Editing Lubusz Voivodeship

{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Lubusz Voivodeship
| native_name        = {{lang|pl|województwo lubuskie}}
| settlement_type    = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| image_skyline      = 
| image_flag         = POL województwo lubuskie flag.svg
| image_shield       = POL województwo lubuskie COA.svg
| image_map          = Lubusz in Poland (+rivers).svg
| map_caption        = Location within Poland
| image_map1         = Lubusz Voivodeship admi map (croped) - PL.svg
| map_caption1       = Division into counties
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{POL}}
| seat_type          = Seats
| seat               = {{plainlist|
* [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]] (governor)
* [[Zielona Góra]]&nbsp;(assembly)}}
| parts_type         = [[Powiat|Counties]]
| parts              = 2 cities, 12 land counties *
| p1                 = [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]]
| p2                 = [[Zielona Góra]]
| p3                 = [[Gorzów County]]
| p4                 = [[Krosno Odrzańskie County]]
| p5                 = [[Międzyrzecz County]]
| p6                 = [[Nowa Sól County]]
| p7                 = [[Słubice County]]
| p8                 = [[Strzelce-Drezdenko County]]
| p9                 = [[Sulęcin County]]
| p10                = [[Świebodzin County]]
| p11                = [[Wschowa County]]
| p12                = [[Żagań County]]
| p13                = [[Żary County]]
| p14                = [[Zielona Góra County]]
| governing_body     = [[Voivodes of Poland (since 1999)|Voivode]],<br/> [[Voivodeship executive board|Executive board]],<br/> [[Voivodeship sejmik|Sejmik]]
| leader_title       = [[Voivodes of Poland (since 1999)|Voivode]]
| leader_name        = [[Marek Cebula]] ([[Civic_Platform|PO]])
| leader_title1      = [[Marshal]]
| leader_name1       = [[Marcin Jabłoński]] ([[Civic Platform|PO]])
| leader_title2      = Chairperson of the Sejmik
| leader_name2       = [[Anna Synowiec]] ([[Civic Platform|PO]])
| area_total_km2     = 13987.93
| total_type         = Total
| population_as_of   = 2024-06-30<ref name="pop">{{Cite web |date=20 January 2025 |title=GUS – Bank Danych Lokalnych |trans-title=GUS – Local Data Bank |url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/teryt/tablica |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=bdl.stat.gov.pl|publisher=[[Statistics Poland]]}}</ref>
| population_total   = 972140
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_urban   = 622473
| population_rural   = 349667
| timezone           = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset         = +1
| timezone_DST       = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST     = +2
| demographics_type1 = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en | title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1 = Total
| demographics1_info1 = €15.600 billion (2023)
| demographics1_title2 = Per capita
| demographics1_info2 = €16,400 (2023)
| blank_name_sec2    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2019)
| blank_info_sec2    = 0.862<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{Cite web|url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/POL/?levels=1%2B4&interpolation=1&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0&years=2019|title=Sub-national HDI - Subnational HDI - Global Data Lab|website=globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=2021-12-13|publisher=[[Radboud University Nijmegen]]}}</ref><br/>{{color|#090|very high}} · [[List of Polish voivodeships by Human Development Index|14th]]
| blank1_name_sec2   = [[Highways in Poland|Highways]]
| blank1_info_sec2   = [[File:A2-PL.svg|32px|link=A2 autostrada (Poland)]] [[File:A18-PL.svg|32px|link=A18 autostrada (Poland)]] [[File:S3-PL.svg|32px|link=Expressway S3 (Poland)]]
| iso_code           = [[ISO 3166-2:PL|PL-08]]
| registration_plate = [[Polish car number plates|F]]
| website            = [http://lubuskie.pl lubuskie.pl]
| footnotes          = * further divided into 83 [[gmina]]s
| image_blank_emblem = Logo of Lubusz.svg
| blank_emblem_type  = [[Brandmark]]
| blank_emblem_size  = 120px
}}
'''Lubusz Voivodeship''' ({{langx|pl|województwo lubuskie}} {{IPA|pl|vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ luˈbuskʲɛ||LL-Q809 (pol)-KaMan-województwo lubuskie.wav}}) is a [[voivodeships of Poland|voivodeship]] ([[province]]) in western [[Poland]] with a population of 972,140. Its regional capitals are [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]] and [[Zielona Góra]]. The region is characterized by a landscape of forests, lakes, and rivers, and is [[Germany–Poland border|bordered by Germany]] to the west.

