Administrative divisions of Poland
 |
| Administrative divisions of Poland |
|---|
|
Voivodeships Powiats(list) Gminas(list) |
Theadministrative division of Polandsince 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. The territory ofPolandis divided intovoivodeships(provinces); these are further divided intopowiats(counties or districts), and these in turn are divided intogminas(communes or municipalities). Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat. Poland currently has 16 voivodeships, 380 powiats (including 66 cities with powiat status), and 2,478 gminas.[1]
The current system was introduced pursuant to a series of acts passed by thePolish parliamentin 1998, and came into effect on 1 January 1999. Between 1975 and 1998 there had been 49 smaller "voivodeships" and no powiats (seesubdivisions of the Polish People's Republic). The reform created 16 larger voivodeships (largely based on and named after historical regions) and reintroduced powiats.
The boundaries of the voivodeships do not always reflect the historical borders of Polish regions. Around half of theSilesian Voivodeshipbelongs to the historical province ofLesser Poland.Similarly, the area aroundRadom,which historically is part of Lesser Poland, is located in theMasovian Voivodeship.Also, thePomeranian Voivodeshipincludes only the eastern extreme of historicalPomerania,as the western part is inGermanyand the eastern border has shifted again and again.
Voivodeships
[edit]Poland is currently divided into 16 provinces known asvoivodeships(Polish:województwa,singularwojewództwo). Legally they are called "I tier units" (jednostki I stopnia). Administrative authority at voivodeship level is shared between a central government-appointed governor, called thevoivode(usually a political appointee), an elected assembly called thesejmik,and anexecutive board(zarząd województwa) chosen by that assembly. The leader of that executive is called themarszałek.
|
Powiats
[edit]Each voivodeship is divided into a number of smaller entities known aspowiats(counties), which are legally "II tier units" (jednostki II stopnia). The number of powiats per voivodeship ranges from 12 (Opole Voivodeship) to 42 (Masovian Voivodeship). They include two types of administrative divisions:
- 314 powiats proper (known asland counties,Polishpowiaty ziemskie). Land counties have an elected council (rada powiatu), which elects an executive board (zarząd powiatu) headed by thestarosta.
- 66 cities with powiat status (city counties,Polishpowiaty grodzkieor more formallymiasta na prawach powiatu). In city counties the functions of these institutions are performed by the city's own council (rada miejska,rada miasta) and directly elected mayor (prezydent). The administration of such a city functions both as a powiat and a municipality.
Gminas
[edit]The "III tier units" (jednostki III stopnia) are 2477gminas(also called commune ormunicipality). A powiat is typically divided into a number of gminas (between 3 and 19), although the city counties constitute single gminas. A gmina has an elected council as well as a directly electedmayor(known asprezydentin large towns,burmistrzin most urban and urban-rural gminas, andwójtin rural gminas). A gmina may be classed as:
- 302 urban municipalities (gmina miejska,consisting of a town (miasto)),
- 642 urban-rural municipalities (gmina miejsko-wiejska,consisting of a town (miasto) together with its surrounding villages (wieś) and the surrounding countryside),
- 1533 village or rural municipalities (gmina wiejska,not containing a town). 158 of them are called related or connected municipalities (gmina obwarzankowa). In this case the rural municipality does not contain a town, but its administration itself is located in a city or a town outside of its territory. 14 of these gminas have their administration located in a city with powiat status, the rest are in urban municipalities. The administrative category ofgmina obwarzankowawas introduced in 2013 to deal with the budgetary disparity in the cases, in which the majority of the inhabitants of a rural municipality work in and use the social services of a city or a town nearby, but due to their registered address their taxes are allocated to their rural municipality of residence. In essence thegmina obwarzankowais a rural territory closely connected to an urban territory and as such the two municipal administrations work in close administrative and budgetary coordination.[2]
Smaller units
[edit]Gminas are generally sub-divided into smaller units, calledosiedleordzielnicain towns, andsołectwoin rural areas. However, these units are of lesser importance and are subordinate in status to the gmina.
Historical subdivisions
[edit]Polish territory has been subject tosignificant changesover the course ofPolish history.Therefore, the modern Polish administrative division, while on some levels similar to some historical ones, is quite different from others. Historical Polish administrative divisions can be divided into the following periods:
- before 1569:Subdivisions of the Kingdom of Poland
- 1569–1795:Subdivisions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
- 1795–1807:Subdivisions of the Polish–Lithuanian territories following the partitions
- 1795–1919:Subdivisions of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
- 1807–1815:Subdivisions of the Duchy of Warsaw
- 1815–1914:Subdivisions of Congress Poland
- 1815–1848:Grand Duchy of Posen
- 1848–1919:Province of Posen
- 1922–1938:Posen-West Prussia
- 1918–1939:Subdivisions of the Second Polish Republic
- 1939–1945:Subdivisions of Polish territories during World War II
- 1945–1999:Subdivisions of the Polish People's Republic
- since 1999: see main article above
-
-
Map showing voivodeships of thePolish-Lithuanian Commonwealthof the Two Nations (1569–1795) -
Administrative division of Congress Poland, 1907 -
Polish voivodeships, 1922–1939. -
Polish voivodeships, 1975–1998 -
Map of Poland Division into voivodeships,powiatsandgminas(2013)
See also
[edit]- Administrative division of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland
- Electoral districts of Poland
- Military districts of Poland
- Territorial evolution of Poland
- NUTS of Poland
Cultural and economic:
Similar administrative division:
References
[edit]- ^"Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2017. As of December, 31"(PDF)(in Polish). Główny Urząd Statystyczny (Central Statistical Office).Retrieved27 June2018.
- ^ideo.pl, ideo- (2019-04-27)."Gminy wiejskie chcą lepszej ochrony swych granic".Prawo.pl(in Polish).Retrieved2021-02-15.