Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, or Świętokrzyskie Province (Polish: województwo świętokrzyskie ), is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) 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 (Holy Cross) mountain range. Its capital and largest city is Kielce.
Świętokrzyskie Province is bounded by six other voivodeships: Masovian to the north, Lublin to the east, Subcarpathian to the southeast, Lesser Poland to the south, Silesian to the southwest, and Łódź to the northwest.
The province was created on 1 January 1999, out of the former Kielce Voivodeship and western part of Tarnobrzeg Voivodeship, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. It covers an area of 11,672 square kilometres (4,507 sq mi), making it the second smallest of the voivodeships (after Opole). As at 2006, the total population of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship is 1,281,796.
Read more about Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship: Cities and Towns, Administrative Division, Protected Areas, Most Popular Surnames in The Region