Opatów County

Opatów County, established in 1999 within the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, has its seat in the town of Opatów, which is also one of the three urban-rural municipalities alongside Iwaniska and Ożarów. The county features a diverse demographic structure, with a population of 51,834 as of June 2020, and includes nine rural municipalities. It borders the counties of Sandomierz, Staszów, Kielce, and Ostrowiec, as well as Lipsko County in the Masovian Voivodeship, and Opole and Kraśnik counties in the Lublin Voivodeship. In the 19th century, Opatów County, then part of the Radom Governorate, covered an area of 1,795.5 km² and had a population of 101,061. The landscape was dominated by farmland and forests, with limited industrial development and only a few large factories near Ostrowiec. After Poland regained independence in 1918, the county became part of the Kielce Voivodeship, and by 1931, its population had grown to 186,547. During this period, the most important towns were Ostrowiec and Opatów, and the economy relied on agriculture and industry, including iron ore mining. After World War II, the county was again incorporated into the Kielce Voivodeship but was dissolved in 1975. The architecture of the county is varied, featuring numerous historical monuments and traces of the past, such as the town walls of Opatów and churches in Iwaniska. The local culture is deeply rooted in peasant and artisan traditions, and the community maintains strong ties to local customs and rituals that are still practiced today. Interestingly, despite its relatively small size, Opatów County boasts rich natural resources and a historical heritage that attract tourists and history researchers alike.