Powiat facts for kids
A county (in Polish, powiat, pronounced "povyat") is a way Poland organizes its areas. Think of it like a district or a region in other countries. It's the second main level of how the government manages different places.
Each county is part of a bigger area called a "voivodship" (in Polish, województwo). You might call a voivodship a "province" or a "state" in English.
What Are Counties Called?
Most Polish counties get their names from their main city, which is called the county seat. For example, if the main city is "Maków," the county might be called "Maków County."
Sometimes, a county seat has a name with two parts, like "Maków Mazowiecki." Then the county might be called "Maków-Mazowiecki County."
It's interesting that some county names, like "Bielski" or "Ostrowski," can actually refer to two different counties. This happens because there are different cities with similar names that are county seats.
How Counties Work
Some cities in Poland are so big that they act like their own counties. These are called "urban counties" (powiat grodzki). They manage their own local affairs, much like regular counties do.
Most counties, called "land counties" (powiat ziemski), are made up of several smaller towns and villages. The largest urban county in Poland is the city of Warsaw.
A Brief History of Counties
Counties have been an important part of Poland for a very long time. They first started in the second half of the 14th century. For hundreds of years, they were the main way Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth organized their land.
This system continued even after Poland was divided by other countries in 1795. In the 19th century, counties still existed in parts of Poland that were under Russian or German rule.
After Poland became independent again in 1918, counties were brought back as the main way to divide the country. However, in 1975, they were removed for a while.
But counties were reintroduced in 1999 because they are a useful way to organize local government. Today, Poland has 314 "land counties" and 65 "urban counties."
See also
In Spanish: Powiat para niños
