Lesser Poland - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Lesser Poland is one of the historical regions of 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...

, with its capital in the city of 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...

. It forms the southeastern corner of the country, and should not be confused with the modern Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Małopolska Voivodeship , or Lesser Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, in southern Poland...

, which covers only a small, southern part of Lesser Poland. Historical Lesser Poland is much bigger than the current voivodeship which bears its name; stretching from 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...

in the west to the lands northeast of 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...

in the east. In the late Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

, Lesser Poland gradually became the center of Polish statehood, with Kraków being the capital of the country from mid-11th century until 1596. Its nobility ruled Poland when Queen Jadwiga

Jadwiga

Jadwiga is a Polish feminine given name. It originated from the old German Hedwig .* Jadwiga of Greater Poland, Queen of Poland and mother of Casimir III of Poland...

was too young to control the state, and the Union of Krewo

Union of Krewo

In a strict sense, the Union of Krewo or Act of Krėva was a set of prenuptial promises made in the Kreva Castle on 14 August 1385 by Jogaila, Grand Duke of Lithuania, in exchange for marriage to the underage reigning Queen Jadwiga of Poland...

with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...

was the brainchild of Lesser Poland's szlachta

Szlachta

The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...

.

In the 17th century, the importance of Lesser Poland diminished, when 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...

and centrally located province of Mazovia

Mazovia

Mazovia or Masovia is a geographical, historical and cultural region in east-central Poland. It is also a voivodeship in Poland.Its historic capital is Płock, which was the medieval residence of first Dukes of Masovia...

emerged as key parts of the nation. Lesser Poland's territory was divided along the Vistula

Vistula

The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....

river line between Austrian Empire

Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...

and Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

during the Partitions of Poland

Partitions of Poland

The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...

. Its boundaries are now often limited only to its southern, smaller part controlled throughout the 19th century by Austria as western Galicia. As a result of this long-lasting division, many inhabitants of northern part of this historic province of Poland (with such cities, as Lublin, 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...

, and 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...

) have lost their Lesser Poland's identity. Today, Lesser Poland is divided between several voivodeships, as seen on the map on the right – whole Lesser Poland Voivodeship, whole Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship

Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship

Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, or Świętokrzyskie Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is presently divided. It is situated in central Poland, in the historical province of Lesser Poland, and takes its name from the Świętokrzyskie mountain range...

, western half of 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....

, western part of Subcarpathian Voivodeship

Subcarpathian Voivodeship

Podkarpackie Voivodeship , or Subcarpathian Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in extreme-southeastern Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów...

, eastern half of Silesian Voivodeship

Silesian Voivodeship

Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...

, southern part of Mazovian Voivodeship and southeastern corner of Łódź Voivodeship (around Opoczno

Opoczno

Opoczno is a town in south-central Poland, within the eastern part of Łódź Voivodeship , previously in Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship . Important communication routes run through the town, namely the central railway line, which connects Silesia with Warsaw, and road 12, which creates a...

Geography and boundaries

Lesser Poland lies in the upper confluence of the Vistula

Vistula

The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....

river and covers a large upland, including the Świętokrzyskie 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...

with Polish Jura further west, Lesser Polish Upland, Sandomierz Basin

Sandomierz Basin

Sandomierz Basin is a lowland, located in southeastern Poland, between the Lesser Poland Upland, Lublin Upland and the Western Carpathians. Its name comes from the historical city of Sandomierz and the basin has a triangular shape with the size of around It is drained by the Vistula River and its...

, and Lublin Upland

Lublin Upland

Lublin Upland is a geographical region in eastern Poland, located between the rivers Vistula and Bug, in the vicinity of Lublin.Its area is about 7,200 km² and its highest elevation 314 m above sea level. It is located in Lublin Voivodeship. In its southern portion it becomes the Roztocze...

. Unlike other historical parts of the country, such as Kujawy, Mazovia

Mazovia

, Podlachia

Podlachia

Podlachia, Podlasie or Podlesia is a historical region in the eastern part of Poland and western Belarus. It is located between the Biebrza River in the north and its natural continuation to the south — the Polesie area...

, Pomerania

Pomerania

Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...

, or Greater Poland

Greater Poland

Greater Poland or Great Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska is a historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief city is Poznań.The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history...

, Lesser Poland is mainly hilly, with Poland's highest peak, Rysy

Rysy

Rysy is a mountain in the crest of the High Tatras, lying on the border between Poland and Slovakia. Rysy has three peaks: the middle at ; the north-western at ; and the south-eastern at...

, located within borders of the province. Flat are northern and central areas of the province – around Tarnobrzeg

Tarnobrzeg

Tarnobrzeg is a city in south-eastern Poland, on the east bank of the river Vistula, with 49,419 inhabitants, as of December 31, 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship since 1999, it had previously been the capital of Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship...

, Stalowa Wola

Stalowa Wola

Stalowa Wola is the largest city and capital of Stalowa Wola County with a population of 64,353 inhabitants, as of June 2008. It is located in southeastern Poland in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship...

, Radom

Radom

and Siedlce

Siedlce

Siedlce ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,392 inhabitants . Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship ....

, also valleys of the main rivers – the Vistula, the Pilica, and the San. Apart from Rysy, there are several other peaks located in the province – Pilsko

Pilsko

Pilsko is the second highest mountain, , in the Żywiec Beskids mountain range, on the border between Poland and Slovakia. It is a popular hiking destination in summer and a skiing area in winter.-References:...

, Babia Góra, Turbacz, as well as Lysica in the Swietokrzyskie Mountains. Southern part of the province is covered by the Carpathian Mountains

Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...

, which are made of smaller ranges, such as Pieniny

Pieniny

Pieniny is a mountain range in the south of Poland and the north of Slovakia.The Pieniny mountain range is divided into three parts – Pieniny Spiskie and Pieniny Właściwe in Poland; and, Malé Pieniny in Slovakia. The Pieniny mountains consist mainly of the limestone and dolomite rock strata...

, Tatry, and Beskidy.

Almost whole area is located in the Vistula Basin, with the exception of western and southern parts, belonging to the Odra

Oder

The Oder is a river in Central Europe. It rises in the Czech Republic and flows through western Poland, later forming of the border between Poland and Germany, part of the Oder-Neisse line...

and Dunaj

Danube

The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....

Basins. Main rivers of the province are Vistula, upper Warta, Soła, Skawa

Skawa

Skawa is a river in southern Poland, a right tributary of the Vistula. It originates in the Western Carpathians , is 96 km long and drains 1,160 km². It passes several towns: Jordanów, Maków Podhalański, Sucha Beskidzka, Wadowice and Zator....

, Raba, Dunajec, Wisłok, Wisłoka, San, Wieprz, Przemsza

Przemsza

Przemsza is a river in the south of Poland, a tributary of the Vistula.It originates at the confluence of the Black Przemsza and White Przemsza between the cities of Mysłowice and Jaworzno, and flows about southwards along the towns of Imielin and Chełmek to its mouth northeast of...

, Nida, Kamienna, Radomka

Radomka

The Radomka is a river in central Poland and a left tributary of the Vistula river. It has a length of 98 km and a basin area of over 2000 km² . The river has its source in forests 4 km south from Przysucha...

, and Pilica. Major lakes of the province are: Rożnów Lake, Czchów Lake, Dobczyce Lake, Czorsztyn Lake, Czaniec Lake, Międzybrodzie Lake, Klimkówka Lake and Żywiec Lake

Żywiec Lake

Żywiec Lake is a reservoir on the Soła river in southern Poland, near the town of Żywiec. It was created in 1966, when several villages in the area, such as Zarzecze, Tresna, Zadziel and Old Żywiec were flooded following the construction of a...

. Most of them are man-made reservoirs.

Lesser Poland stretches from the Carpathians

Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...

in the south to Pilica and Liwiec

Liwiec

The Liwiec is a river in Poland, in the plains of Southern Podlaskie Voivodeship and central Masovian Voivodeship. It is 126 kilometres long and drains 2779 square kilometres. Its source is located to the north-west of Międzyrzec Podlaski near Siedlce and crosses Wyszków, Liw, Węgrów and Stara Wieś...

rivers to the north. It borders Mazovia to the north, Podlaskie to the northeast, Red Ruthenia

Red Ruthenia

Red Ruthenia is the name used since medieval times to refer to the area known as Eastern Galicia prior to World War I; first mentioned in Polish historic chronicles in the 1321, as Ruthenia Rubra or Ruthenian Voivodeship .Ethnographers explain that the term was applied from the...

to the east, Slovakia

Slovakia

The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

to the south, Silesia

Silesia

Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...

to the west, and Greater Poland to the northwest. Currently, the region is divided between Polish voivodeship

Voivodeship

Voivodship is a term denoting the position of, or more commonly the area administered by, a voivod. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia....

s – Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Małopolska Voivodeship , or Lesser Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, in southern Poland...

(whole), Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (whole), Silesian Voivodeship

Silesian Voivodeship

Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...

(eastern half), Subcarpathian Voivodeship

Subcarpathian Voivodeship

Podkarpackie Voivodeship , or Subcarpathian Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in extreme-southeastern Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów...

(western part), Masovian Voivodeship

Masovian Voivodeship

-Administrative division:Masovian Voivodeship is divided into 42 counties : 5 city counties and 37 "land counties"...

(southern part), Łódź Voivodeship (southeastern corner), and 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....

(western part).

In Silesian Voivodeship, the border between Silesia

Silesia

and Lesser Poland is easy to draw, because with few exceptions, it goes along boundaries of local counties

Powiat

A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used...

. In the south, it goes along western boundary of ancient Duchy of Teschen, with the borderline along the Biala river, where Zwardoń

Zwardon

Zwardoń is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Rajcza, within Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in the Silesian Beskids mountain range in southern Poland, on the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately west of Rajcza, south-west of Żywiec, and south of the regional capital...

, Milówka

Milówka

Milówka is a village in Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Milówka. It lies It is situated in Żywiec Beskids mountain range, approximately south-west of Żywiec and south of the regional capital Katowice.The village has a population...

, and Rajcza

Rajcza

Rajcza is a village in Żywiec County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Rajcza. It lies approximately south of Żywiec and south of the regional capital Katowice.The village has a population of 3,438.-References:...

are in Lesser Poland. Bielsko-Biała

Bielsko-Biała

-Economy and Industry:Nowadays Bielsko-Biała is one of the best-developed parts of Poland. It was ranked 2nd best city for business in that country by Forbes. About 5% of people are unemployed . Bielsko-Biała is famous for its textile, machine-building, and especially automotive industry...

is a city made of two parts – Lesser Poland's Biala (also called Biala Krakowska), makes eastern half of the city, and only in 1951 it merged with Silesian Bielsko. Further north, the border goes along western boundaries of cities of Jaworzno

Jaworzno

Jaworzno is a city in southern Poland, near Katowice. The east district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza river ....

, 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...

, along the Przemsza

Przemsza

and Brynica

Brynica

Brynica is a river in Silesia and Lesser Poland , Poland. It has a length of 55 km and is the main confluence of Czarna Przemsza. It has a source in Wymysłów, and flows through Piekary Śląskie, Wojkowice, Czeladź, Siemianowice Śląskie, Świerklaniec, Katowice, Sosnowiec and finally Mysłowice...

rivers. Then it goes northwest, leaving Czeladź

Czeladz

Czeladź is a town in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with a population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river ....

, Siewierz

Siewierz

Siewierz is a town in the Silesian Voivodeship in Poland.-History:In history, Sewerien was first mentioned in 1125, which was administered by the Castellan of Bytom. In 1177, Casimir II granted Sewerien to Mieszko IV Tanglefoot duke of Silesia and Racibórz, together with the duchy of Bytom. The...

, Koziegłowy, Blachownia

Blachownia

Blachownia is a town in Częstochowa County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland. It lies about 10 km west of the city of Częstochowa.-External links:***...

, Kłobuck and Krzepice

Krzepice

Krzepice is a Polish town near Częstochowa, in Kłobuck County, Silesian Voivodeship.- Transport :Main road connections from the Krzepice include those with Wieluń and Częstochowa via the National Road ....

within Lesser Poland. From Krzepice, the border goes eastwards, towards Koniecpol

Koniecpol

Koniecpol is a town in Częstochowa County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 6,366 inhabitants . In the times of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth it was the seat of the Koniecpolski magnate family....

, and along the Pilica river, with such towns as Przedborz

Przedbórz

Przedbórz is a town in Radomsko County, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,835 inhabitants . Przedbórz is situated on the Pilica River....

, Opoczno, Drzewica

Drzewica

Drzewica is a town in Opoczno County, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,022 inhabitants .-External links:*...

, Białobrzegi, and Kozienice

Kozienice

Kozienice is a town in central Poland with 21,500 inhabitants . It is the capital of Kozienice County .-Description:...

within Lesser Poland. East of Białobrzegi, the boundary goes mainly along the Radomka

Radomka

river, to the Vistula. East of the Vistula, the boundary goes north of Łaskarzew and Żelechów

Zelechów

Żelechów is a town in east Poland in Masovian Voivodeship in Garwolin County. It is the seat of Gmina Żelechów. Żelechów is 85 km from Warsaw and 85 km far from Lublin. More than 4000 people live in the town...

, and south of Mazovian town of Garwolin

Garwolin

Garwolin is a town on the Wilga river in eastern Poland, capital of Garwolin County, situated in the southeast part of the Garwolin plateau in Masovian Voivodeship , 62 km southeast of Warsaw, 100 km northwest of Lublin...

, turning northwest. Extreme northern point of the province is marked by the Liwiec

Liwiec

river, with both Siedlce

Siedlce

Siedlce ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,392 inhabitants . Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship ....

, and Łuków being part of Lesser Poland. The line then goes south, with Miedzyrzec Podlaski

Miedzyrzec Podlaski

Międzyrzec Podlaski is a city in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, with the population of 17,162 inhabitants as of 2006. The total area of the city is 20.03 km2...

being part of historical Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

, and Radzyń Podlaski

Radzyn Podlaski

Radzyń Podlaski is a town in eastern Poland, about 60 km north of Lublin, with 16,140 inhabitants . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Biała Podlaska Voivodeship . It is the capital of Radzyń Podlaski County.The town was founded in 1468. The most important landmark is the...

as well as Parczew

Parczew

Parczew is a town in eastern Poland, with a population of 10,281 . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Biała Podlaska Voivodeship . It is the capital of Parczew County.-History:...

left in Lesser Poland.

Between the Vistula

Vistula

The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....

and the Bug

Bug River

The Bug River is a left tributary of the Narew river flows from central Ukraine to the west, passing along the Ukraine-Polish and Polish-Belarusian border and into Poland, where it empties into the Narew river near Serock. The part between the lake and the Vistula River is sometimes referred to as...

Rivers, eastern border of Lesser Poland goes west of Leczna

Leczna

Łęczna is a town in eastern Poland with 21,802 inhabitants , situated in Lublin Voivodeship. It is the seat of Łęczna County and the smaller administrative district of Gmina Łęczna.- Economy :...

, but east of Krasnystaw

Krasnystaw

Krasnystaw is a town in eastern Poland with 19,615 inhabitants . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Chelm Voivodeship . It is the capital of Krasnystaw County....

and Szczebrzeszyn

Szczebrzeszyn

Szczebrzeszyn is a city in southeastern Poland in Lublin Voivodeship, in Zamość County, about 20 km west of Zamość. From 1975–1999, it was part of the Zamość Voivodeship administrative district. The town serves as the seat to Gmina Szczebrzeszyn. A 2004 census counted 5,357 inhabitants...

, both of which historically belong to Red Ruthenia

Red Ruthenia

. Further south, Lesser Poland includes Frampol

Frampol

Frampol is a town in Poland, in Lublin Voivodeship, in Biłgoraj County. It has 1,440 inhabitants .The town was founded in 1705, with a unique, highly symmetric layout of streets in the shape of concentric rectangles around a large central square. In 1869 it lost its official status as a town, to...

, and Biłgoraj, which lies in the southeastern corner on Lesser Poland's historical Lublin Voivodeship, close to the border with Red Ruthenia. The border then goes west of Biłgoraj, turning south, towards Lezajsk

Lezajsk

Leżajsk is a town in southeastern Poland with 14,127 inhabitants . It has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodship since 1999 and is the capital of Leżajsk County. Leżajsk is famed for its Bernadine basilica and monastery, built by the architect Antonio Pellacini...

(which belongs to Red Ruthenia). Boundary between Lesser Poland and Red Ruthenia was described by Ukrainian historian and geographer Myron Korduba along the line Dukla

Dukla

Dukla ; , Duklya] is a town and an eponymous municipality in southeastern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodship. The town is populated by 2,127 people . while the total population of the commune containing the town and the villages surrounding it is 16,640...

– Krosno

Krosno

Krosno is a town and county in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland with 47,455 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009.Notably Krosno is the site of the first oil well in the world....

– Domaradz

Domaradz, Subcarpathian Voivodeship

Domaradz is a village in Brzozów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Domaradz. It lies approximately north-west of Brzozów and south of the regional capital Rzeszów....

– Czudec

Czudec

Czudec is a village in Strzyżów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Czudec. It lies approximately north-east of Strzyżów and south-west of the regional capital Rzeszów.The village has a population of 2,900.-References:...

– Krzeszów nad Sanem. Lesser Poland border towns were: Rudnik

Rudnik

Rudnik is a mountain in central Serbia, near the town of Gornji Milanovac. Its highest peak Cvijićev vrh, named after geologist and biologist Jovan Cvijić, has an altitude of 1132 meters above sea level...

, Kolbuszowa

Kolbuszowa

Kolbuszowa is a small town in south-eastern Poland, with 9,190 inhabitants .Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodship , it is the capital of Kolbuszowa County.-History:The name of the town comes from the land owner Kolbusz...

, Ropczyce

Ropczyce

Ropczyce is a town in Subcarpathian Voivodeship in south-eastern Poland, situated in the Valley the Wielopolka River and is inhabited by 15,098 people . It is the seat of Ropczyce-Sędziszów County.-Geography:...

, Sedziszow Malopolski

Sedziszów Malopolski

Sędziszów Małopolski is a town in Ropczyce-Sędziszów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 7,078 .-External links:*...

, Strzyżów

Strzyzów

Strzyżów is a town in Strzyżów County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland with 8,709 inhabitants . Strzyżów is one of the towns within the Strzyżowsko-Dynowskie Foothill, located 160 km south-east of Kraków. Its building arrangement extends in the river of Wisłok valley, chained together with...

, Jasło, Gorlice

Gorlice

Gorlice is a city and an urban municipality in south eastern Poland with around 29,500 inhabitants . It is situated south east of Kraków and south of Tarnów between Jasło and Nowy Sącz in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Nowy Sącz Voivodeship...

, and Biecz

Biecz

Biecz is a town and municipality in southeastern Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Gorlice County. It is in the Carpathian Mountains, in the Doły Jasielsko Sanockie, by the Ropa River...

. Southern border of Lesser Poland goes along the Carpathian Mountains

Carpathian Mountains

The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...

, and with minor changes, it has not changed for centuries. Cities of Leżajsk

Lezajsk

, Rzeszów

Rzeszów

Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...

, Sanok

Sanok

Sanok is a town in south-eastern Poland with 39,110 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It's the capital of Sanok County in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. Previously, it was in the Krosno Voivodeship and in the Ruthenian Voivodeship , which was part of the Lesser Poland province...

, Brzozów

Brzozów

Brzozów is a town in south-eastern Poland, with 7,677 inhabitants . It is situated in Subcarpathian Voivodeship and is the seat of both Brzozów County and the smaller administrative district of Gmina Brzozów...

, and Krosno

Krosno

Krosno is a town and county in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland with 47,455 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009.Notably Krosno is the site of the first oil well in the world....

do not belong to historical Lesser Poland, as they are part of Red Ruthenia (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...

Origin of the name

Zygmunt Gloger

Zygmunt Gloger was a Polish historian, archeologist, geographer and ethnographer, bearer of Wilczekosy coat of arms.-Life:...

in his work Historical geography of land of ancient Poland (Geografia historyczna ziem dawnej Polski) states that according to a Polish custom, whenever a new village was formed next to an older one, the name of the new entity was presented with an adjective little (or lesser), while old village was described as greater. The same procedure was used in naming these two Polish provinces – the "older" one, the cradle of Polish statehood, was called Greater Poland, while her "younger sister", which became part of Poland a few years later, was called Lesser Poland. The name Greater Poland (Polonia Maior) was for the first time used in 1242, by princes Boleslaw and Przemyslaw I, who named themselves Duces Majoris Poloniae (Princes of the Older Poland). Lesser Poland, or Polonia Minor, appeared for the first time in historical documents in 1493, in the Statutes of Piotrków

Statutes of Piotrków

The Piotrków Statutes were a set of laws enacted in the Kingdom of Poland in 1496. John I Olbracht of Poland made a number of concessions to the szlachta, whose support he required in war. Among other things, the szlachta were relieved of certain taxes and were granted exclusive rights to high...

, during the reign of King Jan Olbracht, to distinguish this province from the cradle of the Polish state, Greater Poland (Polonia Maior).

History

Early period and Kingdom of Poland

In the first years of Polish statehood, southern Lesser Poland was inhabited by the Slavic tribe of Vistulans

Vistulans

Vistulans were an early medieval West Slavic tribe inhabiting the land of modern Lesser Poland.From the 1st century and possibly earlier, the Vistulans , were part of the Carpian Tribe, which got its name from the area that they lived in, which was beside the Carpathian Mountain Range...

, with two major centers in Kraków and Wiślica

Wislica

Wiślica is a village in Busko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Wiślica. It lies on the Nida River, approximately south of Busko-Zdrój and south of the regional capital Kielce...

. Their land, which had probably been part of Great Moravia

Great Moravia

Great Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe and lasted for nearly seventy years in the 9th century whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks. It was a vassal state of the Germanic Frankish kingdom and paid an annual tribute to it. There is some controversy as...

, and Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

, was annexed by Mieszko I some time in late 10th century. Cosmas of Prague in his Chronicle of Bohemians wrote: "Polish prince Mieszko, a cunning man, seized by ruse the city of Kraków, killing with sword all Czechs he found there". Northern part of Lesser Poland (Lublin and Sandomierz) was probably inhabited by another tribe, the Lendians

Lendians

The Lendians were a Lechitic eastern Wends tribe recorded to have inhabited the ill-defined area in East Lesser Poland and Cherven Towns between the 7th and 11th centuries....

, and dr Antoni Podraza, historian of the Jagiellonian University

Jagiellonian University

The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....

claims that ancient division of Lesser Poland into two major parts – Land (Duchy) of Kraków, and Land (Duchy) of Sandomierz, is based on the existence of two Slavic tribes in the area. However, exact location of the Lendians has not been determined to this day. Some historians speculate that they occupied Red Ruthenia, and their center was in Przemyśl

Przemysl

Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....

.
Around the year 1000, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kraków was created, and its borders covered whole area of Lesser Poland. During the reign of Casimir I the Restorer, Kraków for the first time became the capital of Poland (around 1040), since Greater Poland and Silesia

Silesia

, with main Polish urban centers, such as Gniezno

Gniezno

Gniezno is a city in central-western Poland, some 50 km east of Poznań, inhabited by about 70,000 people. One of the Piasts' chief cities, it was mentioned by 10th century A.D. sources as the capital of Piast Poland however the first capital of Piast realm was most likely Giecz built around...

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...

were ravaged by Duke Bretislaus I of Bohemia

Bohemia

Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...

. In 1138, following the Testament of Boleslaw III Krzywousty

Testament of Boleslaw III Krzywousty

The Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty was a political act by the Piast duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Poland, in which he established rules for governance of the Polish kingdom by his four surviving sons after his death. By issuing it, Bolesław planned to guarantee that his heirs would not fight...

, the country was divided between his sons (see also Fragmentation of Poland). Boleslaw III Wrymouth

Boleslaw III Wrymouth

Bolesław III Wrymouth was Prince of Poland from 1102 until 1138...

created the Seniorate Province

Seniorate Province

Seniorate Province, also known as the Senioral Province , Duchy of Kraków , Duchy of Cracow, Principality of Cracow, Principality of Kraków, was the superior among the five provinces established in 1138 according to the Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty...

, which, among others, consisted of Kraków. At the same time, Lesser Poland was divided into two parts, when its eastern part formed the Duchy of Sandomierz, carved by the ruler for his son Henry of Sandomierz

Henry of Sandomierz

Henry of Sandomierz was a Duke of Sandomierz since 1138 or 1146 until his death....

