Starost

Starost (Polish: starosta) is a title used for a local government official in several Slavic countries, with a prominent role in Poland. In contemporary Poland, a starosta is the head of the powiat (county) government and the administrator of the county’s offices. The starosta directs the county administration, participates in the county’s executive board (zarząd powiatu), and represents the county in relations with the voivodeship and other authorities. The starosta is elected by the county council (rada powiatu) and serves as chair of the board together with deputy starostowie. The office is housed in the Starostwo Powiatowe.

Responsibilities typically include oversight of education at the county level (secondary schools), healthcare (hospitals), public transport and roads, social welfare, culture, environmental protection and economic development, as well as administrative tasks such as issuing certain permits and coordinating regional development. The starosta operates under national law and the council’s statutes and is accountable to the rada powiatu and, ultimately, to residents.

Historically, the term originated in the Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, where a starosta was a royal official appointed to govern a district called a starostwo. There were starosts grodzkie (in towns with a royal castle) and starosts niegrodowi (in land counties). Duties included tax collection, maintaining order and justice, commanding part of the district’s militia, and representing the crown. The office persisted through later periods; after Poland’s 1999 local government reforms, the modern starosta heads the county administration within the current three-tier system. In some other Slavic languages, starosta means the elder or head of a local community, akin to a mayor in small municipalities.