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75-742: It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its formation in 1999, previously in Katowice Voivodeship , and before then in the Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship . Siemianowice is one of the cities of the 2.7 million conurbation, the Katowice urban area , at the heart of the greater Katowice-Ostrava metropolitan area populated by about 5,294,000 people. The population of the city is 65,684 (2021). Siemianowice Śląskie borders four cities: Piekary Śląskie , Chorzów , Czeladź and

150-478: A demand intentionally excessive to serve as an initial negotiating bargain, actually aiming to restore the 17 voivodeships existing prior to 1975 as an ultimate compromise. As Poland was at the time governed under political cohabitation, the opposition party constituting the political background of the President decided to capitalize on the popular discontent which erupted against the government on an unanticipated scale;

225-525: A fierce battle in the Lubusz Voivodeship regarding the seat of the institution. There have also been numerous attempts to relocate some of the existing public institutions under various pretexts from one city to another, in some cases successful, as well as of merging a pair of equal institutions of a type existing in both cities, in order to make one of them a branch of the other, with obscure or no justification in most cases for such merger. Nevertheless,

300-456: A general local majority consensus prevails that the compromise, although unsatisfactory for any of the two cities, spared both of them the fate of a number of cities which lost in 1999 entirely the status of a voivodeship capital and all voivodeship-level institutions, along with the associated attractiveness and prestige of the city as a place to live, crucial for its growth, with the ensuing profoundly detrimental phenomena. The Lubusz Voivodeship

375-525: A network of Polenlager forced labour camps and multiple subcamps of the Auschwitz concentration camp in the area. After the War during 1945–1950 there existed a Silesian Voivodeship, commonly known as Śląsko-Dąbrowskie Voivodeship, which included a major part of today's Silesian Voivodeship. In 1950 Śląsko-Dąbrowskie Voivodeship was divided into Opole and Katowice Voivodeships. The latter had borders similar to

450-424: Is MKS Siemianowiczanka. It competes in the lower leagues. Siemianowice Śląskie is twinned with: Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship ( Polish : województwo śląskie [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ ˈɕlɔ̃skʲɛ] ) is a voivodeship , or province , in southern Poland centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia ( Górny Śląsk ), with Katowice serving as its capital. Despite

525-598: Is a voivodeship ( province ) in western Poland . It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Gorzów Voivodeship and Zielona Góra Voivodeship , pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. The province's name recalls the historic Lubusz Land ( Lebus or Lubus ), although parts of the voivodeship belong to the historic regions of Lower Silesia , Greater Poland and Lusatia . The functions of regional capital are shared between two cities: Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra . Gorzów serves as

600-428: Is a land of forests and lakes; forests cover 48% of the area. The river Oder , flowing through the voivodeship, is one of the few large European rivers retaining broadleaved and riparian forests . Areas with the highest natural values are protected as national parks ( Drawa National Park and Warta Mouth National Park ), landscape parks and wildlife reserves . The 19th century Muskau Park , located on both sides of

675-711: Is a memorial to the victims of the Stalag Luft III murders of Allied POWs, perpetrated by Nazi Germany in World War II. There are multiple other memorials to victims of Nazi Germany in the region. The garrison town of Żagań hosts Poland's oldest monument of Wojtek , the soldier bear of the Polish II Corps . One of the world's tallest Christ statues, the Christ the King Statue is located in Świebodzin , whereas Słubice hosts

750-606: Is also the largest urbanised area in Central and Eastern Europe . In relation to economy, over 13% of Poland's gross domestic product (GDP) is generated here, making the Silesian Voivodeship one of the wealthiest provinces in the country. The first Silesian Voivodeship was created in the Second Polish Republic . It had a much wider range of autonomy than other contemporary Polish voivodeships, and it covered all

825-410: Is divided into 14 counties ( powiats ): 2 city counties and 12 land counties. These are further divided into 82 gminas . The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population). The gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 10.8 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 2.2% of Polish economic output. The GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power

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900-472: Is divided into 36 counties ( powiats ). These include 19 city counties (far more than any other voivodeship) and 17 land counties. The counties are further divided into 167 gminas . The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population). Protected areas in Silesian Voivodeship include eight areas designated as Landscape Parks : Football , motorcycle speedway , handball , ice hockey and volleyball enjoy