The functions of regional capital are shared between two cities{{Snd}}Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra. Gorzów serves as the seat of the centrally-appointed [[voivode]] (''wojewoda''), or governor, and Zielona Góra is the seat of the elected regional assembly ([[Voivodeship sejmik|''sejmik'']]) and the executive elected by that assembly, headed by a marshal (''marszałek''). In addition, the voivodeship includes a third city ([[Nowa Sól]]) and a number of towns.

Lubusz Voivodeship borders [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]] to the north, [[Greater Poland Voivodeship]] to the east, [[Lower Silesian Voivodeship]] to the south, and [[Germany]] ([[Brandenburg]] and [[Saxony]]) to the west.

It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former [[Gorzów Voivodeship]] and [[Zielona Góra Voivodeship]], pursuant to the [[Polish local government reforms]] adopted in 1998. The province's name recalls the historic [[Lubusz Land]]<ref>It is likely that it was a response to the names of some German military units; they have been named after lands that since at least 1945  belong to Poland and the very city of [[Lebus|Lubusz]] is located just outside the Polish border in Germany.</ref> (''[[Lebus]]'' or ''Lubus''), although parts of the voivodeship belong to the historic regions of [[Lower Silesia]], [[Greater Poland]], and [[Lusatia]].

==History==
[[File:Zary walls.JPG|thumb|left|Medieval town walls of [[Żary]], one of the oldest towns in the province, first mentioned in 1007]]
The first leaders of the Polans, [[Mieszko I]] and especially [[Bolesław I the Brave]] added a number of surrounding territories to the newly established core Polish state, and Lubusz Land came under Polish rule. Part of the historic province was located on the western bank of the [[Oder River]], where the main settlement Lubusz, later known as the German town of [[Lebus]], was located. The entire territory of the present Lubusz Voivodeship was part of Poland by 1002. The oldest towns in the region, dating back over 1,000 years, include [[Trzciel]], [[Skwierzyna]], [[Iłowa]], [[Szprotawa]], [[Jasień, Lubusz Voivodeship|Jasień]], [[Krosno Odrzańskie]], [[Międzyrzecz]] and [[Żary]], with most other towns also founded in the [[Middle Ages]], including the current regional capitals of [[Zielona Góra]] and [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]]. The youngest towns are [[Łęknica]], [[Czerwieńsk]], [[Nowa Sól]], [[Szlichtyngowa]] and [[Zbąszynek]], all either first mentioned or established in the later periods.

[[File:Castle in Zagan (3).jpg|thumb|left|[[Żagań]] with its castle was a ducal seat for several centuries]]
Following the fragmentation of Poland into smaller provincial duchies, various portions of the present Lubusz Voivodeship were part of various duchies, initially the duchies of [[Duchy of Greater Poland|Greater Poland]] and [[Duchy of Silesia|Silesia]], and later also [[Duchy of Legnica|Legnica]], [[Duchy of Głogów|Głogów]], [[Duchy of Lubusz|Lubusz]] and [[Duchy of Żagań|Żagań]], ruled by various lines of the [[Piast dynasty]]. Over time, portions of the present Lubusz Voivodeship were lost by Poland. In 1250 the Lubusz Land was acquired by the [[House of Ascania|Ascanian]] [[margrave]]s of [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]]. In 1319–1326 it was contested by various Polish and German rulers, before falling back to Brandenburg. After Brandenburg passed to the [[Lands of the Bohemian Crown|Bohemian Crown]] in 1373, [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Poland]] made a peaceful attempt to regain the northern portion of the area. In 1402, the Bohemian rulers reached an agreement with Poland in [[Kraków]]. Poland was to buy and re-incorporate the northern outskirts of the present Lubusz Voivodeship,<ref>{{cite book|last=Rogalski|first=Leon|year=1846|title=Dzieje Krzyżaków oraz ich stosunki z Polską, Litwą i Prussami, poprzedzone rysem dziejów wojen krzyżowych. Tom II|language=pl|location=Warszawa|pages=59–60}}</ref> but eventually the Bohemian rulers sold the area to the [[Teutonic Order]], who in turn sold it back to Brandenburg in 1454 to raise funds for [[Thirteen Years’ War (1454–1466)|war against Poland]]. The southern part of the current voivodeship remained part of the duchies of Żagań and Głogów, ruled by the houses of Piast and [[Jagiellonian dynasty|Jagiellon]], with the Żagań duchy eventually passing to houses of foreign background, including Czech, Saxon and French, whereas other areas were gradually incorporated directly into the [[Kingdom of Bohemia]]. In 1635, most of the south-western part of the present Lubusz Voivodeship passed from Bohemia to [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]], and from 1697 formed part of [[Poland-Saxony]]. In the 18th century, [[Wschowa]] was an important [[royal city in Poland|royal city of Poland]], as it often hosted Polish kings and several sessions of the Polish Senate, hence being dubbed the "unofficial capital of Poland". King [[Augustus III of Poland]] also often stopped in [[Brody, Żary County|Brody]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gazetalubuska.pl/jedzmy-do-brodow-tu-na-pierwszy-rzut-oka-niewiele-sie-dzieje-ale-pozory-myla/ar/7731323|title=Jedźmy do Brodów. Tu na pierwszy rzut oka niewiele się dzieje, ale pozory mylą|website=Gazeta Lubuska|date=August 2017 |access-date=1 June 2024|language=pl}}</ref>

[[File:Wschowa ratusz.jpg|thumb|left|[[Wschowa]], important [[royal city in Poland|royal city of Poland]] in the 18th century, dubbed the "unofficial capital of Poland"]]
In 1701, the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] was established, which included Brandenburg-held Lubusz Land, and various areas were eventually gradually annexed by Prussia in the following centuries, starting with the south-eastern part of the current voivodeship in 1742, followed by eastern portions (western outskirts of Greater Poland) in [[Second Partition of Poland|1793]] (briefly regained by Poles in 1807–1815 as part of the short-lived [[Duchy of Warsaw]]), and the south-western part in 1815. Within Prussia and Germany the territory was divided between the provinces of [[Neumark]]/[[Province of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]], [[South Prussia]]/[[Province of Posen|Posen]], and [[Province of Silesia|Silesia]]/[[Province of Lower Silesia|Lower Silesia]].

