Silesian Voivodeship

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Województwo śląskie

Image:Slaskie flag.svg	Image:Śląskie herb.svg
Flag	Coat of arms

Capital city

Katowice

Area

12,294 km²

Population (2004)
- Density

4,830,000
392.87/km²

Powiats
- Urban counties
- Land counties

19
17

Communes

167

<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">Administrative divisions:

Image:Woj slaskie adm.png</td></tr>

The Silesian Voivodship (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.

1 Geography
2 Economy
3 Transport
4 Universities
5 Tourism
6 The Silesian Uprisings 1919-1921
7 External links

[edit] Geography

The Silesian Voivodship 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 Voivodships 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. However, it must be emphasized that large part of Voivodship's territory is not historical Silesia. Such cities as Czestochowa, Zawiercie, Myszkow, Jaworzno, Sosnowiec, Zywiec, Dabrowa Gornicza or Bedzin, with surrounding counties, historically belong to Lesser Poland.

[edit] Administrative division

[edit] Population

The Silesian voivodship 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 voivodships (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.

[edit] Most popular surnames in the region

Nowak : 31,838
Kowalski : 11,811
Wójcik : 11,440

[edit] Economy

The Silesian voivodship 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 voivodship'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.

[edit] 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 voivodship 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 Kiev 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.

[edit] Universities

There are eleven public universities in the voivodship. 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.

[edit] 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.