urzad

Urząd is a Polish noun used to denote an administrative authority or office of government or local administration. The primary sense is a public body responsible for a defined set of tasks or services. Common examples include Urząd Miasta (city hall), Urząd Skarbowy (tax office), Urząd Gminy (commune office), and Urząd Stanu Cywilnego (civil registry office). In everyday language, people often refer to going to the “urząd” to handle documents, obtain permits, or pay taxes.

The word also denotes the office or post held by a public official. Phrases such as “pełnić urząd” (to hold an office) and “objąć urząd” (to assume an office) illustrate this use. In this sense, an urzad is an entity with defined duties and competences within the public administration. The term is not typically used for private companies; there it would be more common to use terms like firma or przedsiębiorstwo, or to refer to a specific organization rather than an official office.

In usage, urzad appears in the names of many public bodies and can function as a generic label for administrative institutions. Related concepts include instytucja, agencja, and organ administracyjny. While some bodies bear the word urzad in their proper names, others are designated as ministerstwo (ministry) or instytut (institute), depending on their constitutional status and function.