Podkarpackie – East Poland House in Brussels

The Podkarpackie Province is situated in South-East Poland, with Rzeszów as its capital city. The Bieszczady Mountains, the “green lungs” of the region, are located in the southern part of the Province.

The Podkarpackie Province is a region situated in South-East Poland. In the north and west, it borders on Małopolskie, Świętokrzyskie and Lubelskie Provinces, with Slovakia from the south, and with Ukraine from the west. The capital city of the Province is Rzeszów – an academic, economic, and cultural centre. The region has over 400 secondary schools and over 20 higher-education institutions. The total number of university students in the Podkarpackie Province has exceeded 80 000. It is home to major higher education institutions in Podkarpackie, such as:

The Podkarpackie Province has a population of 2.13 million people, and an area of 17,800 sq km. The Province is one of the least polluted regions in Poland. Legally protected area cover nearly 45% of the total territory of the province. These include:

2 national parks: Magurski,Bieszczadzki,
94 nature reserves,
10 landscape parks,
13 protected landscape areas.

Thanks to the large diversity of mineral water types in the region, Podkarpackie can boast numerous heath resorts such as:

Moreover, according to the most recent data from Statistics Poland (GUS), the Province has the highest average life expectancy in Poland. The longevity of the residents of the region mainly stems from clean environment, healthy lifestyle and low stress levels. The Podkarpackie Province is one of the five Polish provinces, in addition to Malopolskie, Mazowieckie, Pomorskie and Wielkopolskie Provinces, where a steady population growth is recorded.

Well-preserved sacred and secular architecture constitutes a major attraction of the region. The a href=”https://sad.podkarpackie.travel” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>tourist route covering wooden churches, palaces and manor houses passes through 175 villages and towns, and constitutes an inherent part of Polish landscape.
History enthusiasts will enjoy a visit to the Lubomirski and Potocki family castle in Łańcut (one of the best preserved nobility residencies in Poland with a valuable park complex), as well as Renaissance palaces in Baranów Sandomierski and Krasiczyn. Similarly to other immovable heritage of the Podkarpackie Province, they are testimony to the unique cultural and religious diversity of the region.

The region is also famous for its aviation, IT, and furniture industries and for the oldest oil mine in the world (Bórka Mine). One of the regions achievements is the Aviation Valley cluster, which brings together over 110 companies representing the aviation sector. Podkarpacie region accounts for approximately 90 % of total Polish aviation equipment production. Some of the major companies operating as part of the cluster include PZL Mielec, where Black Hawk helicopters are manufactured, and Pratt&Whitney Rzeszów, manufacturer of aircraft engines. In turn, the largest underground natural gas storage sites in Poland are located near Sanok and Łańcut, in Brzeźnica, Husów, Strachocin and Swarzów. The region is also known for its steel industry. As regards this sector, it is worth mentioning Huta Stalowa Wola steelworks.

Another distinguishing feature of Podkarpacie is the presence of 160 vineyards in the region. Feel free to explore the websites of the Podkarpacie Vineyard Trail and “The Tastes of Podkarpacie” Culinary Trail.

The region is represented in the European Committee of the Regions by the Marshal of the Province, Mr Władysław Ortyl.

Useful links: