Podlaskie Voivodeship

Infobox Settlement
name = Podlaskie Voivodeship
native_name=Województwo podlaskie
settlement_type=

---

image_shield = POL województwo podlaskie COA.svg


map_caption = Location within Poland
subdivision_type=Country
subdivision_name=POL
seat_type=Capital
seat = Białystok
parts_type = Counties
parts=3 cities, 14 land counties *
p1=Białystok|p2=Łomża|p3=Suwałki|p4=Augustów County|p5=Białystok County|p6=Bielsk County|p7=Grajewo County|p8=Hajnówka County|p9=Kolno County|p10=Łomża County|p11=Mońki County|p12=Sejny County|p13=Siemiatycze County|p14=Sokółka County|p15=Suwałki County|p16=Wysokie Mazowieckie County|p17=Zambrów County
coor_type=Białystok|latd=53|latm=7|latNS=N|longd=23|longm=10|longEW=E
area_total_km2 = 20180
total_type=Total
population_total = 1197610
population_as_of = 2006
population_density_km2 = auto
population_urban= 712675
population_blank1_title=Rural
population_blank1= 484935
blank_name=Car plates
blank_info=B
website=http://www.bialystok.uw.gov.pl
footnotes = * further divided into 118 gminas

Podlaskie Voivodeship ( _pl. województwo podlaskie IPA-pl| [|w|o|j|e|'|w|u|c|t|f|o|-|p|o|d|'|l|a|IPA-pl|s|k|j|e| or simply "Podlaskie") is a voivodeship (province) in north-eastern Poland. It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Białystok and Łomża Voivodeships and the eastern half of the former Suwałki Voivodeship, pursuant to the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998.

Etymology

The voivodeship takes its name from the historical region of Podlasie. This name originates from the period when the territory was within the Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, along the borderline with the Mazovia province, primarily a fief of the Poland of the Piasts and later on part of the Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons. Hence "pod Lachem" would mean "near the Poles", "along the border with Poland". The historical Lithuanian name of the region, "Palenkė", has exactly this meaning.

Geography

Natural assets

Podlaskie has the lowest population density of the sixteen Polish voivodeships, and its largely unspoilt nature is one of its chief assets. Around 30% of the area of the voivodeship is under legal protection. The Polish part of the Białowieża Forest biosphere reserve (also a World Heritage Site) is in Podlaskie. There are four National Parks (Białowieża, Biebrza, Narew and Wigry), three Landscape Parks (Knyszyn Forest, Łomża and Suwałki), 88 nature reserves, and 15 protected landscape areas. The voivodeship constitutes a part of the ecologically clean area known as "the Green Lungs of Poland".

Climate

Podlaskie is the coldest region of Poland, located in the very northeast of the country near the border with Belarus and Lithuania. The region has a continental climate which is characterized by high temperatures during summer and long and frosty winters . The climate is affected by the cold fronts which come from Scandinavia and Siberia. The average temperature in the winter ranges from -15°C (5°F) to -4°C (24.8°F).

