The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country. The word gmina derives from the German

German language

German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

 word Gemeinde, meaning "community."

The gmina has been the basic unit of territorial division in Poland since 1972, when it replaced the smaller gromada

Gromada

Gromada is a Polish word meaning "gathering", "group", or "assembly". In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the term referred to a village organization which embraced all the inhabitants of a village and acted as a local authority, as well as overseeing tax payments. In this sense the gromada...

 (cluster). There are three types of gminas in Poland:

1. urban gmina (gmina miejska) consisting of just one city or town,
2. mixed urban-rural gmina (gmina miejsko-wiejska) consisting of a town and surrounding villages and countryside; and
3. rural gmina (gmina wiejska) consisting only of villages and countryside.

Some rural gminas have their seat in a town

Town

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 which is outside the gmina's division. For example, the rural Gmina Augustów

Gmina Augustów

Gmina Augustów is a rural gmina in Augustów County, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. Its seat is the town of Augustów, although the town is not part of the territory of the gmina....

 is administered from the town of Augustów

Augustów

Augustów is a town in north-eastern Poland with 29,600 inhabitants . It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal. It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship , having previously been in Suwałki Voivodeship . It is the seat of Augustów County and of Gmina Augustów.In 1970 Augustów became...

, but does not include the town, as Augustów is an urban type gmina in its own right.

An urban gmina is normally referred to only, by the name of the city or town in question. Other types of gminas are called "Gmina X", where "X" (in the vast majority of cases) is the name of town or village in which the gmina has its seat. Term "Gmina X" featuring the name of settlement is sometimes translated into English as "X Commune".

The legislative and controlling body of each gmina is the elected municipal council (rada gminy), or in a town: rada miasta (town assembly). Executive power is held by the directly elected mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of the municipality, called wójt in rural gminas, burmistrz in most urban and urban-rural gminas, or prezydent in towns with more than 100,000 inhabitants and some others which traditionally use the title. A gmina may create auxiliary units (jednostki pomocnicze), which play a subordinate administrative role. In rural areas these are called sołectwos; in towns they may be dzielnica

Dzielnica

In the Polish system of local administration, a dzielnica is an administrative subdivision or quarter of a city or town. A dzielnica may have its own elected council , and those of Warsaw each have their own mayor...

s or osiedle

Osiedle

Osiedle is a term used in Poland to denote a designated subdivision of a city or town, or of a dzielnica, with its own council and executive. Like the dzielnica and sołectwo, an osiedle is an auxiliary unit of a gmina. These units are created by decision of the gmina council, and do not have...

s. In an urban-rural gmina, the town itself may be designated as an auxiliary unit. For a complete listing of all the gminas in Poland, see List of Polish gminas.

Types of administrative tasks and objectives

Each gmina carries out two types of tasks: its own tasks, and commissioned ones. Own tasks are public tasks exercised by self-government, which serve to satisfy the needs of the community. The tasks can be twofold:

• compulsory – where the commune cannot resign from their realization, and must set up the budget to carry them out in order to provide the inhabitants with the public benefits of basic character
• optional – where the commune can carry them out in accordance with available budgetary means, set out only to specific local needs (on the gmina's own responsibility and budget).

Own objectives

Own objectives include a variety of matters such as: the spatial harmony, the real estate management, the environmental protection and nature conservation, the water management, country roads, public streets, bridges, squares and traffic systems, water supply systems and source, the sewage system, removal of urban waste, water treatment, maintenance of cleanliness and order, sanitary facilities, dumps and council waste, supply of electric and thermal energy and gas, public transport, health care, welfare, care homes, subsidized housing, public education, cultural facilities including public libraries and other cultural institutions, historic monuments conservation and protection, the sports facilities and tourism including recreational grounds and devices; marketplaces and covered markets, green spaces and public parks, communal graveyards, public order and safety, fire and flood protection with equipment maintenance and storage, maintaining objects and devices of the public utility and administrative buildings, pro-family policy including social support for pregnant women, medical and legal care, supporting and popularizing the self-government initiatives and cooperation within the commune including with non-governmental organizations, interaction with regional communities from other countries etc.

Commissioned tasks

Commissioned tasks cover the remaining public tasks resulting from legitimate needs of the state, commissioned by central government to be performed by self-government's units. The tasks are handed over on the basis of statutory bylaws, charters and regulations; or, by way of agreements between the self-government units and central government administration.

Overall number of gminas by type

Number of gminas by voivodeship
Voivodeship Voivodeship Voivodship is a term denoting the position of, or more commonly the area administered by, a voivod. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Serbia....	LS Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is currently divided. It lies in southwestern Poland...	KP Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship -Transportation:Transportation infrastructure is of critical importance to the voivodeship's economy. Kuyavia-Pomerania is a major node point in the Polish transportation system. Railway lines from the South and East pass through Bydgoszcz in order to reach the major ports on the Baltic Sea...	LBL Lublin Voivodeship - Administrative division :Lublin Voivodeship is divided into 24 counties : 4 city counties and 20 land counties. These are further divided into 213 gminas....	LBS Lubusz Voivodeship - Administrative division :Lubusz Voivodeship is divided into 14 counties : 2 city counties and 12 land counties. These are further divided into 83 gminas....	ŁD	LP Lesser Poland Voivodeship Małopolska Voivodeship , or Lesser Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, in southern Poland...	MS Masovian Voivodeship -Administrative division:Masovian Voivodeship is divided into 42 counties : 5 city counties and 37 "land counties"...	OP Opole Voivodeship - Administrative division :Opole Voivodeship is divided into 12 counties : 1 city county and 11 land counties. These are further divided into 71 gminas.The counties are listed in the following table .- Economy :...	SK Subcarpathian Voivodeship Podkarpackie Voivodeship , or Subcarpathian Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in extreme-southeastern Poland. Its administrative capital and largest city is Rzeszów...	PL Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship , is a voivodeship in northeastern Poland. It borders on Masovian Voivodeship to the west, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship to the northwest, Lublin Voivodeship to the south, the Belarusssian Voblasts of Grodno and Brest to the east, the Lithuanian Counties of Alytus and...	PM Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship, or Pomerania Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in north-central Poland. It comprises most of Pomerelia , as well as an area east of the Vistula River...	SL Silesian Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship, or Silesia Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in southern Poland, centering on the historic region known as Upper Silesia...	ŚWK Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, or Świętokrzyskie Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is presently divided. It is situated in central Poland, in the historical province of Lesser Poland, and takes its name from the Świętokrzyskie mountain range...	WM Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, or Warmia-Masuria Province , is a voivodeship in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn...	GP Greater Poland Voivodeship Wielkopolska Voivodeship , or Greater Poland Voivodeship, is a voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. It was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Poznań, Kalisz, Konin, Piła and Leszno Voivodeships, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998...	WP West Pomeranian Voivodeship West Pomeranian Voivodeship, , is a voivodeship in northwestern Poland. It borders on Pomeranian Voivodeship to the east, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the southeast, Lubusz Voivodeship to the south, the German federal-state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania to the west, and the Baltic Sea to the north...	Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Urban gminas	36	17	20	9	18	15	35	3	16	13	25	49	5	16	19	11	307
Urban-rural gminas	55	35	22	33	25	43	50	32	31	24	17	22	26	33	90	52	588
Rural gminas	78	92	171	41	134	124	229	36	113	81	81	96	71	67	117	51	1,584
Total gminas	169	144	213	83	177	182	314	71	160	118	123	167	102	116	226	114	2,479
of which: rural gminas with their seat outside the gmina	14	13	17	5	15	9	15	0	12	12	13	0	1	15	11	8	160

Abbreviations used for voivodeships:

LS: Lower Silesian Voivodeship, KP: Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, LBL: Lublin Voivodeship, LBS: Lubusz Voivodeship,
ŁD: Łódź Voivodeship, LP: Lesser Poland Voivodeship, MS: Masovian Voivodeship, OP: Opole Voivodeship,
SK: Subcarpathian Voivodeship, PL: Podlaskie Voivodeship, PM: Pomeranian Voivodeship, SL: Silesian Voivodeship,
ŚWK: Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, WM: Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, GP: Greater Poland Voivodeship, WP: West Pomeranian Voivodeship.

Largest and smallest gminas

|-
! LARGEST !! Population (2006 estimate) !! Land area in km² !! Population density
per km²
|-
! Urban
| Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

 (1,697,596) >

Warsaw Warsaw Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...  (517.22)

>- ! Rural | Gmina Chełmiec (24,344)

Gmina Wałcz Gmina Wałcz Gmina Wałcz is a rural gmina in Wałcz County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Wałcz, although the town is not part of the territory of the gmina....  (574.89)

Gmina Buczkowice Gmina Buczkowice Gmina Buczkowice is a rural gmina in Bielsko County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the village of Buczkowice, which lies approximately south of Bielsko-Biała and south of the regional capital Katowice....  (542.70) >- ! Urban-rural | Gmina Piaseczno Gmina Piaseczno Gmina Piaseczno is an urban-rural gmina in Piaseczno County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. Its seat is the town of Piaseczno, which lies approximately south of Warsaw....  (61,525)

Gmina Pisz Gmina Pisz Gmina Pisz is an urban-rural gmina in Pisz County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the town of Pisz, which lies approximately east of the regional capital Olsztyn....  (633.69)

>- ! Town in urban-rural gmina | Gmina Nysa Gmina Nysa Gmina Nysa is an urban-rural gmina in Nysa County, Opole Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Nysa, which lies approximately south-west of the regional capital Opole.... : Nysa Nysa, Poland Nysa is a town in southwestern Poland on the Nysa Kłodzka river with 47,545 inhabitants , situated in the Opole Voivodeship. It is the capital of Nysa County. It comprises the urban portion of the surrounding Gmina Nysa, a mixed urban-rural commune with a total population of 60,123 inhabitants...  (47,545)

