Warsaw Voivodeship () was a voivodeship of Poland in the years 1919âÂÂ1939. Its capital and biggest city was Warsaw.
Location and area
In the years 1919âÂÂ1939, Warsaw Voivodeship covered north-central part of Poland, bordering East Prussia to the north, Pomorze Voivodeship and Ã
ÂódÃ
º Voivodeship to the west, Kielce Voivodeship to the south and both Lublin Voivodeship and BiaÃ
Âystok Voivodeship to the east. Its area, after April 1, 1938, was 31 656 kmò (see: Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on 1 April 1938). The landscape was flat. Forests covered only 11.4% of the area, compared to the national average of 22.2%, as of January 1, 1937.
Population
According to the 1931 Polish census, the population was 2 460 900. Poles made up 88.3% of population, Jews - 9.7% and Germans - 1.6%. The Jews and the Germans preferred to live in the cities and towns, especially in Warsaw itself. In Warsaw, in 1931, only 70.7% of population was Polish, with 28.3% Jews. In the whole Voivodeship, 21.8% of the population was illiterate as of 1931.
Industry
The Voivodeship's biggest industrial center was the city of Warsaw, together with towns in its suburbs (Ã
»yrardów, Pruszków, Piaseczno). Warsaw was one of key centers of Polish industry, with numerous factories of various kinds. It was also the biggest city of the country. The Voivodeship's railroad density was 5.2 km. per 100 kmò (with total length of railroads 1 548 km.)l
Cities and administrative divisions
Warsaw Voivodeship in mid-1939 consisted of 22 powiats (counties), 53 cities and towns and 293 villages. The counties were:
- BÃ
Âonie county (area 1,074 kmò, pop. 143,900),
- Ciechanów county (area 1,209 kmò, pop. 78,800),
- DziaÃ
Âdowo county (area 842 kmò, pop. 42,700),
- Garwolin county (area 2,044 kmò, pop. 175,700),
- Gostynin county (area 1,147 kmò, pop. 81,600),
- Grójec county (area 1,699 kmò, pop. 132,400),
- Ã
ÂomÃ
¼a county (area 2,657 kmò, pop. 168,200),
- Maków Mazowiecki county (area 1,136 kmò, pop. 65,600),
- MiÃ
Âsk Mazowiecki county (area 1,228 kmò, pop. 111,100),
- MÃ
Âawa county (area 1,486 kmò, pop. 103,100),
- OstroÃ
ÂÃÂka county (area 2,281 kmò, pop. 112,600),
- Ostrów Mazowiecka county (area 1,467 kmò, pop. 99,800),
- PÃ
Âock county (area 1,485 kmò, pop. 128,100),
- PÃ
ÂoÃ
Âsk county (area 1,289 kmò, pop. 81,400),
- Przasnysz county (area 1,410 kmò, pop. 69,100),
- PuÃ
Âtusk county (area 1,527 kmò, pop. 118,100),
- Radzymin county (area 1,076 kmò, pop. 97,500),
- Sierpc county (area 1,204 kmò, pop. 84,900),
- Sochaczew county (area 1,052 kmò, pop. 75,200),
- SokoÃ
Âów Podlaski county (area 1,276 kmò, pop. 83,900),
- Warsaw county (area 1,766 kmò, pop. 318,500),
- WÃÂgrów county (area 1,301 kmò, pop. 88,800).
The city of Warsaw, with the area of 141 kmò (134 kmò of built-up area plus 7 kmò of the Vistula river) and population of 1 179 500 (as of 1931) was considered a separate unit, just like any other Voivodeship. It was divided into 4 counties. These were:
- South Warsaw county (area 50 kmò, pop. 307,100),
- North Warsaw county (area 31 kmò, pop. 478,200),
- Warsaw-Praga county (area 43 kmò, pop. 176,100),
- Central Warsaw county (area 10 kmò, pop. 218,100). It was the smallest and the most densely populated county in Poland in the 1930s. Population density there was 22 415 persons per kmò.
The biggest cities of the Voivodeship were (population according to the 1931 Polish census):
- Warsaw (pop. 1,179,500),
- PÃ
Âock (pop. 33,000),
- Ã
»yrardów (pop. 25,100),
- Ã
ÂomÃ
¼a (pop. 25,000),
- Pruszków (pop. 23,700),
- MÃ
Âawa (pop. 19,600),
- Ostrów Mazowiecka (pop. 17,600),
- PuÃ
Âtusk (pop. 16,800),
- Grodzisk Mazowiecki (pop. 15,700),
- Otwock (pop. 15,100),
- OstroÃ
ÂÃÂka (pop. 14,100),
- Wolomin (pop. 14,100),
- Ciechanów (pop. 13,900).
Voivodes
See also
References
- Maly rocznik statystyczny 1939, Nakladem Glownego Urzedu Statystycznego, Warsaw 1939 (Concise Statistical Year-Book of Poland, Warsaw 1939).