Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Administrative region in southern Poland
Lesser Poland Voivodeship is an administrative unit in southern Poland that stretches from the hills around Kraków to the Slovak border. The region includes 22 counties and three independent cities with a combined population of several million people.
This administrative unit was created in 1999 when Poland reorganized its territorial structure and reduced the number of voivodeships from 49 to 16. The boundaries partly follow historical regions that date back to medieval times.
The regional name comes from historical Lesser Poland, once a separate kingdom. Many places still carry Slavic names, and in some villages you can hear old dialects when shopping at the weekly market or chatting outside the church.
Kraków is the main hub with an airport, from where buses and trains run to smaller towns and villages. The mountains in the south often require extra travel time, especially in winter when there is snow.
The voivodeship is home to Wieliczka Salt Mine, where underground chambers and chapels are carved entirely from rock salt. Visitors can walk through passages more than 100 meters (330 feet) deep, with walls that have existed for centuries.
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