Voivodeships of Poland. Map, description

Almost all states are in one way or another divided into regions, districts, etc., depending on the structure of the country. In this regard, Poland is no exception. Administrative division state implies the division of the country into voivodships. These units are assigned special functions of self-government. Voivodeships of Poland have their own capitals - the largest administrative centers in each region of the country.

What is a voivodeship?

Voivodeships are usually called the largest administrative units of a given state. The functions of executive power belong to the marshal. Voivodes represent the regions in the national Council of Ministers.

What are the powers of government authorities? administrative units? First of all, these are issues that are not resolved at the city and poviat levels. Voivodeships of Poland have the right to solve problems related to the distribution of funds and trade within the region. Also within their competence are issues related to education, both school and university, as well as investments.

Voivodeship capitals

Each voivodeship has its own capital. It is the largest city in the region and hosts local authorities. The center of a voivodeship in Poland is generally a cultural, economic and political center. The state, in accordance with the 1999 reform, is divided into 16 administrative units with their own capitals.

It should be said about the Warmian-Masurian voivodeship with its center in Olsztyn, Lodz with the capital Lodz, Mazowieckie with Warsaw, Opole with the city of Opole, Świętoszyski and the city of Kielce, Wielkopolski (Poznan); Lublinsky (Lublin); Lower Silesia (Wroclaw); Podlaskom (Białystok); Silesian (Katowice); Pomeranian (Gdansk); West Pomeranian (Szczecin); Lubuski (Gorzow Wielkopolski and Zielona Gora); Podkarpackie (Rzeszow); Kuyavia-Pomerania (Bydgoszcz and Torun), as well as Lesser Poland (Krakow).

Historical background

According to the original plan, it was supposed to divide the state into 12 parts, but later they took as a basis the scheme that was considered in 1975 and provided for division into 17 large regions. Thus, the 1999 reform reduced Poland’s voivodeships from 49 to 16. Moreover, a sufficient number of large cities lost their title of capital. Below you will find information about some regions of the state.

Masovian Voivodeship

The largest in the state is the Masovian Voivodeship. Poland owes its famous capital Warsaw to him. This part of the country is home to a large number of famous attractions and historical monuments. Travelers love to come to see the wonderful palaces, dense forests and villages, which offer a lot of new experiences to travelers. You can have a wonderful rest here.

The usual tourist route in the Masovian region includes visiting Płock, Wyszogród, Modlin, Mlawa, Ciechanów, as well as the castle in Czersk.

The region is the birthplace of F. Chopin and J. Kochanowski, which also attracts those who travel to Poland.

In this voivodeship there is the opportunity to plunge into the waters of rivers such as the Bug, Narew, Wkra, and also swim in the Zegrzyn Bay. The Mazowieckie region will pamper travelers with fish pate, salceson and honey beer.

Lublin Voivodeship

The voivodeships of Poland also include the Lublin, or Lubelskie Voivodeship. Poles living in this region honor guests with such traditional food, like tsybulyaki, pralines, and you can also try raspberry and currant wine with a wonderful smell.

The capital of the voivodeship is Lublin, which has ancient history. Here you can feel like a participant in a real knightly tournament, visit the territory of the Old Market, look at the Grudskaya Brama, etc.

Do you think that it is difficult to feel the atmosphere of bygone centuries? Eastern Europe? The Lublin Voivodeship proves the opposite. Poland provides an opportunity to feel like a resident of a Medieval city. In addition to historical attractions, there are a large number of natural monuments. Just look at the forests, spurs of the Carpathian Mountains and nature reserves like Kazimierz. The feeling of the grandeur of nature will wash over you in these places, so positive emotions and aesthetic pleasure are guaranteed.

The pearl of the Lubelskie Voivodeship is considered to be monuments and places for recreation in towns, among which the sights of Nalęczów, Radyn Podlasski, Chełm, Pulawy, etc. should be noted. They can become an ideal haven for those who are looking for an atmosphere of peace and also want to enjoy views of ancient architecture , learn more about Polish history, folk myths and legends.