975-884: Is just a fraction of the historical Silesia which is within the borders of today's Poland (there are also fragments of Silesia in the Czech Republic and Germany). Other parts of today's Polish Silesia are administered as the Opole , the Lower Silesian Voivodeships and the Lubusz Voivodeship . On the other hand, a large part of the current administrative unit of the Silesian Voivodeship is not part of historical Silesia (e.g., Częstochowa , Zawiercie , Myszków , Jaworzno , Sosnowiec , Żywiec , Dąbrowa Górnicza , Będzin and east part of Bielsko-Biała , which were historically parts of Lesser Poland ). Silesian Voivodeship has

1050-524: Is nationally renowned. Bielsko-Biała is home of the Technical-Humanistic Academy. In addition, 17 new private schools have been established in the region. There are over 300,000 people currently studying in the Voivodeship. The biggest universities (for day 30.11.2016 r.) are: The Silesian voivodeship's government is headed by the province's voivode ( governor ) who is appointed by

1125-789: Is the Basilica of St. Mary and St. Bartholomew in Piekary Śląskie . Other notable historic churches include the St. Nicholas' Chapel in Cieszyn , a Romanesque rotunda, depicted on the 20 złotych note , and the St. Mary Magdalene Church in Cieszyn, which contains a number of sarcophagi of Polish dukes from the Piast dynasty . There are three spa towns in the voivodeship: Goczałkowice-Zdrój , Jastrzębie-Zdrój , and Ustroń . With its more than two centuries of industrial history,

1200-774: Is the westernmost broad gauge railway line in Europe that is connected to the broad gauge rail system of the countries of the former Soviet Union. Large part of the Upper Silesia conurbation features the Silesian Interurbans , the longest tram network in Poland, and one of the largest in the world. Bus and tram transport in and around Katowice and surrounding cities is managed by the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ZTM) since 2019. There are eleven public universities in

1275-529: The Auschwitz concentration camp , in which over 900 people were held and subjected to forced labour. In January 1945, the prisoners of the subcamp were taken to the Mauthausen concentration camp , and shortly afterwards the Germans left the city and the occupation ended. In 1951, Michałkowice, Bytków, Bańgów and Przełajka were included within the city limits of Siemianowice as new districts. The local football club

1350-619: The Balkans . A relatively short distance to Vienna facilitates cross-border co-operation and may positively influence the process of European integration. Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa (known by its acronym LHS , English: Broad gauge metallurgy line ) in Sławków is the longest broad gauge railway line in Poland. The line runs on a single track for almost 400 km from the Polish- Ukrainian border, crossing it just east of Hrubieszów . It

1425-672: The Bohemian Crown in 1373, Poland made a peaceful attempt to regain the northern portion of the area. In 1402, the Bohemian rulers reached an agreement with Poland in Kraków . Poland was to buy and re-incorporate the northern outskirts of the present Lubusz Voivodeship, but eventually the Bohemian rulers sold the area to the Teutonic Order , who in turn sold it back to Brandenburg in 1454 to raise funds for war against Poland . The southern part of

1500-529: The Gross-Rosen concentration camp and a subcamp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp , in which mostly Jewish and Polish, but also French, Russian, Czech, Italian, Greek, Yugoslav, Dutch, Romanian, Hungarian, Lithuanian and German prisoners were held. Obrzyce was the place of Aktion T4 murders of mentally ill and disabled people. The region was the site of fierce fighting during the war in 1945. Under

1575-584: The January Uprising of 1863–1864 and Silesian Uprisings of 1919–1921, and Świętochłowice hosts the Silesian Uprisings Museum. There are numerous World War II memorials in the voivodeship, including at the sites of Nazi massacres of Poles and Jews, and at the sites of former Nazi German forced labour camps and prisons. The Gliwice Radio Tower and Katowice Parachute Tower are local symbols of German provocation and Polish resistance during

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1650-739: The Knights Templar and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in the past, contains the Castle of the Order of St. John , and several other medieval structures. Major museums dedicated to the history of the region are located in Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra. There are museums dedicated to Allied prisoners of war at the former German POW camps in Dobiegniew and Żagań. In Żagań, there

