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Silesian Voivodeship

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Silesian Voivodeship
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Silesian Voivodeship

The Silesian Voivodeship (Polish: województwo śląskie) is an administrative division of southern Poland.

It was created January 1, 1999, out of the former Katowice, Częstochowa and Bielsko-Biała voivodeships, pursuant to the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998. Its population is 4,830,000.

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Geography

The Silesian Voivodeship has borders on the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Silesian Upland (Wyżyna Śląska) is situated in its center and northwest, and the Krakowsko-Częstochowska Upland (Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska) in its northeast. The southern border is formed by the scenic Beskidy Mountains (Beskid Śląski and Beskid Żywiecki).

The strong links between Upper Silesia, Opole and Dolny Śląsk Voivodeships reach back to the medieval history of the Duchy of Silesia (Księstwo Śląskie), which was divided in the 13th century into Upper and Lower Silesia.

Administrative division

Population

The Silesian voivodeship has the highest population density in the country (398 people, as compared to the national average of 124 people, per square kilometer). The region's considerable industrialisation contributes to the lowest national unemployment rate of 6.2%. The Silesian region is the most industrialised, but also considered the greatest environmental hazard among all Polish voivodeships (acid rains and mining damage). It is also the most urbanised region and that is why it has the largest number of towns with county status.

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Economy

The Silesian voivodeship is predominantly an industrial region. Most of the mining is derived from one of the world's largest bituminous coalfields of the Upper Silesian Industrial District (Gornoslaski Okreg Przemyslowy) and the Rybnik Coal District (Rybnicki Okreg Weglowy) with its major cities Rybnik, Jastrzębie Zdrój, Żory and Wodzisław Śląski. Lead and zinc can be found near Bytom, Zawiercie and Tarnowskie Góry; iron ore and raw materials for building - near Częstochowa. The most important regional industries are: mining, iron, lead and zinc metallurgy, power industry, engineering, automobile, chemical, building materials and textile. In the past, the Silesian economy was determined by coal mining. Now, considering the investment volume, car manufacturing is becoming more and more important. The most profitable company in the region is Fiat Auto-Poland S.A. in Bielsko-Biała with a revenue of PLN 6,2 billion in 1997. Recently a new car factory has been opened by GM Opel in Gliwice. There are two Special Economic Zones in the area: Katowice and Częstochowa. The voivodeship's economy consists of about 323,000, mostly small and medium-sized, enterprises employing over 3 million people. The mining industry is the most distinctive employer in the region. 160 mining companies employ almost 558,000 employees. 97.5% of all firms operating in the region belong to the private sector. The greatest challenge facing Silesia is to restructure the area with the largest in Poland concentration of traditional industries and transform it into a modern, multifunctional region competitive under the market economy conditions. The biggest Polish steel-works "Huta Katowice" is situated in Dąbrowa Górnicza.

Transport

Katowice International Airport is used for domestic and international flights and the Silesian agglomeration railway network has the largest concentration in the country. The voivodeship capital enjoys good railway and road connections with Kraków (highway), Wrocław (highway), Łódź and Warsaw. It is also the crossing point for many international routes like the one connecting Berlin, Dresden, Wrocław, Kraków and Kyiv and the other from Gdańsk to the Balkans. A relatively short distance to Vienna facilitates cross-border co-operation and may positively influence the process of European integration.

Universities

There are eleven public universities in the voivodeship. The biggest university is the University of Silesia in Katowice, with 37,000 students. The region's capital boasts the Medical Academy, the Economic Academy, the Musical Academy, the Physical Education Academy and a branch of the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts. Częstochowa is the seat of the Częstochowa University of Technology and Pedagogic University. The Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice is nationally renowned. Bielsko-Biała is home to a branch of the Technical University of Łódź. In addition, 17 new private schools have been established in the region.

Tourism

Both northern and southern Silesia is surrounded by a pollution-free green belt. Bielsko-Biała is enveloped by the magnificent Beskidy Mountains which are particularly popular with winter sports fans. This genuine skier's paradise offers over 150 ski lifts and 200 kilometres of ski routes. More and more slopes are illuminated and equipped with artificial snow generators. Szczyrk, Brenna, Wisła and Ustroń are the most popular winter mountain resorts. Rock climbing sites can be found in admirable corners of Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska. The ruins of castles forming the trail of Eagle Nests are a famous attraction of the region. While in Silesia, one cannot miss the Black Madonna's Jasna Góra Sanctuary in Częstochowa - the annual destination of over 4 million pilgrims from all over the world.

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Voivodeships of Poland

Greater Poland | Kuyavia-Pomerania | Lesser Poland | Lower Silesia | Lublin | Lubusz | Łódź | Masovia | Opole | Podlachia | Pomerania | Silesia | Subcarpathia | Świętokrzyskie | Warmia and Masuria | West Pomerania
Principal cities: Warsaw | Łódź | Kraków | Wrocław | Poznań | Gdańsk | Szczecin | Bydgoszcz | Lublin | Katowice | Białystok | Częstochowa | Gdynia | Gorzów Wielkopolski | Toruń | Radom | Kielce | Rzeszów | Olsztyn

 

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