Pomeranian Voivodeship

One of the most picturesque and attractive voivodeships for tourists is Pomeranian. Here travelers relax in boarding houses on Lake Chazhikovskoe, as well as in the valley. The traditions of the ancient Slavs-Pomors combined with the waters of the Baltic Sea are a wonderful combination for a great holiday.

The Pomeranian Voivodeship (Poland) will give you the medieval tale of the Teutonic and Kwidzin), the unique atmosphere of the emerald Kashubian mountains and the sandy coast with a magnificent landscape.

You can try delicious cabbage rolls with liver and mushrooms, Kashubian dumplings, and also which the inhabitants of the voivodeship keep in the strictest confidence.

Among the interesting cities in the region are Ustka, Leba, as well as Sopot in the Tricity - one of the largest agglomerations in the country. Tourists come year after year to enjoy the beauty of the sand dunes in the Słowinsky Nature Reserve, as well as the wild Bor Tucholski, where you can go kayaking on the Brda or Vda rivers.

If you are looking for the atmosphere of a medieval Eastern European city, you should look at the old bridges in Tczew or learn more about the unusual secrets of the Kocew Fortress. Pomerania will also provide the traveler with the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the dunes and crossings in Žuławy.

• Lublin (Polish: Lublin) is a city in eastern Poland, the administrative center of the Lublin Voivodeship. The area of ​​the city is 147.5 km².
• Adm. the center of one of the Polish voivodeships
• Administrative center Polish Voivodeship
• A city in Poland, the administrative center of one of the voivodeships
• Administrative center of one of the Polish voivodeships
• Polish city with a "favorite" name
• Opole (Polish: Opole, Sil: Uopole), until 1945 Oppeln (German: Oppeln) is a city in Poland on the Odra River, the capital of the Opole Voivodeship.
• A port city in Poland, on the Odra River, the center of the voivodeship
• Adm. center of Polish voivodeship
• Administrative center of the Polish voivodeship
• Polish city on the Odra River
• Polish town in Upper Silesia
• Polish city
• Polish port on the Odra River
• One of the oldest Polish cities

POZNAN

• A city in western Poland, on the Warta River, the administrative center of Poznań Voivodeship; in the X-XI centuries. residence of Polish princes
• Center of one of the Polish voivodeships
• Polish city on the Vatra river
• Polish city on the Warta River
• Zamość (Polish Zamość, old transcription Zamość, Ukrainian Zamość, old Russified forms of the name: Zamość, Zamość, Zamość, Zamoście) is a city in the Lublin Voivodeship of Poland, about 240 km southeast of Warsaw and 110 km northwest of Lviv.
• (Zamosc) a city in southeastern Poland, the administrative center of Zamosc Voivodeship

Poland was divided into voivodeships in the Middle Ages. Their names and quantities changed periodically. Now nothing has changed for many years. To understand geographical location Poland, you need to know which sides certain voivodeships are on.

Let's start with the fact that this is an administrative unit of a specific district in the Polish state. To make it clearer, this is the same as our regions or provinces. Each Voivodeship solves the problems of its own district only. It could be financial matters, education, investment, population accommodation, etc.

By the way, each voivodeship has its own capital - a city in which the self-government body, the Sejm and the voivode are located. The Kuyavian-Pomeranian and Lubuskie voivodeships are especially worth noting. These administrative units have two capitals, one of which contains the voivode, and the other the self-government body and the Sejm. Thus, in Bydgoszcz in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship there is a voivode, and in Torun there is a Sejm and self-government bodies. But in the Lubuskie Voivodeship, the voivode is located in the city of Gorzow Wielkopolski, and the Sejm and self-government bodies are located in the city of Zielona Gora. The capitals of the remaining voivodeships of Poland can be found on the map.

A little history

Today, the Republic of Poland is divided into 16 voivodeships, but this number of administrative units was not always there. Their number varied from 49 to 14. Largest quantity voivodeships in Poland - 49, existed from 1975 to 1998. The smallest number of voivodeships - 14, existed in the period from 1946 to 1950.

