województwo

Polish political unit

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July 23, 2026

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A województwo (plural: województwa) is a province, serving as the largest administrative unit in Poland's local government system. Poland's local government is structured into three tiers: the województwa at the regional level, followed by powiaty (counties or districts), and finally gminy (towns and rural communes).12

In 1999, the number of these provinces was reduced from 49 to 16. Each województwo has a provincial legislature, the sejmiki wojewódzkie, whose representatives are elected for four-year terms. The head of provincial administration is the wojewoda, who is appointed by the prime minister.1

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Poland
Local government
…the regional level, are the województwa (provinces), which were consolidated and reduced in number from 49 to 16 in 1999. At the next level are some 300 powiaty (counties or districts), followed by about 2,500 gminy (towns and rural communes). The last are the fundamental territorial units within Poland. The…
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…the regional level, are the województwa (provinces), which were consolidated and reduced in number from 49 to 16 in 1999. At the next level are some 300 powiaty (counties or districts), followed by about 2,500 gminy (towns and rural communes). The last are the fundamental territorial units within Poland. The…
Read More