Masovian Voivodeship or Mazovia Province [4] (Polish : województwo mazowieckie [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ mazɔˈvʲɛtskʲɛ] ) is the largest and most populous of the 16 Polish provinces, or voivodeships. It occupies 35,579 square kilometres (13,737 sq mi) of east-central Poland, and has 5,411,446 inhabitants. [1] Its principal cities are Warsaw (1.783 million) in the centre of the Warsaw metropolitan area, Radom (212,230) in the south, Płock (119,709) in the west, Siedlce (77,990) in the east, and Ostrołęka (52,071) in the north. The capital of the voivodeship is the national capital, Warsaw.
The province was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Warsaw, Płock, Ciechanów, Ostrołęka, Siedlce and Radom Voivodeships, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. The province's name recalls the traditional name of the region, Mazovia, with which it is roughly coterminous. However, southern part of the voivodeship, with Radom, historically belongs to Lesser Poland, while Łomża and its surroundings, even though historically part of Mazovia, now is part of Podlaskie Voivodeship.
It is bordered by six other voivodeships: Warmian-Masurian to the north, Podlaskie to the north-east, Lublin to the south-east, Świętokrzyskie to the south, Łódź to the south-west, and Kuyavian-Pomeranian to the north-west.
Mazovia is the centre of science, research, education, industry and infrastructure in the country. [5] It currently has the lowest unemployment rate in Poland and is classified as a very high income province. [5] Moreover, it is popular among holidaymakers due to the number of historical monuments and greenery; forests cover over 20% of the voivodeship's area, where pines and oaks predominate in the regional landscape. [6] Additionally, the Kampinos National Park located within Masovia is a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve.
Masovian Voivodeship is divided into 42 counties ( powiats ): 5 city counties (miasto na prawach powiatu) and 37 "land counties" (powiat ziemski). These are subdivided into 314 gminas, which include 85 "urban gminas".
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Map ref. | English and Polish names | Area | Population (2019) | Seat | Other towns | Total gminas | |
(km²) | (sq mi) | ||||||
City counties | |||||||
1 | Warsaw Warszawa | 517 | 200 | 1,783,321 | 1 | ||
(2) | Ostrołęka | 29 | 11 | 52,071 | 1 | ||
(3) | Płock | 88 | 34 | 119,709 | 1 | ||
(4) | Radom | 112 | 43 | 212,230 | 1 | ||
(5) | Siedlce | 32 | 12 | 77,990 | 1 | ||
Land counties | |||||||
2 | Ostrołęka County powiat ostrołęcki | 2,099 | 810 | 88,717 | Ostrołęka * | Myszyniec | 11 |
3 | Płock County powiat płocki | 1,799 | 695 | 110,987 | Płock * | Gąbin, Drobin, Wyszogród | 15 |
4 | Radom County powiat radomski | 1,530 | 591 | 152,190 | Radom * | Pionki, Iłża, Skaryszew | 13 |
5 | Siedlce County powiat siedlecki | 1,603 | 619 | 81,265 | Siedlce * | Mordy | 13 |
6 | Żuromin County powiat żuromiński | 805 | 311 | 38,688 | Żuromin | Bieżuń, Lubowidz | 6 |
7 | Mława County powiat mławski | 1,182 | 456 | 72,906 | Mława | 10 | |
8 | Przasnysz County powiat przasnyski | 1,218 | 470 | 52,676 | Przasnysz | Chorzele | 7 |
9 | Ciechanów County powiat ciechanowski | 1,063 | 410 | 89,460 | Ciechanów | Glinojeck | 9 |
10 | Sierpc County powiat sierpecki | 853 | 329 | 52,077 | Sierpc | 7 | |