Gmina Szczytna Gmina Szczytna Gmina Szczytna is an urban-rural gmina in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the town of Szczytna, which lies approximately west of Kłodzko, and south-west of the regional capital Wrocław.The gmina covers an area of , and as of 2006 its total... : Szczytna Szczytna Szczytna is a town in Kłodzko County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Szczytna, close to the Czech border. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany....  (80.38)

Gmina Swarzędz Gmina Swarzedz Gmina Swarzędz is an urban-rural gmina in Poznań County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. Its seat is the town of Swarzędz, which lies approximately east of the regional capital Poznań.... : Swarzędz Swarzedz Swarzędz is a town in central Poland of 29,766 inhabitants and a mixed urban-rural commune of 40,166 inhabitants...  (3,469.23) >- ! Rural part of urban-rural gmina | Gmina Wieliczka Gmina Wieliczka Gmina Wieliczka is an urban-rural gmina in Wieliczka County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the town of Wieliczka, which lies approximately south-east of the regional capital Kraków.... : rural part (28,864)

Gmina Pisz Gmina Pisz Gmina Pisz is an urban-rural gmina in Pisz County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the town of Pisz, which lies approximately east of the regional capital Olsztyn.... : rural part (623.61)

Gmina Świątniki Górne Gmina Swiatniki Górne Gmina Świątniki Górne is an urban-rural gmina in Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the town of Świątniki Górne, which lies approximately south of the regional capital Kraków.... : rural part (407.86) >- ! SMALLEST !! Population (2006 estimate) !! Land area in km² !! Population density per km² |- ! Urban | Krynica Morska Krynica Morska Krynica Morska is a town and coextensive municipality on the Vistula Spit in northern Poland with 1,364 inhabitants . It has been a part of Nowy Dwór Gdański County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously it was in Elbląg Voivodeship...  (1,364)

Górowo Iławeckie (3.32)

Krynica Morska Krynica Morska Krynica Morska is a town and coextensive municipality on the Vistula Spit in northern Poland with 1,364 inhabitants . It has been a part of Nowy Dwór Gdański County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously it was in Elbląg Voivodeship...  (11.74) >- ! Rural | Gmina Cisna Gmina Cisna Gmina Cisna is a rural gmina in Lesko County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland, on the Slovak border...  (1,663)

Gmina Jejkowice Gmina Jejkowice Gmina Jejkowice is a rural gmina in Rybnik County, Silesian Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the village of Jejkowice, which lies approximately north-west of Rybnik and south-west of the regional capital Katowice....  (7.59)

Gmina Lutowiska Gmina Lutowiska Gmina Lutowiska is a rural gmina in Bieszczady County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland, on the border with Ukraine...  (4.63) >- ! Urban-rural | Gmina Nowe Warpno Gmina Nowe Warpno Gmina Nowe Warpno is an urban-rural gmina in Police County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, on the German border...  (1,559)

Gmina Świątniki Górne Gmina Swiatniki Górne Gmina Świątniki Górne is an urban-rural gmina in Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. Its seat is the town of Świątniki Górne, which lies approximately south of the regional capital Kraków....  (20.35)

Gmina Nowe Warpno Gmina Nowe Warpno Gmina Nowe Warpno is an urban-rural gmina in Police County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, on the German border...  (7.88) >- ! Town in urban-rural gmina | Gmina Wyśmierzyce Gmina Wysmierzyce Gmina Wyśmierzyce is an urban-rural gmina in Białobrzegi County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. Its seat is the town of Wyśmierzyce, which lies approximately west of Białobrzegi and south of Warsaw.... : Wyśmierzyce Wysmierzyce Wyśmierzyce is a town in Białobrzegi County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 884 inhabitants . As of 2006 it is the smallest town in Poland.-External links:*...  (892)

Gmina Stawiszyn Gmina Stawiszyn Gmina Stawiszyn is an urban-rural gmina in Kalisz County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. Its seat is the town of Stawiszyn, which lies approximately north of Kalisz and south-east of the regional capital Poznań.... : Stawiszyn Stawiszyn Stawiszyn is a town in Kalisz County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 1,569 inhabitants . It is the urban part of the larger Stawiszyn Commune, a mixed urban-rural municipality . The town has a land area of only 0.99 km², and is the smallest town in geographical area in...  (0.99)

Suraż Suraz Suraż is a town in north-eastern Poland situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship since 1999 and, from 1975 to 1998, in the Białystok Voivodeship .- Buildings and structures :...  (28.94) >- ! Rural part of urban-rural gmina | Gmina Nowe Warpno Gmina Nowe Warpno Gmina Nowe Warpno is an urban-rural gmina in Police County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland, on the German border... : rural part (363)

Gmina Suchedniów Gmina Suchedniów Gmina Suchedniów is an urban-rural gmina in Skarżysko County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. Its seat is the town of Suchedniów, which lies approximately south-west of Skarżysko-Kamienna and north-east of the regional capital Kielce.The gmina covers an area of , and as of... : rural part (15.54)

External links