Warsaw Voivodeship

Warszawa Voivodeship (Polish: województwo warszawskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in years 1975–1998, superseded by Masovian Voivodeship.

Capital city: Warsaw

Major cities and towns: (population in 1995):

• Warsaw (1,638,300);
• Pruszków (53,000);
• Legionowo (50,600);
• Otwock (44,000);
• Wołomin (36,500);
• Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki (27,200);
• Piaseczno (25,200);
• Grodzisk Mazowiecki (24,900);
• Piastów (23,700).

Warsaw Voivodeship in interwar period

Between the years 1918-1939, Warsaw Voivodeship covered north-central part of Poland, bordering East Prussia to the north, Pomorze Voivodeship and Łódź Voivodeship to the west, Kielce Voivodeship to the south and both Lublin Voivodeship and Białystok Voivodeship (1919-1939) to the east. Its area, after April 1, 1938 (see: Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on April 1, 1938) was 31 656 km² and population (in 1931) - 2 460 900. Out of this, 88.3% was Polish, 9.7% - Jews and 1.6% - Germans. In the city of Warsaw, in 1931, only 70.7% of population was Polish, with 28.3% of Jews. In the whole Voivodeship, 21.8% of population was illiterate (as for 1931).

Warsaw Voivodeship in mid-1939 consisted of 22 powiats (counties), 53 cities and towns and 293 villages. The counties were:

• Błonie county (area 1 074 km², pop. 143 900),
• Ciechanów county (area 1 209 km², pop. 78 800),
• Działdowo county (area 842 km², pop. 42 700),
• Garwolin county (area 2 044 km², pop. 175 700),
• Gostyńin county (area 1 147 km², pop. 81 600),
• Grojec county (area 1 699 km², pop. 132 400),
• Łomża county (area 2 657 km², pop. 168 200),
• Maków Mazowiecki county (area 1 136 km², pop. 65 600),
• Mińsk Mazowiecki county (area 1 228 km², pop. 111 100),
• Mława county (area 1 486 km², pop. 103 100),
• Ostrołęka county (area 2 281 km², pop. 112 600),
• Ostrów Mazowiecka county (area 1 467 km², pop. 99 800),
• Płock county (area 1 485 km², pop. 128 100),
• Płońsk county (area 1 289 km², pop. 81 400),
• Przasnysz county (area 1 410 km², pop. 69 100),
• Pułtusk county (area 1 527 km², pop. 118 100),
• Radzymin county (area 1 076 km², pop. 97 500),
• Sierpc county (area 1 204 km², pop. 84 900),
• Sochaczew county (area 1 052 km², pop. 75 200),
• Sokołów Podlaski county (area 1 276 km², pop. 83 900),
• Warszawa county (area 1 766 km², pop. 318 500),
• Węgrów county (area 1 301 km², pop. 88 800).

It must be noted that the city of Warsaw, with the area of 141 km² (134 km² of counties' area plus 7 km² of the Vistula river) and population of 1 179 500 (as for 1931) was considered a separate unit, just like any other Voivodeship. It was divided into 4 counties. These were:

• South Warsaw (area 50 km², pop. 307 100),
• North Warsaw (area 31 km², pop. 478 200),
• Warsaw-Praga (area 43 km², pop. 176 100),
• Central Warsaw (area 10 km², pop. 218 100. It was the smallest and the most densely populated county in 1930s Poland. Population density there was 22 415 persons per km².).

In 1931, biggest cities of the Voivodeship were:

• Warsaw (pop. 1 179 500),
• Płock (pop. 33 000),
• Żyrardów (pop. 25 100),
• Łomża (pop. 25 000),
• Pruszków (pop. 23 700),
• Mława (pop. 19 600),
• Ostrów Mazowiecka (pop. 17 600),
• Pułtusk (pop. 16 800),
• Grodzisk Mazowiecki (pop. 15 700),
• Otwock (pop. 15 100),
• Ostrołęka (pop. 14 100),
• Wolomin (pop. 14 100),
• Ciechanów (pop. 13 900).

Source: Maly Rocznik Statystyczny, Warszawa 1939 (Concise Statistical Year-Book of Poland. Warsaw 1939).

See also:

• Voivodeships of Poland