.
During the fragmentation period, both lands of Lesser Poland were frequently ruled by the same prince. Among them were Boleslaw IV the Curly

Boleslaw IV the Curly

Bolesław IV the Curly from the Piast dynasty was Duke of Masovia since 1138 and High Duke of Poland from 1146 until his death....

, Mieszko III the Old

Mieszko III the Old

Mieszko III the Old , of the royal Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland from 1138 and High Duke of Poland, with interruptions, from 1173 until his death....

, Casimir II the Just

Casimir II the Just

Casimir II the Just was a Lesser Polish duke at Wiślica during 1166–1173, and at Sandomierz since 1173. He became ruler over the Polish Seniorate Province at Kraków and thereby High Duke of Poland in 1177; a position he held until his death, interrupted once by his elder brother and predecessor...

, Leszek I the White

Leszek I the White

Leszek I the White , also listed by some sources as Leszek II the White, was Prince of Sandomierz and High Duke of Poland from 1194 until his death, except for the short periods following when he was deposed as Polish ruler...

, Boleslaw V the Chaste

Boleslaw V the Chaste

Bolesław V the Chaste or the Shy was Duke of Sandomierz in Lesser Poland from 1232 and High Duke of Poland from 1243 until his death.He was the son of High Duke Leszek I the White, who was assassinated in 1227...

, Leszek II the Black

Leszek II the Black

Leszek the Black , named after his black hair, was one of the High Dukes of the fragmented Kingdom of Poland. He ruled from 1279 to 1288, and was married to Agrippina of Slavonia with no children.- Life :...

, Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high

Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high

Władysław the Short or Elbow-high , was a King of Poland. He was a Duke until 1300, and Prince of Kraków from 1305 until his coronation as King on 20 January 1320...

, and King of Bohemia, Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, who united Lesser Poland in 1290/1291. The province was pillaged during the Mongol invasion of Poland

Mongol invasion of Poland

The Mongol Invasion of Poland from late 1240 to 1241 culminated in the battle of Legnica, where the Mongols defeated an alliance which included forces from fragmented Poland and members of various Christian military orders, led by Henry II the Pious, the Duke of Silesia. The first invasion's...

, when a combined army of Kraków and Sandomierz was destroyed by Baidar

Baidar

Baidar was the second son of Chagatai Khan.He participated in the European campaign with his nephew Büri from 1235-1241. He commanded the Mongol army assigned to Poland with Kadan and, probably, Orda Khan....

in the Battle of Chmielnik

Battle of Chmielnik

The Battle of Chmielnik occurred on 18 March 1241 during the Mongol invasion of Poland. It ended in the total defeat of the Polish armies of Sandomierz and Kraków provinces. The Mongols were able to move unimpeded, and plunder the abandoned city of Kraków....

. The loss was so heavy that Norman Davies

Norman Davies

Professor Ivor Norman Richard Davies FBA, FRHistS is a leading English historian of Welsh descent, noted for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland, and the United Kingdom.- Academic career :...

wrote: "At Chmielnik, the assembled nobility of Małopolska perished to a man." During their 1241, 1257, and 1287 invasions, the Mongols burned major cities of Lesser Poland, killing thousands of people. Furthermore, the province, especially its northeastern part, was often raided by the Lithuanians, Rusyns

Rus' (people)

The Rus' were a group of Varangians . According to the Primary Chronicle of Rus, compiled in about 1113 AD, the Rus had relocated from the Baltic region , first to Northeastern Europe, creating an early polity which finally came under the leadership of Rurik...

, Yotvingians

Yotvingians

Yotvingians or Sudovians were a Baltic people with close cultural ties to the Lithuanians and Prussians...

, and Old Prussians

Old Prussians

The Old Prussians or Baltic Prussians were an ethnic group, autochthonous Baltic tribes that inhabited Prussia, the lands of the southeastern Baltic Sea in the area around the Vistula and Curonian Lagoons...

. The city of Lublin suffered most frequently – among others, it was burnt by the Rusyns in 1244, the Lithuanians 1255, the Prussians in 1266, and the Yotvingians in 1282. Another center of the province, Sandomierz, was destroyed by the Tartars in 1260, and burnt by the Lithuanians in 1349.

Unlike other Polish provinces, especially Silesia

Silesia

, Lesser Poland did not undergo further fragmentation, and in early 14th century became the core of the reunited nation (together with Greater Poland). The period of nation's fragmentation came to a symbolic end on 30 January 1320, when Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high

Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high

Władysław the Short or Elbow-high , was a King of Poland. He was a Duke until 1300, and Prince of Kraków from 1305 until his coronation as King on 20 January 1320...

was crowned as King of Poland. The ceremony took place in Kraków's Wawel Cathedral

Wawel Cathedral

The Wawel Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Stanisław and Vaclav, is a church located on Wawel Hill in Kraków–Poland's national sanctuary. It has a 1,000-year history and was the traditional coronation site of Polish monarchs. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kraków...

, and the king of the reunited country decided to choose Kraków as the capital. Through 14th and 15th century, Lesser Poland's position as the most important province of the nation was cemented. It became visible during the reign of Casimir III the Great, who favored less known Lesser Poland's noble families, at the expense of Greater Poland's nobility. The reign of Casimir the Great was a period of growing prosperity of Lesser Poland. With high density of population, fertile soils and rich deposits of minerals (especially salt in Bochnia

Bochnia

Bochnia is a town of 30,000 inhabitants on the river Raba in southern Poland. The town lies approximately in halfway [] between Tarnów and the regional capital Kraków . Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Europe, built circa 1248...

and Wieliczka

Wieliczka

-External links:***...

, as well as lead in 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...

), the province was the richest part of Poland. After annexation of Red Ruthenia

Red Ruthenia

, Lesser Poland lost its status of the borderland, and both regions created an economic bridge between Poland and the ports of the Black Sea

Black Sea

The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...

. The king, who drew Jewish

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...

settlers from across Europe to his country, built several castles along western border of Lesser Poland, with the most notable ones in Skawina

Skawina

Skawina is a town in southern Poland with 27,328 inhabitants .Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship .- Twin Towns - Sister Cities :Skawina is twinned with:...

, Pieskowa Skała, Będzin

Bedzin Castle

The Będzin Castle is a castle in Będzin in southern Poland. The stone castle dates to 14th century, and is predated by a wooden fortification that was erected in 11th century. It was an important fortification in the Kingdom of Poland and later, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.-History:The...

, Lanckorona

Lanckorona

Lanckorona is a village in Poland, near Kraków. It is famous for its well preserved 19th century wooden houses....

, 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...

, Lelów

Lelów

Lelów is a village in Częstochowa County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Lelów...

, Bobolice

Bobolice Castle

The Bobolice Castle – a royal castle built in the middle of the 14th century in the Polish Jura, in the village of Bobolice.-History:The castle in Bobolice was built by King Casimir III the Great in the middle of the 14th century, probably in place of an earlier wooden structure...

, Krzepice

Krzepice

, Ogrodzieniec

Ogrodzieniec

Ogrodzieniec is town Zawiercie County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,499 inhabitants .It is noted for the extensive ruins of a medieval castle, damaged during the Swedish invasion of Poland in the years 1655–1660.- External links :...

, Ojców

Ojców

Ojców is a village in Gmina Skała, in Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is one of the sights of the Eagle Nests Trail , as there are the ruins of a gothic castle near the village. The village is where the authorities of the Ojców National Park have their headquarters...

, Olsztyn

Olsztyn, Silesian Voivodeship

Olsztyn is a village in Częstochowa County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Olsztyn. It lies approximately south-east of Częstochowa and north of the voivodeship capital Katowice....

, Bobolice

Bobolice

Bobolice is a town in Koszalin County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It has a population of 4,503 ....

, Mirów (see also Eagle Nests Trail

Eagle Nests Trail

The Trail of the Eagles' Nests of south-western Poland, is a marked trail, named after a chain of 25 medieval castles which the trail passes by, between Częstochowa and Kraków. The Trail of the Eagles' Nests was first marked by Kazimierz Sosnowski...

). Furthermore, he built or strengthened castles in other parts of the province, such as Szydlow

Szydlów

Szydłów is a village in Staszów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Szydłów. It lies approximately west of Staszów and south-east of the regional capital Kielce....

, Chęciny

Checiny Castle

The Chęciny Royal Castle was built in the late 13th century in Chęciny, Poland. It fell into ruin in the 18th century and remains in that state to this day.-History:...

, Wiślica

Wislica

, Radom, Niedzica

Niedzica Castle

Niedzica Castle also known as Dunajec Castle , is located in the southernmost part of Poland in Niedzica . It was erected between the years 1320 and 1326 by Kokos of Brezovica on the site of an ancient stronghold surrounded by earthen walls in the Pieniny mountains...

, Opoczno, Lublin

Lublin Castle

The Lublin Castle is a medieval castle situated in Lublin, Poland, adjacent to the Old Town district and close to the city center. It is one of the oldest preseved Royal residencies in Poland, established by king Casimir II the Just.-History:...

, Sandomierz

Sandomierz Castle

The Sandomierz Royal Castle is a medieval structure in Sandomierz, Poland. It was built on a slope of Vistula River by Casimir III the Great and extended in the 16th century. The original building was blown up in 1656, leaving only the west wing standing...

, as well as the Wawel Castle

Wawel Castle

The Gothic Wawel Castle in Kraków in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard. In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw the addition of the tower called the Hen's...

. Also, during his reign (1333–1370), Casimir the Great founded on Magdeburg rights

Magdeburg rights

Magdeburg Rights or Magdeburg Law were a set of German town laws regulating the degree of internal autonomy within cities and villages granted by a local ruler. Modelled and named after the laws of the German city of Magdeburg and developed during many centuries of the Holy Roman Empire, it was...

several cities, urbanizing

Urbanization

Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....

hitherto rural province. Among major Lesser Poland's cities founded by the King, there are:

item.	City City A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...	cities founded	Current voivodeship
1.	Kazimierz Kazimierz Kazimierz is a historical district of Kraków , best known for being home to a Jewish community from the 14th century until the Second World War.-Early history:...	1334	now a district of Kraków
2.	Kłobuck	1339	Silesian Voivodeship
3.	Dobczyce Dobczyce Dobczyce is a town in southern Poland, situated since 1999 in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship . There is a large dam on the river Raba and a partially rebuilt 14th century castle, which is open for tourists. Dobczyce is also the name of a small part of Bobrowniki Małe, a village in Lesser Poland....	1340	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
4.	Grybów Grybów Grybów is a town in the Nowy Sącz County, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship of Poland, with 12,409 inhabitants . It is located in the heartland of the Doły , and its average altitude is 370 metres above sea level, although there are some hills located within the confines of the city, Grybów has the...	1340	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
5.	Tuchów Tuchów Tuchów is a town in Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 6,476 .- History :The history of Tuchów is very rich and interesting. The first historical note about Tuchów dates back to 1105...	1340	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
6.	Lelów Lelów Lelów is a village in Częstochowa County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Lelów...	1340	Silesian Voivodeship
7.	Myślenice Myslenice Myślenice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship . Population: 20,261.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Myślenice is twinned with: Bełchatów, Poland- Sports :...	1342	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
8.	Nowy Targ Nowy Targ Nowy Targ is a town in southern Poland with 34,000 inhabitants , and the historical capital of the mountain region . The town is situated in the confluence of the rivers Biały and Czarny Dunajec, in a valley beneath the Gorce Mountains. It's in Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship...	1346	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
9.	Biecz Biecz Biecz is a town and municipality in southeastern Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Gorlice County. It is in the Carpathian Mountains, in the Doły Jasielsko Sanockie, by the Ropa River...	1348	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
10.	Opoczno Opoczno Opoczno is a town in south-central Poland, within the eastern part of Łódź Voivodeship , previously in Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship . Important communication routes run through the town, namely the central railway line, which connects Silesia with Warsaw, and road 12, which creates a...	1350	Masovian Voivodeship
11.	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...	1350	Masovian Voivodeship
12.	Tymbark Tymbark Tymbark is a village in southern Poland, some 80 km south-east of Kraków, population 2,400 . It lies approximately west of Limanowa and south-east of the regional capital Kraków....	1354	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
13.	Pilzno Pilzno Pilzno is a town in Poland, in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in Dębica County. It has 4,484 inhabitants . It is located at the junction of important roads - West-East European E40 Highway, and National Road 73 Pilzno is a town in Poland, in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in Dębica County. It has...	1354	Subcarpathian Voivodeship
14.	Chęciny Checiny Chęciny is a town in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,252 inhabitants .The town is first mentioned in historical documents from 1275. It obtained its city charter in 1325. The most important sight in the town is the royal castle built in the late 13th or early 14th century...	1354	Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
15.	Proszowice Proszowice Proszowice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship . Its population numbers 6,206 inhabitants . It is the capital of Proszowice County....	1358	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
16.	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...	1358	Silesian Voivodeship
17.	Dębica Debica Dębica is a town in southeastern Poland with 46,693 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It is the capital of Dębica County. Since 1999 it has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it had previously been in the Tarnów Voivodeship .-Area:...	1358	Subcarpathian Voivodeship
18.	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...	1362	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
19.	Ropczyce Ropczyce Ropczyce is a town in Subcarpathian Voivodeship in south-eastern Poland, situated in the Valley the Wielopolka River and is inhabited by 15,098 people . It is the seat of Ropczyce-Sędziszów County.-Geography:...	1362	Subcarpathian Voivodeship
20.	Skawina Skawina Skawina is a town in southern Poland with 27,328 inhabitants .Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship .- Twin Towns - Sister Cities :Skawina is twinned with:...	1364	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
21.	Muszyna Muszyna Muszyna is a town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. Population: 4,989 . It is a railroad junction, located near border with Slovakia, with trains going into three directions - towards Nowy Sącz, Krynica-Zdrój and southwards, to Slovakia....	1364	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
22.	Jasło	1366	Subcarpathian Voivodeship
23.	Brzostek Brzostek Brzostek is a town in Dębica County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Brzostek. The town has a population of 2,597 . It lies approximately south of Dębica and west of the regional capital Rzeszów.- History :Brzostek gained its city...	1366	Subcarpathian Voivodeship
24.	Wojnicz Wojnicz Wojnicz is a town in Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship.The Battle of Wojnicz took place here on September 23, 1655, against Sweden.- People :* Sebastian Lubomirski* Jan Wielopolski the elder* Jan Krzysztof Tarnowski* Chaim Kreiswirth, rabbi...	1369	Subcarpathian Voivodeship

In the Kingdom of Poland

Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)

The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...

, Lesser Poland was made of three voivodeship

Voivodeship

s – Kraków Voivodeship, Sandomierz Voivodeship

Sandomierz Voivodeship

Sandomierz Voivodeship was a unit of administration and local government in Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. It was part of the Little Poland region. Originally Sandomierz Voivodeship also covered the area around Lublin, but in 1474 its three eastern counties...

, and Lublin Voivodeship

Lublin Voivodeship (1474–1795)

Lublin Voivodeship 15th century – 1795 was an administrative region of the Kingdom of Poland created in 1474 out of parts of Sandomierz Voivodeship and lasting till the Partitions of Poland in 1795...

, created in 1474 out of eastern part of the Sandomierz Voivodeship. Borders of the province remained unchanged until 1772. The only exception was large part of contemporary Upper Silesia

Upper Silesia

Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...

(the area around Bytom

Bytom

Bytom is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. The central-western district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Bytom is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Bytomka river .The city belongs to the Silesian Voivodeship since...

, Toszek

Toszek

Toszek is a town in Poland, in Gliwice County, Silesian Voivodeship, with 4,000 inhabitants.- History :The beginning of the settlement and fortified keep is dated in the 9th and 10th centuries when the area was ruled by the Piasts, Mieszko I of Poland and later Bolesław I the Brave.The fortified...

, Siewierz

Siewierz

, and Oświęcim

Oswiecim

Oświęcim is a town in the Lesser Poland province of southern Poland, situated west of Kraków, near the confluence of the rivers Vistula and Soła.- History :...

), which belonged to Duchy of Kraków until 1179. In that year, prince of Kraków Casimir II the Just

Casimir II the Just

, handed these lands to Prince of Opole

Opole

Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...

Mieszko I Tanglefoot. The Duchy of Siewierz

Duchy of Siewierz

The Duchy of Siewierz was a Silesian duchy with its capital in Siewierz. The area was part of the original Duchy of Silesia established after the death of Duke Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138 during the times of the fragmentation of Poland....

, ruled since 1443 by the Archbishop of Kraków, merged with Lesser Poland in 1790. Other Silesian realms lost in 1179, also returned to Lesser Poland – Duchy of Zator

Duchy of Zator

The Duchy of Zator was one of many Duchies of Silesia.It was split off the Duchy of Oświęcim, when after eleven years of joint rule the sons of Duke Casimir I in 1445 finally divided the lands among themselves, whereby his eldest son Wenceslaus received the territory around the town of Zator...

(in 1513), and Duchy of Oświęcim

Duchy of Oswiecim

The Duchy of Oświęcim , or the Duchy of Auschwitz , was one of many Duchies of Silesia, formed in the aftermath of the fragmentation of Poland....

(1564). Both duchies merged into a Silesian County of the Kraków Voivodeship, and shared the fate of Lesser Poland. Apart from Jews, among other ethnic minorities of the province were the Walddeutsche

Walddeutsche

Walddeutsche Germans , sometimes simply called Polish Germans, the name for a group of people, mostly of German origin, who settled during the 14th-17th century on the territory of present-day Sanockie Pits, Poland, a region which was previously only sparsely inhabited because the land was...

, who settled the borderland of Lesser Poland and Red Ruthenia (14th – 17th c.). In the Middle Ages, the Germans inhabited several cities of Lesser Poland, especially Kraków and Sandomierz (see Rebellion of wójt Albert

Rebellion of wójt Albert

The Rebellion of wójt Albert was an uprising of burghers of the Polish city of Kraków against the duke Władysław I the Elbow-high in the years 1311–12...

).

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Lesser Poland remained the most important part of the country. After the death of Casimir the Great, Lesser Poland's nobility promoted Louis I of Hungary as the new king, later supporting his daughter Jadwiga of Poland

Jadwiga of Poland

Jadwiga was monarch of Poland from 1384 to her death. Her official title was 'king' rather than 'queen', reflecting that she was a sovereign in her own right and not merely a royal consort. She was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou, the daughter of King Louis I of Hungary and Elizabeth of...

in exchange for Privilege of Koszyce

Privilege of Koszyce

The Privilege of Koszyce was a set of concessions made by Louis I of Hungary to the Polish szlachta in 1374. The privileges were granted in Košice...

. Since Jadwiga, crowned on October 16, 1384, was too young to rule the country, Poland was in fact governed by the Lesser Poland's nobility, who decided to find her a husband, Grand Duke of Lithuania

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

, Jogaila

Jogaila

Jogaila, later 'He is known under a number of names: ; ; . See also: Jogaila : names and titles. was Grand Duke of Lithuania , king consort of Kingdom of Poland , and sole King of Poland . He ruled in Lithuania from 1377, at first with his uncle Kęstutis...

. Consequently, unions of Poland and Lithuania at Krewo

Union of Krewo

and Horodło were the brainchildren of Lesser Poland's nobility, among whom the most influential individuals were Spytek z Melsztyna, and cardinal Zbigniew Olesnicki. Other famous Lesser Poland's families are Lubomirski family, Kmita family, Tarnowski family, Potocki family, Sobieski family

Sobieski family

Sobieski family of Janina coat of arms, also known as House of Sobieski due to their royalty connections, were a notable family of Polish nobility. According to the family's legend, disproved by modern historians, it traced its lineage to Polish duke, Leszek II the Black...

, Koniecpolski family, Ossolinski family, Poniatowski family.

Since Lesser Poland was the most important province of the country

Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)

, several important events took place on its territory. In 1364, Casimir the Great called the Congress of Kraków

Congress of Kraków

The Congress of Kraków was a meeting of monarchs initiated by King Casimir III the Great of Poland and held in Kraków around September 22-27, 1364...

, and in 1401, the Union of Vilnius and Radom was signed. In 1505 in Radom, the Sejm adopted the Nihil novi

Nihil novi

Nihil novi nisi commune consensu is the original Latin title of a 1505 act adopted by the Polish Sejm , meeting in the royal castle at Radom.-History:...

title, which forbade the King to issue laws without the consent of the nobility. In the same year, also in the same city, Polish law was codified in the Łaski's Statute, and the Crown Tribunal

Crown Tribunal

Crown Tribunal – was the highest appeal court in the Crown of the Polish Kingdom for most cases, exceptions being the cases were a noble landowner was threatened with loss of life and/or property - then he could appeal to the Sejm court .In 1578 king Stefan Batory created the...

(the highest appeal court in the Crown of the Polish Kingdom) held its sessions in Lublin. In 1525, the Treaty of Kraków

Treaty of Kraków

Treaty of Kraków was signed on 8 April 1525 between Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. It officially ended the Polish-Teutonic War....

was signed, ending the Polish–Teutonic War

Polish–Teutonic War (1519–1521)

Polish–Teutonic War of 1519–1521 was the war between the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Knights, fought from 1519 to 1521. The war ended with the armistice in 1521. Four years later, with the Treaty of Kraków, part of the Catholic Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights became secularized as...

. Lesser Poland also is home to the oldest Polish university – the Jagiellonian University

Jagiellonian University

, founded in 1364 by Casimir the Great, and several outstanding figures of early Polish culture were born here, such as Jan Kochanowski

Jan Kochanowski

Jan Kochanowski was a Polish Renaissance poet who established poetic patterns that would become integral to Polish literary language.He is commonly regarded as the greatest Polish poet before Adam Mickiewicz, and the greatest Slavic poet, prior to the 19th century.-Life:Kochanowski was born at...

, Mikołaj Rej, Jan z Lublina

Jan z Lublina

Jan z Lublina, or Joannis de Lublin, was a Polish composer and organist who lived in the first half of the 16th century. Not much is known about his life - he was a member of the Order of Canons Regular of the Lateran, circa 1540 he was possibly the organist at the convent in Kraśnik, near Lublin...

, Mikołaj Gomółka, Maciej Miechowita

Maciej Miechowita

Maciej Miechowita was a Polish renaissance scholar, professor of Jagiellonian University, historian, chronicler, geographer, medical doctor , alchemist, astrologist and canon in Cracow.He studied at the...

, Marcin Kromer

Marcin Kromer

Marcin Kromer or Martin Cromer was Prince-Bishop of Warmia , a cartographer, diplomat and historian in Poland and later in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...

, Łukasz Górnicki, and Mikołaj Radomski.

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

In the 16th century, Lesser Poland retained its position as the most important province of the country. As no major conflicts took place on its territory, it was the center of Renaissance in Poland

Renaissance in Poland

The Renaissance in Poland lasted from the late 15th to the late 16th century and is widely considered to have been the Golden Age of Polish culture. Ruled by the Jagiellon dynasty, the Kingdom of Poland actively participated in the broad European Renaissance...

. The province was home to numerous scholars, writers and statesmen, and it was here where Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...

was created in 1569 (see Union of Lublin

Union of Lublin

The Union of Lublin replaced the personal union of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with a real union and an elective monarchy, since Sigismund II Augustus, the last of the Jagiellons, remained childless after three marriages. In addition, the autonomy of Royal Prussia was...

). In the Commonwealth, Lesser Poland proper was the base of Province of Lesser Poland, which covered southern lands of the vast country. The province was made of Lesser Poland itself, also Red Ruthenia, 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...

, Podolia

Podolia

The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...

, and Ukrainian

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

voivodeships – Kiev Voivodeship, Chernihiv Voivodeship, and Braclaw Voivodeship

Braclaw Voivodeship

The Bracław Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1566 till 1569 and of the Kingdom of Poland since 1569 till 1793/1795. Together with the Podole Voivodeship it formed the historical province of Podolia. She was also managed by...

, which, until 1569, had been part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

.

The period in Polish history known as the Polish Golden Age

Polish Golden Age

The Polish Golden Age refers to the times from 15th century Jagiellon Poland to the death of the last of the Jagiellons, Sigismund August in 1569, or mid-17th century, when in 1648 the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was ravaged by the Khmelnytsky Uprising and The Deluge and the Golden Age...

was very fortunate for Lesser Poland. Kings of the Jagiellon dynasty

Jagiellon dynasty

The Jagiellonian dynasty was a royal dynasty originating from the Lithuanian House of Gediminas dynasty that reigned in Central European countries between the 14th and 16th century...

, especially Sigismund I the Old

Sigismund I the Old

Sigismund I of Poland , of the Jagiellon dynasty, reigned as King of Poland and also as the Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until 1548...

(himself born in Lesser Poland's Kozienice

Kozienice

Kozienice is a town in central Poland with 21,500 inhabitants . It is the capital of Kozienice County .-Description:...

