__NOTOC__ Wodzisław County ( pl, powiat wodzisławski) 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

Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province ( pl, województwo śląskie ) is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centered on the historic region known as Upper Silesia ('), with Katowice serving as its capital. Despite the Silesian V ...

, 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 ...

, on the Czech border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the

Polish local government reforms The administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. The territory of Poland is divided into ''voivodeships'' (provinces); these are further divided into ''powiats'' (counties or districts), and these i ...

passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and largest town is

Wodzisław Śląski Wodzisław Śląski (; german: Loslau, cs, Vladislav, la, Vladislavia, yi, וואידסלוב, Voydislav, szl, Władźisłůw) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland with 47,992 inhabitants (2019). It is the seat of Wodzisław Cou ...

, which lies south-west of the regional capital

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popu ...

. The county contains three other towns: Rydułtowy, north of Wodzisław Śląski, Radlin, north-east of Wodzisław Śląski, and Pszów, north-west of Wodzisław Śląski. The county covers an area of . As of 2019 its total population is 157,346, out of which the population of Wodzisław Śląski is 47,992, that of Rydułtowy is 21,616, that of Radlin is 17,776, that of Pszów is 13,896, and the rural population is 56,066.

History

Wodzisław area was heavily influenced by the Duchy of Racibórz, Duchy of Wodzisław and Wodzisław State country in the Middle Ages and later. First Wodzisław county was created in 1954. It covered vast area, including current Wodzisław County and Jastrzębie-Zdrój. In 1975 administrative reforms repealed counties (''powiaty'') in

. In 1999

Jerzy Buzek Jerzy Karol Buzek (born 3 July 1940) is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament from Poland. He has served as Prime Minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001, since being elected to the European Parliament in 2004, he served as ...

government restored Wodzisław county (without Jastrzębie) along with other counties.

Neighbouring counties

Wodzisław County is bordered by

Racibórz County __NOTOC__ Racibórz County ( pl, powiat raciborski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Czech border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polis ...

to the west, the city of

Rybnik Rybnik (Polish pronunciation: ; szl, Rybńik) is a city in southern Poland, in the Silesian Voivodeship, around 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Katowice, the region's capital, and around 19 km (11 miles) from the Czech border. It is ...

and

Rybnik County __NOTOC__ Rybnik County ( pl, powiat rybnicki) is a suburban county in Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland, created in 1999 as a result of Polish local government reforms. Its administrative seat is the city of Rybnik, although the city is not pa ...

to the north-east, and the city of Jastrzębie-Zdrój to the east. It also borders the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

to the south.

Administrative division

The county is subdivided into nine

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 (four urban and five rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.

Sights

Wodzisław Śląski * the

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...

of "Sante Trinity" from 15th century (''Kościół św. Trójcy''), erected in 1257 year * the

Monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

from 17th century ( "Klasztor franciszkański" ), erected in 1257 year * the

neo-gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

of "Assumption of St. Mary" (''Kościół WNMP'') * the building of the former district authority (19th century) * the neo-classical Wall tower (''Baszta rycerska'') * the

Classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aesthet ...

Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

oldest in Poland from 1745 year. (Today

Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

) * the

old town square Old Town Square ( cs, Staroměstské náměstí or colloquially ) is a historic square in the Old Town quarter of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is located between Wenceslas Square and Charles Bridge. Buildings The square ...

(Rynek), * the

in Kokoszyce (Pałac w Kokoszycach) 1823 year Rydułtowy * Scales building KWK "Rydułtowy" (coal mine) * Rail Tunnel * St. George's Church Radlin * Assumption of St. Mary's church

Twin regions

Wodzisław County is twinned with: *

Recklinghausen (district) Recklinghausen () is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the centre of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is surrounded by the neighbouring districts of Borken, Coesfeld, Unna, Gelsenkirchen, Bottrop, and Wesel. The district administration is located i ...

, Germany

References