During [[World War II]], the [[Oflag II-C]], [[Stalag III-C]], [[Stalag VIII-C]] and [[Stalag Luft III]] major [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|German prisoner-of-war camps]] for Polish, [[French prisoners of war in World War II|French]], British, Belgian, Canadian, Serbian, [[Italian Military Internees|Italian]], American, Australian, New Zealander, Soviet, Norwegian, Czech, Slovak, South African, Dutch, Greek, Yugoslav, [[Senegalese Tirailleurs|Senegalese]], Algerian and Moroccan POWs were operated in the territory. The latter was the site of the "Great Escape" in 1944. There are museums at the site of the camps in [[Dobiegniew]] and [[Żagań]], and a memorial to the victims of the [[Stalag Luft III murders]] in Żagań.<ref name=lpd43>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Lubuskie po drodze. Świat militariów i fortyfikacji|language=pl|location=Zielona Góra|pages=43, 51|isbn=978-83-8009-168-9}}</ref> Particularly infamous camps in the region were the Oderblick [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|labor]] education camp in [[Świecko]] and the [[Sonnenburg concentration camp]] in [[Słońsk]], in which Polish, Belgian, French, Bulgarian, Dutch, Yugoslav, Russian, Italian, Ukrainian, Luxembourgish, Danish, Norwegian, Czech, Slovak and other prisoners were held, and many died.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://poszukiwania.ipn.gov.pl/bbp/aktualnosci/13596,Swiecko-Lager-Schwetig-Odnaleziono-szczatki-21-osob.html|title=Świecko (Lager Schwetig): Odnaleziono szczątki 21 osób|website=Instytut Pamięci Narodowej|access-date=17 May 2024|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dzieje.pl/aktualnosci/slonsk-73-rocznica-zaglady-wiezniow-niemieckiego-obozu-sonnenburg|title=Słońsk: 73. rocznica zagłady więźniów niemieckiego obozu Sonnenburg|website=dzieje.pl|access-date=17 May 2024|language=pl}}</ref> There were also eleven [[List of subcamps of Gross-Rosen|subcamps]] of the [[Gross-Rosen concentration camp]] and a subcamp of the [[Sachsenhausen concentration camp]], in which mostly Jewish and Polish, but also French, Russian, Czech, Italian, Greek, Yugoslav, Dutch, Romanian, Hungarian, Lithuanian and German prisoners were held.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Toczewski|first=Andrzej|year=2017|title=Filie obozów koncentracyjnych na Środkowym Nadodrzu|journal=Ziemia Lubuska|location=Zielona Góra|language=pl|volume=3|pages=93–126|issn=2450-3355}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.gross-rosen.eu/historia-kl-gross-rosen/filie-obozu-gross-rosen/|title=Subcamps of KL Gross- Rosen|website=Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoźnica|access-date=17 May 2024}}</ref> [[Międzyrzecz|Obrzyce]] was the place of ''[[Aktion T4]]'' murders of mentally ill and disabled people. The region was the site of fierce fighting during the war in 1945. During the liberation of the Stalag III-C camp, Soviet troops killed some American POWs mistaking them for enemy troops.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Megargee|first1=Geoffrey P.|last2=Overmans|first2=Rüdiger|last3=Vogt|first3=Wolfgang|year=2022|title=The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV|publisher=Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|pages=408–409|isbn=978-0-253-06089-1}}</ref> On 18 March 1945, the Germans shot down an American bomber near [[Bucze, Świebodzin County|Bucze]].<ref name=lpd>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Lubuskie po drodze. Świat militariów i fortyfikacji|language=pl|location=Zielona Góra|page=54|isbn=978-83-8009-168-9}}</ref>

[[File:Załoga strażnicy WOP Olszyna (05).jpg|thumb|Polish [[Border Protection Troops]] in [[Olszyna, Lubusz Voivodeship|Olszyna]] in 1969]]
Under the terms laid down by [[Joseph Stalin]] in the [[Potsdam Agreement]], the borders of Poland and Germany were redrawn and the area of the Lubusz Voivodeship fell within the new borders of Poland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Potsdam Conference, 1945 |url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/potsdam-conf |website=United States Office of The Historian}}</ref><ref>https://www.nato.int/ebookshop/video/declassified/doc_files/potsdam%20agreement.pdf Potsdam Agreement Protocol of the Proceedings, August l, 1945</ref>