Infobox Weather
metric_first=yes
single_line=yes
location = Białystok
Jan_Hi_°F = 29 |Jan_Hi_°C = -3
Feb_Hi_°F = 31 |Feb_Hi_°C = -3
Mar_Hi_°F = 40 |Mar_Hi_°C = 4
Apr_Hi_°F = 52 |Apr_Hi_°C = 11
May_Hi_°F = 63 |May_Hi_°C = 17
Jun_Hi_°F = 68 |Jun_Hi_°C = 20
Jul_Hi_°F = 70 |Jul_Hi_°C = 21
Aug_Hi_°F = 70 |Aug_Hi_°C = 21
Sep_Hi_°F = 61 |Sep_Hi_°C = 16
Oct_Hi_°F = 51 |Oct_Hi_°C = 11
Nov_Hi_°F = 39 |Nov_Hi_°C = 4
Dec_Hi_°F = 33 |Dec_Hi_°C = 1
Year_Hi_°F = 51 |Year_Hi_°C = 11
Jan_Lo_°F = 21 |Jan_Lo_°C = -6
Feb_Lo_°F = 21 |Feb_Lo_°C = -6
Mar_Lo_°F = 28 |Mar_Lo_°C = -2
Apr_Lo_°F = 35 |Apr_Lo_°C = 2
May_Lo_°F = 45 |May_Lo_°C = 7
Jun_Lo_°F = 50 |Jun_Lo_°C = 10
Jul_Lo_°F = 54 |Jul_Lo_°C = 12
Aug_Lo_°F = 52 |Aug_Lo_°C = 11
Sep_Lo_°F = 46 |Sep_Lo_°C = 8
Oct_Lo_°F = 39 |Oct_Lo_°C = 4
Nov_Lo_°F = 32 |Nov_Lo_°C = 0
Dec_Lo_°F = 25 |Dec_Lo_°C = -4
Year_Lo_°F = 37 |Year_Lo_°C = 3
Jan_Precip_inch = |Jan_Precip_cm = |Jan_Precip_mm =
Feb_Precip_inch = |Feb_Precip_cm = |Feb_Precip_mm =
Mar_Precip_inch = |Mar_Precip_cm = |Mar_Precip_mm =
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May_Precip_inch = |May_Precip_cm = |May_Precip_mm =
Jun_Precip_inch = |Jun_Precip_cm = |Jun_Precip_mm =
Jul_Precip_inch = |Jul_Precip_cm = |Jul_Precip_mm =
Aug_Precip_inch = |Aug_Precip_cm = |Aug_Precip_mm =
Sep_Precip_inch = |Sep_Precip_cm = |Sep_Precip_mm =
Oct_Precip_inch = |Oct_Precip_cm = |Oct_Precip_mm =
Nov_Precip_inch = |Nov_Precip_cm = |Nov_Precip_mm =
Dec_Precip_inch = |Dec_Precip_cm = |Dec_Precip_mm =
Year_Precip_inch = 21.7 |Year_Precip_cm = 55.0 |Year_Precip_mm =
source =Weatherbasecite web
url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=57321&refer= |title =Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Białystok, Poland | accessmonthday = July |accessyear =2008
language = English ]
accessdate = 2008-07-05

Historical units

:"For details about the history of the region, see Podlachia."

The following is a partial list of political subdivisions in which part or all of current day Podlaskie Voivodeship was wholly or partially contained within:

20th century

People's Republic of Poland / Third Polish Republic
* Białystok Voivodeship (1975-1998)
* Suwałki Voivodeship
* Łomża Voivodeship
* Białystok Voivodeship (1945-1975)WW II
* Bezirk Bialystok (1941-1945)
* Belastok Voblast (1939-1945)Second Polish Republic
* Białystok Voivodeship (1919-1939)WW I
* Bialystok-Grodno District (1915-1919)

19th Century

Russian Empire
* Grodno Governorate (1842-1915)
* Belostok Oblast (1807-1842)Kingdom of Poland (Congress Poland)Kingdom of Prussia
* Białystok Department (1795-1807)

16th-18th Century

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
* Podlaskie Voivodeship (1569–1795)

12th-15th century

Grand Duchy of Lithuania
* Podlaskie Voivodeship (1513–1569)
* Trakai Voivodeship
* Duchy of Trakai
* Duchy of LithuaniaKingdom of Poland
* Duchy of Masovia

Galicia-Volhynia
* Galicia-Volhynia

Early Middle Ages

* Yotvingia

Culture

Podlaskie is the most diverse of all Polish voivodships.The area has been inhabited for centuries by members of different nations and religions: Belarussians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Russyns, Gypsies, Tatars, Jews and Filipons).