From 1582 to 1634, there were 34 voivodeships in Poland, in 1634 another one appeared, and all 35 voivodeships existed until 1660. Afterwards, two voivodeships were abolished and until 1768 Poland was divided into 33 administrative units.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War Poland began to recover and come to its senses again. But at the end of the war in 1945, there were 11 voivodeships in the country, and in 1946 there were already 10, then 14, then 17 and 49. And only in 1999, the country’s authorities carried out an administrative reform, according to which the Republic of Poland was divided into 16 voivodeships.

Lublin (Lubelskie) Voivodeship

The capital of this voivodeship is the city of Lublin. He has an ancient and interesting story. Knight tournaments often take place here. There is also an Old Market in Lublin, where citizens can buy any item they like. Sometimes there are very good discounts.

In Lublin and the cities closest to it, food such as tsybulaki is in demand. This is a flatbread in which poppy seeds and onions are wrapped. Sometimes other ingredients are added to taste. The result is a flavorful and original dish. Pralines are also often served at the table in Lublin. This is ground ginger fried in sugar. It has an amazing bittersweet taste.

Lublin has many medieval monuments, beautiful forests, the Carpathian Mountains and nature reserves. Tourists often come here to admire the local attractions.

Greater Poland Voivodeship

This Voivodeship is considered the second largest in Poland and the third largest in terms of population. There is an unusually colorful culture, amazing Baroque architecture and many other attractions.

There are 109 cities in this Voivodeship. The largest of them are Poznan, Leszno, Konin. The population of the Voivodeship is very large, but a quarter of the land is covered by forests. Also in this area there are almost 1000 lakes, not only small, but also large.

Subcarpathian Voivodeship

This region was created back in 1999. It ranks 9th in terms of population. This is a tourist region where citizens from all over the world come. It is believed that the most favorable conditions are here climatic conditions for recovery.

There are more than 70 nature reserves and 10 natural parks here. Subcarpathian Voivodeship is one of the cleanest regions and there are a lot of resorts. That's why many tourists come here.

Masovian Voivodeship

This is one of the large regions. The capital of Masovian Voivodeship is Warsaw. There are a lot of historical monuments and attractions here. There are many beautiful palaces, pure forests and ancient villages in the Masovian Voivodeship.

Pomeranian Voivodeship

The most picturesque Voivodeship. There is Lake Chazhikovskoe, for which not only residents of the country, but also tourists often come. Citizens stay in clean and comfortable boarding houses.

Tourists also come here for the sand dunes, where they can relax and have fun. You can visit cities such as Gdansk, Gdynia or Lebu. These are ancient and very beautiful places.

Opole Voivodeship

This is a very small region of all. However, he has something to brag about to his brothers. Opole is the capital of the Voivodeship. There are many cities here that are famous for trade and wonderful things that you can buy as souvenirs.

There are many interesting sights in the Opole Voivodeship. This is the town hall cathedral, monasteries, temples, tower, rivers. The capital itself often hosts festivals of Polish music. All of the above attractions are a godsend for tourists.

Major cities of Polish voivodeships

If you notice an error, please let us know: select a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

1) In the final part of the walk around Bialystok we will see the central Lipovaya Street, which at times Russian Empire was considered the most prestigious if someone’s mansion of a Polish lord or Russian nobleman was located there, and just the city itself, which I will no longer label either “sleeping areas” or “ historical center". Now everything is together here.
“Let’s go,” as Max says at the beginning of each “+100500” program.

2) Soon after my visit, my fellow student in the RUDN philosophy group Katya Nadezhkina and her husband Nikolai visited Bialystok. This is what Nikolai wrote: “Bialystok is beautiful, I was amazed by the smell, it smells very tasty everywhere, I’ve never seen anything like it. Overall, I really liked Bialystok. We got lost there at night and my grandmother took us out, walked with us for probably 3 kilometers and then back, like I’m a local, I’ll get there and you’ll get completely lost.” Bialystok is the only large city north-east of Warsaw; around it, in the very outback of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, I saw several villages with wooden black churches, most likely Catholic ones. It was an extremely interesting find, which I didn’t photograph, now it’s a shame. Maybe I should have gotten off the bus, but the uncertainty about crossing the border of the Kaliningrad region of Russia was very tormenting at that time. Fortunately, in the city of Suwalki there was free Wi-Fi at the bus station, thanks to which I read that at the Goldap-Gusev border crossing it is possible to cross the border on foot. That's where I went. There are also 2 omissions in Bialystok: I never saw the Belarusian Orthodox Church and 1 km from it there is a luxurious Baroque church. The city is not small, the population is just under 300,000 people.

