Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship

Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Polish: województwo świętokrzyskie ^ⓘ), also known as Holy Cross Voivodeship, is a voivodeship (province) in southeastern Poland, in the historical region of Lesser Poland. The capital and largest city is Kielce. The name comes from the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mountains.

This voivodeship is surrounded by six other provinces: Masovian to the north, Lublin to the east, Subcarpathian to the south-central, Lesser Poland to the south, Silesia to the southwest, and Łódź to the northwest.

It covers an area of 11,672 square kilometres, making it the second smallest province in Poland, after Opole. In 2019, the population was about 1.2 million people.

History

The area of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship has been home to people for thousands of years. Ancient sites from around 13,000 to 10,000 years ago can be found near Skarżysko-Kamienna and Wąchock, known today as the Rydno Archaeological Reserve. From around 3900 BC to 1600 BC, people mined striped flint at Krzemionki, one of Europe’s largest prehistoric flint mines, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a special historic landmark in Poland.

This region has been part of Poland since the country was founded in the 10th century. Important medieval towns like Sandomierz, mentioned in early Polish records, and Wiślica were once seats of rulers from the Piast dynasty. After Poland was divided in the late 1700s, the area saw uprisings against foreign rule in the 1830s and 1860s. During World War II, the region suffered under German occupation. Despite this, Polish resistance fighters worked to protect their people. The modern Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship was formed on January 1, 1999, from parts of three older provinces, following government changes made in 1998.

Cities and towns

The region has 4 cities and 39 towns. The biggest city is Kielce, with almost 200,000 people. Other important cities include Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Starachowice, and Skarżysko-Kamienna. There are also many smaller towns such as Sandomierz, Końskie, and Busko-Zdrój.

Administrative division

Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship is divided into 14 counties (powiats): 1 city county and 13 land counties. These counties are then split into 102 smaller areas called gminas.

The counties are shown in the table below, listed by how many people live there.

Economy

The Gross domestic product of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship was 11.6 billion € in 2018. This made up 2.3% of Poland's total economy. For each person, the amount of goods and services created was 15,400 €, which is about half of the average in the European Union at that time. When looking at how much each worker created, it was also about half of the EU average. This voivodeship is one of the places in Poland where people create fewer goods and services compared to other areas.

Protected areas

Protected areas in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship include one National Park and nine Landscape Parks. These special places help protect nature and are important for the environment.

The parks include:

• Świętokrzyski National Park
• Chęciny-Kielce Landscape Park
• Cisów-Orłowiny Landscape Park
• Jeleniowska Landscape Park
• Kozubów Landscape Park
• Nida Landscape Park
• Przedbórz Landscape Park (partly in Łódź Voivodeship)
• Sieradowice Landscape Park
• Suchedniów-Oblęgorek Landscape Park
• Szaniec Landscape Park

Sights and tourism

The Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship has many special places to visit and explore. It is home to ten important historic sites and one place recognized worldwide for its importance.

Some of the notable sights include the Prehistoric Striped Flint Mining Region in Krzemionki, the Kraków Bishops Palace, and Kielce Cathedral. You can also visit beautiful palaces such as the Henryk Sienkiewicz Palace in Oblęgorek and explore old towns like Opatów and Szydłów.

The region has two spa towns, Busko-Zdrój and Solec-Zdrój, where people relax and enjoy the natural waters. In Ćmielów, you can find the Living Porcelain Museum, showcasing the town's long history of making porcelain.

There are also many castles and palaces scattered throughout the area, as well as memorials from World War II.

Sports

Handball and football are the most popular sports in this area.

Curiosities

Long ago, in the 16th and 17th centuries, people from Scotland settled in several towns in this area of Poland. Some of these towns include Busko-Zdrój, Chęciny, Kielce, Koprzywnica, Nowy Korczyn, Opatów, Pacanów, Pińczów, Połaniec, Raków, Sandomierz, and Secemin. These settlers brought new ideas and traditions to the region.