Podlaskie – Fuelled by nature
- Population – approx. 1.2 million
- Area – 20,187 sq. km
- The lowest population density in Poland – 59 people per sq. km
Podlaskie is the geographic centre of Europe. It is situated in North-East Poland. It borders on Lithuania and Belarus. The capital city is Białystok, 10th largest city in Poland (297,500 residents).
A third of the Province area is covered by primeval forests. You can find 4 national parks here:
Constituting the largest area of protected sites out of all Polish provinces. The Białowieża Forest is the only preserved primeval forests at an European scale. A third of Polish moose population have their habitat in the Biebrzański National Park, the largest one in Poland.he Podlaskie Province is the most versatile Polish region in ethnic cultural terms. It is home to the most numerous Orthodox community in Poland, living side by side with Catholics. The oldest mosque in Poland is located here, in the village of Kruszyniany, inhabited by Polish Tartars.
The multicultural history of the region is still visible in the customs, art, architecture and cuisine of the region. The Jewish community that one lived here, and Lithuanian and Belarusian minorities contribute to the unique cultural wealth of the borderland.
Three largest higher education in the region:
Have been providing top-class education for years, and the projects implemented by their students and graduates have been appreciated in Poland and abroad.
Milk, wood, and machine industries, the IT sector, organic products, and the boat-building industry are the main sectors of the rapidly developing economy of the Province.
- Every third butter on Polish store shelves comes from the Podlaskie Province. Mlekovita, Mlekpol, Piątnica – the major players of Polish milk industry – are based in our region. There are 41 cows per each 100 hectares of the Province, which is the largest number in Poland!
- The Suwałki Special Economic Zone covers the entire Podlaskie Province, 2 districts of the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province, and 4 districts of the Mazowieckie Province.
- The Białystok Science and Technology Park – the first certified technology park in eastern Poland – is a space open not only to entrepreneurs and scientists, but also to those who are passionate about new technologies and ideas.
The Podlaskie Province has entered into formal international cooperation with:
- the Autonomous Province Bolzano-South Tyrol (Italy),
- Hame Region (Finland),
- the General Council of Saone-et-Loire,
- the Land of Bavaria (Germany),
- the Government of Republika Srpska,
- Bosnia and Herzegovina,
- the Grodno,
- Brest Regions in the Republic of Belarus.
The Province government is member of Euroregion Niemen Association, bringing together:
- the Vilnuis, Marijampolė and Alytus Counties (on the part of Lithuania),
- Grodno region (on the part of Belarus),
- Chernyakhovsky, Gusevsky, Oziorsk, Krasnoznamensky and Nesterovsky Districts (Russia).
Podlaskie Province is a member of the network for European Regional and Local Health Authorities, together with:
- Northern Ireland,
- Wales,
- Scotland (the UK),
- Catalonia (Spain),
- Flanders (Belgium),
- Skåne (Sweden),
- Veneto (Italy),
- Västra Götaland (Sweden),
- Apulia, Tuscany, Veneto (Italy),
- Östergötland (Sweden),
- Viken (Norway),
- Vysocina (Czech Republic),
- Limburg (the Netherlands).
The Province is represented in the European Committee of the Regions and in the European Parliament.
Useful links:
- The Marshal’s Office of the Podlaskie Province
- The Development Strategy of the Podlaskie Province 2030
- The Regional Operational Programme of the Podlaskie Province
- Regional Territorial Observatory
- The investment proposal of the Podlaskie Province
- Podlaskie Fuelled by Nature
- Podlaskie Province Regional Tourist Organisation
- Podlaskie Travel