Many places of religious worship remain:
*An eighteenth-century former Carmelite monastery on Wigry Lake
*A former jesuit monastery complex in Drohiczyn
*Christ’s Transfiguration Orthodox church on the Holy Mount of Grabarka
*Saint Nicolaus the Miracle Worker Orthodox church in Białystok
*A seventeenth-century synagogue in Tykocin
*The oldest Polish mosque in Kruszyniany

ites of Historical Significance

Major monuments of the administrative region:
* Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel and John the Baptist in Lomza (1504-1526)
* The ruins of a castle in Tykocin (XV century)
* Jewish cemetery in Tykocin (XVI century)
* Orthodox Annunciation of Our Lady in Supraślu (sixteenth to the eighteenth century)
* Dominican Monastery of the Visitation Church of the Assumption in Sejny (1610-1619)
* Old Parish Church in Bialystok (1617-1626)
* Synagogue (1642) and Dom Talmudyczny in Tykocin (eighteenth century)
* Carmelites Monastery with the church of Our Lady of Mount Caramel in Bielsk Podlaski (seventeenth century)
* Branicki Palace in Bialystok (the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries)
* Branicki summer residence in Choroszczy (1752-1759)
* Holy Trinity Church in Tykocin (1742-1750)
* Church of the Assumption in Siemiatyczach (1719-1727)
* Dominican Monastery of St. John the Baptist. & St. Stephen Martyr in Choroszczy (eighteenth century)
* Capuchin Monastery in Lomza (1770-1798)
* Old City Hall in Bielsk Podlaski
* Sokółki Palace in Pawłowiczch near Sokółka
* Orli Synagogue
* Bernardine monastery in Tykocin (1771-1791)
* Catholic Church. of the Nativity and St. Mary. and St. Nicholas in Bielsk Podlaski (1780)
* The Church of St. Nicholas in Bialystok (1843-1846)
* The Church of St. Anna in Kolnie (1834-1839)
* Cathedral of St. Aleksandra in Suwalki (1825)
* The Church of St. Anthony in Sokółka (1848)
* Cathedral Cemetery in Lomza
* Lubomirski Palace in Bialystok (the second half. Nineteenth century)
* Hasbacha Palace in Bialystok (end of the nineteenth century)
* The Palace and park in Buchholtzów Supraślu (1892-1903)
* Zespół fabryczny Beckera w Białymstoku (XIX/XX) Team name Becker in Bialystok (XIX / XX)
* Benedictine Monastery in Lomza (1863)
* Church of the Assumption in Lomza (1877)
* Holy Trinity Church in Zambrowie (1879)
* Holy Trinity Church in Grajewie (1882)
* The Church of St. John the Baptist in Wysokiem Mazowiecki (1888)
* Seminary in Lomza (1866)
* City Hall in Lomza (1822-23)
* Numerous monuments Street Dwornej in Lomza
* Manor in Wojnówce
* Basilica of the Assumption in Bialystok (1900-1905, neo-Gothic)
* The Church of St.Adalbert in Bialystok (1906-1912)
* The Church of St. Rocha in Bialystok (1926-1947, modernist)
* Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Augustow (1905-1911 eclectic)
* The Church of Our Lady of Czestochowa and St. Casimir in Mońkach (1921-1935)
* Saints' Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in Łapach (1918-1927)
* Fortress in Osowcu
* A Polish Tatars' (Islam_in_Poland) wooden mosque and a Muslim cemetery in the village of Bohoniki

Economy

According to REGON register in the year 2002 there were around 95 thousand companies registered in Podlasie region (97 % of them in private sector), dealing with;
*Trade and servicing – 33.2 %
*Providing services to real estates and companies – 11.8 %
*Construction – 10.5%
*Industrial processing – 9.7 %
*Transport 8.3%
*Agriculture, hunting and forestry 4.5%

Agriculture

Arable land constitutes around 60% of the total area of the region – most of which is ploughland (around 40%), forests, meadows and pastures. Over 120 000 farms are registered, roughly half of which are small farms of 1–5 ha and medium-sized farms of 5–10 ha. The smaller farms prefer intensive production (gardening, orcharding), whereas the larger ones engage in cattle and crop production. The cattle-raising farms are mainly oriented towards milk production.