In 1998, [[Cabinet of Jerzy Buzek|the government]] of [[Jerzy Buzek]] decided to introduce an [[Administrative divisions of Poland|administrative reform]], with its principles including the restoration of counties and a steep reduction in the number of voivodeships. A general consensus existed among scholars that the local administration exercised through the [[Voivodeships of Poland (1975–1998)|49 existing voivodeships established in 1975]] was inefficient, anachronistic, impractical, detrimental to maintaining regional identity, and untenable. However, the reform draft accepted by the government surprised the public and caused widespread outcry, as its authors foresaw creation of only 12 large voivodships, thus going much further than the widely expected reconstitution of the 17 voivodeships existing prior to the [[Voivodeships of Poland (1975–1998)|1975 reform]]. As a consequence, the original draft made no provision for a separate Lubusz voivodeship – Gorzów was to become along with [[Kostrzyn, Greater Poland Voivodeship|Kostrzyn]], [[Strzelce Krajeńskie]] and [[Drezdenko]] a part of [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]], Zielona Góra was to be included along with Krosno, Nowa Sól, Żagań, Gubin and Żary in the [[Lower Silesian Voivodeship]], while a narrow horizontal strip encompassing  [[Międzyrzecz]], [[Sulęcin]], [[Świebodzin]], [[Słubice]] and [[Sulechów]] was to be assigned to the [[Greater Poland Voivodeship]] as a bizarre sort-of corridor to the German border. However, mass protests broke out as a result in the cities such as Bydgoszcz, Koszalin, Opole or Kielce. Many of the people opposing the draft reform initially demanded retaining as many as 25 voivodeships (including the 2 ones seated in Gorzów and Zielona Góra), a number nevertheless widely regarded as a demand intentionally excessive to serve as an initial negotiating bargain, actually aiming to restore the 17 voivodeships existing prior to 1975 as an ultimate compromise. As Poland was at the time governed under political cohabitation, the opposition party constituting the political background of the President decided to capitalize on the popular discontent which erupted against the government on an unanticipated scale; the most obvious mean readily available for the opposition was a presidential veto, which in fact ensued. In order to salvage the reform from being killed altogether, the government was, in the face of lacking the supermajority required to overturn the veto at the time, forced to reconsider the original shape of the reform and to reconcile it with the reservations of the President and his political background, with the result of a compromise adjustment increasing the number of voivodeships to 16, with Lubusz Voivodeship included among the four additional ones created according to the agreement.

The path leading to such and outcome was far from smooth. The government made an effort to highlight and exploit the decades-long animosity between the approximately same-size two principal cities, spreading scare against its inevitable re-ignition and explosion in any of these two cities after designating the other one as the voivodeship capital, and hoping to use the engineered scare as the main argument in the ongoing discussions against creating the Lubusz voivodeship, The animosity, existing indeed between the cities, has been historically rooted in a widespread perception among Gorzów inhabitants that the 1950 decision to designate Zielona Góra as the voivodeship capital instead of their larger and more populous city, was taken by the anticlerical communist government due to a hidden motivation of punishing Gorzów for becoming the see of the newly established Roman Catholic [[apostolic administration]] governing the majority of the [[Recovered Territories]], with the ensuing discrimination of the city by the voivodeship authorities in the years 1950–1975 in terms of establishing any new public cultural and educational institutions, other public investments or public funds allocations, in vivid contrast to the unjust favoring of their own seat, the city of Zielona Góra; a sentiment reinforced further by the surprise relocation of the see of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Gorzów]] to Zielona Góra in 1992, renamed as a result the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Zielona Góra-Gorzów]], and finally and perhaps most importantly, by the historical, perpetual and almost sacred rivalry between the [[Speedway in Poland|motorcycle speedway]] clubs located in both cities. The objective of the local elites in Zielona Góra was in turn to become a single capital centre, reverting to the situation before 1975, while any prospect of sharing the governing institutions was for a long time treated with their hostility. In spite of that, the looming threat of a "everybody lose" scenario set to materialize in case of a possible implementation of the original reform draft, paved the way for neutralizing this argument through forcing both rival sides into the breakthrough reconciliation accord known as the Paradyż Agreement, brokered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Zielona Góra-Gorzów and formalized in a document signed during a highly publicized local summit in the [[Gościkowo|Gościkowo-Paradyż Abbey]] on 13 March 1998. This compromise agreement, was negotiated and concluded between the delegations of both rival cities, composed of the respectively aligned most powerful local and national scene politicians and business people, with its most important provision being the unusual arrangement to divide and distribute the governing institutions of the voivodeship more or less equally between the two cities. On the basis of this broadly supported agreement, an effective public pressure endorsed jointly by the two centers was successfully exerted on the central government which ultimately acquiesced to the demand of establishing Lubusz Voivodeship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lzg24.pl/artykul/aktualnosci/warto-bylo-oni-tworzyli-nasze-wojewodztwo|title=Warto było? Oni tworzyli nasze województwo &#124; Łącznik Zielonogórski|website=www.lzg24.pl}}</ref> 
[[File:Czołg T-72 w tle koszar gen. broni Zygmunta Sadowskiego w Żaganiu.JPG|thumb|[[Polish Land Forces]] barracks in [[Żagań]]]]

