–1958); *

( city county); *

Płock County __NOTOC__ Płock County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. ...

(seat:

) *

Płońsk County Płońsk County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship in east-central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its ad ...

(seat:

Płońsk Płońsk (; ) is a town in central Poland with 21,591 inhabitants (2022). Situated at the Płonka river in the historic region of Mazovia, it is the seat of Płońsk County in the Masovian Voivodeship. History According to archaeological researc ...

) *

Piaseczno County __NOTOC__ Piaseczno County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 19 ...

(seat: Piaseczno; 1952–1975); *

( city county); *

Pruszków County __NOTOC__ Pruszków County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in ...

(seat:

; 1952–1975); *

Przasnysz County __NOTOC__ Przasnysz County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 199 ...

(seat:

Przasnysz Przasnysz () is a town in north-central Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodship, about north of Warsaw and about south of Olsztyn, it is the capital of Przasnysz County. It has 18,093 inhabitants (2004). It was one of the most important towns ...

) *

Pułtusk County __NOTOC__ Pułtusk County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on 1 January 1999 as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998 ...

(seat:

Pułtusk Pułtusk () is a town in Poland, by the river Narew. Located north of Warsaw in the Masovian Voivodeship, it has a population of 19,224 as of 2023. Known for its historic architecture and Europe's longest paved marketplace ( in length), it is a po ...

) * Radzymin County (seat:

Radzymin Radzymin is a town in Poland and is one of the distant suburbs of the city of Warsaw. It is located in the powiat of Wołomin of the Masovian Voivodeship. The town has 8,818 inhabitants (as of 2008, but the surrounding commune is heavily populate ...

; 1944–1952); * Ryki County (seat:

; 1956–1975); *

( city county; 1949–1975); * Siedlce County (seat:

; 1949–1975); * Sierpc County (seat: Sierpc); *

Sochaczew County __NOTOC__ Sochaczew County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1 ...

(seat:

Sochaczew Sochaczew () is a town in central Poland, with 33,456 inhabitants (as of 2023). In the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999), formerly in Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Sochaczew County and is located approximately west ...

); * Sokołów County (seat:

Sokołów Podlaski Sokołów Podlaski is a town in Poland, in Masovian Voivodeship, about east of Warsaw. The town lies on the Cetynia river, in the historical region of Podlachia and is the capital of Sokołów County. The first settlement was in the 6th century a ...

); * Warsaw County (seat:

; 1944–1952); *

Węgrów County __NOTOC__ Węgrów County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 199 ...

(seat:

Węgrów Węgrów (; ) is a town in eastern Poland with 12,796 inhabitants (2013), capital of Węgrów County in the Masovian Voivodeship. History First mentioned in historical records in 1414, Węgrów received its city charter in 1441. Between 16th ...

); *

(seat: Wołomin); 1956–1975); *

Wyszków County __NOTOC__ Wyszków County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It originally existed from 1956 until the abolition of the powiats in 1975, but was re-created on Janua ...

(seat: Wyszków; 1952–1975); *

Żuromin County __NOTOC__ Żuromin County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 199 ...

(seat:

; 1956–1975); *

Żyrardów Żyrardów is a town and former industrial hub in central Poland with approximately 41,400 inhabitants (2006). It is the capital of Żyrardów County in the Masovian Voivodeship, west of Warsaw. Etymology Żyrardów, initially a textile settleme ...

( city county);

Demographics

Leaders

From 1944 to 1950, the leader of the voivodeship was the

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 ...

. In 1950, the office of the voivode, together with several others, had been disestablished. As such, from 1950, to 1973, the leader was the chairperson of the Voivodeship National Council.
Ustawa z dnia 20 marca 1950 r. o terenowych organach jednolitej władzy państwowej.
' The office of the voivode was reestablished in 1973, however it remained vacant until the disestablishment of the voivodeship in 1975.
Ustawa z dnia 22 listopada 1973 r. o zmianie ustawy o radach narodowych.
' The people in the office of the voivode, from 1944 to 1950 were: * November 1944 – 25 February 1945: Stanisław Mazur; * 25 February 1945 – 10 May 1945: Juliusz Goryński; * 10 May 1945 – 10 August 1945: Michał Gwiazdowicz; * 10 August 1945 – 15 December 1945: Stanisław Zrałek; * 15 December 1945 – 27 March 1947: Wilhelm Garncarczyk; * 27 March 1947 – 12 April 1947: Roman Rot; * 12 April 1947 – 17 January 1948: Lucjusz Dura; * 17 January 1948 – 5 February 1948: Roman Rot; * 5 February 1947 – 27 November 1948: Henryk Kołodziejczyk; * 27 November 1948 – February 1950 Lucjusz Dura. The people in the office of the chairperson of the Voivodeship National Council, from 1950 to 1973, were: * 25 May 1950 – 29 December 1952: Mieczysław Lipert; * 29 December 1952 – 20 December 1954: Grzegorz Wojciechowski; * 20 December 1954 – 11.11.1956

Mieczysław Moczar Mieczysław Moczar (; birth name Mikołaj Diomko, pseudonym ''Mietek'', 23 December 1913 – 1 November 1986) was a Polish communist politician who played a prominent role in the history of the Polish People's Republic The Polish People's R ...

; * 11 November 1956 – 11 February 1958: Tadeusz Krupiński; * 11 February 1958 – 22 March 1965: Antoni Mierzwiński; * 22 March 1965 – 3 December 1971: Józef Pińkowski; * 3 December 1971 – 12 December 1973: Zbigniew Zieliński.

Citations

Notes

References

Political history of Warsaw History of Mazovia Former voivodeships of Poland (1945–1975) States and territories established in 1944 States and territories disestablished in 1975 1944 establishments in Poland 1975 disestablishments in Poland {{DEFAULTSORT:Warsaw Voivodeship (1944-1975)