), and his son Sigismund II Augustus

Sigismund II Augustus

Sigismund II Augustus I was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the only son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548...

(born in Kraków), resided in Kraków, which was the capital of the immense Polish – Lithuanian Commonwealth. Lesser Poland's prosperity was reflected in numerous examples of Renaissance

Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

architecture complexes, built across the province. In 1499, hiherto Gothic

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

Wawel Castle

was damaged in a fire, and a few years later, Sigismund I, with help of the best native and foreign artists (such as Francesco the Florentine, Bartholomeo Berrecci or Niccolo Castiglione) refurbished the complex into a splendid Renaissance palace. Furthermore, in early 16th century, several palaces were built in Lesser Poland – in Drzewica

Drzewica

Drzewica is a town in Opoczno County, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,022 inhabitants .-External links:*...

, Szydłowiec, Ogrodzieniec

Ogrodzieniec

, and Pieskowa Skała. The province became rich mostly due to the grain trade, conducted along the Vistula, and among cities which prospered in the 16th century, there are Kraków, Sandomierz, Lublin, Kazimierz Dolny

Kazimierz Dolny

Kazimierz Dolny is a small town in Central Poland, on the right bank of the Vistula river in Puławy County, Lublin Province.It is a considerable tourist attraction as one of the most beautifully situated little towns in Poland. It enjoyed its greatest prosperity in the 16th and the first half of...

, Pilzno

Pilzno

Pilzno is a town in Poland, in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in Dębica County. It has 4,484 inhabitants . It is located at the junction of important roads - West-East European E40 Highway, and National Road 73 Pilzno is a town in Poland, in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in Dębica County. It has...

, Tarnów

Tarnów

Tarnów is a city in southeastern Poland with 115,341 inhabitants as of June 2009. The city has been situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999, but from 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of the Tarnów Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east-west connection...

, Radom, Biecz

Biecz

Biecz is a town and municipality in southeastern Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Gorlice County. It is in the Carpathian Mountains, in the Doły Jasielsko Sanockie, by the Ropa River...

. In later years of the 16th century, further palaces were built or remodelled in Baranow Sandomierski

Baranów Sandomierski

Baranów Sandomierski is a small town in southern Poland, in the Subcarpathian Voivodship, Tarnobrzeg County on the Vistula River, with 1,440 inhabitants .-Castle:...

, and Niepołomice.

In early 16th century, Protestant Reformation

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

spread across the Commonwealth, and Lesser Poland became one of early centers of the movement, when students from Wittenberg

Wittenberg

Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a city in Germany in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, on the river Elbe. It has a population of about 50,000....

brought the news to Cracow. In the first years of the century, professor of Jagiellonian University Jakub of Iłża (Jakub z Ilzy, died 1542) became one of the main promoters of the movement in the region. He actively supported the notions of Martin Luther

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...

, and in 1528 was called to the Bishop of Kraków's court. Convinced of heresy, he was forced to leave Poland in 1535. Reformation soon became very popular among Lesser Poland's nobility, especially Calvinism

Calvinism

Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...

, and according to one estimate, some 20% of local szlachta

Szlachta

converted from Roman Catholicism. They were attracted by Calvinism's democratic character, and Lesser Poland's center of the movement was set in the town of 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:...

, which came to be known as Sarmatian Athens. It was in Pińczów, where a local nobleman converted a Roman Catholic parish into a Protestant one, opened a Calvinist Academy, and published its Antitrinitarian confession in 1560 and in 1561. Several Calvinist synods took place in Lesser Poland – the first one in Słomniki (1554), Pińczów (the first united Synod of Poland and Lithanian – 1556 1561), and Kraków (1562). In 1563, also in Pińczów, the so-called Brest Bible

Brest Bible

The Brest Bible was the first comprehensive Polish language Protestant Bible translation, published in 1563 in Brest and dedicated to King Sigismund II Augustus....

was translated into Polish language. In 1570, the Sandomierz Agreement

Sandomierz Agreement

The Sandomierz Agreement was an agreement reached in 1570 in Sandomierz between a number of Protestant groups in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was intended to unite the Calvinists, Lutherans, and Hussites and to oppose the Polish brethren....

was signed by a number of Protestant groups, with the exception of the Polish Brethren

Polish Brethren

The Polish Brethren were members of the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, a Nontrinitarian Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658...

, another religious group very influential in Lesser Poland. The Brethren had their center in Lesser Poland's village of Raków, where a main Arian printing press, as well as a college, known as Akademia Rakowska (Gymnasium Bonarum Artium) founded in 1602 were located. Among distunguished European scholars associated with the school, there were Johannes Crellius

Johannes Crellius

Johannes Crellius was a Polish and German theologian.-Life:...

, Corderius

Corderius

Corderius is the Latinized form of name used by Mathurin Cordier. Mathurin Cordeir, was probably born in 1479, died the 8th of september of 1564, was a theologian, teacher, humanist, and pedagogian from Lausanne , of French origin...

, and Valentinus Smalcius

Valentinus Smalcius

Valentinus Smalcius was a German Socinian theologian. He is known for his German translation of the Racovian Catechism, and Racovian New Testament translated from Greek into Polish...

(who translated into German the Racovian Catechism

Racovian Catechism

The Racovian Catechism is a nontrinitarian statement of faith from the 16th century. The title Racovian comes from the publishers, the Polish Brethren, who had founded a sizeable town in Raków, Kielce County, where the Racovian Academy and printing press was founded by Jakub Sienieński in...

).

In 1572, the Jagiellon dynasty died out, and next year, Henry III of France

Henry III of France

Henry III was King of France from 1574 to 1589. As Henry of Valois, he was the first elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the dual titles of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.-Childhood:Henry was born at the Royal Château de Fontainebleau,...

became first elected king of the country. After his short reign, and War of the Polish Succession (1587–1588), which also took place in Lesser Poland, the new ruler was Stephen Báthory of Poland, who died in 1586. The ruler from Transylvania

Transylvania

Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...

was followed by Sigismund III Vasa

Sigismund III Vasa

Sigismund III Vasa was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, a monarch of the united Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1587 to 1632, and King of Sweden from 1592 until he was deposed in 1599...

of Sweden, whose election marked gradual decline of the province. Sigismund's eyes were set on Sweden, and for many years he concentrated his efforts on a futile attempt to regain his former Swedish throne (see Polish–Swedish union, War against Sigismund

War against Sigismund

The war against Sigismund was a war between Duke Charles, later King Charles IX and Sigismund, King of Sweden and Poland. Lasting from 1598 to 1599, it is also called War of Deposition against Sigismund, since the focus of the conflicts was the attempt to depose the latter from the throne of Sweden...

). Therefore, Lesser Poland, located in southwestern corner of the Commonwealth, began to lose its importance, which was marked in 1596, when Sigismund moved his permanent residence, court and the crown headquarters to centrally-located Warsaw.
Even though first half of the 17th century was filled with wars, all major conflicts did not reach Lesser Poland, and the province continued to prosper, which was reflected in its castles and palaces, such as the enormous Krzyztopor

Krzyztopór

Krzyżtopór is a castle located in the village of Ujazd, Iwaniska commune, Opatów County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It was originally built by a Polish nobleman and Voivode of Sandomierz, Krzysztof Ossoliński...

. Apart from minor wars, such as Zebrzydowski Rebellion, and Kostka-Napierski Uprising

Kostka-Napierski Uprising

The Kostka Napierski Uprising was a peasant revolt in Poland in 1651.It took place at the same time as the more important Chmielnicki Uprising in the south-east part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and during the Swedish preparation to invade the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.Aleksander...

, the province remained safe. Cossack

Cossack

Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...

s of the Khmelnytsky Uprising

Khmelnytsky Uprising

The Khmelnytsky Uprising, was a Cossack rebellion in the Ukraine between the years 1648–1657 which turned into a Ukrainian war of liberation from Poland...

reached as far west as Zamość

Zamosc

Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...

and Lwów, but did not enter Lesser Poland. The province did not witness other wars, such as Polish-Swedish War of 1625-1629, Polish–Muscovite War (1605–1618), Polish–Ottoman War (1620–1621), and Smolensk War

Smolensk War

The Smolensk War was a conflict fought between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia.Hostilities began in October 1632 when Tsar forces tried to recapture the city of Smolensk, a former Russian possession. Small military engagements produced mixed results for both sides, but the surrender...

. Nevertheless, Lesser Poland's nobility took active part in these conflicts – Marina Mniszech

Marina Mniszech

Marina Mniszech Marina Mniszech Marina Mniszech (Polish: Maryna Mniszchówna or Maryna Mniszech; Russian: Марина Мнишек (Marina Mnishek); also known as "Marinka the witch" in Russian folklore; c...

, the daughter of Voivode of Sandomierz, Jerzy Mniszech

Jerzy Mniszech

Jerzy Mniszech was a nobleman in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Member of the Mniszchowie family. Krajczy koronny in 1574, castellan of Radom in 1583, voivode of Sandomierz Voivodship in 1590, żupnik ruski, starost of Lwów in 1593, starost of Sambor, Sokal, Sanock, Rohatyn.Father of Marina...

, was wife of False Dmitriy I

False Dmitriy I

False Dmitriy I was the Tsar of Russia from 21 July 1605 until his death on 17 May 1606 under the name of Dimitriy Ioannovich . He is sometimes referred to under the usurped title of Dmitriy II...

, as well as False Dmitry II

False Dmitry II

False Dmitry II , also called the rebel of Tushino, was the second of three pretenders to the Russian throne who claimed to be Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich of Russia, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible...

. Furthermore, Lesser Poland's lands, especially its northeastern part, became a base for Polish troops, fighting the Cossacks, and King John II Casimir Vasa often stayed in Lublin with his court, preparing military campaigns in Ukraine. The situation changed with the outbreak of the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667)

Russo-Polish War (1654–1667)

The Russo-Polish War of 1654–1667, also called Thirteen Years' War, First Northern War, War for Ukraine was the last major conflict between Tsardom of Russia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Between 1655 and 1660, the Second Northern War was also fought in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth,...

. In October 1655, the Russo-Cossack armies under Ivan Vyhovsky

Ivan Vyhovsky

Ivan Vyhovsky was a hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks during three years of the Russo-Polish War . He was the successor to the famous hetman and rebel leader Bohdan Khmelnytsky...

entered eastern Lesser Poland, reaching the Vistula, and pillaging Lublin, Puławy, and Kazimierz Dolny

Kazimierz Dolny

. The invaders quickly retreated, but a few months later, Lesser Poland was flooded by the Swedes

Swedish Empire

The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...

.

Swedish invasion of Poland had catastrophic consequences for the hitherto prosperous province. The attackers, supported by their allies from Transylvania

Transylvania

, seized whole Lesser Poland, reaching as far south as Nowy Targ

Nowy Targ

Nowy Targ is a town in southern Poland with 34,000 inhabitants , and the historical capital of the mountain region . The town is situated in the confluence of the rivers Biały and Czarny Dunajec, in a valley beneath the Gorce Mountains. It's in Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship...

, Nowy Sącz

Nowy Sacz

Nowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County, but is not included within the powiat.-Names:...

, and Żywiec

Zywiec

Żywiec is a town in south-central Poland with 32,242 inhabitants . Between 1975 and 1998, it was located within the Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship, but has since become part of the Silesian Voivodeship....

. All major cities were looted and burned, and some of them, like Radom, did not recover until 19th century. The Swedes captured and pillaged Sandomierz (where they destroyed the Royal Castle, and after the invasion, the city never recovered), Opoczno, Lublin, Kazimierz Dolny Pilzno, Szydlow, Szydłowiec, Tarnów, Kielce, Kraśnik, and Kraków. The invaders seized the capital of Lesser Poland after a short siege

Siege of Kraków (1655)

The siege of Kraków was one of the battles during the Swedish invasion of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . It started on 25 September 1655 and ended on 13 October 1655. Capitulation treatment was signed 4 days later...

, and their occupation of the province was confirmed after their victories in the Battle of Wojnicz

Battle of Wojnicz

The Battle of Wojnicz was fought on September 3, 1655 between forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth commanded by Field Crown Hetman Stanisław Lanckoroński and Great Crown Hetman Stanisław Rewera Potocki on one side, and on the other Swedish forces commanded by Charles X Gustav. Swedish...

, and the Battle of Golab

Battle of Golab

The Battle of Gołąb was fought on February 8, 1656 between forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth commanded by Stefan Czarniecki on one side, and on the other Swedish forces commanded by Charles X Gustav. This battle was essentially a meeting engagement with Swedish troops arriving on the...

. In those years, one of the most important and symbolic events in the history of the nation took place in Lesser Poland. It was the Siege of Jasna Góra, which, according to some accounts, turned the course of the war. Furthermore, following the Treaty of Radnot

Treaty of Radnot

Treaty of Radnot was a treaty signed during the Second Northern War in Radnot in Transylvania on 6 December 1656. The treaty divided the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth between the signing parties.According to the treaty:...

, Lesser Poland was invaded in January 1657 by George II Rákóczi

George II Rákóczi

György Rákóczi II , a Transylvanian Hungarian ruler, was the eldest son of George I and Susanna Lorantffy....

, whose troops caused more destruction. Foreign armies were not chased out of Lesser Poland until 1657, Kraków itself was recaptured on August 18, 1657. After these invasions, the province was ruined, with hundreds of villages, towns and cities burned. The population decreased, the peasantry starved, and like other parts of the Commonwealth, Lesser Poland was devastated. The period of peace lasted for about forty years, when in 1700, another major conflict, the Great Northern War

Great Northern War

The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...

began. Lesser Poland once again became a battleground, with Battle of Kliszów

Battle of Kliszów

The Battle of Klissow took place on July 8 / July 9 / July 19, 1702 near Kliszów, Poland-Lithuania, during the Great Northern War...

taking place there in 1702, and the Sandomierz Confederation

Sandomierz Confederation

The Sandomierz Confederation was a confederation formed on May 20, 1704 in defense of the King of Poland, August II the Strong. It was formed in reaction to the Warsaw Confederation. Its marshal was Stanisław Ernest Denhoff. The confederation lasted until 1717, when it was disbanded by the...

formed in 1704.

After the conflict, Lesser Poland began a recovery, which was hampered by several other factors. Province's cities frequently burned (Lublin 1719, Nowy Targ 1784, Nowy Sącz, Dukla 1758, Wieliczka 1718, Miechów 1745, Drzewica), there also were numerous outbreaks of plagues and typhus (in 1707–1708, some 20,000 died in Kraków and its area)

Lesser Poland was one of main centers of the Bar Confederation

Bar Confederation

The Bar Confederation was an association of Polish nobles formed at the fortress of Bar in Podolia in 1768 to defend the internal and external independence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth against Russian influence and against King Stanisław August Poniatowski and Polish reformers who were...

. On June 21, 1786 in Kraków, local confederation was announced, and on the same day Voievode of Kraków, Michal Czarnocki, urged his citizens to join the movement. Soon afterwards, Kraków was captured by the Russian troops, and the center of Lesser Poland's insurgency moved to the mountainous south – areas around Dukla and Nowy Sącz. During the Confederation, several battles and skirmishes took place there. In 1770, after the Battle of Iwonicz, the Russians ransacked Biecz. The movement ended in 1772, and its decline was connected with the Partitions of Poland

Partitions of Poland

. Another local center of the movement was Jasna Góra Monastery

Jasna Góra Monastery

The Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland is the most famous shrine to the Virgin Mary in Poland and the country's greatest place of pilgrimage - for many its spiritual capital. The image of Black Madonna of Częstochowa, to which miraculous powers are attributed, is Jasna Góra's most...

in Częstochowa, which was defended by Kazimierz Pulaski

Kazimierz Pulaski

Casimir Pulaski, or Kazimierz Pułaski in Polish of Ślepowron coat-of-arms , was a Polish soldier, nobleman, and politician who has been called "the father of American cavalry"....

for almost two years (1770–1772).

Partitions of Poland (1772–1918)

The Partitions of Poland

Partitions of Poland

began earlier in Lesser Poland than in other provinces of the country. In 1769, Austrian Empire

Austrian Empire

annexed a small territory of Spisz, and next year, the towns of Czorsztyn

Czorsztyn

Czorsztyn is a village in Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Nowy Targ County. The village lies in Pieniny, is located in the mountain range on the current Polish-Slovakian border...

, Nowy Sącz and Nowy Targ. In 1771, the Russians and the Prussians agreed on the first partition of the country, and in early 1772, Austrian Emperor Maria Theresa decided to join the two powers. In the first partition of the Commonwealth, the Austrians seized the territory which would later be called Galicia, and which included southwestern corner of Lesser Poland (south of the Vistula river), with Żywiec, Tarnów, and Biecz, but without major urban centers of the province, such as Kraków, Sandomierz, Radom, Lublin, Częstochowa, and Kielce.

Second Partition of Poland (1793) did not result in significant changes of boundaries in the area, as the Austrian Empire did not participate in it. However, the Prussians

Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...

moved on, and in 1793 they annnexed northwestern corner of the province, together with the city of Częstochowa, and its vicinity, which became part of the newly created province of South Prussia

South Prussia

South Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1793 to 1807. It was created out of territory annexed in the Second Partition of Poland and included in 1793*the Poznań, Kalisz and Gniezno Voivodeships of Greater Poland;...

. Therefore, in late 1793, Lesser Poland was already divided between three countries – Austrian Empire (south of the Vistula), Kingdom of Prussia (Częstochowa and northwestern corner), and still existing Commonwealth. After the Third Partition (1795), most of Lesser Poland was annexed by Austria, with all major cities. Prussia managed to seize a small, western part of the province, with the towns of Siewierz

Siewierz

, 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...

, 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...

, and Myszków

Myszków

Myszków is a town in Poland, with 33,016 inhabitants . It is the capital of Myszków County.Situated in the Silesian Voivodeship , previously in Czestochowa Voivodeship .-External links:...

, calling this land New Silesia

New Silesia

New Silesia was a small province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1795 to 1807, created after the Third Partition of Poland. It was located northwest of Kraków and southeast of Częstochowa, in the lands that had been part of the Silesian Duchy of Siewierz and the adjacent Polish historical province...

, while the Austrians decided to name newly acquired lands of northern Lesser Poland West Galicia

West Galicia

New Galicia or West Galicia was an administrative region of the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy, constituted from the territory annexed in the course of the Third Partition of Poland in 1795....

. In 1803, West Galicia was merged with Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...

, but retained some autonomy. Lesser Poland was one of major centers of Polish resistance against the occupiers. On March 24, 1794 in Kraków, Tadeusz Kościuszko

Tadeusz Kosciuszko

Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...

announced the general insurrection (see Kosciuszko Uprising

Kosciuszko Uprising

The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania in 1794...

), mobilising all able males of Lesser Poland. Two weeks later, Battle of Raclawice

Battle of Raclawice

The Battle of Racławice was one of the first battles of the Polish Kościuszko Uprising against Russia. It was fought on April 4, 1794 near the village of Racławice in Lesser Poland.The Polish forces prepared for the battle were relatively small...

took place, ending with a Polish victory. The uprising was suppressed by combined Prusso – Russian forces, and among battles fought in Lesser Poland, there is Battle of Szczekociny

Battle of Szczekociny

The Battle of Szczekociny was fought on June 6, 1794, near the town of Szczekociny, between Poland and the combined forces of the Russian Empire and Kingdom of Prussia. The Polish were led by Tadeusz Kościuszko, and the Russians and Prussians by Alexander Tormasov, future eminent general of the...

.

During Napoleonic Wars

Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...

, the Duchy of Warsaw

Duchy of Warsaw

The Duchy of Warsaw was a Polish state established by Napoleon I in 1807 from the Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. The duchy was held in personal union by one of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony...

was created by Napoleon Bonaparte out of Polish lands which had been granted to Prussia in the Partitions. In 1809, after the Polish-Austrian War

Polish-Austrian War

Polish–Austrian War or Austro-Polish War was a part of the War of the Fifth Coalition in 1809...

, and the Treaty of Schönbrunn

Treaty of Schönbrunn

The Treaty of Schönbrunn , sometimes known as the Treaty of Vienna, was signed between France and Austria at the Schönbrunn Palace of Vienna on 14 October 1809. This treaty ended the Fifth Coalition during the Napoleonic Wars...

, the Duchy was expanded, when northern Lesser Poland was added to its territory (with Kielce, Radom, and Lublin). Following the Congress of Vienna

Congress of Vienna

The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...

, Duchy of Warsaw was turned into Russian-ruled Congress Poland

Congress Poland

The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...

, and historical capital of the province, Kraków, was turned into Free City of Kraków

Free City of Kraków

The Free, Independent, and Strictly Neutral City of Kraków with its Territory , more commonly known as either the Free City of Kraków or Republic of Kraków , was a city-state created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and controlled by its three neighbours until 1846, when in the aftermath of the...

, which also included the towns of Trzebinia

Trzebinia

Trzebinia is a town in Chrzanów County, Lesser Poland, Poland with an Orlen oil refinery and a major rail junction of the Kraków - Katowice line that connections to Oświęcim and Spytkowice.-History:...

, Chrzanów

Chrzanów

Chrzanów is a town in south Poland with 39,704 inhabitants . It is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship and is the capital of Chrzanów County.- To 1809:...

, Jaworzno

Jaworzno

, and Krzeszowice

Krzeszowice

Krzeszowice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. As of 2004, the population of Krzeszowice was 9,993.In 2008, it was selected with 19 villages of Europe -Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain- for the Spanish documentary film "Villages of Europe" Pueblos de Europa,...

. In Congress Poland, the lands of Lesser Poland were initially divided between four palatinates – Palatinate of Kraków (with capital in Kielce), Palatinate of Sandomierz (with capital in Radom), Palatinate of Lublin, and Palatinate of Podlasie (with capital in Siedlce), (see also Administrative division of Congress Poland

Administrative division of Congress Poland

The administrative division of Congress Poland changed several times. Immediately after its creation, 1815-1816, the Congress Kingdom of Poland was divided into departments, a relic from the times of the French-dominated Duchy of Warsaw. In 1816 the administrative divisions were reformed into the...

). Later, the palatinates were turned into governorates. Thus, Russian part of Lesser Poland was divided into Kielce Governorate

Kielce Governorate

Kielce Governorate was an administrative unit of the Congress Poland.-History:It was created in 1841 from the Kraków Governorate, both with capital in Kielce...

, Lublin Governorate

Lublin Governorate

Lublin Governorate ) was an administrative unit of the Congress Poland.-History:It was created in 1837 from the Lublin Voivodeship, and had the same borders and capital as the voivodeship....

, Radom Governorate

Radom Governorate

Radom Governorate was a governorate of the Congress Poland.-History:It was created in 1844 from the merger of the Sandomierz Governorate with Kielce Governorate...

, Siedlce Governorate

Siedlce Governorate

Siedlce Governorate was an administrative unit of the Congress Poland.-History:It was created in 1867 from the division of the Lublin Governorate. It was in fact a recreation of the older Podlasie Governorate, but now renamed to Siedlce Governorate.-Language:*By the Imperial census of 1897...

, and Piotrków Governorate

Piotrków Governorate

Piotrków Governorate was an administrative unit of the Congress Poland. Its capital was in Petrokov.-History:It was created in 1867, split off from parts of Radom and Warsaw Governorates.-Language:*By the Imperial census of 1897...

(western counties, with Częstochowa and industrial area of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie). Borders of these administrative units did not reflect historical boundaries of the province.

Most of the November Uprising

November Uprising

The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...

, which began in 1830, missed Lesser Poland, as major battles took place in the area around Warsaw. In early 1831, when Russian forces advanced into Congress Poland, some skirmishes took place in northern counties of the province – at Puławy, Kurow, and Kazimierz Dolny. In early 1846, a group of Polish patriots attempted a failed uprising

Kraków Uprising

The Kraków Uprising of February 1846 was an attempt, led by Edward Dembowski, to incite a Polish fight for national independence. Even though most of Poland was part of the Russian Empire, the Polish risings were conducted mainly in Prussia and in the Austrian Empire.-History:Most of the...

in the Free City of Kraków. The insurrection was quickly suppressed by the Austrian troops, and as a result, the Free City was annexed by the Austrian Empire. In the same year, Austrian part of Lesser Poland was witness to a massacre of Polish nobility by the peasantry, known as Galician slaughter

Galician slaughter

"The Galician Slaughter" also "The Peasant Uprising of 1846" or Szela uprising was a two month uprising of Polish peasants resulting inter alia in suppression of other - szlachta uprising and massacre of szlachta in Galicia in the Austrian partition in early 1846. The peasant uprising lasted from...

