Lower Silesian
Lower Silesian Voivodeship (also known as Lower Silesian Province, or by its Polish name of województwo dolnośląskie or simply Dolnośląskie) is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is currently divided. It lies in south–western Poland, corresponding roughly to the region of Lower Silesia (the northwestern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia), but also includes the eastern part of Upper Lusatia. Its capital and largest city is Wrocław, on the middle Odra (Oder) river.
Lower Silesia is one of the richest regions in Poland. GDP per capita in 2007 accounted for 108.7% of the average for the country. GDP per capita in the region is similar to the GDP in the poorest regions of Spain, Greece and Portugal, and slightly lower than the poorest regions of Italy. Since 2005, the voivodeship recorded the highest in the country economic growth rate (around 10% per annum).
Lower Silesian Voivodeship is divided into 29 counties (powiats): 3 city counties and 26 land counties. These are further divided into 169 gminas.
The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).
|
English names |
Seat |
Other towns |
Total gminas |
|
City counties |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
Land counties |
|
|
|
|
Boguszów–Gorce, Głuszyca, Szczawno–Zdrój, Jedlina–Zdrój, Mieroszów |
9 |
||
|
Nowa Ruda, Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Kudowa–Zdrój, Polanica–Zdrój, Stronie Śląskie, Lądek–Zdrój, Szczytna, Duszniki–Zdrój, Międzylesie, Radków |
14 |
||
|
8 |
|||
|
4 |
|||
|
7 |
|||
|
8 |
|||
|
9 |
|||
|
7 |
|||
|
6 |
|||
|
--------------- |
6 |
||
|
6 |
|||
|
4 |
|||
|
7 |
|||
|
9 |
|||
|
6 |
|||
|
7 |
|||
|
Legnica * |
8 |
||
|
6 |
|||
|
--------------- |
5 |
||
|
5 |
|||
|
3 |
|||
|
4 |
|||
|
6 |
|||
|
5 |
|||
|
--------------- |
3 |
||
|
4 |
Protected areas in Lower Silesian Voivodeship include two National Parks and 12 Landscape Parks. These are listed below.
-
Karkonosze National Park (part of a UNESCO trans–border biosphere reserve)