3) Sculpture "Washerwomen" ("Praczki"). The sculptural group represents three women doing laundry on their knees, commissioned by the then governor of Bialystok in 1938 by sculptor Stanislaw Gorno-Poplawski.

4)

5) An extension to the Branitsky Palace, where the Medical Institute is now, which I already wrote about here.

6) "Józef Piłsudski Square".

7) "Lover's Alley".

8) Interwar architecture represented by the Drama Theater. Alexandra Vengerki, built in 1933-38. designed by the architect Yaroslav Girin as the People's House named after. Jozef Piłsudski. At the end of construction, it was decided to build a City Theater here instead of a cultural center.

9) This building dough is related to events world history: On August 23, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed with a secret protocol on the division of spheres of influence in Eastern Europe between Germany and the USSR after unsuccessful attempts Soviet Union stop German aggression against the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia, when, as a result of the Munich Treaty with the connivance of England and France, Czechoslovakia was forced to transfer the northwestern territories to Nazi Germany (it was Poland that did not allow the Soviet military contingent to Prague, interestingly, Poland itself in the 1920s . snatched the Vilna region from Lithuania, a little-mentioned fact in political battles, by the way); On September 1, 1939, Germany attacks Poland, and on September 17, the USSR annexes/returns Western Ukraine and Western Belarus. And it was here in Bialystok in this theater building on October 28-30, 1939 that the so-called. People's Assembly. Nearly 1,000 delegates here adopted a declaration on the entry of Western Belarus into the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.

10) On the left is a freight train - an indirect memory of Katyn, when, after the annexation of Bialystok and the Polish eastern territories to the USSR, many Polish citizens were exiled to Siberia and Kazakhstan, sent precisely on these freight trains. I myself am half-Pole by nationality and wanted to find out more about my Polish roots, for this I need to go to Konotop, Sumy region of Ukraine, where my grandfather was born, and where my great-grandfather was repressed in 1937 from Ternopil - nothing else is known, alas.

11)

12) Square named after. Home Army, subordinate to the Polish government in exile and the supreme commander of the Polish armed forces, located in the UK. The main goal of AK was the restoration Polish state with the support of Great Britain and the USA. The AK was preparing for a general uprising at the moment the front approached or in the event of a general collapse of the German armed forces. In relation to the USSR, AK commander Division General Stefan Rowecki proceeded from the concept of two enemies, according to which Germany and Russia, drained of blood by a long confrontation, should have lost the opportunity for further military action, which would have allowed AK, with the support of Great Britain and the USA, to raise a victorious nationwide uprising.
Refusal to cooperate with the Army of Ludova, which relied on the help of the USSR, and the advancing Red Army in the summer of 1944 became the main reason for the defeat Warsaw Uprising, during which about 150,000 Home Army rebels died and 7,000 went missing, 85% of Warsaw was destroyed (a fate painfully similar to Kaliningrad). Hitler instructed SS Reisführer Heinrich Himmler to suppress the uprising. Himmler immediately gave the order to kill all residents of Warsaw - regardless of whether they were rebels, children, women, old people - and to raze the city itself to the ground.
This is also a painful point in Russian-Polish relations, when they now blame the USSR and I. Stalin, who ordered the troops to stop in front of the Vistula River on the approaches to Warsaw, given that soviet army During the operation "Bagration" covered 700-800 km in 3 months, not without losses.

13) Steep bike path through White Creek

14) This is a guest house at the palace of Jan Klemens Branicki. Here he is, a man who has invested his money and love in the place in which he lives.

15) Factory.

16)

17) Hotel building.

18) The building of the cultural center of Belarus in Bialystok, the so-called. "cultural partnership of Belarusian citizens."