. The peasants, led by Jakub Szela

Jakub Szela

Jakub Szela was a Polish leader of a peasant uprising against the gentry in Galicia in 1846; directed against manorial property and rising against serfdom; scores of manors were attacked and their inhabitants murdered...

, murdered about 1000 nobles, and destroyed about 500 manors. These events took place in three counties – Sanok

Sanok

, Jasło and Tarnów

Tarnów

.

Northern and central Lesser Poland (the part of the province which was taken by the Russian Empire) was one of the main centers of the January Uprising

January Uprising

The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...

(1863–1864). In the first days of the insurrection, skirmishes with the Russian Army took place in such towns, as Łuków, Kraśnik

Krasnik

Kraśnik is a town in eastern Poland with 37,989 inhabitants , situated in the Lublin Voivodeship. It is the seat of Kraśnik County.-History:First settled in the 13th century, it received its city charter in 1377....

, Szydłowiec, Bodzentyn

Bodzentyn

Bodzentyn is a town in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,271 inhabitants . Bodzentyn Castle was built in 14th century.-External links:*...

, and Suchedniów

Suchedniów

Suchedniów is a town in Skarżysko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 9,067 inhabitants . It is the seat of the urban-rural district Gmina Suchedniów....

. Since the Poles were poorly armed, the Russians did not have major problems with them, and soon afterwards, the insurrectionists decided to organize military camps. Among biggest camps in Lesser Poland, there were Ojców

Ojców

(3000 soldiers), and Wąchock

Wachock

Wąchock is a town in Starachowice County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, near Starachowice. In 2006, it had 2,777 inhabitants.- History :...

, where Marian Langiewicz

Marian Langiewicz

Marian Langiewicz, full name Marian Antoni Melchior Langiewicz , was a Polish patriot notable as a military leader of the January Uprising in 1863.-Biography:He was born in the province of Posen, his father being the local doctor...

gathered up to 1500 people. The uprising died out by early spring of 1864, and among counties where it continued for the longest time, was the extreme northeastern corner of Lesser Poland, around Łuków, where reverend Stanislaw Brzoska

Stanislaw Brzóska

Stanisław Brzóska was a Polish priest, general, supreme leader of the Polish insurgency and the last partisan of the January Uprising. He commanded the Polish detachment in the South Podlasie region, defeating the Russian army in many skirmishes...

was active. Since Russian military supremacy was crushing, the Poles were forced to limit their actions to guerilla warfare. Among the biggest battles which took place in Lesser Poland there are: Battle of Szydłowiec (January 23, 1863); Battle of 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 ....

(February 17, 1863); Battle of Małogoszcz (February 24, 1863); Battle of Staszów

Staszów

Staszów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodship, about 54 km southeast of Kielce. It is the capital of Staszów County. Population is 15,108 .- Demography :...

(February 17, 1863); Battle of Pieskowa Skała (March 4, 1863); two Battles of 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...

(November 25, 1863, February 21, 1864).

As a result of their support of the failed insurrection, several Lesser Poland's towns lost their charters and were turned into villages. Among them were Kraśnik

Krasnik

, Bodzentyn

Bodzentyn

Bodzentyn is a town in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,271 inhabitants . Bodzentyn Castle was built in 14th century.-External links:*...

, 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...

, Iłża, Małogoszcz, Wąchock

Wachock

Wąchock is a town in Starachowice County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, near Starachowice. In 2006, it had 2,777 inhabitants.- History :...

, Busko-Zdrój

Busko-Zdrój

Busko-Zdrój is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Busko County. As of 2004, its population is 17,363.-History:...

, Jędrzejów, Cmielow

Cmielów

Ćmielów is a town in Ostrowiec County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, seat of Gmina Ćmielów. It has 3,222 inhabitants . It is known for one of Poland's oldest porcelain factories dating back to 1790.The town history dates back to 14th century...

, Zwoleń

Zwolen

Zwoleń is a town in Poland, in Mazowsze Voivodeship, about 30 km east of Radom. It is the capital of Zwoleń County. Population is 8048 .- People :* Stanisław Chomętowski* Jan Karol Tarło* Stanisław Tarło...

, Drzewica

Drzewica

Drzewica is a town in Opoczno County, Łódź Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,022 inhabitants .-External links:*...

, Wierzbica

Wierzbica

-Poland:*Wierzbica, Gmina Leśniowice in Lublin Voivodeship *Wierzbica, Gmina Wierzbica in Lublin Voivodeship *Wierzbica, Krasnystaw County in Lublin Voivodeship *Wierzbica, Kraśnik County in Lublin Voivodeship...

, Czeladź

Czeladz

, Kazimierz Dolny

Kazimierz Dolny

, Wolborz

Wolbórz

Wolbórz is a town in Piotrków County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Wolbórz. It lies approximately north-east of Piotrków Trybunalski and south-east of the regional capital Łódź....

, 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...

, Daleszyce

Daleszyce

Daleszyce is a town in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,800 inhabitants . It became a town at the start of 2007.-External links:*...

, Wiślica

Wislica

, Pajęczno

Pajeczno

Pajęczno is a town in Poland, in Łódź Voivodeship, about 40 km north of Częstochowa. It is the capital of Pajęczno County . Population is 6,731 ....

, Lipsko

Lipsko

Lipsko is a town in Poland, in Mazowsze Voivodship. It is the capital of Lipsko County. The population is 5,895 .-External links:**...

, Pacanów

Pacanów

Pacanów, the European Capital of Fable. is a village in Busko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in south-central Poland. It is the seat of Gmina Pacanów. It had a population of 1137 in 2003. The village's sołtys is Jan Łuszcz and the vogt is Wiesław Skop. In modern times the village is partly...

, Ożarów

Ozarów

Ożarów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in Powiat of Opatów . It has 4,906 inhabitants and its largest employer is a large cement factory nearby. The cement factory was privatized in 1995 and a controlling stake in the company was purchased by Irish company CRH plc from HCP...

, Wolbrom

Wolbrom

Wolbrom is a town in Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 9,568 inhabitants .-External Links:* an online exhibition by Yad Vashem...

, Proszowice

Proszowice

Proszowice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship . Its population numbers 6,206 inhabitants . It is the capital of Proszowice County....

, Nowe Miasto Korczyn, Włoszczowa, Przysucha

Przysucha

Przysucha is a town in Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodeship, about 100 km southwest of Warsaw, it is the capital of Przysucha County. It has 6,762 inhabitants . Its name in Yiddish is פשיסחא or פשיסכא . It was home to a number of prominent Hasidic Rabbis, such as The Holy Jew and...

, Opole Lubelskie

Opole Lubelskie

Opole Lubelskie is a town in eastern Poland. It has 8,879 inhabitants . The town is situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, some 10 kilometers east of the Vistula river. It is the capital of the Opole Lubelskie County. It was founded in the 14th century....

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Lesser Poland remained one of the centers of Polish culture, especially the city of Kraków, where Jagiellonian University was one of only two Polish-language colleges of that period (the other one was University of Lwów

Lviv University

The Lviv University or officially the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine...

). Another significant center of national culture was the town of Puławy, where in late 18th century, a local palace owned by Czartoryski family became a museum of Polish national memorabilia and a major cultural and political centre. A number of prominent artists, both representing Romanticism

Romanticism in Poland

Romanticism in Poland was a literary, artistic and intellectual period in the evolution of Polish culture that began around 1820, coinciding with the publication of Adam Mickiewicz's first poems in 1822. It ended with the suppression of the January 1863 Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1864. ...

, and Positivism

Positivism in Poland

Positivism in Poland was a socio-cultural movement that defined progressive thought in literature and social sciences of Partitioned Poland following the suppression of the 1863 January Uprising against the occupying army of Imperial Russia...

was born in Lesser Poland, including Wincenty Pol

Wincenty Pol

Wincenty Pol was a Polish poet and geographer.-Life:Pol was born in Lublin , to Franz Pohl , a German in the Austrian service, and his wife Eleonora Longchamps de Berier, from a French family living in Poland. Pol fought in the Polish army in the November 1830 Uprising and participated in the 1848...

(born in Lublin), Stefan Żeromski

Stefan Zeromski

Stefan Żeromski was a Polish novelist and dramatist. He was called the "conscience of Polish literature". He also wrote under the pen names: Maurycy Zych, Józef Katerla and Stefan Iksmoreż.- Life :...

(born near Kielce), Aleksander Świętochowski

Aleksander Swietochowski

Aleksander Świętochowski was a Polish writer, educator, and philosopher of the Positivist period that followed the January 1863 Uprising.He was widely regarded as the prophet of Polish Positivism, spreading in the Warsaw...

(born near Łuków in extreme northeast corner of Lesser Poland), Walery Przyborowski (born near Kielce), Piotr Michałowski, Helena Modjeska

Helena Modjeska

Helena Modjeska Helena Modjeska Helena Modjeska (October 12, 1840 – April 8, 1909, whose actual Polish surname was Modrzejewska , was a renowned actress who specialized in Shakespearean and tragic roles.Modjeska was the mother of Polish-American bridge engineer Ralph Modjeski....

, Henryk Wieniawski

Henryk Wieniawski

Henryk Wieniawski was a Polish violinist and composer.-Biography:Henryk Wieniawski was born in Lublin, Congress Poland, Russian Empire. His father, Tobiasz Pietruszka, had converted to Catholicism. His talent for playing the violin was recognized early, and in 1843 he entered the Paris...

(born in Lublin), Leon Wyczolkowski

Leon Wyczólkowski

Leon Wyczółkowski was one of the leading painters of the Young Poland movement, as well as the principal representative of Polish Realism in art of the period. In 1895-1911 he served as professor of the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, and from 1934, ASP in Warsaw...

(born near Siedlce), Juliusz Kossak

Juliusz Kossak

Juliusz Fortunat Kossak was a Polish historical painter and master illustrator who specialized in battle scenes, military portraits and horses...

(born in Nowy Wiśnicz

Nowy Wisnicz

Nowy Wiśnicz is a small town in Bochnia County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,724 inhabitants . It is located 4 miles south of Bochnia.-Former structures:...

), Jozef Szujski

Józef Szujski

Józef Szujski was a Polish politician, historian, poet and professor of the Jagiellonian University....

(born in Tarnów). In the early 20th century, Lesser Poland, especially its part which belonged to Austria-Hungary, was a center of a cultural movement called Young Poland

Young Poland

Young Poland is a modernist period in Polish visual arts, literature and music, covering roughly the years between 1890 and 1918. It was a result of strong aesthetic opposition to the ideas of Positivism...

. Many artists associated with the movement were born in Lesser Poland, with the most prominent including Wladyslaw Orkan

Wladyslaw Orkan

Władysław Orkan was a Polish writer from the Young Poland period...

, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer

Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer

Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer was a Polish poet, novelist, playwright, journalist and writer. He was a member of the Young Poland movement.-Life:...

, Xawery Dunikowski

Xawery Dunikowski

Xawery Dunikowski was a Polish sculptor and artist, notable for surviving Auschwitz concentration camp, and best known for his Neo-Romantic sculptures and Auschwitz-inspired art.- Biography :...

, Jacek Malczewski

Jacek Malczewski

Jacek Malczewski was one of the most famous painters of Polish Symbolism. In his creativity he successfully joins the predominant style of his times with motifs of Polish martyrdom.-See also:...

, Jozef Mehoffer

Józef Mehoffer

Józef Mehoffer was a Polish painter and decorative artist, one of the leading artists of the Young Poland movement and one of the most revered Polish artists of his time.-Life:...

, and Stanisław Wyspiański.

Since Austrian part of Poland enjoyed a wide autonomy, the province of Galicia, whose western part was made of Lesser Poland, became a hotbed of Polish conspirational activities. In anticipation of a future war, Galician Poles, with help of their brethren from other parts of the divided country, created several paramilitary organizations, such as Polish Rifle Squads

Polish Rifle Squads

The Polish Rifle Squads was a Polish pro-independence paramilitary organization, founded in 1911 by the Youth Independence Organization Zarzewie in the Austro-Hungarian sector of partitioned Poland....

, and Riflemen's Association. The capital of Lesser Poland, Kraków, was a key center of pro-independence movements, with such individuals, as Jozef Pilsudski

Józef Pilsudski

Józef Klemens Piłsudski was a Polish statesman—Chief of State , "First Marshal" , and authoritarian leader of the Second Polish Republic. From mid-World War I he had a major influence in Poland's politics, and was an important figure on the European political scene...

, being actively involved in those activities. In August 1914, after the outbreak of World War I, Pilsudski's Legions

Polish Legions in World War I

Polish Legions was the name of Polish armed forces created in August 1914 in Galicia. Thanks to the efforts of KSSN and the Polish members of the Austrian parliament, the unit became an independent formation of the Austro-Hungarian Army...

crossed the Austrian – Russian border north of Kraków, and entered Congress Poland

Congress Poland

The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...

. However, the Pilsudski and his soldiers were disappointed to see that the inhabitants of Kielce did not welcome them with joy. The division of Lesser Poland was more visible than ever.
During World War I, Lesser Poland became one of main theaters of the Eastern Front

Eastern Front (World War I)

The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...

. Russian push into the territory of Austria – Hungary resulted in the Battle of Galicia. Among other major battles which took place in Lesser Poland, there are the Battle of the Vistula River

Battle of the Vistula River

The Battle of the Vistula River, also known as the Battle of Warsaw, was a Russian victory against the German Empire on the Eastern Front during the First World War.-Background:...

, and the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive

Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive

The Gorlice–Tarnów Offensive during World War I started as a minor German offensive to relieve Russian pressure on the Austro-Hungarians to their south on the Eastern Front, but resulted in the total collapse of the Russian lines and their retreat far into Russia...

. After Russian troops had retreated east

Great Retreat

The Great Retreat, also known as the Retreat from Mons, is the name given to the long, fighting retreat by Allied forces to the River Marne, on the Western Front early in World War I, after their holding action against the Imperial German Armies at the Battle of Mons on 23 August 1914...

, whole province was under control of the Austrians and the Germans, and northern Lesser Poland was part of the German-sponsored Kingdom of Poland (1916–1918)

Kingdom of Poland (1916–1918)

The Kingdom of Poland, also informally called the Regency Kingdom of Poland , was a proposed puppet state during World War I by Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1916 after their conquest of the former Congress Poland from Russia...

. In later stages of the conflict, the divided province once again became a center of Polish independence movement. An independent Polish government was re-proclaimed in northern Lesser Poland's city of Lublin, on November 7, 1918. Soon afterwards, it formed the basis of the new government of the country. In other parts of the province, other governments were formed – Polish Liquidation Commission in Kraków, also the short-lived Republic of Tarnobrzeg

Republic of Tarnobrzeg

The Republic of Tarnobrzeg was a short-lived entity, proclaimed November 6, 1918 in the Polish town of Tarnobrzeg. Its main founders were two socialist activists - Tomasz Dabal and Father Eugeniusz Okon, a Roman Catholic priest....

.

The division of Lesser Poland along the Vistula river, which lasted from 1772 until 1918, is visible even today. For more than 100 years, southern Lesser Poland (Kraków

Kraków

, Tarnów

Tarnów

, Biala Krakowska

Bielsko-Biała

, and Nowy Sącz

Nowy Sacz

Nowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County, but is not included within the powiat.-Names:...

) was administered by Austria, while northern, larger part of the province (Częstochowa

Czestochowa

, Sosnowiec

Sosnowiec

, Kielce, Radom, Lublin, 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...

) was forcibly part of the Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

. Inhabitants of Austrian part of Poland enjoyed limited autonomy, with Polish language institutions, such as Jagiellonian University

Jagiellonian University

. At the same time, Russian-controlled Poland was subject to Russification

Russification

Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...

. As a result of decades of this division, most inhabitants of the areas stolen by Russia are not aware of their Lesser Poland's heritage. Furthermore, current administrative boundaries of the country still reflect the defunct border between the former Russian and Austria–Hungarian Empires.

Interbellum Poland (1918–1939)

In 1918, when Second Polish Republic

Second Polish Republic

The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...

was created, whole historical Lesser Poland became part of restored Poland

Second Polish Republic

. The historical area of the province was divided between four voivodeships: Kraków Voivodeship

Kraków Voivodeship (1919-1939)

Kraków Voivodeship - a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1919–1939. Back then, it covered a big chunk of southern part of the country, including such cities as Kraków, Jaworzno and Tarnów. Capital city: Kraków....

(whole), Kielce Voivodeship (whole), Lwów Voivodeship

Lwów Voivodeship

(northwestern corner), and Lublin Voivodeship (western part). Furthermore, in the counties of central Lesser Poland, another administrative unit, Sandomierz Voivodeship

Sandomierz Voivodeship (1939)

Sandomierz Voivodeship , , was a proposed voivodeship of the Second Polish Republic, which was never created because of the Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939...

was planned, but due to the outbreak of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, it was never created. Boundaries between two major Lesser Poland voivodeships – Kraków, and Kielce, were the same as pre-1914 boundaries of Austria-Hungary, and Russia. Nevertheless, in the interbellum period, the notion of Lesser Poland was frequently associated only with former Austrian province of Galicia. Therefore, Western Galicia to the San river, was called Western Lesser Poland, while Eastern Galicia, east of the San, with the city of Lwów, was called Eastern Lesser Poland (voivodeships of Tarnopol

Tarnopol Voivodeship

Tarnopol Voivodeship was an administrative region of interwar Poland with an area of 16,500 km², 17 counties, and capital in Tarnopol...

, Stanisławów, and Lwów

Lwów Voivodeship

).

In late 1918, Lesser Poland emerged as one of main centers of fledgling Polish administration and independence movement. According to historian Kazimierz Banburski of Tarnow's District Museum, Tarnow

Tarnów

was the first Polish city which became independent, after 123 years of oppression

Partitions of Poland

. On October 31, 1918, at 8 a.m., Tarnow's inhabitants began disarming demoralized Austrian soldiers, and after three hours, the city was completely in Polish hands. On October 28, 1918, Polish Liquidation Committee

Polish Liquidation Committee

The Polish Liquidation Committee was a temporary Polish government body in Galicia formed towards the end of World War I. Created on October 28, 1918, with its seat in Kraków, the Committee was headed by Wincenty Witos and Ignacy Daszyński...

was created in Krakow. A few days later, socialist peasants founded the Republic of Tarnobrzeg

Republic of Tarnobrzeg

. In the night of November 6/7, 1918, Polish People's Republic was proclaimed in Lublin, by Ignacy Daszynski

Ignacy Daszynski

Ignacy Ewaryst Daszyński was a Polish politician, journalist and Prime Minister of the Polish government created in Lublin in 1918....

and other activits. In 1919, the legislative election

Polish legislative election, 1919

The Polish legislative election, 1919 took place on 26 January and were the first election in the Second Polish Republic. The elections, based on universal suffrage and proportional representation, produced a parliament balanced between Right, Left and Center...

took place in Lesser Poland without major problems.
At that time Lesser Poland, like other provinces of the country, faced several problems. Even though major post-World War One conflicts (such as Polish–Soviet War) did not take place there, it suffered from unemployment, overpopulation, and poverty, especially in towns and countryside. Furthermore, Polish government had to connect parts of the hitherto divided country. There was no direct rail link between Krakow, and Kielce, Radom, and Lublin, and until 1934, when line from Krakow to Tunel

Tunel (railroad station)

Tunel is a railway station located in former village of Tunel . Currently, the area of the village is incorporated into another village, Uniejow-Redziny, part of Miechow County. However, the station located on one end of a rail tunnel still bears the name Tunel...

was opened, all travelers had to go via Sosnowiec

Sosnowiec

– Maczki. Lack of rail communication between former Austrian and former Russian parts of Lesser Poland is visible even today. Between Krakow and Deblin

Deblin

Dęblin is a town, population 19,500 , at the confluence of Vistula and Wieprz rivers, in Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. Dęblin is the part of the agglomeration with adjacent towns of Ryki and Puławy, which altogether has over 100 000 inhabitants....

, there are only two rail bridges along the Vistula. Residents of the province tried to improve their conditions using legal means, but when it turned out to be impossible, they took to fighting (1923 Kraków riot

1923 Kraków riot

1923 Kraków riot refers to a riot that took place during a strike on 6 November 1923 in Kraków, Poland. The riot is also called 1923 Kraków uprising, particularly by the Marxist sources.-Background:...

, 1937 peasant strike in Poland

1937 peasant strike in Poland

1937 peasant strike in Poland, also known in some Polish sources as the Great Peasant Uprising was a mass strike and demonstration of peasants organized by the People's Party and aimed at the ruling sanacja government. It was the largest political protest in the Second Polish Republic, taking...

). As if to exacerbate the desperate situation, Lesser Poland witnessed a a catastrophic flood

1934 flood in Poland

1934 flood in Poland was the biggest flood in the Second Polish Republic. It began with heavy rains in the Dunajec river basin, which took place between 13 and 17 July 1934. In the following days, the flood spread to the basins of the Raba, Wisłoka, and Skawa, all of which are tributaries to the...

in 1934, after which the government decided to construct dams on local rivers.

Even though Lesser Poland's countryside was almost exclusively Polish, its towns and cities were inhabited by numerous Jews

History of the Jews in Poland

The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a millennium. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in the world. Poland was the centre of Jewish culture thanks to a long period of statutory religious tolerance and social autonomy. This ended with the...

, whose communities were very vibrant. In Krakow, Jews made 25% of the population, in Lublin – 31%, in Kielce – 30%, and in Radom – 32%. Apart from the Jews, and Gypsies scattered in the south, there were no other significant national minorities in interbellum Lesser Poland.

Since Lesser Poland was safely located in the middle of the country, away from both German and Soviet border, in the mid-1930s Polish government initiated one of the most ambitious project of the Second Polish Republic – Central Industrial Region, which was located almost exclusively in Lesser Poland. Even though the project was never completed, several plants were constructed, both in Old-Polish Industrial Region

Old-Polish Industrial Region

Staropolski Okręg Przemysłowy is an industrial region in Poland. It is the oldest and in terms of area covered, largest of Polish industrial regions. It is located in the Kielce Heights in south-eastern Poland.Primary industrial cities: Kielce, Radom, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Starachowice and...

, and in other counties of the province. The brand new city of Stalowa Wola was established in dense forests, around a steel mill

Huta Stalowa Wola

Huta Stalowa Wola is a steel mill and manufacturing company in Stalowa Wola, Poland.It was established in 1938-1939 in Second Polish Republic. It was a major part of a series of investments made by the Polish government in the years 1936–1939 to create the Central Industrial Region...

. In the late 1930s, Lesser Poland was quickly changing, as construction of several factories, and job opportunities caused influx of rural inhabitants to the towns. Such towns, as Debica

Debica

Dębica is a town in southeastern Poland with 46,693 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It is the capital of Dębica County. Since 1999 it has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it had previously been in the Tarnów Voivodeship .-Area:...

, Starachowice

Starachowice

Starachowice is a town in south-central Poland with 55,126 inhabitants . Starachowice is situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship ; it was formerly in the Kielce Voivodeship . It is the capital of Starachowice County...

, Pulawy

Pulawy

Puławy is a town in eastern Poland, in Lublin Province, on the Wisła and Kurówka rivers. According to the 2006 census estimate, the town had a total population of 49,839. Puławy is the capital of Puławy County...

, or Krasnik

Krasnik

, quickly grew, with their population rising. Earlier, in 1927, Lesser Poland's Deblin

Deblin

became a major center of Polish aviation, when Polish Air Force Academy

Polish Air Force Academy

The Polish Air Force Academy is located in Deblin, eastern Poland. The Air Force Academy is an accredited university for the undergraduate education of officers for the Polish Air Force...

was opened there, and in Mielec

Mielec

Mielec is a city in south-eastern Poland with a population of 60,979 inhabitants, as of June 2009. It is located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Rzeszów Voivodeship...

, PZL Mielec was opened, which was the largest aerospace manufacturer in Poland. Central Industrial Region, however, did not affect western counties of Lesser Poland, which had already been urbanized and industrialized (Biala Krakowska

Bielsko-Biala

, Zywiec

Zywiec

, Krakow

Kraków

, Jaworzno

Jaworzno

, Zaglebie Dabrowskie

Zaglebie Dabrowskie

Zagłębie Dąbrowskie is a historical and geographical region in southern Poland. It forms a part of the Lesser Poland, though it shares many cultural and historical features of the neighbouring Silesia....

, 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...

