Dzielnica
Encyclopedia
In the Polish
system of local administration, a dzielnica dź (Polish plural dzielnice) is an administrative subdivision or quarter
of a city or town. A dzielnica may have its own elected council (rada dzielnicy, or dzielnica council), and those of Warsaw
each have their own mayor
(burmistrz). Like the osiedle
and sołectwo, a dzielnica is an auxiliary unit (jednostka pomocnicza) of a gmina
. These units are created by decision of the gmina council, and do not have legal personality
in their own right.
The subsidiary units of many towns and cities are called osiedles rather than dzielnicas, although it is also possible for osiedles to exist within a dzielnica. Numbers and sizes of dzielnicas vary significantly between cities. Warsaw has 18 dzielnicas, as does Kraków
; Gdańsk
has 30, Gdynia
22, Lublin
27, Katowice
22 and Szczecin
4. Some cities are no longer formally divided into dzielnicas, although formerly existing dzielnicas continue to be referred to as such and serve as areas of jurisdiction for administrative offices. Łódź, Wrocław and Poznań
are each divided into five districts of this type.
The word dzielnica is also used informally in Polish to refer to any distinct part of a town or city. Historically it can also refer to a region of the country, in particular any of the five principalities into which Poland was divided following the death of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138; see Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
system of local administration, a dzielnica dź (Polish plural dzielnice) is an administrative subdivision or quarter
Quarter (country subdivision)
A quarter is a section of an urban settlement.Its borders can be administratively chosen , and it may have its own administrative structure...
of a city or town. A dzielnica may have its own elected council (rada dzielnicy, or dzielnica council), and those of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
each have their own mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
(burmistrz). Like the osiedle
Osiedle
Osiedle is a term used in Poland to denote a designated subdivision of a city or town, or of a dzielnica, with its own council and executive. Like the dzielnica and sołectwo, an osiedle is an auxiliary unit of a gmina. These units are created by decision of the gmina council, and do not have...
and sołectwo, a dzielnica is an auxiliary unit (jednostka pomocnicza) of a gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
. These units are created by decision of the gmina council, and do not have legal personality
Legal personality
Legal personality is the characteristic of a non-human entity regarded by law to have the status of a person....
in their own right.
The subsidiary units of many towns and cities are called osiedles rather than dzielnicas, although it is also possible for osiedles to exist within a dzielnica. Numbers and sizes of dzielnicas vary significantly between cities. Warsaw has 18 dzielnicas, as does Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
; Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
has 30, Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
22, Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
27, Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
22 and Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
4. Some cities are no longer formally divided into dzielnicas, although formerly existing dzielnicas continue to be referred to as such and serve as areas of jurisdiction for administrative offices. Łódź, Wrocław and Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
are each divided into five districts of this type.
The word dzielnica is also used informally in Polish to refer to any distinct part of a town or city. Historically it can also refer to a region of the country, in particular any of the five principalities into which Poland was divided following the death of Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138; see Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty.