Country Poland Area 18,219 km2 | Capital Lodz Population 2,571,534 | |
Colleges and Universities University of Lodz Destinations Lodz, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Pabianice, Zgierz, Belchatow Points of interest Radegast train station, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - Lodz, Lodz Wooden Architecture Skansen, Grand Theatre - Lodz, Lunapark - Lodz | ||
Lodz Voivodeship (also known as Lodz Province, or by its Polish name of wojewodztwo lodzkie is a province (voivodeship) in central Poland. It was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Lodz Voivodeship (1975–1999) and the Sieradz, Piotrkow Trybunalski and Skierniewice Voivodeships and part of Plock Voivodeship, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. The province is named after its capital and largest city, Lodz, .
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Map of Lodz Voivodeship
Lodz Voivodeship is bordered by six other voivodeships: Masovian to the north and east, Swietokrzyskie to the south-east, Silesian to the south, Opole to the south-west, Greater Poland to the west, and Kuyavian-Pomeranian for a short stretch to the north. Its territory belongs to three historical provinces of Poland – Masovia (in the east), Greater Poland (in the west) and Lesser Poland (in the southeast, around Opoczno).
History
The capital of the Lodz Voivodeship has always been Lodz, but the area of land which it comprises has changed several times. The first was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Second Polish Republic in the years 1921–1939. In 1938 some western counties were ceded to Greater Poland Voivodeship (see: Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on April 1, 1938).
After the change, Lodz Voivodeships area was 20,446 square kilometres (7,894 sq mi), and its population (as for 1931) was 2,650,100. It consisted of 15 powiats (counties):
The largest cities of the Voivodeship were (population according to the 1931 census):
Source: Maly rocznik statystyczny 1939, Nakladem Glownego Urzedu Statystycznego, Warszawa 1939 (Concise Statistical Year-Book of Poland, Warsaw 1939).
The next incarnation existed from 1945 until 1975 (although the city of Lodz was excluded as a separate City Voivodeship). This Lodz Voivodeship was then broken up, superseded by Lodz (see below), Sieradz, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Skierniewice and partly Plock Voivodeships.
Lodz Voivodeship, also known as Lodz Metropolitan Voivodeship (wojewodztwo miejskie lodzkie), existed from 1975 until 1998, after which it was incorporated into todays Lodz Voivodeship. Until 1990, the mayor of the city of Lodz was also the voivodeship governor.
As of 1995, major cities and towns in Lodz Metropolitan Voivodeship included (with their 1995 populations):
Culture and education
The basic cultural activities in the Lodz Region are: monitoring activities of seven regional self-government cultural institutions, i.e.: the Arthur Rubinstein Lodz Philharmonic, Museum of Art in Lodz (having one of the biggest modern art collections in Europe), the Opera House, Stefan Jaracz Theater, the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography, The Jozef Pilsudski Regional and Municipal Public Library in Lodz, the Chamber of Culture in Lodz but also: supporting NGO’s, protection of monuments, awarding scholarships to young artists and rewards for the prominent artists. What is more, infrastructural projects are being undertaken. Among the most important investments are: the creation of four regional scenes in Stefan Jaracz Theatre, opening the new section of the Museum of Art in Lodz - ms² or the reconstruction of medieval settlement in Tum in the vicinity of Leczyca. The major universities in Lodz Voivodeship are:
There are also dozens of other schools and academies, but for the last four years the best students in Lodz Voivodeship (according to the prestigious contest "Studencki Nobel") have been studying at the University of Lodz - in 2009 the regional laureate was Piotr Pawlikowski, in 2010 - Joanna Dziuba, in 2011 and 2012 - Pawel Rogalinski.
The excellent scientific staff of the higher education establishments in Lodz is complemented by Lodz’s scientists from the Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) and scientific ministerial institutes working within the field of the occupational medicine, textile, paper and leather industries. The number of students in the higher education establishments in Lodz is still growing. Currently, they educate 113,000 students from Poland and other countries.