1725-477: The Middle Ages , including the current regional capitals of Zielona Góra and Gorzów Wielkopolski . The youngest towns are Łęknica , Czerwieńsk , Nowa Sól , Szlichtyngowa and Zbąszynek , all either first mentioned or established in the later periods. Following the fragmentation of Poland into smaller provincial duchies, various portions of the present Lubusz Voivodeship were part of various duchies, initially

1800-540: The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland , and the Saint Michael's Honey Fair held annually in Gorzów Wielkopolski. The southern part of the voivodeship with Zielona Góra is one of the leading winemaking regions of Poland, and other traditional beverages from the voivodeship are beer , mead , nalewki and vodka . Various types of traditional Polish kiełbasa , also designated as traditional foods by

1875-489: The Oflag II-C , Stalag III-C , Stalag VIII-C and Stalag Luft III major German prisoner-of-war camps for Polish, French , British, Belgian, Canadian, Serbian, Italian , American, Australian, New Zealander, Soviet, Norwegian, Czech, Slovak, South African, Dutch, Greek, Yugoslav, Senegalese , Algerian and Moroccan POWs were operated in the territory. The latter was the site of the "Great Escape" in 1944. There are museums at

1950-481: 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 Silesia is Jarosław Wieczorek, whilst the present marshal is Wojciech Saługa. The Sejmik of Silesia consists of 48 members. Silesian Voivodeship

2025-540: The Polish–German border , has entered the UNESCO World Heritage List . The voivodeship abounds in lakes, especially in its central and northern parts; around those lakes numerous bathing resorts, holiday centres and farms offering tourist services have been established. The voivodeship, especially its northern part, is a notable for production of honey, with several varieties listed as traditional foods by

2100-568: The 17 voivodeships existing prior to the 1975 reform . As a consequence, the original draft made no provision for a separate Lubusz voivodeship – Gorzów was to become along with Kostrzyn , Strzelce Krajeńskie and Drezdenko a part of West Pomeranian Voivodeship , Zielona Góra was to be included along with Krosno, Nowa Sól, Żagań, Gubin and Żary in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship , while a narrow horizontal strip encompassing Międzyrzecz , Sulęcin , Świebodzin , Słubice and Sulechów

2175-576: The 18th century, Wschowa was an important royal city of Poland , as it often hosted Polish kings and several sessions of the Polish Senate, hence being dubbed the "unofficial capital of Poland". King Augustus III of Poland also often stopped in Brody . In 1701, the Kingdom of Prussia was established, which included Brandenburg-held Lubusz Land, and various areas were eventually gradually annexed by Prussia in

2250-578: The Eagle's Nests , including at Bobolice , Mirów , Ogrodzieniec and Olsztyn . The best-preserved palaces include those at Brynek , Kłobuck , Koniecpol , Kończyce Wielkie , Pławniowice , Sosnowiec and Złoty Potok . Often visited is the Black Madonna 's Jasna Góra Sanctuary in Częstochowa – the annual destination of over 4 million pilgrims from all over the world. Another local pilgrimage destination

2325-619: The German Freikorps murdered six Poles in the city. In September 1939, the German Einsatzgruppe I operated in the city and committed various crimes against the Polish population . During the German occupation , two forced labour camps were established and operated in the city: one for Poles ( Polenlager ) and one for Jews . In April 1944, the Germans also established a subcamp of

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2400-543: The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland, are produced in the Nowa Sól , Wschowa , Zielona Góra , Żagań and Żary counties in the southern part of the Lubusz Voivodeship, whereas Siedlisko, Nowa Sól County produces a variety of traditional cheeses and quarks . The voivodeship contains 3 cities and 40 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (as of 2021): Towns: Lubusz Voivodeship

2475-459: The Silesian Voivodeship's name, most of the historic Silesia region lies outside the present Silesian Voivodeship – divided among Lubusz , Lower Silesian , and Opole Voivodeships . The eastern half of Silesian Voivodeship (and, notably, Częstochowa in the north) was historically part of Lesser Poland . It is the most densely populated voivodeship in Poland. Within the area of 12,300 square kilometres, there are almost 5 million inhabitants. It

