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Oct 30, 2020 · It’s a well-known fact that Warsaw is the capital of Poland. But in the country’s long and tumultuous history, a number of other cities served as the capital, including some that may come as a surprise! Culture.pl takes a look at each one, explaining when and why they enjoyed this unique status.
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Łódzkie, województwo (province), central Poland. It is bordered by six provinces: Kujawsko-Pomorskie to the north, Mazowieckie to the east, Świętokrzyskie to the southeast, Śląskie to the south, Opolskie to the southwest, and Wielkopolskie to the west. It was formed in 1999—when the 49 provinces first established in 1975 were realigned into 16—and ...
Łódzkie province is mostly flat. To the north lies the Mazovian (Mazowiecka) Lowland; to the west, the Wielkopolska Lowland; to the east, the Południowomazowieckie (South Mazovian) Heights; and to the south, the Woźniki-Wieluń Upland. The province’s main rivers are the Warta, Pilica, Bzura, and Ner. The province has a water deficit, and, to provide an adequate supply of water for the city of Łódź, an artificial reservoir known as Sulejowskie Lake was built on the Pilica River. Forests (mainly of pine) take up about one-fifth of the total area. Local climate is mild and dry, with average annual precipitation being less than 20 inches (500 mm).
Two-thirds of the population lives in cities. The largest urban centres are Łódź, Piotrków Trybunalski, Pabianice, Tomaszów Mazowiecki, Bełchatów, Kutno, and Sieradz. Almost seven-tenths of the province is agricultural, and, despite predominantly poor soil quality, farming plays an important role in the local economy. The chief crops are rye, potatoes, sugar beets, fodder, vegetables, and fruit. Pig raising, cattle breeding, and dairy farming are of some importance. Most of the province’s manufacturing plants are concentrated within the Łódź Industrial District, one of the largest industrial areas in Poland. Major industries include textiles and clothing, pharmaceuticals, rubber, food and beverage processing, machine making, ceramics, and logging. Rich deposits of brown coal (lignite) fuel the Bełchatów power plant, which produces much of Poland’s electricity and is one of the largest plants of its kind in Europe. Other resources extracted in the area include limestone, sand, clay, and gravel.
In the 10th century the region was united under the rule of the Piasts. The main stronghold was Łęczyca, which in the 13th century became the capital of a duchy. The region prospered both politically and economically, primarily as the result of the development of a textile trade and because the town of Piotrków Trybunalski was, until the 16th century, the meeting place of regional assemblies and parliaments.
During the 17th century, wars with Sweden and a series of epidemics led to economic and political decline. Following the Partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, and 1795), the area came under Prussian rule. Subsequently, it was incorporated into the Duchy of Warsaw, and from 1815 it belonged to the Kingdom of Poland, a Russian dependency. The system of concessions and credits introduced by the royal authorities was instrumental in the building of the Łódź Industrial District. Weavers from Silesia (Śląsk), Great Poland (Wielkopolska), Saxony, and Bohemia began to settle in Łódź, which fostered the town’s development as a textile centre. Much of the output of the Kingdom of Poland (mostly goods exported to China and Russia) was attributable to industrial plants based in Łódź. Rapid industrialization gave rise to frequent social conflicts and strikes; the Łódź Rebellion of 1892 was the first large workers’ strike in Poland.
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Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at 1.86 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 3.27 million residents, which makes Warsaw the 7th most-populous city in the European ...
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Łódź, city, capital of Łódzkie województwo (province), central Poland. It lies on the northwestern edge of the Łódź Highlands, on the watershed of the Vistula and Oder rivers, 81 miles (130 km) southwest of Warsaw. Łódź is mentioned in 14th-century records as a village. It acquired municipal rights.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Aug 22, 2023 · The capital here is Olsztyn. This voivodship is the second least populated in Poland, housing about 1.5 million people across its vast territory. Here, you’ll find on average only 60 people per sq km. From West Pomeranian to Lower Silesia. Then comes the West Pomeranian Voivodeship with its capital in Szczecin. The entire region covers 22.8 ...
Łódź [a] is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located 120 km (75 mi) south-west of Warsaw. [8] As of 2023, Łódź has a population of 655,279, [1] making it the country's fourth largest city . Łódź first appears in records in 14th-century.
Warsaw remained the capital of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1795, when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia to become the capital of the province of South Prussia. Liberated by Napoleon's army in 1806, Warsaw was made the capital of the newly created Duchy of Warsaw.