, and Czestochowa

Czestochowa

). The government of Poland planned further investments, such as a major East – West rail line, linking Volhynia

Volhynia

, and Upper Silesia

Upper Silesia

, but they never materialized. Desperate situation and lack of jobs caused thousands of inhabitants of Lesser Poland (especially from its southern part) to leave their land, mostly for the United States of America, but also Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

Lesser Poland remained a center of Polish culture, with Krakow's Jagiellonian University

Jagiellonian University

, AGH University of Science and Technology

AGH University of Science and Technology

AGH University of Science and Technology is the second largest technical university in Poland, located in Kraków. The university was established in 1919, and was formerly known as the University of Mining and Metallurgy...

, and Catholic University of Lublin

John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin

John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin is located in Lublin, Poland. Presently it has an enrollment of over 19,000 students...

, which was opened in 1918. Several important figures of interbellum political, military, and cultural life of Poland were born in Lesser Poland. Among them were Wincenty Witos

Wincenty Witos

Wincenty Witos was a prominent member of the Polish People's Party from 1895, and leader of its "Piast" faction from 1913. He was a member of parliament in the Galician Sejm from 1908–1914, and an envoy to Reichsrat in Vienna from 1911 to 1918...

, Wladyslaw Sikorski

Wladyslaw Sikorski

Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski was a Polish military and political leader.Prior to World War I, he established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause of Polish independence. He fought with distinction in the Polish Legions during World War I, and later in the...

, Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski

Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski

Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski was a Polish politician and economist, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, government minister and manager of the Second Polish Republic....

, Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki

Józef Dowbor-Musnicki

Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki was a Polish military officer and commander, serving with the Imperial Russian and then Polish armies...

, Józef Haller, Władysław Belina-Prażmowski, Tadeusz Kutrzeba

Tadeusz Kutrzeba

Tadeusz Kutrzeba was an army general of the Second Polish Republic.Kutrzeba was born in Kraków, then part of Austria-Hungary...

, Feliks Koneczny

Feliks Koneczny

Feliks Karol Koneczny was a Polish historian and social philosopher. Founder of the original system of the comparative science of civilizations.- Biography :...

, Stefan Żeromski

Stefan Zeromski

, Tadeusz Peiper

Tadeusz Peiper

Tadeusz Peiper was a Polish poet, art critic, theoretician of literature and one of the precursors of the avant-garde movement in Polish poetry. Born to a Jewish family, Peiper converted to Catholicism as a young man and spent several years in Spain...

, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska

Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska

Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, née Kossak , was a Polish poet known as the Polish Sappho and "queen of lyrical poetry" of Poland's interwar period...

, Witold Gombrowicz

Witold Gombrowicz

Witold Marian Gombrowicz was a Polish novelist and dramatist. His works are characterized by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and an absurd, anti-nationalist flavor...

, Jan Kiepura

Jan Kiepura

Jan Wiktor Kiepura was an acclaimed Polish singer and actor.-Biography:...

, Stefan Jaracz

Stefan Jaracz

Stefan Jaracz was a Polish actor and theater director. The Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź, Poland is named after him.-Life:He was born in Stare Żukowice, near Tarnów, and died in Otwock, near Warsaw....

. In 1920, in Lesser Poland's town of Wadowice

Wadowice

Wadowice is a town in southern Poland, 50 km from Kraków with 19,200 inhabitants , situated on the Skawa river, confluence of Vistula, in the eastern part of Silesian Plateau...

, Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was born.

World War II

On September 1, 1939, armed forces of Nazi Germany attacked Poland (see: Invasion of Poland). Lesser Poland, due to its proximity to the then-border with Germany, became a battleground on the first day of the invasion. The Germans attacked the province both in its northwest (area west of Czestochowa), and in the south (Podhale

Podhale

The Podhale is Poland's most southern region, sometimes referred to as the "Polish highlands". The Podhale is located in the foothills of the Tatra range of the Carpathian mountains, and is characterized by a rich tradition of folklore that is much romanticized in the Polish patriotic imagination...

), along the border with Slovakia, Third Reich’s ally.

Lesser Poland was defended by the following Polish armies:

Karpaty Army
Karpaty Army
Karpaty Army , formed on 11 July 1939 under Major General Kazimierz Fabrycy, was created after Germany annexed Czechoslovakia and created a puppet state of Slovakia.-Tasks:...

, which covered southern, mountainous border of the province,
Kraków Army
Kraków Army
Kraków Army was one of the Polish armies to take part in the Polish Defensive War of 1939. It was officially created on March 23, 1939 as the main pivot of Polish defence. It was commanded by Gen...

, guarding western part of the province, together with adjacent Polish part of Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...

. Later in the course of war it joined the Karpaty Army, forming the Lesser Poland Army (Armia Małopolska),
Łódź Army, which protected extreme northwestern corner of the province, north of Czestochowa,
Prusy Army
Prusy Army
The Prusy Army was one of the Polish armies to fight during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Created in the summer of 1939 as the main reserve of the Commander in Chief, it was commanded by Gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki. One of the meanings of Prusy in Polish is Prussia, but this name only served as a...

, which was main reserve of the Commander in Chief, and was concentrated in central and northern Lesser Poland (between Radom and Kielce),
Lublin Army
Lublin Army
Lublin Army was an improvised Polish Army created on September 4 1939 from 1 motorized brigade and various smaller units concentrated around cities of Lublin, Sandomierz and upper Vistula river. It was commanded by Maj. Gen...

, improvised after September 4, and concentrated in the area of Lublin and Sandomierz in northeastern Lesser Poland.

After a few days the Battle of the Border

Battle of the Border

The Battle of the Border refers to the battles that occurred in the first days of the Nazi Germany invasion of Poland in September, 1939...

was lost, and forces of German Army Group South

Army Group South

Army Group South was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.- Poland campaign :Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South...

advanced deep into Lesser Poland’s territory. Polish troops resisted fiercely, and among major battles in initial stages of the war, which took place in Lesser Poland, there are Battle of Mokra

Battle of Mokra

The Battle of Mokra took place on September 1, 1939 near the village of Mokra, 5 km north from Kłobuck, 23 km north-west from Częstochowa, Poland...

, Battle of Jordanów

Battle of Jordanów

The Battle of Jordanów took place on 2 September 1939, during the Invasion of Poland and the opening stages of World War II. It was fought between the German XXII Panzer Corps of Gen. Paul Ludwig Ewald von Kleist and the Polish 10th Motorized Cavalry Brigade under Col...

, and Battle of Węgierska Górka

Battle of Wegierska Górka

The Battle of Węgierska Górka was a two-day-long defence of a Polish fortified area in south of Silesia during the opening stages of the Polish Defensive War of 1939....

. By September 6, Polish forces were in general retreat and Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Śmigły ordered all troops to fall back to the secondary lines of defences at the Vistula and San Rivers. German units entered Częstochowa on September 3 (where on the next day they murdered hundreds of civilians

Częstochowa massacre

The Częstochowa massacre, also known as Bloody Monday, which took place on September 4, 1939, was a mass murder of Polish and Jewish civilians carried out by the German Wehrmacht forces, on the 4th day of World War II in the Polish city of Częstochowa....

), Kielce on September 5, Kraków on September 6, and Radom on September 8 (see also Battle of Radom

Battle of Radom

The Battle of Radom, also known as the Battle of Iłża, was part of the Invasion of Poland during the Second World War. It lasted from 8 September 1939 to 9 September 1939. Polish troops of the Prusy Army, under General Stanisław Skwarczyński, defended the city of Iłża and road from Sandomierz to...

). Within a week, almost whole Lesser Poland was under Nazi occupation. Northeastern part of the province, the area of Lublin, was held by the Poles until September 17, but eventually, and after fierce battles (see Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski

Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski

Battle of Tomaszów Lubelski took place from 17 September to 26 September 1939 near the town of Tomaszów Lubelski. It was the second largest battle of the Invasion of Poland and also the largest tank battle of the campaign. It resulted in the destruction of the Polish forces...

), all Lesser Poland was firmly under Nazi control. First draft of Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact stipulated that northeastern Lesser Poland (east of the Vistula river) was to be occupied by the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, and forces of the Red Army

Red Army

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

reached the area of Lublin after September 20, but withdrew east on September 28.

On October 12, 1939, upon a decree of Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...

, General Government

General Government

The General Government was an area of Second Republic of Poland under Nazi German rule during World War II; designated as a separate region of the Third Reich between 1939–1945...

, a separate region of the Greater German Reich was created, with Hans Frank

Hans Frank

Hans Michael Frank was a German lawyer who worked for the Nazi party during the 1920s and 1930s and later became a high-ranking official in Nazi Germany...

as its Governor-General

Governor-General

A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...

. Its capital was established in Kraków, and it covered most of the area of historical Lesser Poland, except for its western counties, which were directly incorporated into Nazi Germany’s Upper Silesia Province (Będzin

Bedzin

, Sosnowiec

Sosnowiec

, 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...

, Biala

Bielsko-Biala

, Żywiec

Zywiec

, Chrzanów

Chrzanów

Chrzanów is a town in south Poland with 39,704 inhabitants . It is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship and is the capital of Chrzanów County.- To 1809:...

, 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...

).
In Lesser Poland, like in all provinces of the occupied country, the Nazis ruled with savage brutality, killing hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, both Polish and Jewish (see: World War II crimes in Poland, Occupation of Poland (1939–1945), Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland, Nazi crimes against ethnic Poles

Nazi crimes against ethnic Poles

In addition to about 2.9 million Polish Jews , about 2.8 million non-Jewish Polish citizens perished during the course of the war...

, German AB-Aktion in Poland, Sonderaktion Krakau

Sonderaktion Krakau

Sonderaktion Krakau was the codename for a German operation against professors and academics from the University of Kraków and other Kraków universities at the beginning of World War II....

). The Auschwitz concentration camp

Auschwitz concentration camp

Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...

, located at the border of Lesser Poland and Upper Silesia, was opened on 14 June 1940, and on October 1, 1941, the Germans opened Majdanek concentration camp on the outskirts of Lublin. The third concentration camp in Lesser Poland was in Kraków's district of Płaszów. In late 1939 and early 1940, in Lesser Poland’s spa of Zakopane

Zakopane

Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...

, and in Krakow, several Gestapo–NKVD Conferences took place, during which the mutual cooperation between Nazi Germany and Soviet Union was discussed.

Anti-Nazi resistance was particularly strong in Lesser Poland, and it was in the extreme northwestern corner of the province (around Opoczno), that armed struggle against the occupiers began in late 1939 and early 1940 (see Henryk Dobrzański

Henryk Dobrzanski

Major Henryk Dobrzański aka "Hubal" was a Polish soldier, sportsman and partisan. He was the first guerrilla commander of the Second World War in Europe.-Early life and career:...

). Structures of the Home Army were well-developed in the region. Lesser Poland’s independent areas of the Home Army were located in Kraków, Kielce-Radom, and Lublin. During Operation Tempest

Operation Tempest

Operation Tempest was a series of uprisings conducted during World War II by the Polish Home Army , the dominant force in the Polish resistance....

in mid-1944, several Lesser Poland’s towns were liberated, also uprising in Krakow

Krakow Uprising (1944)

The Kraków Uprising was a planned but never realized uprising of the Polish Resistance against the German occupation in the city of Kraków during World War II.- Background :...

was prepared, but never realized. Apart from the Home Army, other resistance groups were strong in the province, such as pro-Communist Armia Ludowa

Armia Ludowa

Armia Ludowa was a communist partisan force set up by the Polish Workers' Party during World War II. Its aims were to support the military of the Soviet Union against German forces and aid the creation of a pro-Soviet communist government in Poland...

, peasant’s Bataliony Chłopskie, and right-wing National Armed Forces, with its Holy Cross Mountains Brigade

Holy Cross Mountains Brigade

The Holy Cross Mountains Brigade was a tactical unit of the Polish underground NSZ organization during World War II, which did not obey orders to merge with the Home Army in 1944 and as a result was part of the NSZ-ZJ faction....

.

In all major Lesser Poland’s cities, Jewish ghettos were opened, with the biggest ones in Kraków

Kraków Ghetto

The Kraków Ghetto was one of five major, metropolitan Jewish ghettos created by Nazi Germany in the General Government territory for the purpose of persecution, terror, and exploitation of Polish Jews during the German occupation of Poland in World War II...

, and Lublin

Lublin Ghetto

The Lublin Ghetto was a World War II ghetto created by Nazi Germany in the city of Lublin in occupied Poland, on the Nazi-administered territory of the General Government. Its inhabitants were mostly Polish Jews, although a number of Roma were also present. The Lublin Ghetto, set up in March 1941,...

. At first the Nazis were planning to create a so-called “reservation” for European Jews, located around Lesser Poland’s town of Nisko

Nisko

Nisko is a town in Nisko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland on the San River, with a population of 15,534 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009...

(see Nisko Plan

Nisko Plan

The Nisko Plan, also Lublin Plan or Nisko-Lublin Plan , was developed in September 1939 by the Nazi German Schutzstaffel as a "territorial solution to the Jewish Question"...

), but they changed the plan, and decided to murder all Jews. Condemned to death, Jews in Lesser Poland took to fighting (see Częstochowa Ghetto Uprising

Częstochowa Ghetto Uprising

The Częstochowa Ghetto Uprising was an insurrection in Poland's Częstochowa Ghetto against German occupation forces during World War II.The first Jewish Ghetto of Częstochowa was established by the German Nazis in April 1941....

), but their efforts failed. As a result of The Holocaust in Poland, once thriving and numerous Jewish population of Lesser Poland was decimated.

In the summer of 1944, after Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive, Red Army pushed the Wehrmacht from eastern Lesser Poland. The city of Lublin was captured by the Soviets on July 22, 1944, Stalowa Wola – on August 1, and Sandomierz, on the left bank of the Vistula – on August 18. The front line stabilized along the Vistula for about six months (with some bridgeheads on the western bank on the Vistula – see Battle of Studzianki

Battle of Studzianki

The Battle of Studzianki, was a tactical engagement between the elements of the Red Army's 2nd Tank Army employed as the Cavalry mechanized group of the 1st Belorussian Front and elements of the German 9th Army of Army Group North Ukraine defending south of Warsaw...

), and in early 1945, Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive began, which pushed Germans to the gates of Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

. The Soviets entered Kielce on January 15, Częstochowa – on January 17, and Kraków on January 19. On January 27, the Red Army entered Sosnowiec. In took the Soviets much longer to clear the areas in the mountains – they did not enter Żywiec until April 5, 1945.

Post World War II

In the summer of 1944, after Lvov–Sandomierz Offensive, Red Army pushed the Wehrmacht from eastern Lesser Poland. The city of Lublin was captured by the Soviets on July 22, 1944, Stalowa Wola – on August 1, and Sandomierz, on the left bank of the Vistula – on August 18. The front line stabilized along the Vistula for about six months, and in early 1945, Soviet Vistula–Oder Offensive began, which pushed Germans to the gates of Berlin

Berlin

. The Soviets entered Kielce on January 15, Czestochowa – on January 17, and Krakow on January 19. On January 27, the Red Army entered Sosnowiec. In took the Soviets much longer to clear the areas in the mountains – they did not enter Zywiec until April 5, 1945.

Together with the Red Army, NKVD

NKVD

The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....

and Soviet authorities followed, whose purpose was to make Poland a Communist country, with a puppet government, formed as Polish Committee of National Liberation

Polish Committee of National Liberation

The Polish Committee of National Liberation , also known as the Lublin Committee, was a provisional government of Poland, officially proclaimed 21 July 1944 in Chełm under the direction of State National Council in opposition to the Polish government in exile...

. Since August 1, 1944, the provisional government was officially headquartered in Lesser Poland’s Lublin. Thousands of people took to the forests, to continue their fight for free Poland (see Raids on communist prisons in Poland (1944–1946), Anti-communist resistance in Poland

Anti-communist resistance in Poland

Anti-communist resistance in Poland can be divided into two types: the armed partisan struggle, mostly led by former Armia Krajowa and Narodowe Siły Zbrojne soldiers, which ended in the late 1950s , and the non-violent, civil-resistance struggle that culminated in the creation and victory of the...

). Lesser Poland again was one of the main centers of the resistance. Several skirmishes took place in the province, including Battle of Kuryłówka. The Communists did not hesitate to kill those rebels they captured (Public execution in Dębica (1946)

Public execution in Debica (1946)

Public execution in Dębica refer to the execution of four Poles from the anti-communist Freedom and Independence organization in Dębica in 1946.-Introduction:...

), and by 1947, the resistance movement was crushed. The last Polish cursed soldier

Cursed soldiers

The cursed soldiers is a name applied to a variety of Polish resistance movements formed in the later stages of World War II and afterwards. Created by some members of the Polish Secret State, these clandestine organizations continued their armed struggle against the Stalinist government of Poland...

, Józef Franczak

Józef Franczak

Józef Franczak was a soldier of the Polish Army, Armia Krajowa World War II resistance, and last of the cursed soldiers - members of the militant anti-communist resistance in Poland. He used codenames Lalek , Laluś, Laleczka, Guściowa, and fake name Józef Babiński...

, was killed in 1963 near Swidnik

Swidnik

Świdnik is a town in eastern Poland with 42,797 inhabitants , situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, very near the city of Lublin. It is the capital of Świdnik County.-History:The village of Świdnik is first mentioned in historical records from 1392...

in northeastern Lesser Poland. Also, all victims of the 1951 Mokotów Prison execution

1951 Mokotów Prison execution

On March 1, 1951, the Soviet-controlled communist Polish secret police, Urząd Bezpieczeństwa , carried out an execution of seven members of the 4th Headquarters of anti-Communist organization Wolność i Niezawisłość in the Mokotów Prison in Warsaw...

were members of Lesser Poland’s branch of Freedom and Independence. Another well-known anti-Communist fighter from Lesser Poland is Józef Kuraś

Józef Kuras

Józef Kuraś, born in 1915 in Waksmund, was a lieutenant in the Polish Army who fought in the Polish September Campaign, a partisan of Armia Krajowa and Bataliony Chłopskie in the Podhale region and after World War II one of the leaders of anticommunist resistance...

, who was active in the southern region of Podhale

Podhale

.

In early 1945, the lands of Lesser Poland were divided between three voivodeships – those of Krakow, Lublin, and Kielce. Since summer 1945, several counties were transferred to neighboring voivodeships – eastern Lesser Poland (Debica, Jaslo, Mielec) became part of Rzeszow Voivodeship

Rzeszów Voivodeship

Rzeszów Voivodeship can refer to one of two political entities in Poland:Rzeszów Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government from 1975 to 1998, superseded by Podkarpackie Voivodeship...

, while western counties of Bedzin and Zawiercie were transferred to Katowice Voivodeship

Katowice Voivodeship

Katowice Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by the Silesian Voivodeship...

. In 1950, the city of Czestochowa became part of Katowice Voivodeship, and next year, the city of Bielsko-Biala

Bielsko-Biala

was created out of Lesser Poland’s Biala Krakowska, and Upper Silesia’s Bielsko. The new city became part of Katowice Voivodeship. Lesser Poland was further divided in 1975, when territorial reform was carried out (see Voivodeships of Poland (1975-1988)

Voivodeships of Poland (1975-1988)

The voivodeships of Poland from 1975–1998 were created as part of a two-tier method for administering the country and its regions. Between 1 June 1975 and 31 December 1998, pursuant to a law proclaimed on 28 May 1975, Poland was administratively divided into 49 voivodeships, consolidating and...

). Counties were abolished, and several small voivodeships were created, in such Lesser Poland’s towns and cities, as Tarnobrzeg, Tarnow, Nowy Sacz, Bielsko-Biala, Radom, Czestochowa, and Siedlce.

The government of Communist Poland invested in heavy industry, following the pre-1939 idea of Central Industrial Area. In Krakow, a new district of Nowa Huta

Nowa Huta

Nowa Huta - is the easternmost district of Kraków, Poland, . With more than 200,000 inhabitants it is one of the most populous areas of the city.- History :...

was constructed in the 1950s. In Czestochowa and Zawiercie, the steelworks were significantly expanded, and in early 1970, the government initiated construction of Katowice Steelworks, which, despite its name, is located in Lesser Poland’s Dabrowa Gornicza

Dabrowa Górnicza

Dąbrowa Górnicza is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, nearby Katowice. The north-east district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of almost 3 millions...

. To connect Katowice Steelworks with Soviet plants, in late 1970s Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line was opened, which crossed Lesser Poland from west to east. Among other major factories, opened in Lesser Poland during Communist rule, there are:

FSC Lublin, opened in 1951,
FSC Star in Starachowice
Starachowice
Starachowice is a town in south-central Poland with 55,126 inhabitants . Starachowice is situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship ; it was formerly in the Kielce Voivodeship . It is the capital of Starachowice County...

, opened in 1948, and based on earlier factory,
PZL-Świdnik
PZL-Swidnik
PZL Świdnik S.A is the biggest helicopter manufacturer in Poland. Its main products are PZL W-3 Sokół and PZL SW-4 Puszczyk helicopters...

, opened in 1951,
Zaklady Azotowe Pulawy
Pulawy
Puławy is a town in eastern Poland, in Lublin Province, on the Wisła and Kurówka rivers. According to the 2006 census estimate, the town had a total population of 49,839. Puławy is the capital of Puławy County...

, opened in 1965,
Połaniec Power Station
Połaniec Power Station
Połaniec Power Station is a coal-fired power station near Połaniec in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland. It consists of 8 units each with a generation capacity of 225 MW. The power station went into service between 1979 and 1983...

, opened in 1979,
Skawina Power Station, opened in 1957,
Nowiny Cement Plant, opened in 1960,
Kozienice Power Station, opened in 1973.

Other Lesser Poland’s major plants were significantly expanded after 1945, including Żywiec Brewery

Zywiec Brewery

Żywiec Brewery is a brewery founded in 1852, in Żywiec, Poland, then part of Austria-Hungary. It was nationalised after the Second World War. Grupa Zywiec S.A. consists of five main breweries: Żywiec Brewery, Elbrewery, Leżajsk, Warka Brewery and Cieszyn Brewery...

, Okocim Brewery, Fablok

Fablok

Fablok is a Polish manufacturer of steam locomotives, based in Chrzanów. Until 1947 the official name was The First Factory of Locomotives in Poland Ltd. , Fablok being a widely used syllabic abbreviation of Fabryka Lokomotyw. It is now named "BUMAR - FABLOK S.A. "...

, Łucznik Arms Factory, FŁT-Kraśnik, Jaworzno Power Station, Siersza Power Plant, Huta Stalowa Wola

Huta Stalowa Wola

, Janina Coal Mine

Janina Coal Mine

The Janina coal mine is a large mine in the south of Poland in Libiąż, Silesian Voivodeship, 350 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. Janina represents one of the largest coal reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 841 million tonnes of coal. The annual coal production is around 2.8...

, Sobieski Coal Mine

Sobieski Coal Mine

The Sobieski coal mine is a large mine in the south of Poland in Jaworzno, Silesian Voivodeship, 350 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. Sobieski represents one of the largest coal reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 134.1 million tonnes of coal. The annual coal production is...

, Zaklady Azotowe Tarnów-Mościce. Furthermore, in early 1950s significant sulfur

Sulfur

Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...

resources were discovered in Tarnobrzeg, as a result of which Siarkopol company was founded, and the city of Tarnobrzeg quickly grew. In 1975, coal was discovered northeast of Lublin, and soon afterwards, Bogdanka Coal Mine

Bogdanka Coal Mine

The Bogdanka coal mine is a large mine in the east of Poland in Puchaczów, Lublin Voivodeship, 197 km south-east of the capital, Warsaw. Bogdanka represents one of the largest coal reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 265.3 million tonnes of coal...

and Piaski Coal Mine

Piaski Coal Mine

The Piaski coal mine is a large mine in the east of Poland in Piaski, Lublin Voivodeship, 200 km east of the capital, Warsaw. Piaski represents one of the largest coal reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 136.4 million tonnes of coal. The annual coal production is around 4.5 million...

were opened.

Between 1971 and 1977, Central Trunk Line was opened, which goes along western boundary of the province, and which connects Krakow and Katowice, with Warsaw. In early 1980s, construction of a highway between Krakow and Katowice began. The 61-kilometer road is now ran by Stalexport Autostrada Małopolska, and is part of A4 highway.

Residents of Lesser Poland frequently protested against Communist government. Major centers of anti-Communist resistance were in Krakow, Nowa Huta, Radom, and Lublin. Among major protests that took place in the province were 1968 Polish political crisis (with Krakow as one of major centers of protests), June 1976 protests

June 1976 protests

June 1976 is the name of a series of protests and demonstrations in People's Republic of Poland. The protests took place after Prime Minister Piotr Jaroszewicz revealed the plan for a sudden increase in the price of many basic commodities, particularly foodstuffs...

