Województwo kieleckie
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(Coat of Arms)

Historical region

Historical regions of Central Europe

There are many historical regions of Central Europe. For the purpose of this list, Central Europe is defined as the area contained roughly within the south coast of the Baltic Sea, the Elbe River, the Alps, the Danube River, the Black Sea and the Dnepr River. Note that these regions come from...

Volhynia

Volhynia

Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...

Kielce Voivodeship

Kielce Voivodeship

Kielce Voivodeship is a former unit of administrative division and local government in Poland.-1921-1938:Kielce Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1921-1939. Back then, it covered a large chunk of central part of the country, including such...

- a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland

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...

 in years 1921–1939. Back then, it covered a large chunk of central part of the country, including such cities as Radom

Radom

Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...

, Częstochowa

Czestochowa

Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...

 and Sosnowiec

Sosnowiec

Sosnowiec is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a combined population of over two million people located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river .It is situated in...

. On April 1, 1938 its borders changed, see: Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on April 1, 1938

Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on April 1, 1938

On April 1, 1938, borders of several western and central Voivodeships changed considerably. This included such Voivodeships as Pomerania, Poznan, Warsaw, Lodz, Bialystok, Lublin and Kielce. Pomerania gained most, while Bialystok lost most...

. Capital city: Kielce

Kielce

Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...

.

Location and area

In early 1939, Voivodeship's area was 22 204 square kilometers. It was located in central Poland, bordering Germany and Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship

Autonomous Silesian Voivodeship

The Silesian Voivodeship was an autonomous province of the interwar Second Polish Republic. It consisted of territory which came into Polish possession as a result of the 1921 Upper Silesia plebiscite, the Geneva Conventions, three Upper Silesian Uprisings, and the eventual partition of Upper...

 to the west, Łódź Voivodeship and Warsaw Voivodeship

Warsaw Voivodeship

Warszawa Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975–1998, superseded by Masovian Voivodeship.Capital city: WarsawMajor cities and towns: :* Warsaw ;...

 to the north, Lublin Voivodeship

Lublin Voivodeship

- Administrative division :Lublin Voivodeship is divided into 24 counties : 4 city counties and 20 land counties. These are further divided into 213 gminas....

 and Lwów Voivodeship

Lwów Voivodeship

Lwów Voivodeship was an administrative unit of interwar Poland . According to Nazis and Soviets it ceased to exist in September 1939, following German and Soviet aggression on Poland . The Polish underground administration existed till August 1944.-Population:Its capital, biggest and most...

 to the east and Kraków Voivodeship

Kraków Voivodeship

Kraków Voivodeship, refers to several historical Voivodeships of Poland in the surrounding regions, with the city of Kraków as its capital.- Kraków Voivodeship 1975-1998 :...

 to the south. Landscape was flat in the northern part and hilly in mid and south, with the Swietokrzyskie Mountains

Swietokrzyskie Mountains

Świętokrzyskie Mountains , are a mountain range in central Poland, in the vicinity of the city of Kielce. The mountain range consists of a number of separate ranges, the highest of which is Łysogóry . The two highest peaks are Łysica at 612 meters and Łysa Góra at 593 meters...

 located in the heart of the area. Forests covered 21.2%, with the national average 22.2% (as for January 1, 1937).

Population

According to the 1931 Polish census, the population was 2 671 000. Poles made 88.9% of population, Jews

Jews

The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

 - 10.7%. The latter preferred to live in the cities and towns - in 1931 Jews made 28.7% of Voivodeship's cities inhabitants. Illiterate (in 1931) was 25.7%, higher than the national average of 23.1%.

Industry

Kielce Voivodeship was very divided in industrial terms. Its western part, with such cities as Częstochowa, Sosnowiec or Będzin was highly industrialized and urbanized, with numerous coalmines. Also Radom, located in the north, was a big industrial center. Eastern part, on the other hand, was backward, with little industry and underdeveloped agriculture. In mid-1930s Polish government started a huge public works program, called Centralny Okreg Przemyslowy

Centralny Okreg Przemyslowy

The Central Industrial District , is an industrial region in Poland. It was one of the biggest economic projects of the Second Polish Republic. The 5-year long project was initiated by a famous Polish economist, deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Treasury, Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski...

, which was a great boost to overpopulated and poor central and eastern counties.

