Kraków Voivodeship (14th century – 1795)


Kraków Voivodeship 1300–1795 – a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland from the 14th century to the partitions of Poland in 1772–1795. Located in the southwestern corner of the country, it was part of the Little Poland province.
Kraków Voivodeship emerged from the Duchy of Kraków, which was created as Seniorate Province in the Testament of Bolesław III Krzywousty. According to Zygmunt Gloger, it was one of the richest provinces of the Kingdom of Poland, with salt mines in Bochnia and Wieliczka, silver and lead mines in Olkusz, and very fertile soil around Proszowice. Its boundaries changed little for centuries. In 1457, the Duchy of Oświęcim was incorporated into the voivodeship, in 1564 – the Duchy of Zator, and in 1790, the Duchy of Siewierz. Among cities and towns of contemporary Poland, which were part of Kraków Voivodeship, are Będzin, Biała, Bochnia, Brzesko, Częstochowa, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Jasło, Jaworzno, Jędrzejów, Krzepice, Kłobuck, Miechów, Nowy Sącz, Nowy Targ, Oświęcim, Sosnowiec, Szczekociny, Zakopane, Zator, Zawiercie, and Żywiec. In the first partition of Poland, in 1772 Habsburg Monarchy annexed southern half of the voivodeship. In 1795, the third and final partition of Poland, Austria annexed the remaining part of the province, with the exception of its northwestern corner, which was seized by the Kingdom of Prussia, as New Silesia.
Zygmunt Gloger in his monumental book Historical Geography of the Lands of Old Poland gives a detailed description of Kraków Voivodeship:
Voivodeship Governor seat:
Sejmiks seat:
Regional council seat:
In 1397, the Voivodeship was officially divided into three counties :
In the 16th century, the number of counties rose to seven:
Also, the Duchy of Siewierz,, with capital in Siewierz, was ruled by the Bishops of Kraków, but officially, it was not part of the Voivodeship until 1792, when it was annexed into Poland.
Neighbouring Voivodeships:

Cities and towns of [Proszowice County]