19)

20) A direct trace of the Russian Empire - a modern building historical museum Białystok in the Podlasie region with a coin collection of 16,000 pieces. By the way, in Poland it is Russian royal coins that are highly valued. I have several friends in Klintsy who, with metal detectors, travel through abandoned Old Believer villages and look for old coins in the gardens. In Klintsy they are sold for 30-300 rubles/piece, in Moscow 100-500, in Poland I saw simple copper coins on numismatic sites late XIX centuries for 1500 rubles.

21)

22)

23) Varshavskaya street.

24) Neon signs from the Polish People's Republic era.

25) Poles.

26) Bialystok state university, Faculty of Economics and Management (here, feel Polish- Wydział Ekonomii i Zarządzania Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku).

27) Interwar.

28) Now for a change it’s a sleeping area.

29) Klintsy city, Voroshilova street, 52

30) I will say this, meeting LADA 2110 in Poland is a great success. I came across statistics on sales of LADA cars in Poland in the 2000s, according to which 30 cars were sold in this country per year. 30 Ladas per year for 38 million in the country. Can’t compare with Belarus, where they sell 2000 LADAs per year for 9.5 million, 6000-9000 in Egypt for 90 million people or 2000 in Germany for 81 million people... or 100 VAZ cars in Finland for 5 million .of the country's population. By the way, in Lithuania and Estonia they now sell 2-3 LADA cars per 3 and 1.2 million people in these countries.

31) Well, “Ten” looks good on a Polish courtyard. I once made a selection of our cars seen in other countries outside the CIS, at that time I photographed cars in Egypt, Germany and Finland, now I would also add Iraq, Vietnam and Poland.

32)

33) GDR Wartburg passenger car, produced in 1965-1988.

34) Trash.

35)

36) From the residential area we will walk along the once fashionable Lipovaya Street. Once upon a time, linden trees grew here along the entire street, but now there are few trees. Once upon a time, on a wave of easy money, local Jewish cloth manufacturers built villas here that were luxurious by the standards of the county town - but the Second tried world war. The street was seriously damaged during German occupation, and then, after the war, the authorities of the Polish People's Republic decided not to restore the historical buildings and not even to stylize them as modern ones, as was done on Rynok Square. Thus, quite large, mostly residential buildings of “socialist realist architecture” appeared along Lipovaya.

41) Service in the church.

42) A small sample of the Esperanto language.
This is what Bialystok I saw turned out to be, the first part about which caused a heated debate with a Russian-speaking citizen of Lithuania, and subsequent posts only had the format of a guidebook. I saw all this in 1 day, starting from my arrival in Grodno on the morning of June 20 on my birthday, then at 10.00 already in the Polish voivodeship center, and walked until 21.00 :))

Each country has its own territorial and administrative structure: in the USA there are states, in Germany there are federal states, in Switzerland there are cantons. In Poland, the territorial and administrative units are voivodeships.

The division into voivodeships in Poland began in the Middle Ages, and their number changed all the time.

After World War II, the country was divided into 14 voivodeships, and 30 years later there were 49.

According to the latest administrative reform In 1999, there were 16 voivodeships in Poland.

They are headed by governors, who are appointed by the Council of Ministers. Executive power in the voivodeships is exercised by the Marshal, who heads the voivodeship sejmik.

Masovian Voivodeship

The main region in Poland is considered to be the largest in area, the Masovian Voivodeship, because it is here that its capital, Warsaw, is located.

The largest cities in the voivodeship are Plock, Radom, Siedlce, Ostroleka. This region has developed electrical engineering, oil refining, pharmaceutical, printing and food industry.

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

This is a southern voivodeship, and its capital is ancient Krakow.

Wawel, Market Square, ancient churches, Jagiellonian University - people come here to get acquainted with the country’s past. The cities of Tarnow, Wadowice, Dębno, and Becz are located in Lesser Poland.

The ski resort of Zakopane is called the winter capital of Poland, and you can improve your health at the mineral resorts of Szawnica, Krynica Zdroj or Rabka Zdroj.

Lodz Voivodeship

It is located in the very center of Poland. The capital of the region is the city of Lodz - the center textile industry countries.

Łódź’s film school also brought world fame to Lodz, where such cinematographers as Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi, and Roman Polanski studied.

