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Silesian Voivodeship

Voivodeship of Poland

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The region has a diversified geography. The Beskid Mountains cover most of the southern part of the voivodeship, with the highest peak of Pilsko on the Polish–Slovak border reaching 1,534 m (5,033 ft) above sea level. Silesian Upland dominates the central part of the region, while the hilly, limestone Polish Jura closes it from the northeast. Katowice urban area, located in the central part of the region, is the second most-populous urban area in Poland after Warsaw, with 2.2 million people, and one of Poland's seven supra-regional metropolises, while Rybnik, Bielsko-Biała and Częstochowa and their respective urban areas are classified among the country's 15 regional agglomerations.

Despite the voivodeship's name, only the western half of its area is considered to be a part of the historical region of Silesia. The eastern part of Silesian Voivodeship was historically part of Lesser Poland, while a small part in the north of the region was historically considered a part of Greater Poland.

History

Interwar Poland

Silesian Voivodeship was first created in 1920 when the newly independent Polish state established an autonomous region for all historical lands of Upper Silesia that were to end up in Poland. At the time, Upper Silesia was under international control, and a plebiscite was to be held in 1921 to divide the region between Germany and Poland following local results. Katowice has been chosen to be the provincial capital. In 1938, following the annexation of Trans-Olza region by Poland, the voivodeship's area was expanded to include these new territories.

The interwar region did not include more than half of its current area, which were parts of the Kielce voivodeship (Sosnowiec and Częstochowa areas), Kraków voivodeship (Jaworzno and Żywiec areas) or Germany (cities of Zabrze and Bytom as well as Gliwice and Racibórz areas).

German occupation

After the invasion of Poland in 1939, Polish administrative divisions ceased to exist. Nazi Germany annexed most of the current voivodeship's area directly into the German province of Silesia (Gau Schlesien) with capital in Wrocław (Breslau) as the governmental district of Katowice (Regierungsbezirk Kattowitz). This new district included both historically Silesian areas as well as western parts of Lesser Poland. Northern parts of what is the Silesian Voivodeship today, with Częstochowa, found themselves in the General Government area.

In 1941, the province of Silesia was split into Lower Silesia (with a capital in Wrocław) and Upper Silesia (with a capital in Katowice), the latter of which included the governmental district of Opole in addition to the one of Katowice.

Socialist Poland

Following World War II, the new communist government of Poland cancelled the autonomous status of the Silesian voivodeship and established a new Silesian-Dabrowa voivodeship (województwo śląsko-dąbrowskie), the area of which roughly corresponded to the German province of Upper Silesia. The name of this region reflected both the Silesian part and the Dąbrowa Basin part.

In 1950, Opole voivodeship was created from the western part of the Silesian-Dabrowa voivodeship, and the name of the remaining area changed to Katowice Voivodeship. The new region's borders included, for the first time, the Częstochowa area, and roughly resembled the contemporary Silesian Voivodeship. Between 1953–56, the name of the region was changed to Stalinogród voivodeship (województwo stalinogrodzkie), reflecting Katowice's forced name change to Stalinogród following the death of Joseph Stalin.

In 1975, a new administrative reform introduced 49 new voivodeships. The area of today's Silesian Voivodeship was divided between Częstochowa voivodeship (województwo częstochowskie) in the north, Katowice voivodeship (województwo katowickie) in the center, and Bielsko-Biała voivodeship (województwo bielskie) in the south.

After 1989

As Poland aimed to join the European Union, European negotiators named administrative reform as one of the conditions for accession. As such, in 1999, a new administrative division was introduced, reducing the number of voivodeships from 49 to 16. A Silesian voivodeship has emerged from the reform, with its capital in Katowice, and consisting of most municipalities of the former Katowice, Częstochowa, and Bielsko-Biała voivodeships.

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