(in Radom), Lublin 1980 strikes

Lublin 1980 strikes

The Lublin 1980 strikes were the series of workers’ strikes in the area of the eastern city of Lublin , demanding better salaries and lower prices of food products. They began on July 8, 1980, at the State Aviation Works in Świdnik, a town located on the outskirts of Lublin...

, August 31, 1982 demonstrations in Poland

August 31, 1982 demonstrations in Poland

August 31, 1982 demonstrations in Poland refers to anti-government street demonstrations organized by underground Solidarity to commemorate the second anniversary of the Gdańsk Agreement. The bloodiest protest occurred in southwestern Poland, in the town of Lubin, on August 31, 1982...

(in several locations), 1988 Polish strikes

1988 Polish strikes

The 1988 Polish strikes were a massive wave of workers' strikes which broke out in 1988 in the People’s Republic of Poland. The strikes, as well as street demonstrations, continued throughout spring and summer, ending in early September 1988. These actions shook the Communist regime of the country...

(with Stalowa Wola as one of major centers). Several anti-Nazi, and anti-Communist leaders hailed from Lesser Poland: Jan Piwnik

Jan Piwnik

Jan Piwnik was a Polish World War II soldier, a cichociemny and a notable leader of the Home Army in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. He used the noms de guerre Ponury and Donat.-Biography:...

, Emil August Fieldorf

Emil August Fieldorf

Emil August Fieldorf was a Polish Brigadier General. He was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Home Army or AK, after the failure of the Warsaw Uprising...

, Leopold Okulicki

Leopold Okulicki

General Leopold Okulicki was a General of the Polish Army and the last commander of the anti-German underground Home Army during World War II. He was murdered after the war by the Soviet NKVD....

, Ryszard Siwiec

Ryszard Siwiec

Ryszard Siwiec was a Polish accountant, teacher and former Home Army soldier who was the first person to commit suicide by self-immolation in protest against the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.- Self-Immolation :...

, Stanisław Pyjas, Hieronim Dekutowski

Hieronim Dekutowski

Hieronim Dekutowski was a Polish boyscout and soldier, who fought in Polish September Campaign, was a member of the elite forces Cichociemni, fought in the Home Army and after World War II, fought the communist regime as one of commanders of Wolnosc i Niezawislosc.- Early years :Dekutowski was...

, Andrzej Gwiazda

Andrzej Gwiazda

Andrzej Gwiazda in Gdańsk engineer and prominent opposition leader, who participated in Polish March 1968 Events and December 1970 Events; one of the founders of Free Trade Unions, Member of the Presiding Committee of the Strike at Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk in August 1980, Vice President of the...

, Andrzej Czuma

Andrzej Czuma

Andrzej Czuma is a Polish politician, lawyer and historian, an activist of the Polish anti-Communist opposition in the Polish People's Republic. Oppressed and imprisoned by the Communist authorities. In the 1980s he left for the USA where he became an activist in the community of Polish expats....

.

A numer of key personalities of Communist government were born in Lesser Poland, including Józef Cyrankiewicz

Józef Cyrankiewicz

Józef Cyrankiewicz was a Polish Socialist, after 1948 Communist political figure. He served as premier of the People's Republic of Poland between 1947 and 1952, and again between 1954 and 1970...

, Bolesław Bierut, Edward Gierek

Edward Gierek

Edward Gierek was a Polish communist politician.He was born in Porąbka, outside of Sosnowiec. He lost his father to a mining accident in a pit at the age of four. His mother married again and emigrated to northern France, where he was raised. He joined the French Communist Party in 1931 and was...

, Wojciech Jaruzelski

Wojciech Jaruzelski

Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski is a retired Polish military officer and Communist politician. He was the last Communist leader of Poland from 1981 to 1989, Prime Minister from 1981 to 1985 and the country's head of state from 1985 to 1990. He was also the last commander-in-chief of the Polish People's...

, Czesław Kiszczak, Stanisław Kania, Hilary Minc

Hilary Minc

Hilary Minc – born into a middle-class Jewish family of Oskar Minc and Stefania née Fajersztajn – was a communist politician in Stalinist Poland and pro-Soviet Marxist economist. Minc joined the Communist Party of Poland before World War II...

, Edward Ochab

Edward Ochab

Edward Ochab was a Polish Communist politician promoted to the position of the First Secretary of the Communist party in the People's Republic of Poland between 20 March and 21 October 1956, just prior to the Gomułka thaw...

, Michał Rola-Żymierski, Józef Oleksy

Józef Oleksy

Józef Oleksy is a post-communist Polish politician, former chairman of Democratic Left Alliance ....

.

Among prominent personalities of Polish cultural life of the 20th century, who were born in Lesser Poland, there are: Xawery Dunikowski

Xawery Dunikowski

Xawery Dunikowski was a Polish sculptor and artist, notable for surviving Auschwitz concentration camp, and best known for his Neo-Romantic sculptures and Auschwitz-inspired art.- Biography :...

, Witold Gombrowicz

Witold Gombrowicz

Witold Marian Gombrowicz was a Polish novelist and dramatist. His works are characterized by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and an absurd, anti-nationalist flavor...

, Gustaw Herling-Grudziński

Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski

Gustaw Herling-Grudziński was a Polish writer, journalist, essayist and soldier. He is best known for writing a personal account of life in the Soviet gulag - A World Apart.-Biography:...

, Sławomir Mrożek, Tadeusz Kantor

Tadeusz Kantor

Tadeusz Kantor was a Polish painter, assemblage artist, set designer and theatre director. Kantor is renowned for his revolutionary theatrical performances in Poland and abroad.- Life and career :...

, Jan Kanty Pawluśkiewicz

Jan Kanty Pawluskiewicz

Jan Kanty Pawluśkiewicz is a Polish composer and musician, known for his collaboration with Marek Grechuta and his compositions for stage and film.-Biography:...

, Marek Kondrat

Marek Kondrat

Marek Kondrat – Polish TV, film and theatrical actor, director.In 2007 he planned to revolutionize the Polish domestic wine market by introducing Winarium wine stores in every city with a population of over 100,000.- Awards :...

, Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska

Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska

Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, née Kossak , was a Polish poet known as the Polish Sappho and "queen of lyrical poetry" of Poland's interwar period...

, Krzysztof Penderecki

Krzysztof Penderecki

Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...

, Zbigniew Preisner

Zbigniew Preisner

Zbigniew Preisner is a Polish film score composer, best known for his work with film director Krzysztof Kieślowski.-Life:Zbigniew Preisner studied history and philosophy in Kraków. Never having received formal music lessons, he taught himself music by listening and transcribing parts from records....

, Leon Schiller

Leon Schiller

Leon Schiller de Schildenfeld was a Polish theater and film director, critic and theoretician. He was also a composer and wrote theater and radio screenplays....

, Jerzy Stuhr

Jerzy Stuhr

Jerzy Stuhr is one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors. He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor...

, Jan Sztaudynger

Jan Sztaudynger

Jan Izydor Sztaudynger was a Polish poet and satirist. He enjoyed enormous popularity as a poet in Poland after the Second World War....

, Grzegorz Turnau

Grzegorz Turnau

Grzegorz Turnau is a Polish composer, pianist, poet and singer.He was born on 31 July 1967 in Kraków, Poland. At age seventeen he won First Prize at The Student Song Festival in Kraków in 1984...

, Jerzy Turowicz

Jerzy Turowicz

Jerzy Turowicz was a leading Polish Catholic journalist and editor for much of the post-Second World War period.He edited the Catholic weekly Tygodnik Powszechny from 1945 until his death in 1999, with only a three-year interruption beginning in 1953....

Local Government Reorganization Act (1998)

In 1998, the government of Poland carried out administrative reform of the country. For the first time in history, Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Lesser Poland Voivodeship

Małopolska Voivodeship , or Lesser Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, in southern Poland...

was created, with capital in Kraków, and area of 15,108 square kilometers. The new province covers only a small, southwestern part of historical Lesser Poland, and its shape was subject to frequent changes. There were suggestions that Lesser Poland voivodeship should stretch from Bielsko-Biała

Bielsko-Biała

, to Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski

Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski

Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski is a town in south-central Poland with 74,211 inhabitants .Main industry is metallurgy. Ostrowiec is the capital city of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski County, part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously it belonged to Kielce Voivodeship .- History:The oldest testimonies of...

and Sandomierz

Sandomierz

. Furthermore, creation of Old Poland Voivodeship

Old Poland Voivodeship

Old Poland Voivodeship was a proposed Voivodeship of Poland, which, however has not been created. It was to cover the area of northern part of the historical province of Lesser Poland, with such cities as Częstochowa, Kielce and Sandomierz .- First talks :First talks about creation of the new...

was proposed, on the historical lands of northern Lesser Poland. Also, since about half of territory of current Silesian Voivodeship belongs to historical Lesser Poland, there are suggestions to rename it into Silesian – Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

Major cities and towns (by size)

The list is based on the Polish Central Statistical Office list of 100 biggest cities of Poland, as for June 30, 2008.

L.p.	City City A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...	Population Population A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...	Area Area Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat... (km².)	Current voivodeship
2.	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...	756 441	326,80	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
9.	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...	351 345	147,45	Lublin Voivodeship
13.	Częstochowa	241 449	159,71	Silesian Voivodeship
14.	Radom	224 501	111,80	Masovian Voivodeship
15.	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...	221 775	91,06	Silesian Voivodeship
17.	Kielce	205 655	109,65	Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
22.	Bielsko-Biała Bielsko-Biała -Economy and Industry:Nowadays Bielsko-Biała is one of the best-developed parts of Poland. It was ranked 2nd best city for business in that country by Forbes. About 5% of people are unemployed . Bielsko-Biała is famous for its textile, machine-building, and especially automotive industry...	175 476	124,51	Silesian Voivodeship
27.	Dąbrowa Górnicza Dabrowa Górnicza Dąbrowa Górnicza is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, nearby Katowice. The north-east district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of almost 3 millions...	128 560	188,73	Silesian Voivodeship
35.	Tarnów Tarnów Tarnów is a city in southeastern Poland with 115,341 inhabitants as of June 2009. The city has been situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999, but from 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of the Tarnów Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east-west connection...	115 769	72,38	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
42.	Jaworzno Jaworzno Jaworzno is a city in southern Poland, near Katowice. The east district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Przemsza river ....	95 383	152,67	Silesian Voivodeship
45.	Nowy Sącz Nowy Sacz Nowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County, but is not included within the powiat.-Names:...	84 492	57,58	Lesser Poland Voivodeship
48.	Siedlce Siedlce Siedlce ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,392 inhabitants . Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship ....	77 102	32,00	Masovian Voivodeship
53.	Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski is a town in south-central Poland with 74,211 inhabitants .Main industry is metallurgy. Ostrowiec is the capital city of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski County, part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously it belonged to Kielce Voivodeship .- History:The oldest testimonies of...	72 888	46,43	Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
66.	Stalowa Wola	64 753	82,52	Subcarpathian Voivodeship
71.	Mielec Mielec Mielec is a city in south-eastern Poland with a population of 60,979 inhabitants, as of June 2009. It is located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Rzeszów Voivodeship...	60 979	46,89	Subcarpathian Voivodeship
76.	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...	58 559	37,37	Silesian Voivodeship
84.	Starachowice Starachowice Starachowice is a town in south-central Poland with 55,126 inhabitants . Starachowice is situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship ; it was formerly in the Kielce Voivodeship . It is the capital of Starachowice County...	52 430	31,82	Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
85.	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...	52 290	85,25	Silesian Voivodeship
87.	Tarnobrzeg	49 753	85,39	Subcarpathian Voivodeship
88.	Puławy	49 223	50,49	Lublin Voivodeship
92.	Skarżysko-Kamienna Skarzysko-Kamienna Skarżysko-Kamienna is a town in northern Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in Poland by Kamienna river, to the north of Świętokrzyskie Mountains; one of the voivodship's major towns...	48 308	64,39	Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
97.	Dębica Debica Dębica is a town in southeastern Poland with 46,693 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It is the capital of Dębica County. Since 1999 it has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it had previously been in the Tarnów Voivodeship .-Area:...	46 693	34,02	Subcarpathian Voivodeship

Economy and Industry

History of industry in Lesser Poland goes back to prehistoric times, when in Świętokrzyskie Mountains

Swietokrzyskie Mountains

, first bloomeries

Bloomery

A bloomery is a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. A bloomery's product is a porous mass of iron and slag called a bloom. This mix of slag and iron in the bloom is termed sponge iron, which...

were constructed. In the Middle Ages, first plants were opened in that area, and as a result, Old-Polish Industrial Region

Old-Polish Industrial Region

was created, which was a major industrial region of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

. In the 17th century, first Polish blast furnace

Blast furnace

A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...

s were constructed in Samsonów

Samsonów

Samsonów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Zagnańsk, within Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Zagnańsk and north of the regional capital Kielce....

by Italian engineer Hieronim Caccio. Apart from iron products, used for military purposes, Old-Polish Industrial Region also manufactured charcoal

Charcoal

Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...

and glass. In 1782, in Poland there were 34 bloomeries, out of which 27 were located in Old-Polish Industrial Region. Another major industrial area of Lesser Poland is Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, where in the 16th century, lead

Lead

Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...

, silver

Silver

Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...

, and zinc

Zinc

Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...

were found. As early as in the 15th century, coal was exctracted in Trzebinia

Trzebinia

– Siersza, and in the following centuries, especially in the 19th century, several coal mines and steel mills were opened in Zagłębie and in Zagłębie Krakowskie (first coal mine in Jaworzno

Jaworzno

was opened in 1792). In nearby 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...

, the history of zinc mining dates to the 12th century when Casimir II the Just set up a mining settlement. Also, in the towns of Wieliczka

Wieliczka

-External links:***...

and Bochnia

Bochnia

, salt mines were established in the 12th and 13th centuries (see Bochnia Salt Mine

Bochnia Salt Mine

The Bochnia Salt Mine in Bochnia, Poland is one of the oldest salt mines in the world and the oldest one in Poland. The mine was established between the 12th and 13th centuries after salt was first discovered in Bochnia, and became part of the Royal mining company żupy krakowskie . The mine was...

, Wieliczka Salt Mine).

In the 20th century, natural resources were also discovered in central and eastern counties Lesser Poland.
In 1964, the world’s largest open-pit sulfur mine was opened in Machów near Tarnobrzeg

Tarnobrzeg

. Other sulfur deposits in the area of Tarnobrzeg are Jeziorko, Grzybów-Gacki, and Grębów-Wydza. The mine at Machów is now closed. In the late 1960s, eastern Lesser Poland became one of three coal basins of the country, when Lublin Basin was created. Major coal mine in the area is KWK Bogdanka

Bogdanka Coal Mine

near Łęczna, which is the only coal mine in Poland which has continuously generated a profit. Other Polish coal mines located in Lesser Poland are those found in western part of the province, along the boundary with Upper Silesia – KWK Janina

Janina Coal Mine

in Jaworzno, KWK Sobieski

Sobieski Coal Mine

, and also in Jaworzno. Copper and silver are extracted in Myszków

Myszków

Myszków is a town in Poland, with 33,016 inhabitants . It is the capital of Myszków County.Situated in the Silesian Voivodeship , previously in Czestochowa Voivodeship .-External links:...

(see Myszków mine

Myszków mine

The Myszków mine is a large mine in the centre of Poland in Myszków, Myszków County, 258 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. Myszków represents one of the largest copper and silver reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 1,334 million tonnes of ore grading 0.15% copper and 2.37...

).

In the late 1930s, the government of the Second Polish Republic

Second Polish Republic

created Central Industrial Region, which was almost exclusively located in Lesser Poland. Currently, within borders of the province, there are following industrial region

Industrial region

Industrial region or industrial area refers to a region with extremely dense industry. It is usually heavily urbanized.-Brazil:*ABCD Region, sometimes called ABC is an industrial region made up of seven municipalities with the greater metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil.-Korea:*Kaesŏng...

Bielsko Industrial Region (Bielski Okręg Przemysłowy), which includes both towns from Lesser Poland, and Upper Silesia (Andrychów
Andrychów
Andrychów is the largest town in Wadowice County in southern Poland with 22,257 inhabitants as of 2006. It has been situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. Previously, it was located in Bielsko-Biała Voivodeship...

, Bielsko-Biała
Bielsko-Biała
-Economy and Industry:Nowadays Bielsko-Biała is one of the best-developed parts of Poland. It was ranked 2nd best city for business in that country by Forbes. About 5% of people are unemployed . Bielsko-Biała is famous for its textile, machine-building, and especially automotive industry...

, Cieszyn
Cieszyn
Cieszyn is a border-town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....

, Kęty
Kety
Kęty is a town in Oświęcim County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland with 19,175 inhabitants .The town dates its earliest document from 1277 when Polish prince of Opole Władysław confirmed sale of the settlement and adoption of Lviv city rights. The town's name comes from the word kąt...

, Pszczyna
Pszczyna
Pszczyna is a town in southern Poland with 26,827 inhabitants within the immediate gmina rising to 50,121 inhabitants in the powiat, which includes the town of Pszczyna, itself, Brzeźce , Czarków , Ćwiklice , Jankowice , Łąka , Piasek , Poręba , Rudołtowice , Studzionka , Studzienice , Wisła...

, Skoczów
Skoczów
Skoczów is a town and the seat of Gmina Skoczów in Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 14,783 inhabitants . It lies in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia....

, Żywiec),
Częstochowa Industrial Region (Częstochowski Okręg Przemysłowy), which includes Częstochowa, Myszków
Myszków
Myszków is a town in Poland, with 33,016 inhabitants . It is the capital of Myszków County.Situated in the Silesian Voivodeship , previously in Czestochowa Voivodeship .-External links:...

, and 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...

.
Upper Silesian Industrial Region
Upper Silesian Industrial Region
The Upper Silesian Industrial Region is a large industrial region in Poland. It lies mainly in the Silesian Voivodeship, centered around Katowice....

(Górnośląski Okręg Przemysłowy). Despite the name, it also includes cities from Lesser Poland’s Zagłębie Dąbrowskie – Sosnowiec, 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...

, Czeladź
Czeladz
Czeladź is a town in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with a population of 2 million. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river ....

, Dąbrowa Górnicza
Dabrowa Górnicza
Dąbrowa Górnicza is a city in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, nearby Katowice. The north-east district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of almost 3 millions...

, Wojkowice
Wojkowice
Wojkowice is a small town in Zagłębie Dąbrowskie in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Brynica river .It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship since its...

,
Jaworzno – Chrzanów Industrial Region (Jaworznicko-Chrzanowski Okręg Przemysłowy), with the towns of Jaworzno, Chrzanów
Chrzanów
Chrzanów is a town in south Poland with 39,704 inhabitants . It is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship and is the capital of Chrzanów County.- To 1809:...

, Trzebinia
Trzebinia
Trzebinia is a town in Chrzanów County, Lesser Poland, Poland with an Orlen oil refinery and a major rail junction of the Kraków - Katowice line that connections to Oświęcim and Spytkowice.-History:...

, Libiąż
Libiaz
Libiąż is a town in Chrzanów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 17,671 inhabitants ....

, Chełmek, Bukowno
Bukowno
Bukowno is a town in Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 10,564 inhabitants . Till 1975 city belonged to the Cracow Voivodeship and since 1975 until 1998 to the Katowice Voivodeship...

, Alwernia
Alwernia
Alwernia is a Polish town situated some 36 km west of Kraków in the Chrzanów district of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship . The town, as well as possessing a large chemical works, is a centre for recreation and tourism.-History:The name of the town is taken from that of the Franciscan hermitage...

, Krzeszowice
Krzeszowice
Krzeszowice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. As of 2004, the population of Krzeszowice was 9,993.In 2008, it was selected with 19 villages of Europe -Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain- for the Spanish documentary film "Villages of Europe" Pueblos de Europa,...

,
Carpathian Industrial Region (Karpacki Okręg Przemysłowy), which stretches from Nowy Sącz
Nowy Sacz
Nowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County, but is not included within the powiat.-Names:...

, through Jasło and Gorlice
Gorlice
Gorlice is a city and an urban municipality in south eastern Poland with around 29,500 inhabitants . It is situated south east of Kraków and south of Tarnów between Jasło and Nowy Sącz in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Nowy Sącz Voivodeship...

, to Sanok
Sanok
Sanok is a town in south-eastern Poland with 39,110 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It's the capital of Sanok County in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. Previously, it was in the Krosno Voivodeship and in the Ruthenian Voivodeship , which was part of the Lesser Poland province...

,
Kraków Industrial Region (Krakowski Okręg Przemysłowy) – the city of Kraków and the towns of Wieliczka
Wieliczka
-External links:***...

, Skawina
Skawina
Skawina is a town in southern Poland with 27,328 inhabitants .Situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship .- Twin Towns - Sister Cities :Skawina is twinned with:...

, Myślenice
Myslenice
Myślenice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship . Population: 20,261.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Myślenice is twinned with: Bełchatów, Poland- Sports :...

, Bochnia
Bochnia
Bochnia is a town of 30,000 inhabitants on the river Raba in southern Poland. The town lies approximately in halfway [] between Tarnów and the regional capital Kraków . Bochnia is most noted for its salt mine, the oldest functioning in Europe, built circa 1248...

,
Lublin Industrial Region (Lubelski Okręg Przemysłowy) – the city of Lublin and the towns of Świdnik
Swidnik
Świdnik is a town in eastern Poland with 42,797 inhabitants , situated in the Lublin Voivodeship, very near the city of Lublin. It is the capital of Świdnik County.-History:The village of Świdnik is first mentioned in historical records from 1392...

, Puławy, Łęczna,
Tarnobrzeg Industrial Area (Tarnobrzeski Okręg Przemysłowy) – Stalowa Wola
Stalowa Wola
Stalowa Wola is the largest city and capital of Stalowa Wola County with a population of 64,353 inhabitants, as of June 2008. It is located in southeastern Poland in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship...

, Tarnobrzeg
Tarnobrzeg
Tarnobrzeg is a city in south-eastern Poland, on the east bank of the river Vistula, with 49,419 inhabitants, as of December 31, 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship since 1999, it had previously been the capital of Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship...

, Nisko
Nisko
Nisko is a town in Nisko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland on the San River, with a population of 15,534 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009...

, Staszów
Staszów
Staszów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodship, about 54 km southeast of Kielce. It is the capital of Staszów County. Population is 15,108 .- Demography :...

, Janów Lubelski
Janów Lubelski
Janów Lubelski is a town in eastern Poland. It has 11,882 inhabitants .Situated in the Lublin Voivodship . It is the capital of Janów Lubelski County.It has a large hospital...

, Gorzyce
Gorzyce, Tarnobrzeg County
Gorzyce is a village in Tarnobrzeg County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Gorzyce. It lies approximately north-east of Tarnobrzeg and north of the regional capital Rzeszów.Gorzyce has a population of 7,500, making it the sixth...

, Połaniec, Mielec
Mielec
Mielec is a city in south-eastern Poland with a population of 60,979 inhabitants, as of June 2009. It is located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship ; previously it was in Rzeszów Voivodeship...

,
Tarnów – Rzeszów Industrial Region (Tarnowsko-Rzeszowski Okręg Przemysłowy), which stretches from Tarnów to Rzeszów, with such towns, as Dębica
Debica
Dębica is a town in southeastern Poland with 46,693 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It is the capital of Dębica County. Since 1999 it has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it had previously been in the Tarnów Voivodeship .-Area:...

, Niedomice
Niedomice
Niedomice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Żabno, within Tarnów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately south of Żabno, north-west of Tarnów, and east of the regional capital Kraków.-References:...

, Sędziszów Małopolski, Ropczyce
Ropczyce
Ropczyce is a town in Subcarpathian Voivodeship in south-eastern Poland, situated in the Valley the Wielopolka River and is inhabited by 15,098 people . It is the seat of Ropczyce-Sędziszów County.-Geography:...

.

In 2009, Polityka

Polityka

Polityka is a centre-left weekly newsmagazine in Poland. With a circulation of 170,000 it is the country's biggest selling weekly, ahead of Newsweek's Polish edition and Wprost. Today, the magazine has a slightly intellectual, social liberal profile, setting it apart from the more conservative...

weekly made its own list of 500 biggest Polish companies. According to the list, second biggest company of the country was Polska Grupa Energetyczna

Polska Grupa Energetyczna

Polska Grupa Energetyczna is a state-owned power company and the largest power producing company in Poland. PGE is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the WIG20 index.-History:The PGE Group has its origin in the establishment of Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne S.A...