The natural conditions of the region are conducive to the development of organic growing, which at present is practised by around 100 farms. Over 600 farms in the region offer agritourist services. cite web |url=http://www.bialystok.uw.gov.pl/PUWMCMS/Tlumaczenia/polski.htm |title=Podlaski Urząd Wojewódzki - Podlasie Voivodship Office |date=2007 |language=Polish]

Government

The voivodeship's seat is the city of Białystok. Like all voivodeships, it has a government-appointed Provincial Governorcite web |url=http://www.msz.gov.pl/Agreement,regarding,the,placement,in,Poland,of,anti-ballistic,defensive,missile,interceptors,20825.html |title=Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Agreement Article XI, "Coordination with Polish Authorities" |date=2007-12-31 |language=Polish] (Polish: "wojewoda"), as well as an elected assembly (sejmik) which elects its own executive, headed by the Speaker of the Provincial Legislature cite web |url=http://www.msz.gov.pl/Agreement,regarding,the,placement,in,Poland,of,anti-ballistic,defensive,missile,interceptors,20825.html |title=Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Agreement Article XI, "Coordination with Polish Authorities" |date=2007-12-31 |language=Polish] (Polish: "marszałek województwa"). Administrative powers and competences are statutorily divided between these authorities.

Cities and Towns

The voivodeship contains 36 cities and towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2006 cite web |url=http://www.stat.gov.pl/gus/45_655_PLK_HTML.htm |title=Central Statistical Office (GUS) "Population: Size and Structure by Administrative Division" |date=2007-12-31 |language=Polish] ):1. Białystok (295,210)
2. Suwałki (69,234)
3. Łomża (63,572)
4. Augustów (30,054)
5. Bielsk Podlaski (26,876)
6. Zambrów (22,700)
7. Grajewo (22,651)
8. Hajnówka (22,072)
9. Sokółka (18,888)
10. Łapy (16,583)
11. Siemiatycze (15,169)
12. Kolno (10,751)
13. Mońki (10,455)
14. Czarna Białostocka (9,596)
15. Wysokie Mazowieckie (9,257)
16. Wasilków (8,967)
17. Dąbrowa Białostocka (6,147)
18. Sejny (5,934)
19. Choroszcz (5,416)
20. Ciechanowiec (4,898)
21. Supraśl (4,578)
22. Brańsk (3,794)
23. Szczuczyn (3,564)
24. Knyszyn (2,835)
25. Lipsk (2,498)
26. Stawiski (2,442)
27. Zabłudów (2,400)
28. Suchowola (2,243)
29. Drohiczyn (2,086)
30. Nowogród (2,014)
31. Goniądz (1,910)
32. Jedwabne (1,901)
33. Tykocin (1,893)
34. Rajgród (1,673)
35. Kleszczele (1,432)
36. Suraż (982)

Administrative division

Podlaskie Voivodeship is divided into 17 counties (powiats): 3 city counties and 14 land counties. These are further divided into 118 gminas.

The counties are shown on the numbered map and detailed in the table beside it.

External links

* [http://www.radzilow.com Radzilow Web Page]
* [http://www.szczuczyn.com Szczuczyn Web Page]
* [http://www.wizna.com Wizna Web Page]
* [http://www.visitbialystok.com VisitBiałystok.com]
* [http://www.bialystok.uw.gov.pl/ Podlaski Urząd Wojewódzki] Official website
* [http://bialowieza-biebrza.org/ Natural tourism (birdwatching) in Podlasie]
* [http://bialowieza.bialowieza.pl/ Topographical maps 1:50 000]

References