11 | Maków County powiat makowski | 1,065 | 411 | 45,076 | Maków Mazowiecki | Różan | 10 |
12 | Ostrów Mazowiecka County powiat ostrowski | 1,218 | 470 | 72,558 | Ostrów Mazowiecka | Brok | 11 |
13 | Płońsk County powiat płoński | 1,384 | 534 | 87,183 | Płońsk | Raciąż | 12 |
14 | Pułtusk County powiat pułtuski | 829 | 320 | 51,862 | Pułtusk | 7 | |
15 | Wyszków County powiat wyszkowski | 876 | 338 | 74,094 | Wyszków | 6 | |
16 | Gostynin County powiat gostyniński | 616 | 238 | 45,060 | Gostynin | # Sanniki (1,961) | 5 |
17 | Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki County powiat nowodworski | 692 | 267 | 79,256 | Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki | Nasielsk, Zakroczym | 6 |
18 | Legionowo County powiat legionowski | 390 | 151 | 117,751 | Legionowo | Serock | 5 |
19 | Wołomin County powiat wołomiński | 955 | 369 | 247,288 | Wołomin | Ząbki, Marki, Kobyłka, Zielonka, Radzymin, Tłuszcz | 12 |
20 | Węgrów County powiat węgrowski | 1,219 | 471 | 66,037 | Węgrów | Łochów | 9 |
21 | Sokołów County powiat sokołowski | 1,131 | 437 | 53,992 | Sokołów Podlaski | Kosów Lacki | 9 |
22 | Sochaczew County powiat sochaczewski | 731 | 282 | 85,024 | Sochaczew | 8 | |
23 | Warsaw West County powiat warszawski zachodni | 533 | 206 | 117,783 | Ożarów Mazowiecki | Łomianki, Błonie | 7 |
24 | Mińsk County powiat miński | 1,164 | 449 | 154,054 | Mińsk Mazowiecki | Sulejówek, Halinów, Kałuszyn, # Mrozy (3,574) | 13 |
25 | Łosice County powiat łosicki | 772 | 298 | 30,895 | Łosice | 6 | |
26 | Żyrardów County powiat żyrardowski | 533 | 206 | 75,787 | Żyrardów | Mszczonów | 5 |
27 | Grodzisk Mazowiecki County powiat grodziski | 367 | 142 | 94,962 | Grodzisk Mazowiecki | Milanówek, Podkowa Leśna | 6 |
28 | Pruszków County powiat pruszkowski | 246 | 95 | 165,039 | Pruszków | Piastów, Brwinów | 6 |
29 | Piaseczno County powiat piaseczyński | 621 | 240 | 186,460 | Piaseczno | Konstancin-Jeziorna, Góra Kalwaria, Tarczyn | 6 |
30 | Otwock County powiat otwocki | 615 | 237 | 124,241 | Otwock | Józefów, Karczew | 8 |
31 | Grójec County powiat grójecki | 1,269 | 490 | 98,334 | Grójec | Warka, Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą, Mogielnica | 10 |
32 | Garwolin County powiat garwoliński | 1,284 | 496 | 108,909 | Garwolin | Łaskarzew, Pilawa, Żelechów | 14 |
33 | Białobrzegi County powiat białobrzeski | 639 | 247 | 33,524 | Białobrzegi | Wyśmierzyce | 6 |
34 | Kozienice County powiat kozienicki | 917 | 354 | 60,253 | Kozienice | 7 | |
35 | Przysucha County powiat przysuski | 801 | 309 | 41,721 | Przysucha | 8 | |
36 | Zwoleń County powiat zwoleński | 571 | 220 | 36,222 | Zwoleń | 5 | |
37 | Szydłowiec County powiat szydłowiecki | 452 | 175 | 39,766 | Szydłowiec | 5 | |
38 | Lipsko County powiat lipski | 748 | 289 | 34,028 | Lipsko | 6 | |
* seat not part of the county |
The voivodeship contains 10 cities and 78 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2019): [1]
Towns:
The Masovian voivodeship's government is headed by the province's voivode (governor) who is appointed by the Polish Prime Minister. The voivode is then assisted in performing his duties by the voivodeship's marshal, who is the appointed speaker for the voivodeship's executive and is elected by the sejmik (provincial assembly). The current voivode of Masovia is Konstanty Radziwiłł.
The Sejmik of Masovia consists of 51 members.