2550-573: The area: Katowice and Częstochowa. The voivodship's economy consists of about 323,000, mostly small and medium-sized, enterprises employing over 3 million people. The biggest Polish steel-works "Huta Katowice" is situated in Dąbrowa Górnicza . The unemployment rate stood at 3.9% in 2017 and was lower than the national average. Katowice International Airport (in Tarnowskie Góry County ) is used for domestic and international flights, with

2625-478: The borders of modern Silesian Voivodeship. The present Silesian Voivodeship was formed on 1 January 1999 from the following voivodeships of the previous administrative division: The Silesian Voivodeship borders both the Moravian-Silesian Region ( Czech Republic ), Žilina Region ( Slovakia ) to the south. It is also bordered by four other Polish voivodeships: those of Opole (to the west), Łódź (to

2700-700: The breakthrough reconciliation accord known as the Paradyż Agreement, brokered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Zielona Góra-Gorzów and formalized in a document signed during a highly publicized local summit in the Gościkowo-Paradyż Abbey on 13 March 1998. This compromise agreement, was negotiated and concluded between the delegations of both rival cities, composed of the respectively aligned most powerful local and national scene politicians and business people, with its most important provision being

2775-471: The current voivodeship remained part of the duchies of Żagań and Głogów, ruled by the houses of Piast and Jagiellon , with the Żagań duchy eventually passing to houses of foreign background, including Czech, Saxon and French, whereas other areas were gradually incorporated directly into the Kingdom of Bohemia . In 1635, most of the south-western part of the present Lubusz Voivodeship passed from Bohemia to Saxony , and from 1697 formed part of Poland-Saxony . In

2850-545: The duchies of Greater Poland and Silesia , and later also Legnica , Głogów , Lubusz and Żagań , ruled by various lines of the Piast dynasty . Overtime, portions of the present Lubusz Voivodeship were lost by Poland. In 1250 the Lubusz Land was acquired by the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg . In 1319–1326 it was contested by various Polish and German rulers, before falling back to Brandenburg. After Brandenburg passed to

2925-531: The following centuries, starting with the south-eastern part of the current voivodeship in 1742, followed by eastern portions (western outskirts of Greater Poland) in 1793 (briefly regained by Poles in 1807–1815 as part of the short-lived Duchy of Warsaw ), and the south-western part in 1815. Within Prussia and Germany the territory was divided between the provinces of Neumark / Brandenburg , South Prussia / Posen , and Silesia / Lower Silesia . During World War II ,

3000-467: The following counties: Kranau, Olkusch, Riebnich and Wadowitz. However, according to Hitler's decree from 12 October 1939 about establishing General Government , Częstochowa belonged to GG. In 1941 the Silesian Province ( Provinz Schlesien ) underwent new administrative division and as a result Upper Silesian Province was created ( Provinz Oberschlesien ): Nazi Germany established and operated

3075-449: The highest population density in the country (379 people per square kilometre, compared to the national average of 124). The region's considerable industrialisation gives it the lowest unemployment rate nationally (6.2%). The Silesian region is the most industrialized and the most urbanized region in Poland: 78% of its population live in towns and cities. Both the northern and southern parts of

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3150-492: The historical lands of Upper Silesia which ended up in Interwar period Poland. Among these were Katowice , Rybnik , Pszczyna , Wodzisław Śląski , Żory , Mikołów , Tychy , Chorzów , Tarnowskie Góry , Miasteczko Śląskie , Woźniki , Lubliniec , Cieszyn , Skoczów , and Bielsko . This Voivodeship did not include – as opposed to the present one – lands and cities of old pre-Partition Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . Among

3225-467: The largest following in the voivodeship, with several successful teams. Most accomplished clubs include men's football clubs Górnik Zabrze and Ruch Chorzów , women's football club Czarni Sosnowiec , speedway team KS ROW Rybnik , ice hockey team GKS Katowice , men's volleyball team Jastrzębski Węgiel and women's volleyball team BKS Bielsko-Biała . Since the establishment of the province, several major international sports competitions were co-hosted by