Cities and administrative divisions

Between April 1, 1938 and September 1, 1939 it consisted of 18 powiats (counties). These were:

• Będzin
  Bedzin
  Będzin is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Czarna Przemsza river , the city borders the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metro area with a population of about 2 million.It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its...
  
   county (area 459 km², pop. 231 300),
• Częstochowa
  Czestochowa
  Częstochowa is a city in south Poland on the Warta River with 240,027 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously the capital of Częstochowa Voivodeship...
  
   county (area 1 855 km², pop. 182 600),
• city of Częstochowa county (powiat czestochowski grodzki), (area 48 km², pop. 117 200),
• Iłża county (area 1 835 km², pop. 162 400),
• Jędrzejów
  Jedrzejów
  Jędrzejów is a town in Poland, located in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, about 35 km southwest of Kielce. It is the capital of Jędrzejów County. It has 18,069 inhabitants ....
  
   county (area 1 277 km², pop. 108 800),
• Kielce
  Kielce
  Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
  
   county (area 2 052 km², pop. 244 100),
• Kozienice
  Kozienice
  Kozienice is a town in central Poland with 21,500 inhabitants . It is the capital of Kozienice County .-Description:...
  
   county (area 1 857 km², pop. 143 100),
• Miechów
  Miechów
  Miechów is a town in Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, about 40 km north of Kraków. It is the capital of Miechów County. Population is 11,852 ....
  
   county (area 1 353 km², pop. 153 700),
• Olkusz
  Olkusz
  Olkusz is a town in south Poland with 37,696 inhabitants . Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Katowice Voivodeship , it is the capital of Olkusz County...
  
   county (area 1 361 km², pop. 151 300),
• Opatów
  Opatów
  Opatów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Opatów County. Its population is 7,833 .Tourist attractions include a 12th century Collegiate Church of St...
  
   county (area 1 639 km², pop. 186 500),
• Pińczów
  Pinczów
  Pińczów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodship, about 40 km south of Kielce. It is the capital of Pińczów County. Population is 12,304 .-History:...
  
   county (area 1 148 km², pop. 126 000),
• Radom
  Radom
  Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
  
   county (area 2 095 km², pop. 166 900),
• city of Radom county (powiat radomski grodzki) (area 25 km², pop. 77 900),
• Sandomierz
  Sandomierz
  Sandomierz is a city in south-eastern Poland with 25,714 inhabitants . Situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship . It is the capital of Sandomierz County . Sandomierz is known for its Old Town, a major tourist attraction...
  
   county (area 1 186 km², pop. 124 400),
• city of Sosnowiec
  Sosnowiec
  Sosnowiec is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a combined population of over two million people located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river .It is situated in...
  
   county (powiat sosnowiecki grodzki) (area 33 km², pop. 109 000),
• Stopnica
  Stopnica
  Stopnica is a village in Busko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Stopnica. It lies approximately east of Busko-Zdrój and south-east of the regional capital Kielce...
  
   county (area 1 590 km², pop. 153 200),
• Włoszczowa county (area 1 446 km², pop. 101 600),
• Zawiercie
  Zawiercie
  Zawiercie is a city in the Silesian Voivodeship of southern Poland with 55,800 inhabitants . It is situated in the Kraków-Częstochowa highland near the source of the Warta River...
  
   county (area 945 km², pop. 131 000).

According to the 1931 census, biggest cities in Kielce Voivodeship were:

• Częstochowa (pop. 117 200),
• Sosnowiec (pop. 109 000),
• Radom (pop. 77 900),
• Kielce (pop. 58 200),
• Będzin (pop. 47 600),
• Dąbrowa Górnicza (pop. 36 900),
• Zawiercie (pop. 32 900),
• Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski (pop. 25 900).

Voivodes

• Stanisław Franciszek Pękosławski 19 November 1919 – 31 May 1923
• Adam Kroebl 1 July 1923 – 31 August 1923 (acting)
• Mieczysław Bilski 1 September 1923 – 6 May 1924
• Ignacy Manteuffel 24 May 1924 – 17 August 1927
• Adam Kroebl 20 August 1927 – 20 October 1927 (acting)
• Władysław Korsak 21 October 1927 – 28 February 1930
• Jerzy Paciorkowski 18 February 1930 – 15 May 193
• Stanisław Jarecki 17 May 1934 – 9 July 1934 (acting)
• Władysław Dziadosz 9 July 1934 – September 1939