Editing Lesser Poland (section)

== Transport ==

=== Roads ===
Several European roads (see [[International E-road network]]) cross Lesser Poland. The most important one is the [[European route E40]], which goes from west to east, across whole Europe. In Lesser Poland, the E40 goes from Jaworzno, via Kraków and Tarnów, towards eastern border of the country. Another main European road in Lesser Poland is the [[European route E77|E77]], which goes from north to south, via Radom, Kielce and Kraków, to southern border of Poland at [[Chyżne]]. Third major European road in Lesser Poland is the [[European route E30|E30]], which crosses the territory of the province in its extreme northeast corner, in [[Siedlce]]. Apart from these roads, Lesser Poland is crossed by the following European routes:
* [[European route E371|E371]], which begins in Radom, and goes via Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Tarnobrzeg, and Rzeszów to the border crossing at [[Barwinek, Subcarpathian Voivodeship|Barwinek]],
* [[European route E372|E372]], which begins in [[Warsaw]], and via north[[Eastern Lesser Poland]] (Lublin, Świdnik), goes to Ukrainian border at [[Hrebenne, Tomaszów Lubelski County|Hrebenne]],
* [[European route E462|E462]], which goes through southwestern corner of the province, from Czech border and Bielsko-Biała, to [[John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice]],
* [[European route E75|E75]], which crosses western counties of Lesser Poland – from Częstochowa, through Dąbrowa Górnicza and Jaworzno, to Bielsko-Biała and Polish – Czech border.

=== Airports ===
[[File:John Paul II Airport in Balice-Kraków night november 2017(3).jpg|thumb|[[Kraków John Paul II International Airport]], the busiest airport in Lesser Poland]]
Within borders of historical Lesser Poland, there are four airports – [[John Paul II International Airport]] Kraków–Balice, [[Lublin Airport]], [[Warsaw Radom Airport]] and [[Katowice International Airport]], which is located in the village of [[Pyrzowice]], on the border between Lesser Poland and Upper Silesia. Pyrzowice is part of [[Gmina Ożarowice]], which after [[Partitions of Poland]], and [[Congress of Vienna]] belonged to [[Będzin County]] of the [[Russian Empire]]. In the interbellum, the area of future airport belonged to Lesser Poland's [[Kielce Voivodeship (1919–1939)|Kielce Voivodeship]], and in 1945, was transferred to Katowice Voivodeship (initially ''Silesian-Dąbrowa Voivodeship''). In 1998, Ożarowice, together with the airport, was attached to [[Tarnowskie Góry County]], despite the fact that it is not located in Upper Silesia<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.starostwo.bedzin.pl/default.aspx?docId=2144 |title=History of Będzin County |publisher=Starostwo.bedzin.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003010804/http://www.starostwo.bedzin.pl/default.aspx?docId=2144 |archive-date=3 October 2011}}</ref>

Further airports in Lesser Poland will be opened in the future –  Kielce – Obice.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.constructionpoland.com/40816/Local-authorities-begin-buying-up-real-estate-for-Kielce-Obice-airport.shtml |title=Local authorities begin buying up real estate for Kielce-Obice airport – Public investments – Construction market in Poland and Eastern Europe |publisher=Constructionpoland.com |date=6 September 2006 |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315153856/http://www.constructionpoland.com/40816/Local-authorities-begin-buying-up-real-estate-for-Kielce-Obice-airport.shtml |archive-date=15 March 2012}}</ref> Also, [[Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport]] is located on eastern border of the province.

=== Railroads ===
Railroad network of Lesser Poland is very unevenly distributed. It is very dense in the west, along the border with Upper Silesia, and sparse in the east, especially along the Vistula, and around Lublin. All major cities of the province are connected with each other, however traveling from Kraków to Lublin is time-consuming, as trains have to take an extended route, via Kielce, Radom, and Dęblin. Also, there is no direct connection between Tarnów and Kielce, as these cities belonged to different countries before 1918. Underdevelopment of the railroads in northern and [[Eastern Lesser Poland]] is the result of the policy of the Russian Empire. For military reasons, the Russians were not interested in construction of a dense network of lines along the border with Germany and Austria-Hungary, allowing only the construction of narrow-gauge connections.{{sfn|Jezierski|Leszczyńska|2003|p=197}} Along the Vistula, between Kraków and Dęblin (the distance of some 320 kilometers), there are only four rail bridges – in Dęblin (rebuilt after the war, in 1947<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mostypolskie.pl/most/most-kolejowy-deblin,226,.html |title=Most kolejowy |publisher=Mostypolskie.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011022039/http://www.mostypolskie.pl/most/most-kolejowy-deblin,226,.html |archive-date=11 October 2012}}</ref>), in Sandomierz (built in 1928<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mostypolskie.pl/most/most-kolejowy-sandomierz,228,.html |title=Most kolejowy |publisher=Mostypolskie.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011022057/http://www.mostypolskie.pl/most/most-kolejowy-sandomierz,228,.html |archive-date=11 October 2012}}</ref>), in Tarnobrzeg-Nagnajów (built in 1961, together with a road bridge<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mostypolskie.pl/most/most-drogowy-nagnajow,231,.html |title=Most drogowy |publisher=Mostypolskie.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011022046/http://www.mostypolskie.pl/most/most-drogowy-nagnajow,231,.html |archive-date=11 October 2012}}</ref>), and in [[Zaduszniki, Subcarpathian Voivodeship|Zaduszniki]] (built in 1979 for the [[Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mostypolskie.pl/most/most-kolejowy-lhs-zaduszniki,230,.html |title=Most kolejowy LHS |publisher=Mostypolskie.pl |access-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011022051/http://www.mostypolskie.pl/most/most-kolejowy-lhs-zaduszniki,230,.html |archive-date=11 October 2012}}</ref>). In Kraków itself, there are three rail bridges over the Vistula.

Among rail hubs of Lesser Poland, there are Bielsko-Biała, [[Chabówka]], Częstochowa, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Dębica, Dęblin, Jaworzno-[[Szczakowa]], [[Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Lanckorona (PKP station)|Kalwaria Zebrzydowska Lanckorona]], Kielce, [[Koniecpol]], [[Kozłów, Subcarpathian Voivodeship|Kozłów]], Kraków, Lublin, [[Łuków]], [[Muszyna]], Nowy Sącz, Oświęcim, Siedlce, [[Spytkowice, Wadowice County|Spytkowice]], [[Skarżysko-Kamienna]], Stalowa Wola, [[Stróże, Nowy Sącz County|Stróże]], [[Sucha Beskidzka]], Radom, Tarnów, [[Trzebinia]], [[Tunel (railroad station)|Tunel]], Zawiercie, and [[Żywiec]].

In the late 1970s, the Communist government built the broad-gauge [[Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line]], which crosses Lesser Poland from west to east along the Vistula.