Term start | Term end | Voivode | Party | Other high offices held | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 January 1999 [7] | 20 October 2001 | Antoni Pietkiewicz | AWS | Voivode of Kalisz (1990–1991) | |
21 October 2001 [8] | 10 January 2006 | Leszek Mizieliński | SLD | Masovian vice-marshal (1998–2001) | |
10 January 2006 [9] | 17 January 2007 | Tomasz Koziński | PiS | Mayor of Praga-Południe (2002–2006) | |
18 January 2007 [10] | 1 February 2007 | Wojciech Dąbrowski | PiS | Mayor of Żoliborz (2004–2006) | |
15 February 2007 [11] | 29 November 2007 | Jacek Sasin | PiS | Deputy PM (since 2019), MP (since 2011) | |
29 November 2007 [12] | 8 December 2015 | Jacek Kozłowski | PO | Vice-Chairman of Poland 2050 | |
8 December 2015 | 11 November 2019 | Zdzisław Sipiera | PiS | Mayor of Wola (2005–2006), MP (2019–2023) | |
25 November 2019 | Konstanty Radziwiłł | PiS | Minister of Health (2015–2018), MP (2015–2019) |
Political groups [13] | Mandates | |
---|---|---|
Law and Justice | 24 | |
Civic Coalition | 18 | |
Nonpartisan Local Government Activists | 1 | |
Polish People's Party | 8 | |
Total | 51 |
Protected areas in Masovian Voivodeship include one National Park and nine Landscape Parks. These are listed below.
Masovia Voivodeship, 1526–1795 (Polish : Województwo Mazowieckie) was an administrative region of the Kingdom of Poland, and of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from the 15th century until the partitions of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1795). Together with Płock and Rawa Voivodeships, it formed the province (prowincja) of Masovia.
Masovian Voivodeship was one of the voivodeships of Congress Poland. It was formed from Warsaw Department, and transformed into Masovia Governorate.
There are three main road routes that pass through the voivodeship: Cork–Berlin–Poznań–Warszawa–Minsk–Moscow–Omsk, Prague–Wrocław–Warsaw–Białystok–Helsinki and Pskov–Gdańsk–Warsaw–Kraków–Budapest.
Currently, there are various stretches of autostrada in the area, with the A2 autostrada connecting the region, and therefore the capital city, with the rest of Europe. The autostrada passes directly through the voivodship from west to east, connecting it with Belarus and Germany. However, the A2 is yet to be built east of Warsaw to connect Poland with Belarus. The S8 expressway connects Warsaw with Białystok in the neighboring eastern province, along with the S17 being built to connect Warsaw with Lublin.
The railroad system is based on Koleje Mazowieckie and PKP Intercity.
The main international airport in the region is Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport.
Masovian Voivodeship is the wealthiest province in Poland. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was €112.2 billion in 2018, accounting for 22.6% of the Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €34,400 or 114% of the EU27 average in the same year. [14]
The unemployment rate stood at 4.8% in 2017 and was higher than the national and the European average. [15]
Year | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
unemployment rate (in %) | 12.3 | 9.1 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 5.5 | 4.8 |
A voivodeship is the highest-level administrative division of Poland, corresponding to a province in many other countries. The term has been in use since the 14th century and is commonly translated into English as 'province' or 'state'.
Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as Cuiavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship or simply Kujawsko-Pomorskie, or Kujawy-Pomerania Province is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. It was created on 1 January 1999 and is situated in mid-northern Poland, on the boundary between the two historic regions from which it takes its name: Kuyavia and Pomerania. Its two chief cities, serving as the province's joint capitals, are Bydgoszcz and Toruń.
A voivodeship 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 western medieval states, much as the title of voivode was equivalent to that of a duke. Other roughly equivalent titles and areas in medieval Eastern Europe included ban and banate.
Ostrołęka is a small city in northeastern Poland on the Narew river, about 120 km (75 mi) northeast of Warsaw, with a population of 52,792 (2014) and an area of 33.46 square kilometres (12.92 sq mi). The town is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship, and it is the former capital of the Ostrołęka Voivodeship (1975–1998). Ostrołęka is currently the capital of both Ostrołęka County and Ostrołęka City County.
Łódź Voivodeship is a province-voivodeship in central Poland. It was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Łódź Voivodeship (1975–1999) and the Sieradz, Piotrków Trybunalski and Skierniewice Voivodeships and part of Płock Voivodeship, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. The province is named after its capital and largest city, Łódź, pronounced.
Duchy of Masovia was a district principality and a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Poland, existing during the Middle Ages. The state was centered in Mazovia in the northeastern Kingdom of Poland, and during its existence, its capital was located in the Płock, Czersk and Warsaw. It was formed in 1138 from the territories of the Kingdom of Poland, following its fragmentation, that was started by the testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth. The country existed in the years: 1138–1275, 1294–1310, 1370–1381, and 1495–1526, between that time, going through fragmentations of its territory into smaller duchies and its unification. The states formed during its fragmentation were duchies of Kuyavia, Dobrzyń, Czersk, Płock, Warsaw, Rawa and Belz. In 1526, the country was incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland.
