Lower Silesian Voivodeship

Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrzych and Jelenia Góra Voivodeships, following the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. It covers an area of , and has a total population of 2,899,986. It is one of the wealthiest provinces in Poland as natural resources such as copper, brown coal and rock materials are widely present. Its capital and largest city is Wrocław, situated on the Oder River. The voivodeship is host to many castles and palaces. For this reason tourism is a large part of this region's economy. History