, which, as Polityka stated, is headquartered in Lublin. Third biggest company of Poland in 2009 was Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

Auto Poland from Bielsko-Biała. Other Lesser Polish companies which ranked high were: British Petroleum in Poland from Kraków (ranked 12th), Emperia Holding from Lublin (ranked 26th), Kolporter Holding

Kolporter Holding

Kolporter Holding is a Polish holding company. It was built in the 1990s by Krzysztof Klicki and has its headquarters in Kielce. It has made the Top 500 Polish Companies rankings in Polityka and Rzeczpospolita several times....

from Kielce (ranked 43rd), and Żywiec Brewery

Zywiec Brewery

(ranked 44th). Other major companies of Lesser Poland are Azoty Tarnów, Bank BPH

Bank BPH

Bank BPH Banku Przemysłowo-Handlowego is a Polish financial institution 66% owned by GE Money Bank . On 31 December 2009, Bank BPH merged with GE Money Bank....

, Bogdanka Coal Mine

Bogdanka Coal Mine

, Carlsberg Polska

Carlsberg Polska

Carlsberg Polska is the Polish subsidiary of the Carlsberg brewing company. Carlsberg acquired 100% control of the Okocim Group, which included the Okocim Brewery, in 2004....

, Comarch

Comarch

Comarch is an international software house and systems integrator based in Kraków, Poland. Comarch provides services in areas such as Telecommunications, Finance and Banking, the Services Sector and to Public Administration...

, Dębica SA, Huta Częstochowa, Huta Katowice, Fablok

Fablok

, FŁT-Kraśnik, Huta Stalowa Wola

Huta Stalowa Wola

, Instal-Lublin, Janina Coal Mine

Janina Coal Mine

, Jaworzno Power Station, Kozienice Power Station, Łucznik Arms Factory, Nowiny Cement Plant near Kielce, Połaniec Power Station

Połaniec Power Station

Połaniec Power Station is a coal-fired power station near Połaniec in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland. It consists of 8 units each with a generation capacity of 225 MW. The power station went into service between 1979 and 1983...

, PZL Mielec, PZL-Świdnik

PZL-Swidnik

PZL Świdnik S.A is the biggest helicopter manufacturer in Poland. Its main products are PZL W-3 Sokół and PZL SW-4 Puszczyk helicopters...

, Sobieski Coal Mine

Sobieski Coal Mine

, Tadeusz Sendzimir Steelworks

Tadeusz Sendzimir Steelworks

Tadeusz Sendzimir Steelworks is the second largest steel plant in Poland. It opened on July 22, 1954 in a newly-built, easternmost district of Kraków called Nowa Huta. The steelworks as well as the district were located in the area formerly occupied by the village of Mogiła and surrounding...

.

Since the lands of historical Lesser Poland belong now to different voivodeships, unemployment rate differs from one region to another. In January 2010, in Poland the unemployment rate was 12,7%. In Silesian Voivodeship, eastern half of which is Lesser Poland, it was 9,9%, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship – 10,5%, in Subcarpathian Voivodeship – 16,3%, in Holy Cross Voivodeship – 15,5%, in Lublin Voivodeship – 13,6%, and in Mazovian Voivodeship (southern part of which is Lesser Poland) – 9,6%. In Lesser Poland's cities, the best situation was in Kraków (as for November 2009), where 4,1% had no job. In Bielsko-Biała, the rate was 5,7%, in Lublin – 8,8%, in Siedlce – 9,1%, in Tarnów – 9,2%, in Nowy Sącz – 10%, in Kielce and Częstochowa – 10,1%, in Jaworzno – 10,2%, in Dąbrowa Górnicza – 10,3%, in Sosnowiec – 12,2%, and in Tarnobrzeg – 14,3%. The worst situation on the job market (as for November 2009) was in Radom, where unemployment rate was 20,9% (it made Radom second worst city county of the nation, only after Grudziądz

Grudziadz

Grudziądz is a city in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 96 042 inhabitants . Situated in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , the city was previously in the Toruń Voivodeship .- History :-Early history:...

Roads

Several European roads (see International E-road network

International E-road network

The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe . The network is numbered from E 1 up and its roads cross national borders...

) cross Lesser Poland. The most important one is the European route E40

European route E40

European route E 40 is the longest European route, more than long, connecting Calais in France via Belgium, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan, with Ridder in Kazakhstan near the border to China....

, which goes from west to east, across whole Europe. In Lesser Poland, the E40 goes from Jaworzno, via Kraków and Tarnów, towards eastern border of the country. Another main European road in Lesser Poland is the E77

European route E77

European route E 77 is a part of the inter-European road system. This Class A intermediate north-south route is long and it connects the Baltic Sea with the central part of the continent.-Itinerary:...

, which goes from north to south, via Radom, Kielce and Kraków, to southern border of Poland at Chyżne

Chyžné

Chyžné is a village and municipality in Revúca District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia.-History:In historical records, the village was first mentioned in 1427 . It belonged to Jelšava and after to Muráň...

. Third major European road in Lesser Poland is the E30

European route E30

European route E 30 is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from the southern Irish port of Cork in the west to the Russian city of Omsk in the east...

, which crosses the territory of the province in its extreme northeast corner, in Siedlce

Siedlce

Siedlce ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,392 inhabitants . Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship ....

. Apart from these roads, Lesser Poland is crossed by the following European routes:

E371
European route E371
The E 371 is part of the United Nations international E-road network. Approximately long, it runs from Radom, Poland south to Prešov, Slovakia....

, which begins in Radom, and goes via Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Tarnobrzeg, and Rzeszów to the border crossing at Barwinek
Barwinek, Subcarpathian Voivodeship
Barwinek is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dukla, within Krosno County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately south of Dukla, south of Krosno, and south of the regional capital Rzeszów.The village has a...

,
E372
European route E372
European route E 372 is a B-type road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Warsaw, Poland and ends in Lviv, Ukraine. It is long. There are often hour-long delays at the Polish-Ukrainian border.-Route:...

, which begins in 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...

, and via northeastern Lesser Poland (Lublin, Świdnik), goes to Ukrainian border at Hrebenne
Hrebenne, Tomaszów Lubelski County
Hrebenne is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Lubycza Królewska, within Tomaszów Lubelski County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Tomaszów Lubelski and south-east of the regional capital Lublin....

,
E462, which goes through sothwestern corner of the province, from Czech border and Bielsko-Biała, to John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice
John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice
-Traffic:Figures in MillionsThe busiest international routes are to London and Dublin.-Getting there:In addition to road access by private car or taxi, other options are:-By train:...

,
E75
European route E75
European route E 75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.The E 75 starts from Vardø, Norway in the Barents Sea and runs south through Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and Republic of Macedonia to Sitia, Greece on...

, which crosses western counties of Lesser Poland – from Częstochowa, through Dąbrowa Górnicza and Jaworzno, to Bielsko-Biała and Polish – Czech border.

Airports

Within borders of historical Lesser Poland, there are two airports – John Paul II International Airport Kraków – Balice, and Katowice International Airport

Katowice International Airport

Katowice International Airport is an international airport, located in Pyrzowice, north of center of Katowice, Poland. The airport has third biggest passenger flow in Poland....

, which is located in the village of Pyrzowice

Pyrzowice

Pyrzowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ożarowice, within Tarnowskie Góry County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately east of Ożarowice, east of Tarnowskie Góry, and north of the regional capital Katowice....

, on the border between Lesser Poland and Upper Silesia. Pyrzowice is part of Gmina Ożarowice

Gmina Ozarowice

Gmina Ożarowice is a rural gmina in Tarnowskie Góry County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the village of Ożarowice, which lies approximately east of Tarnowskie Góry and north of the regional capital Katowice....

, which after Partitions of Poland

Partitions of Poland

, and Congress of Vienna

Congress of Vienna

belonged to Będzin County

Bedzin County

Będzin County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Będzin, which lies north-east...

of the Russian Empire

Russian Empire

The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...

. In the interbellum, the area of future airport belonged to Lesser Poland’s Kielce Voivodeship, and in 1945, was transferred to Katowice Voivodeship (initiallly Silesian-Dąbrowa Voivodeship). In 1998, Ożarowice, together with the airport, was attached to Tarnowskie Góry County

Tarnowskie Góry County

Tarnowskie Góry County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is Tarnowskie Góry,...

, despite the fact that it is not located in Upper Silesia

Further airports in Lesser Poland will be opened in the future – Lublin – Świdnik, Kielce – Obice, and Radom – Sadków. Also, Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport

Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport

Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport is an international airport located in southeastern Poland, in Jasionka, a village from the center of the city of Rzeszów. It is the seventh-busiest airport in Poland, and has seasonal transatlantic connections....

is located on eastern border of the province.

Railroads

Railroad network of Lesser Poland is very unevenly distributed. It is very dense in the west, along the border with Upper Silesia, and sparse in the east, especially along the Vistula, and around Lublin. All major cities of the province are connected with each other, however traveling from Kraków to Lublin is time-consuming, as trains have to take an extended route, via Kielce, Radom, and Dęblin. Also, there is no direct connection between Tarnów and Kielce, as these cities belonged to different countries before 1918. Underdevelopment of the railroads in northern and eastern Lesser Poland is the result of the policy of the Russian Empire. For military reasons, the Russians were not interested in construction of a dense network of lines along the border with Germany and Austria-Hungary, allowing only the construction of narrow-gauge connections. Along the Vistula, between Kraków and Dęblin (the distance of some 320 kilometers), there are only four rail bridges – in Dęblin (rebuilt after the war, in 1947), in Sandomierz (built in 1928), in Tarnobrzeg-Nagnajów (built in 1961, together with a road bridge), and in Zaduszniki

Zaduszniki, Subcarpathian Voivodeship

Zaduszniki is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Padew Narodowa, within Mielec County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland...

(built in 1979 for the Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line). In Kraków itself, there are three rail bridges over the Vistula.

Among rail hubs of Lesser Poland, there are Bielsko-Biała, Chabówka

Chabówka

Chabówka is a village located on the outskirts of the southern Polish town of Rabka, in the Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship. With population of 1,600 , Chabówka is a popular tourist attraction because of its location, near the Gorce Mountains.It also is an important rail junction,...

, Częstochowa, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Dębica, Dęblin, Jaworzno-Szczakowa

Szczakowa

Szczakowa is a district of the Polish city of Jaworzno. Located in historical Lesser Poland, it now belongs to the Silesian Voivodeship and is one of the most important rail hubs of the area. In the years 1933-1956, it was a separate town....

, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Lanckorona

Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Lanckorona (PKP station)

Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Lanckorona is a rail junction in southern Poland, in the town of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, . It is located on the main Kraków - Zakopane line, with additional connection stemming westwards from the station to Bielsko-Biała, via Wadowice...

, Kielce, Koniecpol

Koniecpol

, Kozłów, Kraków, Lublin, Łuków, Muszyna

Muszyna

Muszyna is a town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. Population: 4,989 . It is a railroad junction, located near border with Slovakia, with trains going into three directions - towards Nowy Sącz, Krynica-Zdrój and southwards, to Slovakia....

, Nowy Sącz, Oświęcim, Siedlce, Spytkowice

Spytkowice, Wadowice County

Spytkowice is a village in Wadowice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Spytkowice. It lies approximately north of Wadowice and west of the regional capital Kraków....

, Skarżysko-Kamienna

Skarzysko-Kamienna

Skarżysko-Kamienna is a town in northern Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in Poland by Kamienna river, to the north of Świętokrzyskie Mountains; one of the voivodship's major towns...

, Stalowa Wola, Stróże, Sucha Beskidzka

Sucha Beskidzka

-Famous people from Sucha Beskidzka:* Billy Wilder* Walery Goetel - geologist and palaeontologist; researcher of geological structure of the Tatra Mountains-Twin towns — sister cities:...

, Radom, Tarnów, Trzebinia

Trzebinia

, Tunel

Tunel (railroad station)

, Zawiercie, and Żywiec

Zywiec

.

In late 1970s, Communist government built broad-gauge Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line, which crosses Lesser Poland from west to east, along the Vistula.

Tourism and Nature

The historical capital of Lesser Poland – Kraków

Kraków

– is regarded as the cultural capital of Poland. In 1978, UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

placed Kraków's Old Town on the list of World Heritage Sites. From Sandomierz to Kraków goes the re-established Lesser Polish Way, one of the routes of the medieval Way of St. James

Way of St. James

The Way of St. James or St. James' Way is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried....

. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Lesser Poland, to see its historic cities – Sandomierz, Kazimierz Dolny

Kazimierz Dolny

, Zakopane

Zakopane

, Biecz

Biecz

Biecz is a town and municipality in southeastern Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Gorlice County. It is in the Carpathian Mountains, in the Doły Jasielsko Sanockie, by the Ropa River...

, 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...

, Szydłów, Lublin, and Kraków. Famous Jasna Góra Monastery

Jasna Góra Monastery

in Częstochowa, spiritual capital of the country, attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, as well as Auschwitz concentration camp

Auschwitz concentration camp

Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...

(also placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List). Lesser Poland has many museums, the city of Kraków itself has about sixty of them. Among the most famous are The Czartoryski Museum

Czartoryski Museum

The Czartoryski Museum and Library is a museum located in Kraków, Poland, founded in Puławy in 1796 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska. The Puławy collections were partly destroyed after the November uprising of 1830–1831 and the subsequent confiscation of the Czartoryskis' property by the Russians...

, The Galicia Jewish Museum

Galicia Jewish Museum

The Galicia Jewish Museum is located in the historical Jewish district Kazimierz in Kraków, Poland. It focuses on the traces of Jewish life and culture that can still be found in the area of the historic Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia located in modern Poland.- History :The Museum was...

, The National Museum, Kraków

National Museum, Kraków

The National Museum in Kraków , established in 1879, is the main branch of Poland's National Museum, which has many permanent collections around the country.-History:...

, Polish Aviation Museum

Polish Aviation Museum

Polish Aviation Museum is a large museum of old aircraft and aircraft engines in Kraków, Poland. It is located at the site of the no-longer functional Kraków-Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport. This airfield, established by Austria-Hungary in 1912, is one of the oldest in the world...

, Sukiennice Museum

Sukiennice Museum

Sukiennice Museum, a.k.a. Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art at Sukiennice, is a division of the National Museum, Kraków, Poland. The Gallery is housed on the upper floor of the Sukiennice in the center of the Main Market Square in Old Town Kraków.-History of the collection:The Gallery holds the...

, and Wawel Castle

Wawel Castle

. There are museums in other locations of the province, such as Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum

The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum is a memorial and museum in Oświęcim, Poland , which includes the German concentration camps Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. It is devoted to the memory of the murders in both camps during World War II...

, Bielsko-Biała Museum, Holy Father John Paul II Family Home in Wadowice

Holy Father John Paul II Family Home in Wadowice

The Holy Father John Paul II Family Home in Wadowice was the family home of Karol Józef Wojtyła the future Pope John Paul II. It is located at 7 Kościelna Street in Wadowice, Poland....

, Jacek Malczewski
Jacek Malczewski
Jacek Malczewski was one of the most famous painters of Polish Symbolism. In his creativity he successfully joins the predominant style of his times with motifs of Polish martyrdom.-See also:...

Museum in Radom, Lublin Museum, Museum of Częstochowa, Museum of Sandomierz Diocese, Museum of Żywiec Brewery, Museum of Zagłębie in Będzin, Przypkowscy Clock Museum

Przypkowscy Clock Museum

Przypkowscy Clock Museum is a clock museum in Jędrzejów, Poland. It began as a clock collection of the Przypkowski family, and was made public in 1909...

, Regional Museum in Wiślica
Wislica
Wiślica is a village in Busko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Wiślica. It lies on the Nida River, approximately south of Busko-Zdrój and south of the regional capital Kielce...

, Regional Museum in Siedlce, Tytus Chałubiński Tatra Museum in Zakopane.

Among other major places of interest of the province are: Baranów Sandomierski Castle

Baranów Sandomierski Castle

Baranów Sandomerski Castle is a Mannerist castle located in Baranów Sandomierski in the Subcarpathian Voivodship, south-east Poland. The castle is one of the most important Mannerist structures in Poland....

, Będzin Castle

Bedzin Castle

, Chęciny Castle

Checiny Castle

The Chęciny Royal Castle was built in the late 13th century in Chęciny, Poland. It fell into ruin in the 18th century and remains in that state to this day.-History:...

, Czarnolas

Czarnolas

Czarnolas is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Policzna, within Zwoleń County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Zwoleń and south-east of Warsaw....

, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska park

Kalwaria Zebrzydowska park

Kalwaria Zebrzydowska park is a Mannerist architectural and park landscape complex and pilgrimage park, built in the 17th century as the Counter Reformation in the late 16th century led to prosperity in the creation of Calvaries in Catholic Europe...

(UNESCO World Heritage Sites List), Krzyżtopór

Krzyztopór

, Lipnica Murowana

Lipnica Murowana

Lipnica Murowana is a village in southern Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Bochnia and south-east of the regional capital Kraków. It is the seat of the district called Gmina Lipnica Murowana, within Bochnia County....

, Lublin Castle

Lublin Castle

, Łysa Góra, Maczuga Herkulesa

Maczuga Herkulesa

Maczuga Herkulesa is a tall limestone monadnock situated in Ojców National Park near Pieskowa Skała, north of Kraków in southern Poland. Its name, in Polish, means the "cudgel of Hercules", due to its distinctive shape....

, Majdanek concentration camp, Niedzica Castle

Niedzica Castle

, Ogrodzieniec

Ogrodzieniec

, Pieskowa Skała, Temple of the Sibyl

Temple of the Sibyl

The Temple of the Sibyl is a colonnaded round monopteral temple-like structure at Puławy, Poland, built in the late 18th century as a museum by Izabela Czartoryska.-History:...

, Trail of the Eagles' Nests, Wieliczka Salt Mine (UNESCO World Heritage Sites List), Wooden Churches of Southern Lesser Poland (UNESCO World Heritage Sites List). Furthermore, thousands of tourists come to Radom in northern Lesser Poland, to watch the popular, biannual Radom Air Show

Radom Air Show

The Radom Air Show is a biannual celebration in the city of Radom, Poland, which began in 2000...

. Lesser Poland has a number of open-air museums – Góra Birów in Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, Museum of Kielce Village in Kielce, Museum of Lublin Village in Lublin, Museum of Folk Culture in Kolbuszowa

Kolbuszowa

, Museum of Radom Village in Radom, Vistula River Etnographic Park in Babice

Babice, Chrzanów County

Babice is a village in Chrzanów County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Babice. It lies approximately south-east of Chrzanów and west of the regional capital Kraków....

, Nowy Sącz Etnographic Park in Nowy Sącz, Orawa Etnographic Park in Zubrzyca Górna

Zubrzyca Górna

Zubrzyca Górna , is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Jabłonka, within Nowy Targ County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately north of Jabłonka, north-west of Nowy Targ, and south of the regional capital...

, Chabówka Rolling-Stock Heritage Park in Chabówka

Chabówka

.

Lesser Poland is famous for its underground waters and spas, such as Busko-Zdrój

Busko-Zdrój

Busko-Zdrój is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Busko County. As of 2004, its population is 17,363.-History:...

, Solec-Zdrój

Solec-Zdrój

Solec-Zdrój is a village in Busko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Solec-Zdrój. It lies approximately south-east of Busko-Zdrój and south of the regional capital Kielce.The village has an approximate population of...

, Nałęczów, Muszyna

Muszyna

, Szczawnica

Szczawnica

Szczawnica is a resort town in Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. As of June 30, 2007, its population was 7,378....

, Piwniczna, Wysowa-Zdrój

Wysowa-Zdrój

Wysowa-Zdrój is a spa village in the administrative district of Gmina Uście Gorlickie, within Gorlice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately south of Uście Gorlickie, south of Gorlice, and south-east of the regional...

, Rabka, Swoszowice, Żegiestów

Zegiestów

Żegiestów is a spa village in the administrative district of Gmina Muszyna, within Nowy Sącz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland, close to the border with Slovakia. It lies approximately west of Muszyna, south of Nowy Sącz, and south-east of the regional capital Kraków...

, Krzeszowice

Krzeszowice

, Wieliczka

Wieliczka

-External links:***...

, and Krynica-Zdrój. Mountains and resorts of the province make it a major center of Polish tourism – Tatra National Park is visited by around 3 million tourists every year.

The following National Parks are located in Lesser Poland:

Tatra National Park,
Ojców National Park
Ojców National Park
Ojców National Park is a national park in Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland, established in 1956. It takes its name from the village of Ojców, where it also has its headquarters....

,
Pieniny National Park (Poland)
Pieniny National Park (Poland)
Pieniny National Park is a protected area in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland, in the heart of the Pieniny Mountains.- The location :...

,
Babia Góra National Park,
Gorce National Park
Gorce National Park
Gorce National Park is a national park in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. It covers central and northeastern parts of the Gorce mountains, which are part of the Western Beskids ....

,

Magurski National Park

Magura National Park is a National Park located in the south-east of Poland, close to Slovakia, on the boundary of Lesser Poland Voivodeship and Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It covers the main part of the upper basin of the Wisłoka river...

Roztocze National Park

Roztocze National Park is a National Park located in eastern Poland, in Lublin Voivodeship. It protects the most valuable natural areas of the middle part of the Roztocze range. The Park was created in 1974 and initially covered area of 48.01 km². Its current size is , of which forests occupy...

Świętokrzyski National Park

Swietokrzyski National Park

Świętokrzyski National Park is a National Park in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in central Poland. It covers the highest ridge of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains – the Łysogory – with its two highest peaks: Łysica at and Łysa Góra at . It also covers the eastern part of the Klonowski...

Polesie National Park

Polesie National Park is a National Park in Lublin Voivodeship, eastern Poland, in the Polish part of the historical region of Polesie. Created in 1990 over an area of 48.13 square kilometres, it covers a number of former peat-bog preserves: Durne Bagno, Jezioro Moszne, Jezioro Długie, Torfowisko...

Universities

Lesser Poland is home to Poland’s oldest university – Kraków’s Jagiellonian University

Jagiellonian University

, which was established in 1364. For centuries, it was the only college of the province, and of the whole country. In December 1918, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin

John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin

John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin is located in Lublin, Poland. Presently it has an enrollment of over 19,000 students...

was opened, becoming second university of Lesser Poland. In 1944, also in Lublin, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University was established.

Technical Universities

There are several technical universities in Lesser Poland – Kraków’s AGH University of Science and Technology

AGH University of Science and Technology

, and University of Technology

Cracow University of Technology

Tadeusz Kościuszko University of Technology is a university located in downtown Kraków, Poland, established in 1946 and, as an institution of higher learning granted full autonomy in 1954....

, as well as University of Bielsko-Biała, Częstochowa University of Technology

Czestochowa University of Technology

Częstochowa University of Technology - the oldest higher education institution in Częstochowa, Poland.-General information:...

, Lublin University of Technology, Kazimierz Pułaski Technical University of Radom, and Kielce University of Technology

Kielce University of Technology

The Kielce University of Technology is a relatively young institution, although the traditions of higher education in Kielce go back to the beginning of the 19th century...

Other Colleges

Future teachers may study at Pedagogical University of Cracow

Pedagogical University of Cracow

Pedagogical University of Cracow , located in Kraków, Poland, was founded on May 11, 1946, as the National Higher College of Teacher Training and since gained notoriety for training highly-qualified teaching staff for the local educational...

, or Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa, and future physicians at Jagiellonian University Medical College

Jagiellonian university medical college

Latin : Universitas Jagellonica Cracoviensis Motto Plus ratio quam vis Established 1364 University Jagiellonian University School Type Public Rector Prof...

, and Medical University of Lublin

Medical University of Lublin

Medical University of Lublin has its origins in the year 1944 in Lublin, Poland. The University gained its autonomy in 1950. As the years passed, new departments were added such as the Department of Dentistry in 1973....

. Other state colleges are Jan Kochanowski University

Jan Kochanowski University

The Jan Kochanowski University of Humanities and Sciences in Kielce formerly the Świętokrzyska Academy is a public university in Kielce, Poland, dating its tradition to an educational institution established in 1945.-External links:...

in Kielce, Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków, Agricultural University of Cracow

Agricultural University of Cracow

The Agricultural University of Cracow , located in Kraków, Poland, became an independent university by decree of the Council of Ministers as of 28 September 1972...

, University of Life Sciences in Lublin

University of Life Sciences in Lublin

The University of Life Sciences in Lublin , is an agricultural university in Poland. It was founded in 1944....

, and Cracow University of Economics. Unique in the country is the Polish Air Force Academy

Polish Air Force Academy

The Polish Air Force Academy is located in Deblin, eastern Poland. The Air Force Academy is an accredited university for the undergraduate education of officers for the Polish Air Force...

