Bielsko-Biała the capital of a new province? This is what the city councilors of this town located in the Silesian province want, postulating the creation of the Podbeskidzkie province. The appeal to the state authorities in this matter was supported by both PiS and KO councilors, emphasizing that the region “is cut by the border of provinces, which is a cardinal mistake of the last reform”.
Some of the residents of Bielsko-Biała want Podbeskidzie to become a separate province. The region lies partly in the Silesian province (Bielsko-Biała, Żywiec, Cieszyń, Ustroń, Wisła, etc.), and partly in the Lesser Poland province (Oświęcim, Andrychów, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, etc.).
Before the administrative reform of 1999, Bielsko-Biała was the seat of the authorities of the Bielsko voivodeship, one of 49, later reduced to 16. However, Podbeskidzie was torn between two neighbouring voivodeships. Today, some want to restore self-government, but under a new name – Podbeskidzkie voivodeship. The idea found supporters among the councillors of Bielsko-Biała, who unanimously supported the appeal in this matter “to the authorised bodies of the Polish State, local government bodies and all members of parliament from the Podbeskidzie region”.
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Will the Podbeskidzie Voivodeship be established?
“The Podbeskidzkie Voivodeship should be established, because the region (…) of Bielsko-Biała is bisected by the border of voivodeships, which is a cardinal mistake of the last reform; it makes it difficult, for example, to organize public transport” – we read in the resolution supporting the appeal prepared by residents, supported by both the Civic Coalition and Law and Justice councilors. The document also states that “the mountain region of Bielsko-Biała has a different socio-economic and natural specificity from the rest of the Silesian Voivodeship” and that “a separate voivodeship will allow for the implementation of an independent regional policy that better meets the needs of the region”.
According to the appeal, the new voivodeship would be established by 2029.
– For regions such as Podbeskidzie, the administrative reform of 1999 was unsuccessful. Bielsko-Biała is developing, but Opole, for example, has developed enormously over the last 25 years. This is visible, for example, in how important self-determination is for local communities in the area of distributing EU funds – said the author of the petition, Bartłomiej Tkacz, in an interview with tvn24.pl.
Tkacz emphasized that “in order to implement any projects, financing is needed”. – We are located partly in the Silesian Voivodeship and partly in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is obvious that for Katowice and Krakow, the problems and challenges of Podbeskidzie are not a priority. The only chance for the development that our region deserves is to restore self-determination – assessed the author of the petition.
Why should Bielsko-Biała become the capital of the new province? The councillors emphasised in the resolution that the city “is an urban centre larger than smaller provincial cities” (it has more inhabitants than Opole and slightly fewer than Kielce), and “in the national hierarchy of settlement centres, Bielsko-Biała is classified as a regional centre, on a par with provincial cities such as Kielce, Lublin, Opole”.
The city's president, Jarosław Klimaszewski, is cautious about the initiative. For now, the local government official does not intend to take any steps in this matter. – The council supported a certain initiative of the residents and now we will wait for the course of events. It is not up to us whether such a province will be established. There is an idea to interest parliamentarians from our region in this appeal – Tomasz Ficoń, spokesman for the Bielsko-Biała City Office, told us.
In May, the president announced that he “does not oppose” the city council's acceptance of the appeal to the state authorities regarding the establishment of the Podbeskidzkie Voivodeship.
“In my opinion, obtaining the status of a provincial city by the city could enable the acquisition of additional financial resources, which in turn would stimulate the development of the city and the entire Podbeskidzie region. Without a doubt, this would lead to the implementation of new investments, social programs, the creation of new jobs, and would also increase the prestige of Bielsko-Biała – as the seat of the governor and the provincial assembly,” we read in the position of the city president.
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