3300-611: The last ones the Southern part was included in Kraków Voivodeship Żywiec , Wilamowice , Biała Krakowska and Jaworzno ), and the North Western part Będzin , Dąbrowa Górnicza , Sosnowiec , Częstochowa , Myszków , Szczekociny , Zawiercie , Sławków ) belonged to Kielce Voivodeship . During the invasion of Poland , German troops committed several massacres of Polish civilians and defenders, including children, and Jews within

3375-432: The local administration exercised through the 49 existing voivodeships established in 1975 was inefficient, anachronistic, impractical, detrimental to maintaining regional identity, and untenable. However, the reform draft accepted by the government surprised the public and caused widespread outcry, as its authors foresaw creation of only 12 large voivodships, thus going much further than the widely expected reconstitution of

3450-518: The local elites in Zielona Góra was in turn to become a single capital centre, reverting to the situation before 1975, while any prospect of sharing the governing institutions was for a long time treated with their hostility. In spite of that, the looming threat of a "everybody lose" scenario set to materialize in case of a possible implementation of the original reform draft, paved the way for neutralizing this argument through forcing both rival sides into

3525-455: The local mine, taking several dozen Polish miners as hostages. After a battle, Polish troops and volunteers, including members of the "Sokół" Polish Gymnastic Society and boy scouts , recaptured the mine. There were deaths on both sides, and the Poles also captured dozens of German saboteurs. The Germans eventually invaded and captured the city in the following days, and already on 8 September 1939

3600-757: The mining is derived from one of the world's largest bituminous coalfields of the Upper Silesian Industrial District ( Górnośląski Okręg Przemysłowy ) and the Rybnik Coal District ( Rybnicki Okręg Węglowy ) 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

3675-418: The most obvious mean readily available for the opposition was a presidential veto, which in fact ensued. In order to salvage the reform from being killed altogether, the government was, in the face of lacking the supermajority required to overturn the veto at the time, forced to reconsider the original shape of the reform and to reconcile it with the reservations of the President and his political background, with

3750-623: The north), Świętokrzyskie (to the north-east), and Lesser Poland (to the east). The region includes the Silesian Upland ( Wyżyna Śląska ) in the centre and north-west, and the Krakowsko-Częstochowska Upland ( Jura Krakowsko-Czestochowska ) in the north-east. The southern border is formed by the Beskidy Mountains ( Beskid Śląski and Beskid Żywiecki ). The current administrative unit of Silesian Voivodeship

3825-504: The north, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the east, Lower Silesian Voivodeship to the south, and Germany ( Brandenburg and Saxony ) to the west. The first leaders of the Polans, Mieszko I and especially Bolesław I the Brave added a number of surrounding territories to the newly established core Polish state, and Lubusz Land came under Polish rule. Part of the historic province was located on

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3900-573: The other nearby airports being John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice . The Silesian agglomeration railway network has the largest concentration in the country. The voivodship capital enjoys good railway and road connections with Gdańsk ( motorway A1 ) and Ostrava (motorway A1), Kraków ( motorway A4 ), Wrocław (motorway A4), Łódź (motorway A1) and Warsaw . It is also the crossing point for many international routes like E40 connecting Calais , Brussels , Cologne , Dresden , Wrocław , Kraków and Kyiv and E75 from Scandinavia to

3975-474: The other one as the voivodeship capital, and hoping to use the engineered scare as the main argument in the ongoing discussions against creating the Lubusz voivodeship, The animosity, existing indeed between the cities, has been historically rooted in a widespread perception among Gorzów inhabitants that the 1950 decision to designate Zielona Góra as the voivodeship capital instead of their larger and more populous city,

4050-556: 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

4125-400: The province was 61 billion € in 2018, accounting for 12.3% of the Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 22,200 € or 74% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 83% of the EU average. Silesia Voivodship is the province with the fourth highest GDP per capita in Poland. The Silesian voivodship is predominantly an industrial region. Most of

