__NOTOC__
Wadowice County ( pl, powiat wadowicki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (
powiat
A ''powiat'' (pronounced ; Polish plural: ''powiaty'') is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture ( LAU-1, formerly NUTS-4) in other countries. The term "''powiat ...
) in
Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the
Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the town of
Wadowice, the birthplace of Pope
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
, which lies south-west of the regional capital
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...
. The county also contains the towns of
Andrychów
Andrychów ( la, Andrichovia, list=no, german: Andrichau, list=no, hist. also ''Andrychau'') is the largest town in Wadowice County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland. The town is located in the Little Beskids, in the historical region of Less ...
, lying west of Wadowice, and
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska () is a town in southern Poland with 4,429 inhabitants (2007 estimate). As of 1999, it is situated in Lesser Poland or Małopolska (in Polish). Previously, the town was administered within the Voivodeship of Bielsko-Biała ( ...
, east of Wadowice.
The county covers an area of . As of 2006 its total population is 154,304, out of which the population of Andrychów is 21,691, that of Wadowice is 19,149, that of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is 4,503, and the rural population is 108,961.
Neighbouring counties
Wadowice County is bordered by
Chrzanów County
__NOTOC__
Chrzanów County ( pl, powiat chrzanowski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government ( powiat) in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local gove ...
to the north,
Kraków County and
Myślenice County to the east,
Sucha County
__NOTOC__
Sucha County ( pl, powiat suski) is a ''mogus'' of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Slovak border. Its administrative seat and largest town is Sucha Beskidzka ...
to the south,
Żywiec County
__NOTOC__
Żywiec County ( pl, powiat żywiecki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Pol ...
to the south-west,
Bielsko County
__NOTOC__
Bielsko County ( pl, powiat bielski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government ( powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government ref ...
to the west, and
Oświęcim County
__NOTOC__
Oświęcim County ( pl, powiat oświęcimski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government ( powiat) in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local g ...
to the north-west.
Administrative division
The county is subdivided into 10
gmina
The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' , from German ''Gemeinde'' meaning ''commune'') is the principal unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,477 gminas throughout the country, encompassing over 4 ...
s (three urban-rural and seven rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.
References
Polish official population figures 2006
{{Authority control
Wadowice