Also located here are such large cities as Piotrkow Trybunalski, Belchatow, Pabianice, Zgierz.

Greater Poland Voivodeship

It was here that the birth of the Polish state took place.

The capital of the voivodeship is the city of Poznan, and in total there are more than a hundred cities, the most important of which are Leszno, Kalisz and Konin.

The voivodeship produces gas, oil, brown coal, peat, and pink rock salt.

Silesian Voivodeship

This southern voivodeship occupies a small area with a high population density. Main city– Katowice, and besides it there are also Czestochowa, Gliwice, Sosnowiec.

The metallurgical, chemical, and coal industries are developed here. And in the Beskids a recreational area has been created for relaxation and restoration of health.

Opole Voivodeship

The smallest voivodeship is located in southwestern Poland. Its capital is ancient city Opole. You can plunge into the atmosphere of medieval Poland by visiting Kedzierzyn-Kozle, Paczow, Brzeg and Nysa.

Opole Voivodeship is an industrial region.

Lublin Voivodeship

The voivodeship is located in the east of the country, where it borders with Ukraine and Belarus. The main city - Lublin has rich history, which began a thousand years ago.

Today Lublin is a major industrial, scientific and student center of Poland, and the region has a very developed agriculture.

TO major cities The Lublin region includes: Chelm, Puławy and Biała Podlaska.

Lubusz Voivodeship

The peculiarity of this small voivodeship is that it has two capitals - Zielona Gora and Gorzow Wielkopolski.

Most of its territory is occupied by forests, where nature reserves and landscape parks are located.

Large cities of the voivodeship: Nowa Sol, Zagan, Sulechów, Żary.

Pomeranian Voivodeship

This voivodeship is considered a resort, since tourists are attracted by recreation both on the Baltic coast and on the clean lakes of the region.

The capital of Pomerania is Gdansk, but important role The cities of Sopot, Gdynia and Slupsk also play.

The region has developed shipbuilding, mechanical engineering, petrochemical and food industries, as well as amber mining.

Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship

This is the most beautiful and environmentally friendly region of Poland - the “green lungs” of the country.

Olsztyn is considered the main center. The voivodeship has access to the sea, where the ports of Elblag, Frombork and Tolkmicko are located.

In addition to tourism, the region has a developed food industry and agriculture.

Podlaskie Voivodeship

This voivodeship neighbors Lithuania and Belarus. The capital is Białystok.

The most important wealth of these places is nature, preserved almost untouched.

The largest cities in the region are Suwalki and Lomza.

Subcarpathian Voivodeship

The voivodeship is located in the southeast of the country and borders Slovakia and Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Zhuszow. Thanks to the beautiful nature, springs mineral waters, as well as the presence of religious and secular attractions, this is one of the most popular regions among tourists.

The largest cities in the voivodeship are Przemysl and Stalowa Wola.

West Pomeranian Voivodeship

In the west the voivodeship borders on Germany, and in the north it has access to the Baltic Sea. The capital is in the city of Szczecin.

The most developed industries in the region are shipbuilding, ship repair and food industries, as well as agriculture. The towns of Swinoujscie, Kolobrzeg and Połczyn are popular mineral spas.

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

Although the voivodeship is called “Pomeranian”, it has no access to the sea. Most of its territory is occupied by parks and reserves.

The major cities of the voivodeship are Bydgoszcz, Toruń and Włocławek, located on the banks of the Vistula. The capital's functions were divided between Toruń and Bydgoszcz.

Agriculture, as well as the wood and paper industries, play an important role in the region's economy.

Lower Silesian Voivodeship

This voivodeship occupies southwestern Poland, where it shares borders with Germany and the Czech Republic. The capital is in Wroclaw.

This region has everything - beautiful nature, resorts for recreation and treatment, developed industry, rich cultural heritage.

The major cities of Lower Silesia are Walbrzych, Legnica and Jelenia Góra.

Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship

This voivodeship is one of the smallest regions of the country, its area is only 3% of the territory of Poland. The center is the city of Kielce.

There is almost no industry in the region, but agriculture is developed. In the southern part of the voivodeship there are popular balneological resorts.