4200-608: The province, including the EuroBasket 2009 , 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship , 2016 European Men's Handball Championship , 2017 Men's European Volleyball Championship , 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship , 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup , 2021 Men's European Volleyball Championship , 2023 World Men's Handball Championship . 50°20′00″N 19°00′01″E  /  50.33333°N 19.00028°E  / 50.33333; 19.00028 Lubusz Voivodeship Lubusz Voivodeship ( Polish : województwo lubuskie [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ luˈbuskʲɛ] )

4275-501: The region has a number of technical heritage memorials. These include narrow and standard gauge railways, coal and silver mines, and shafts and their equipment from the 19th and 20th centuries. The historic coal mine complex in Zabrze is listed as a Historic Monument of Poland , and the Historic Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry is listed as both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Historic Monument of Poland. There are numerous memorials to Polish uprisings against foreign rule, including

4350-492: The result of a compromise adjustment increasing the number of voivodeships to 16, with Lubusz Voivodeship included among the four additional ones created according to the agreement. The path leading to such and outcome was far from smooth. The government made an effort to highlight and exploit the decades-long animosity between the approximately same-size two principal cities, spreading scare against its inevitable re-ignition and explosion in any of these two cities after designating

4425-479: The seat of the centrally-appointed voivode , or governor, and Zielona Góra is the seat of the elected regional assembly ( sejmik ) and the executive elected by that assembly, headed by a marshal ( marszałek ). In addition, the voivodeship includes a third city ( Nowa Sól ) and a number of towns. The region is mainly flat, with many lakes and woodlands. In the south, around Zielona Góra, grapes are cultivated. Lubusz Voivodeship borders West Pomeranian Voivodeship to

4500-506: The site of the camps in Dobiegniew and Żagań , and there is a memorial to the victims of the Stalag Luft III murders in Żagań. Particularly infamous camps in the region were the Oderblick labor education camp in Świecko and the Sonnenburg concentration camp in Słońsk , in which Polish, Belgian, French, Bulgarian, Dutch, Yugoslav, Russian, Italian, Ukrainian, Luxembourgish, Danish, Norwegian, Czech, Slovak and other prisoners were held, and many died. There were also eleven subcamps of

4575-401: The south-western part of the voivodeship are parks and old monasteries ( Rudy Raciborskie , Wodzisław Śląski ). Along the Oder River are interesting natural reserves and places for swimming during the summer. There are numerous castles and palaces in the voivodeship, including the medieval castles of the Piast dynasty in Będzin , Gliwice , Racibórz , and the castles forming the Trail of

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4650-446: The terms laid down by Joseph Stalin in the Potsdam Agreement , the borders of Poland and Germany were redrawn and the area of the Lubusz Voivodeship fell within the new borders of Poland. In 1998, the government of Jerzy Buzek decided to introduce an administrative reform , with its principles including the restoration of counties and a steep reduction in the number of voivodeships. A general consensus existed among scholars that

4725-680: The territory of the current Silesian Voivodeship, including the largest at Parzymiechy , Albertów , Częstochowa , Katowice , Będzin , and Sławków . During the subsequent occupation, on 8 October 1939, Hitler published a decree called, " About division and administration of Eastern Territories ". A Silesian Province ( Gau Schlesien ) was created, with a seat in Breslau (Wrocław) . It consisted of four districts: Kattowitz, Oppeln, Breslau and Liegnitz. The following counties were included in Kattowitz District: Kattowitz, Königshütte, Tarnowitz, Beuthen Hindenburg, Gleiwitz, Freistadt, Teschen, Biala, Bielitz, Saybusch, Pleß, Sosnowitz, Bendzin and parts of

4800-451: The unjust favoring of their own seat, the city of Zielona Góra; a sentiment reinforced further by the surprise relocation of the see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gorzów to Zielona Góra in 1992, renamed as a result the Roman Catholic Diocese of Zielona Góra-Gorzów , and finally and perhaps most importantly, by the historical, perpetual and almost sacred rivalry between the motorcycle speedway clubs located in both cities. The objective of

4875-517: The unusual arrangement to divide and distribute the governing institutions of the voivodeship more or less equally between the two cities. On the basis of this broadly supported agreement, an effective public pressure endorsed jointly by the two centers was successfully exerted on the central government which ultimately acquiesced to the demand of establishing Lubusz Voivodeship. Nevertheless, creating any new type of public institution at voivodeship level in Poland continues to ignite almost automatically

