Białystok Voivodeship (1975–98)

See also: Białystok Voivodeship (1919–39) and Białystok Voivodeship

Białystok Voivodeship
Województwo białostockie
 Voivodeship of Poland
←
1975–1998 →
Location of the Białystok Voivodeship (red) in the People's Republic of Poland or Third Polish Republic.
Capital Białystok
53°08′N 23°09′E / 53.133°N 23.150°E / 53.133; 23.150Coordinates: 53°08′N 23°09′E / 53.133°N 23.150°E / 53.133; 23.150
History
 • Established 1975
 • Disestablished 1998
Political subdivisions 24 powiaty (counties)

Białystok Voivodeship (Polish: Województwo białostockie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from 1975 to 1998, when it was superseded by the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Its capital city was Białystok. It was formed in 1975 from part of the existing Białystok Voivodeship. The region was 10,055 km2 (3,882 sq mi), and its population in 1994, about 700 000 inhabitants. It was divided into 20 cities and 50 municipalities. It bordered with four Voivodeships: Suwałki, Łomża, Siedlce and Biała Podlaska and until 1991 with the Soviet Union ( Belorussian SSR ), and later with Belarus.

History

Starting 1 June 1975, pursuant to a law proclaimed on 28 May 1975,[1] the Białystok Voivodeship was formed from part of the existing Białystok Voivodeship. In addition the intermediate administrative level of powiats were eliminated, but the secondary administrative units of gminas were retained. The unstated reason for the 1975 reform was the desire of the Polish Central Committee to strengthen control over lower layers of the state apparatus. After Edward Gierek replaced Władysław Gomułka as first secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party, his clique maintained power by dividing the Politburo. Through administrative reorganization and the new territorial division, Gierek was able to nominate his supporters to provincial committees and break the hold of older elements of the party.[2][3]

After the fall of the People's Republic of Poland, District Offices (Polish: Urząd Rejonowy) were established in the voivodeship under the Act of 22 March 1990[4] and the Regulation of the Minister – Head of the Office of the Council of Ministers on 1 August 1990.[5] Within the limits of the district offices were several gmina. The offices did not constitute organs of self-government, but performed the tasks and powers of the voivodeship administration.

During 1991 and 1992 the large municipalities were restructured, significantly changing the division of powers between the voivodeship cities and the surrounding rural gminas.[6][7][8]

In the Polish administrative reform of 1999[9] Poland introduced a further reform of local government administration, disestablishing the Białystok Voivodeship effective 31 December 1998 and establishing the Podlaskie Voivodeship.

Administrative divisions

From 1975 until 1990 the voivodeship was solely divited into Gmina of the following types:

In 1990 the Voivodeship set up a number of District offices (Polish: Urząd Rejonowy):

Cities and towns

Major cities and towns (population in December 1998):

Population

Year 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1998
Population 618,000 641,100 671,400 692,800 700,700 701,400

References

  1. ↑ {{{title}}}, Dz. U. z 1975 r. Nr 16, poz. 91 .
  2. ↑ Wojciech Roszkowski, Historia Polski 1914–1998 ("Polish History 1914–1998, 7th Edition"), Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 1999, p. 330. ISBN 83-01-12921-2
  3. ↑ Bartłomiej Kozłowski (31 March 2009). "Podział Polski na 49 województw (2005)" (in Polish).
  4. ↑ {{{title}}}, Dz. U. z 1990 r. Nr 21, poz. 123
  5. ↑ {{{title}}}, Dz. U. z 1990 r. Nr 54, poz. 316
  6. ↑ {{{title}}}, Dz. U. z 1991 r. Nr 2, poz. 9
  7. ↑ {{{title}}}, Dz. U. z 1991 r. Nr 3, poz. 12
  8. ↑ {{{title}}}, Dz. U. z 1991 r. Nr 87, poz. 397
  9. ↑ {{{title}}}, Dz. U. z 1998 r. Nr 96, poz. 603 .
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