Masovian Voivodeship was an administrative region of the Kingdom of Poland, and of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from the 1526 to the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (1795). Together with Płock and Rawa Voivodeships, it formed the province of Masovia. Its area was 23,200 km2., divided into ten lands. The seat of the voivode was Warsaw, local sejmiks also convened in Warsaw, at St. Martin's church.
Dobrzyń Land is a historic region in central-northern Poland. It lies northeast of the Vistula River, south of the Drwęca, and west of the Skrwa. The territory approximately corresponds with the present-day powiats of Lipno, Rypin, and half of Golub-Dobrzyń within the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, although it encompasses parts of other counties as well. Totally, it has about 3,000 km2 and 200,000 inhabitants. Its historic capital is Dobrzyń nad Wisłą, which gave its name to the entire region. Its largest town is Rypin.
Przysucha 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 administrative seat and only town is Przysucha, which lies 98 kilometres (61 mi) south of Warsaw.
Warsaw Voivodeship was a voivodeship of Poland in the years 1919–1939. Its capital and biggest city was Warsaw.
Congress Poland was subdivided several times from its creation in 1815 until its dissolution in 1918. Congress Poland was divided into departments, a relic from the times of the French-dominated Duchy of Warsaw. In 1816 the administrative divisions were changed to forms that were more traditionally Polish: voivodeships, obwóds and powiats. Following the November Uprising, the subdivisions were again changed in 1837 to bring the subdivisions closer to the structure of the Russian Empire when guberniyas (governorates) were introduced. In this way, Congress Poland was gradually transformed into the "Vistulan Country". Over the next several decades, various smaller reforms were carried out, either changing the smaller administrative units or merging/splitting various guberniyas.
The Podlaskie Voivodeship was formed in 1513 by Sigismund I the Old as a voivodeship in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, from a split off part of the Trakai Voivodeship. After Lithuania's union with the Kingdom of Poland in 1569 and formation of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the voivodeship was transferred to the Polish Crown, where it belonged to the Lesser Poland Province of the Polish Crown.
Podlaskie Voivodeship or Podlasie Province is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. The name of the province and its territory correspond to the historic region of Podlachia. The capital and largest city is Białystok.
Masovian Railways, in Polish Koleje Mazowieckie, is a regional rail operator in the Masovian Voivodeship of Poland.
TVP3 Warszawa is one of the regional branches of the TVP, Poland's public television broadcaster. It serves the entire Masovian Voivodeship with particular dedication to the Warsaw metropolitan area. From 1992 till 2003 it was branded WOT, then till 2007 TVP3 Warszawa and since October 2007 it has been using its current name.
Chełmno land is a part of the historical region of Pomerelia, located in central-northern Poland.
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 unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centuries, Mazovia developed a separate sub-culture featuring diverse folk songs, architecture, dress and traditions different from those of other Poles.
Łomża Land, named after the town of Łomża, was an administrative unit (ziemia) of both the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was part of Masovian Voivodeship, and existed from the 14th century until the Partitions of Poland. Łomża Land was the largest province of the historic region of Mazovia.
IV liga Mazovia groups includes two of the groups of IV liga, the 5th level of Polish football league system. The leagues were created in season 2000/2001 after introducing new administrative division of Poland. Until the end of the 2007/08 season IV liga lay at 4th tier of league system but this was changed with the formation of the Ekstraklasa as the top level league in Poland.
The clubs from Mazovian Voivodeship compete in these groups. The winner of the play-off is promoted to III liga group I. The bottom teams are relegated to the groups of Liga okręgowa from Mazovian Voivodeship. These groups are Ciechanów-Ostrołęka, Płock, Radom, Siedlce, Warszawa I and Warszawa II.
The Warsaw Voivodeship was a voivodeship (province) of the Polish People's Republic, with capital in Warsaw, that was located in Masovia. It was established on 22 August 1944, and until 28 June 1945, it remained under the administration of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland, which then was replaced by the Provisional Government of National Unity. On, 19 February 1947, the provisional government was replaced by the Polish People's Republic. It existed until 31 May 1975, when it was partitioned into the voivodeships of Biała Podlaska, Białystok, Ciechanów, Lublin, Łomża, Ostrołęka, Płock, Radom, Siedlce, Skierniewice, and Warsaw Capital.
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