powiat

Powiat is a second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, positioned between the voivodeship (województwo) and the gmina. It was created in the 1999 local government reform to administer tasks that require coordination across several gminas. Poland is divided into around 380 powiats, including both land counties and cities with powiat rights.

A powiat consists of several gminas (urban and rural) and is governed by an elected council, the rada powiatu, and an executive, the zarząd powiatu, led by the starosta. In cities that hold the status of a powiat on their own, the executive is headed by the prezydent miasta and the council is the rada miasta.

Key responsibilities of a powiat include education at the secondary level, health care and hospitals, public transport planning and coordination, maintenance of county roads, social welfare, and environmental protection. Many services affecting multiple gminas, such as regional transport and certain hospitals, are organized at the powiat level.

The powiat seat, or siedziba powiatu, is the town or city where the authorities are based. The relationship with gminas is close; powiat authorities cooperate with gmina authorities on planning, investments, and service delivery, while some tasks remain the responsibility of individual gminas (e.g., primary education, local roads). Powiats are one layer in Poland’s three-tier system: voivodeship, powiat, and gmina, reflecting a balance between local and regional administration.