, located in Dęblin. Among private colleges of Lesser Poland, there is Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu – National-Louis University

Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu – National-Louis University

Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu - National-Louis University is a university in Poland. Founded in 1991, it is located in Nowy Sącz. The university emphasizes English, and business and management education. It also has programs in computer science, political science, psychology, social work and MBA...

in Nowy Sącz.

Regional Identity and Culture

Since Lesser Poland ceased to exist as a unified region in late 18th century, during the Partitions of Poland

Partitions of Poland

, most of its inhabitants are not aware of their heritage. Even the residents of Jaworzno

Jaworzno

, a city which for centuries belonged to Kraków Land and only in 1975 was transferred to Katowice Voivodeship (see Voivodeships of Poland (1975-1988)

Voivodeships of Poland (1975-1988)

), are not familiar with their Lesser Polish roots. In a poll in April 2011, 57% of Jaworzno's inhabitants stated that their city is historically tied with Lesser Poland, but as many as 36% said their city is tied with Upper Silesia. Polish linguist Jan Miodek

Jan Miodek

Jan Miodek , Professor of Wroclaw University, is a Polish linguist in the normative tradition....

emphasizes the fact that linguistically, Będzin

Bedzin

is closer to Myślenice

Myslenice

Myślenice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship , previously in Kraków Voivodeship . Population: 20,261.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Myślenice is twinned with: Bełchatów, Poland- Sports :...

than to Tarnowskie Góry

Tarnowskie Góry

Tarnowskie Góry is a town in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - metropolis with the population of 2 millions. Located in the Silesian Highlands....

, only 20 km away. Miodek wrote that even though Upper Silesia and Lesser Poland's Zagłębie Dąbrowskie are industrially and administratively tied, both regions are culturally and linguistically different from each other. Residents of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie are known for their dislike of Upper Silesians, whom they call hanysy, while the Silesians call them gorole. In recent years, more inhabitants of Zagłębie become aware of their Lesser Poland's heritage, there are also Facebook pages called Zagłębie is not Silesia, and Częstochowa is not Silesia. Also, after Partitions of Poland

Partitions of Poland

, when Austrian province of Galicia was created, the cities of Rzeszów

Rzeszów

Rzeszów is a city in southeastern Poland with a population of 179,455 in 2010. It is located on both sides of the Wisłok River, in the heartland of the Sandomierska Valley...

and Przemyśl

Przemysl

, which are part of historical Red Ruthenia

Red Ruthenia

, became to be associated with Lesser Poland. Therefore, currently the notion of Lesser Poland most commonly applies to the two voivodeships which in the past belonged to Austrian Empire – Lesser Poland Voivodeship, and Subcarpathian Voivodeship

Subcarpathian Voivodeship

Podkarpackie Voivodeship , or Subcarpathian Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in extreme-southeastern Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów...

Among several Lesser Poland's regional organizations, one of the most important is Stowarzyszenie Gmin i Powiatów Małopolski (The Association of Villages and Counties of Lesser Poland). It publishes a magazine called Wspólnota Małopolska (Lesser Polish Community), and every year it chooses a Lesser Polish Person of the Year (among winners are John Paul II, Anna Dymna

Anna Dymna

Anna Dymna is a Polish TV, film and theatre actress. Foundress of a charity foundation Mimo Wszystko...

, and Stanisław Dziwisz). The Association of Villages and Counties of Lesser Poland has over 120 members from four Polish voivodeships. Among members are cities of Kraków, Częstochowa, Bielsko-Biała, Tarnów, and Przemyśl.

Arguably, the most famous product of Lesser Polish cuisine is the bagel

Bagel

A bagel is a bread product, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior...

, which was invented in Kraków. Other famous food specialties of the province are oscypek

Oscypek

Oscypek, Oszczypek is a smoked cheese made of salted sheep milk exclusively in the Tatra Mountains region of Poland .Oscypek is a protected trade name under the EU's Protected Designation of Origin geographical indication.A similar...

(EU Protected Geographical Status

Protected Geographical Status

Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...

), slivovitz

Slivovitz

Slivovitz or Slivovitsais a distilled beverage made from Damson plums. It is frequently called plum brandy, and in the Balkans is part of the category of drinks called rakia...

from the village of Łącko, bublik

Bublik

Bublik is a traditional Ukrainian, Russian, Polish and Lithuanian bread roll, very similar to bagels; however it is somewhat bigger, has a wider hole and a much denser and 'chewier' texture.Bubliks are members of a class of bread products made from dough that has been boiled before baking,...

, papal cream cake from Wadowice, Lisiecka Sausage (EU Protected Geographical Status

Protected Geographical Status

), and Bryndza Podhalańska

Bryndza Podhalanska

Bryndza Podhalańska is a Polish variety of the soft cheese Bryndza, from the Podhale region, it is made from sheep milk.It has a geographical indication under EU law, with PDO status....

. Among other popular products that are made in Lesser Poland, there are beers (Browary Lubelskie

Browary Lubelskie

Browary Lubelskie is a Polish brewery situated in the Lublin Region. Two breweries which were founded in the 19th century by the Vetter family constitute what is now called Perła - Browary Lubelskie...

, Żywiec Beer, and Okocim Beer

Carlsberg Polska

Carlsberg Polska is the Polish subsidiary of the Carlsberg brewing company. Carlsberg acquired 100% control of the Okocim Group, which included the Okocim Brewery, in 2004....

), pastas and snacks from Lublin's Lubella, Kielce Mayonnaise, coffee substitute beverage INKA

Inka

, is a term used in Zen Buddhism to denote a high-level of certification, and literally means "the legitimate seal of clearly furnished proof." In ancient times inka usually came in the form of an actual document, but this practice is no longer commonplace...

from Skawina, chocolates from Kraków's Wawel Factory, juices from Tymbark

Tymbark

Tymbark is a village in southern Poland, some 80 km south-east of Kraków, population 2,400 . It lies approximately west of Limanowa and south-east of the regional capital Kraków....

, Wódka Żołądkowa Gorzka made by Polmos

Polmos

Polmos was a Polish state-owned monopoly, controlling the Polish market for vodka and other spirits. Founded in the late 1920s, until World War II it was one of the leading vodka producers in Poland...

in Lublin, and Chopin vodka

Chopin vodka

Chopin vodka is a single-ingredient vodka, 4 times distilled from potatoes grown in the Polish region of Podlasie. It is produced by Siedlce-based Podlaska Wytwórnia Wódek Polmos. Chopin was first introduced to North America in 1997. The production is done in small batches...

made in Siedlce.

Folk costumes from Lesser Poland are widely known across the country – a dancing couple, dressed in traditional Kraków costume (Krakowiacy), is presented on the logo of renowned Żywiec beer, and Podhale

Podhale

is one of few Polish regions, where people regularly wear their traditional costumes. Both Kraków and Podhale folk costumes are among most popular garbs in Poland. Other folk costumes from the region are those of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, Sandomierz, Rzeszów, Częstochowa, Kielce, Radom (regarded as the most traditional of all Polish costumes ), Opoczno, Holy Cross Mountains, Nowy Sącz, and Lublin. There are several folk festivals in Lesser Poland, such as On the frontier of Lesser Poland and Mazovia (in Opoczno), Folk Festival of Józef Myszka (in Museum of Radom Village in Iłża), annual Days of Lesser Poland's Cultural Heritage, Week of the Beskidy Culture (in several locations), Wianki

Wianki

Wianki is a cyclical cultural event, taking place annually in Kraków at the bend of Wisła river, near the Wawel hill.-History:...

in Kraków, Festival of Old Music and Culture in Niepołomice, Festival of Folk Bands and Folk Singers in Kazimierz Dolny

Kazimierz Dolny

, International Folklore Meetings of Ignacy Wachowiak in Lublin, International Festival of Folklore of Mountain Lands in Zakopane, Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków

Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków

The Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków is an annual cultural event organized since 1988 in the once Jewish district of Kazimierz by the Jewish Culture Festival Society headed by Janusz Makuch, a self-described meshugeneh, fascinated with all things Jewish...

. Krakowiak

Krakowiak

The Krakowiak, sometimes referred to as the Pecker Dance, is a fast, syncopated Polish dance in duple time from the region of Krakow and Little Poland. This dance is known to imitate horses, the steps mimic their movement, for horses were well loved in the Krakow region of Poland for their civilian...

is one of Polish national dances, other popular Lesser Poland's folk dances are Zbójnicki from Podhale and dances from Lublin. Among Lesser Poland's customs are Lajkonik

Lajkonik

The Lajkonik is one of the unofficial symbols of the city of Kraków, Poland. It is represented as a bearded man resembling a Tatar in a characteristic pointed hat, dressed in Mongol attire, with a wooden horse around his waist...

, and Kraków szopka

Kraków szopka

Kraków szopka , or nativity scene is a Christmas tradition originating from Kraków, Poland, and dating back to the 19th century. An unusual and characteristic feature of the szopka is the use of historical buildings of Kraków as backdrop for the Nativity of Jesus.-History:Nativity scenes, common...

Sports and entertainment

Several renowned sportspeople and entertainers come from Lesser Poland. Among them are some of the most famous personalities of contemporary Polish sports – boxer Tomasz Adamek

Tomasz Adamek

Tomasz Adamek is a Polish professional heavyweight boxer. His record is 44-2 .He is the former WBC world light heavyweight champion and the former IBF, IBO and The Ring magazine cruiserweight champion. As of the end of 2009, Ring Magazine has ranked Adamek as the 30th best boxer in the world...

, Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica

Robert Kubica

Robert Józef Kubica is the first Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test driver to race driver during 2006...

, swimmer Paweł Korzeniowski, skier Justyna Kowalczyk

Justyna Kowalczyk

Justyna Kowalczyk is a Polish cross country skier who has been competing since 2000.Kowalczyk is an Olympic Champion, a double World Champion and a triple winner of the FIS Cross-Country World Cup...

, tennis player Agnieszka Radwańska

Agnieszka Radwanska

Agnieszka Radwańska is a WTA Tour Polish tennis player.Her career high singles ranking is World No. 8, which she achieved on 22 February 2010. As of 24 October 2011, she is ranked World No. 8. In 2007, Radwańska became the first Polish player in history to claim a WTA Tour singles title when she...

, football and volleyball stars Jakub Błaszczykowski, Artur Boruc

Artur Boruc

Artur Boruc is a Polish footballer who plays for Serie A club Fiorentina as a goalkeeper. On 20 October 2008, Boruc was one of 55 players shortlisted for the FIFPro World XI Player Awards.-Pogoń Siedlce:...

, and Piotr Gruszka

Piotr Gruszka

Piotr Łukasz Gruszka is a Polish volleyball player and captain of Polish national team. His first professional club was Hejnał Kęty, and he previously played for the junior national team of Poland in 1996...

. Among late and retired sports stars who were born in the region, there also are Polish Sportspersonalities of the Year

Polish Sportspersonality of the Year

The Polish Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 1926 by the readers of the newspaper Przegląd Sportowy. Record holders are track and field athletes Irena Szewińska and Stanisława Walasiewicz and ski jumper Adam Małysz - four times each....

: tennis player and Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...

finalist Jadwiga Jędrzejowska

Jadwiga Jedrzejowska

Jadwiga Jedrzejowska was a Polish tennis player. Because her name was difficult to pronounce for many people who did not speak Polish, she was often called by the nicknames "Jed" or "Ja-Ja".Jedrzejowska reached the singles final of a Grand Slam tournament on three occasions, still a record for...

, skier Józef Łuszczek, ski jumper Stanisław Marusarz, and driver Sobiesław Zasada.

Kraków’s major association footbal teams – Cracovia, and Wisła Kraków, are multiple champions of the country, also Stal Mielec

Stal Mielec

Stal Mielec is a Polish football club based in Mielec, Poland. The club was established on April 10, 1939. The construction of the club's current stadium, Stadion Stali Mielec at Solskiego 1, was concluded in 1953. Currently the stadium is undergoing a major renovation...

won Polish championship twice (1973, 1976), and Garbarnia Kraków

Garbarnia Kraków

RKS Garbarnia Kraków is a Polish football and sports club from Ludwinow - a historical district of the city of Kraków. The club’s unusual name comes from the nearby tannery of the Dluzynski brothers, which was the original club sponsor...

once (1931). Other popular football teams from Lesser Poland are Zagłębie Sosnowiec (four time Polish Cup

Polish Cup

The Polish Cup in football or officially Remes Puchar Polski, is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title...

winner), Górnik Łęczna, Korona Kielce

Korona Kielce

Korona Kielce, , is a Polish football club, currently playing in the Ekstraklasa. In the years 2002-2008 Club belonged to Polish holding company Kolporter Holding and achieved its greatest success - in 2005, winning promotion to the first division...

, Motor Lublin

Motor Lublin

Motor Lublin is a Polish professional football team based in Lublin. The club was founded in December 1950 with their nickname The Yellow, White and Blues reflecting their official colours...

, Radomiak Radom

Radomiak Radom

RKS Radomiak Radom is a Polish football club based in Radom, Poland.It was founded in 1910.It achieved 2nd place in the 3rd division in season 2003/2004 and was promoted to the 2nd division in season 2004/2005...

, Raków Częstochowa

Raków Czestochowa

Raków Częstochowa is a Polish football club based in Częstochowa, in the south.- Current squad :-See also:*Football in Poland*List of football teams*Champions' Cup/League*UEFA Cup-External links: *...

, Stal Stalowa Wola

Stal Stalowa Wola

Stal Stalowa Wola is a football club based in Stalowa Wola, Poland. In the communist era of Poland, the club was linked with the Heavy Equipment Plant which built heavy trucks and loaders for the coal industry and the construction sites....

, and Sandecja Nowy Sącz

Sandecja Nowy Sacz

Sandecja Nowy Sącz is a Polish association football club formed in 1910, its first chairman was Józef Damse. Up to 1997 Sandecja stadium's name was XXV years of PRL. In 1998 it was renamed in honor of Father Władysław Augustynek...

.

Besides association football, Lesser Poland’s teams were multiple national champions in other sports:

ice-hockey (Podhale Nowy Targ
Podhale Nowy Targ
Podhale Nowy Targ is a Polish ice hockey club based in Nowy Targ, Poland.- Home ice :*Name: Miejska Hala Lodowa w Nowym Targu*Address: ul...

, TH Unia Oświęcim
TH Unia Oświęcim
Towarzystwo Hokejowe Unia Oświęcim is a Polish ice hockey club based in Oświęcim, Poland. From 1958 to 1999 it was called KS Unia Oświęcim, and from 1999 to 2006, Dwory Unia Oświęcim...

, Cracovia),
men’s and women’s volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

– AZS Częstochowa, Płomień Milowice – Sosnowiec (which in 1978 won the CEV Champions League
CEV Champions League
The CEV Champions League, or Indesit European Champions League is the top official competition for men's Volleyball clubs of Europe and takes place every year.-Formula:In the first round take part 24 teams shared in 6 group stage....

), Hutnik Kraków
Hutnik Kraków
KS Hutnik Nowa Huta is a Polish football club from the Nowa Huta district of Kraków. The club was founded in 1950. Hutnik have played seven seasons in the Polish Ekstraklasa . The team's greatest success is a third place in the 1995/96 season, as a result of which they qualified for the UEFA Cup...

, Wisła Kraków, BKS Stal Bielsko-Biała, Muszynianka Muszyna
Muszynianka Muszyna
Bank BPS Muszynianka Fakro Muszyna is a Polish women's volleyball team, based in Muszyna, playing in the Polish Seria A Women's Volleyball League.-Team 2011-2012:-Team 2010-2011:...

,
men’s and women’s handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...

– Hutnik Kraków, Vive Targi Kielce
Vive Targi Kielce
Vive Targi Kielce is a Polish professional handball team based in Kielce, founded in 1965 as Iskra Kielce. Playing in Men's PGNiG Superliga.- Local achievements :* Championship of Poland:...

, Cracovia, Montex Lublin,
men’s and women’s basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

– Zagłębie Sosnowiec, Cracovia, Wisła Kraków,
speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...

– Włókniarz Częstochowa, Unia Tarnów
Unia Tarnów
Unia Tarnów is a Polish soccer, basketball and speedway team, based in the southern city of Tarnów. Their home arena is Hala Unii.Football stadium: Stadion Miejski w Tarnowie, 16,000 capacity.- 2006/2007 season in basketball :...

.

Major sports venues of the province are Stadion Miejski in Kraków

Stadion Miejski in Kraków

Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana is a football-specific stadium in Kraków, Poland. It is currently used as home ground by Wisła Kraków. The stadium holds 33,268 spectators and was built in 1953. Currently it is under redevelopment and is a reserve venue for the Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine....

, Kielce City Stadium, Marshal Józef Piłsudski Stadium

Marshal Józef Piłsudski Stadium

Marszałek Piłsudski Stadium is a football stadium in Kraków, Poland and is the home ground of Cracovia. The stadium was built in 1906. In 2009 - 2010 in the same location was built new stadium. After reconstruction the stadium holds 15,016 people...

in Kraków, Miejski Stadion Sportowy "KSZO" w Ostrowcu Sw., Stadion Ludowy

Stadion Ludowy

Stadion Ludowy is a multi-use stadium in Sosnowiec, Poland. It is currently used mostly for football matches and serves as the home of Zagłębie Sosnowiec. The stadium has a capacity of 7,000 people....

in Sosnowiec, Dębowiec Sports Arena

Dębowiec Sports Arena

Dębowiec Sports Arena – is an indoor arena that is located in Bielsko-Biała, Poland. It is the home of the professional Polish Women's-Volleyball League club Aluprof Bielsko-Biała. The arena opened on September 2, 2010, and it has a seating capacity of 4,500....

in Bielsko-Biała, Hala Legionów in Kielce, Hala Globus in Lublin, Arena Częstochowa, Kielce Racetrack, Hala Sportowa MOSiR in Radom, Wielka Krokiew

Wielka Krokiew

Wielka Krokiew is a ski jumping venue in Zakopane, Poland. It is a regular venue in the FIS Ski jumping World Cup....

in Zakopane.

Among popular rock music bands from Lesser Poland, there are Budka Suflera

Budka Suflera

Budka Suflera is a Polish rock band which was started in 1969 in Lublin by Krzysztof Cugowski, and, after disbanding soon thereafter, resurrected by Cugowski and Romuald Lipko in 1974 and active to this day...

, Golec uOrkiestra

Golec uOrkiestra

Golec uOrkiestra is a Polish folk-rock group, founded in 1998 in southern village of Milówka near Żywiec by two brothers – Paweł and Łukasz Golec, after whom it is named. First lineup consisted of eight musicians, and the band performed mostly during holidays, also in local clubs...

, Maanam

Maanam

Maanam is a popular Polish rock band, formed by Marek Jackowski, Kora and Milo Kurtis in 1976. Originally an acoustic outfit, the band went electric in 1980, and since then has recorded some of the best-selling singles and albums in Poland over the past 25 years.During the first half of the...

, and Zakopower

Zakopower

Zakopower is a Polish Goral folk music group. It is named after Zakopane, the hometown of its lead singer.- Awards :* 2008 - Fryderyk award for Folk Album of the Year * 2008 - National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, Grand Prix- Discography :...

. From Lesser Poland hail composers Jan Kanty Pawluśkiewicz

Jan Kanty Pawluskiewicz

Jan Kanty Pawluśkiewicz is a Polish composer and musician, known for his collaboration with Marek Grechuta and his compositions for stage and film.-Biography:...

, and Krzysztof Penderecki

Krzysztof Penderecki

, as well as singers Basia

Basia

Basia Trzetrzelewska is a Polish singer-songwriter and record producer. She established a successful international recording career featuring characteristically Latin-flavoured jazz-pop crossover songs during the late 1980s and early 1990s and the late 2000s and 2010s, particularly in the United...

, Ewa Demarczyk

Ewa Demarczyk

Ewa Demarczyk is a Polish singer. She is generally associated with the Piwnica pod Baranami cabaret.Demarczyk is recognized as one of the most talented and charismatic singers in the history of Polish music. She is praised for her unique interpretations, expression and unusual stage personality...

, Justyna Steczkowska

Justyna Steczkowska

Justyna Steczkowska is a Polish singer, song-writer, and actress.She comes from a big musical family, and played violin in a family band before becoming a solo singer. She has a vocal range of 4 octaves....

, Grzegorz Turnau

Grzegorz Turnau

Grzegorz Turnau is a Polish composer, pianist, poet and singer.He was born on 31 July 1967 in Kraków, Poland. At age seventeen he won First Prize at The Student Song Festival in Kraków in 1984...

, Maciej Zembaty

Maciej Zembaty

Maciej Zembaty was a Polish artist, writer, journalist, singer, poet and comedian. Despite being considered one of the classics of Polish black humour, he is perhaps best known as a translator and populariser of songs and poems by Leonard Cohen.- Life :Maciej Zembaty was born May 16, 1944 in...

. Major music festivals in the province are: Coke Live Music Festival in Kraków, Celtic Music Festival ZAMEK in Będzin, Film Music Festival in Kraków, Gaude Mater in Częstochowa, Boyscout’s Festival of School Music in Kielce, Summer with Chopin in Busko-Zdrój, Festiwal of Shanties in Kraków, and Festival of Student Song in Kraków.

Lesser Polish dialect of the Polish language

Lesser Polish dialect is spoken in southeastern corner of Poland, both in lands which belong to historical Lesser Poland, and in areas which are not part of the province (around Sieradz

Sieradz

Sieradz is a town on the Warta river in central Poland with 44,326 inhabitants . It is situated in the Łódź Voivodship , but was previously the eponymous capital of the Sieradz Voivodship , and historically one of the minor duchies in Greater Poland.It is one of the oldest towns in Poland,...

and Łęczyca). On the other hand, as seen on the map, Lesser Polish dialect is not spoken in extreme northeast of Lesser Poland, in Siedlce

Siedlce

Siedlce ) is a city in eastern Poland with 77,392 inhabitants . Situated in the Masovian Voivodeship , previously the city was the capital of a separate Siedlce Voivodeship ....

and vicinity, where people rather speak Masovian dialect. Descending from the language of the Vistulans, it is the most numerous dialectal group in modern Poland. According to Wincenty Pol

Wincenty Pol

, it is divided into three subdivisions: Sandomierz dialect, Lublin dialect, and Sanok dialect.

In the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

and Renaissance

Renaissance

, Lesser Polish dialect, together with Greater Polish dialect, contributed to creation of standard Polish, it also greatly influenced Silesian language (see Dialects of the Polish language

Dialects of the Polish language

In Polish linguistic tradition there are seven general dialectal groups of the Polish language, each primarily associated with a certain geographical region...

), as well as dialects of Polish used in southern part of Kresy Wschodnie. Later on, however, its importance diminished and was replaced by Masovian dialect

Masovian dialect

Mazovian dialects of the Polish language are characteristic of Mazovia and historically related regions, in northeastern Poland. They are the most distinct of Polish dialects and the most expansive....

, which became the leading dialect of Polish. After Partitions of Poland

Partitions of Poland

, when Lesser Poland was divided between Austria and Russia, northern areas of the province took over many features of the Masovian dialect, while Lesser Polish dialect in Austrian province of Galicia was heavily influenced by German.

According to Multimedia Guide to Polish Dialects, a webpage maintained by University of Warsaw

University of Warsaw

The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...

, Lesser Polish dialect is divided into the following subdialects:

Mazowsze Borderland (Pogranicze Mazowsza – around Radom and Dęblin),
Łęczyca (around Łódź, Kutno
Kutno
Kutno is a town in central Poland with 48,000 inhabitants and an area of 33,6 km2. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , previously in Płock Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kutno County....

, Tomaszów Mazowiecki
Tomaszów Mazowiecki
Tomaszów Mazowiecki is a town in central Poland with 67,159 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , it was previously part of Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship...

– this part of the country is not historical Lesser Poland),
Kielce (around Kielce),
Lasowiacy (north of Rzeszów),
East Kraków,
West Lublin,
East Lublin (this area historically belongs to Red Ruthenia
Red Ruthenia
Red Ruthenia is the name used since medieval times to refer to the area known as Eastern Galicia prior to World War I; first mentioned in Polish historic chronicles in the 1321, as Ruthenia Rubra or Ruthenian Voivodeship .Ethnographers explain that the term was applied from the...

),
Przemyśl (historical part of Red Ruthenia),
Biecz,
Nowy Sącz,
Podhale,
Spisz,
Orawa,
Żywiec,
Sieradz,
Sanok region, or Red-Ruthenian
Kraków, together with Zagłebie Dąbrowskie.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.