Habersack, Sabine - Puşcaş, Vasile - Ciubotă, Viorel (szerk.): Democraţia in Europa centrală şi de Sud-Est - Aspiraţie şi realitate (Secolele XIX-XX) (Satu Mare, 2001)
Jan Wendt: Territorialization of Authority in Poland
government, forming 16 new provinces turned out to be politically compromising solution. Among provinces brought into being on the 1st January 1999, pre-existing disproportion’s were leading to many conflicts sight at the very beginning. Czşstochowa addressed the European Council with the official complain, and in Koszalin , a lot of manifestations, protests and pickets were organised to retain the old province. In fact, up till now, it is not clear what criteria, apart from the need of gaining political consensus determined creation of more provinces, 16 not 17, and what outweighed that province Swiçtokrzyski exists and not Pomorze Srodkowe with Koszalin. Included in the project, the 17th province of Pomorze Srodkowe would be greater than, formed as the effect of political bargaining , province Opolskie and economically resemble the already planned province Podlaskie and would commits of 14 counties similarly to many other provinces, like Swiçtokrzyskie, Opolskie or Lubuskie. After the introductions of the reform which imposed new 3 level administrative division of land , not only the territorial structure of the state changed but also the profile of the responsibilities attributed to the new municipal organs. After long discussions in the parliament, following rather political than economic rationale it passed a bill dividing the land into 16 provinces (województwo), 373 counties (powiat) including 65 counties so called „powiat grodzki” with have been established in cities, and 2489 communes. It must be once stressed that the number of provinces meant political compromise with no foundations in economic situation. Territorialization of Authority in Poland Tab. 3. Area and population new regions in Poland at beginning of 2000. Provinces (województwo) Area sq. km Population thous.Average of counties Polska 312 685 38 653 373 Dolnoslaskie 19 946 2 977 30 Kujawsko Pomorskie 17 970 2 101 23 Lubelskie 25 115 2 235 24 Lubuskie 13 985 1 024 13 Lódzkie 18 223 2 653 23 Malopolskie 15 141 3 223 22 Mazowieckié 35 715 5 070 42 Opolskie 9412 1 088 12 Podkarpackie 17 890 2 126 24 281