4950-829: The voivodeship Furthermore, there are several preserved old towns with historic town halls and market squares (i.e. Zielona Góra , Wschowa , Świebodzin and Bytom Odrzański ). Of the historic town halls, the one in Kargowa was the site of an armed defense against the annexation by Prussia in the Second Partition of Poland in 1793. Several towns contain entirely or partly preserved medieval town walls with towers and gates, i.e. Kożuchów , Strzelce Krajeńskie , Gorzów Wielkopolski , Wschowa. There are multiple castles, including Piast Royal and Ducal castles in Krosno Odrzańskie , Kożuchów , Międzyrzecz and Żagań . There are also numerous palaces, including at Brody , Dąbrówka Wielkopolska , Glisno , Jędrzychowice , Kalsk , Mierzęcin , Trzebiechów , Żary . The village of Łagów , which hosted

5025-453: The voivodeship are surrounded by a green belt . Bielsko-Biała is enveloped by the Beskidy Mountains which are popular with winter sports fans. It 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 Jura Krakowsko-Czestochowska . In

5100-446: The voivodeship capital Katowice. There are three hypothetical explanations for the origins of the name Siemianowice: either it comes from seven huts which were called Siedminowice/Siedmionowice in Old Polish ; from the old legend about Siemion (Siemian), Michał and Maciej, or Siemion, Michał and Jakub; or it comes from ziemia nawa which means earth taken away from water. Siemianowice dates back to medieval Piast -ruled Poland . It

5175-469: The voivodship. The biggest university is the University of Silesia in Katowice , with 43,000 students. The region's capital boasts the Medical University , The Karol Adamiecki University of Economics in Katowice , the University of Music in Katowice , the Physical Education Academy and the Academy of Fine Arts. Częstochowa is the seat of the Częstochowa University of Technology and Pedagogic University. The Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice

5250-425: The war, respectively. Due to its industrial and urban nature, the voivodeship has many cities and large towns. Of Poland's 40 most-populous cities, 12 are in Silesian Voivodeship. 19 of the cities in the voivodeship have the legal status of city-county (see powiat ). In all, it has 24 cities and 47 towns, listed below in descending order of population (as of 2019): Towns: The gross domestic product (GDP) of

5325-422: The western bank of the Oder River , where the main settlement Lubusz, later known as the German town of Lebus , was located. The entire territory of the present Lubusz Voivodeship was part of Poland by 1002. The oldest towns in the region, dating back over 1,000 years, include Trzciel , Skwierzyna , Iłowa , Szprotawa , Jasień , Krosno Odrzańskie , Międzyrzecz and Żary , with most other towns also founded in

5400-599: Was 17,600 euros or 58% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 67% of the EU average. The sole airport in the voivodeship is the Zielona Góra Airport . The A2 , A18 and S3 highways pass through the province. Protected areas in Lubusz Voivodeship include two national parks and eight landscape parks . These are listed below. There are four Historic Monuments of Poland and one World Heritage Site in

5475-485: Was probably first mentioned in documents in 1253. In 1924, Siemianowice and Huta Laury communes were merged. The new city was named Siemianowice Śląskie and gained town privileges in 1932. On 1 September 1939, the first day of the German invasion of Poland and World War II , there was a skirmish between German saboteurs and the Polish self-defense in the present-day district of Michałkowice. German saboteurs then entered

5550-555: Was taken by the anticlerical communist government due to a hidden motivation of punishing Gorzów for becoming the see of the newly established Roman Catholic apostolic administration governing the majority of the Recovered Territories , with the ensuing discrimination of the city by the voivodeship authorities in the years 1950-1975 in terms of establishing any new public cultural and educational institutions, other public investments or public funds allocations, in vivid contrast to

5625-528: Was to be assigned to the Greater Poland Voivodeship as a bizarre sort-of corridor to the German border. However, mass protests broke out as a result in the cities such as Bydgoszcz, Koszalin, Opole or Kielce. Many of the people opposing the draft reform initially demanded retaining as many as 25 voivodeships (including the 2 ones seated in Gorzów and Zielona Góra), a number nevertheless widely regarded as

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