Nevertheless, creating any new type of public institution at voivodeship level in Poland continues to ignite almost automatically a fierce battle in the Lubusz Voivodeship regarding the seat of the institution. There have also been numerous attempts to relocate some of the existing public institutions under various pretexts from one city to another, in some cases successful, as well as of merging a pair of equal institutions of a type existing in both cities, in order to make one of them a branch of the other,  with obscure or no justification in most cases for such merger. Nevertheless, a general local majority consensus prevails that the compromise, although unsatisfactory for any of the two cities, spared both of them the fate of a number of cities which lost in 1999 entirely the status of a voivodeship capital and all voivodeship-level institutions, along with the associated attractiveness and prestige of the city as a place to live, crucial for its growth, with the ensuing profoundly detrimental phenomena.

==Geography==
The Lubusz Voivodeship is a land of forests and lakes; forests cover 48% of the area. The river [[Oder]], flowing through the voivodeship, is one of the few large European rivers retaining [[Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests|broadleaved]] and [[Riparian forest|riparian forests]]. Areas with the highest natural values are protected as national parks ([[Drawa National Park]] and [[Warta Mouth National Park]]), [[landscape park (protected area)|landscape parks]] and [[Nature reserve|wildlife reserves]]. The 19th century [[Muskau Park]], located on both sides of the [[Germany–Poland border|Polish–German border]], has entered the [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage List]]. The voivodeship abounds in lakes, especially in its central and northern parts; around those lakes numerous bathing resorts, holiday centres and farms offering tourist services have been established.<ref>{{cite book|title= Polska — Rozwój Regionów |date=2010 |author=Związek Województw Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Union of the Voivodeships of the Republic of Poland)}}</ref>

==Cuisine==
The voivodeship, especially its northern part, is a notable for production of honey, with several varieties listed as [[traditional food]]s by the [[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Poland)|Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland]], and the Saint Michael's Honey Fair held annually in Gorzów Wielkopolski.

The southern part of the voivodeship with [[Zielona Góra]] is one of the leading [[winemaking]] regions of Poland, and other traditional beverages from the voivodeship are [[Beer in Poland|beer]], [[mead]], [[nalewka|nalewki]] and [[vodka]].

Various types of traditional Polish [[kiełbasa]], also designated as traditional foods by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland, are produced in the [[Nowa Sól County|Nowa Sól]], [[Wschowa County|Wschowa]], [[Zielona Góra County|Zielona Góra]], [[Żagań County|Żagań]] and [[Żary County|Żary]] counties in the southern part of the Lubusz Voivodeship, whereas [[Siedlisko, Nowa Sól County]] produces a variety of traditional cheeses and [[quark]]s.

==Cities and towns==
[[File:Deptak Zielona Góra.jpg|thumb|[[Zielona Góra]] is the seat of the provincial assembly]]
[[File:Gorzów Wlkp.estakada kolejowa i bulwary.JPG|thumb|[[Gorzów Wielkopolski]] is the seat of the voivodeship governor]]
[[File:Ns rynek.jpg|thumb|[[Nowa Sól]] is part of historic [[Lower Silesia]]]]
[[File:Swiebodzin (9662661400).jpg|thumb|[[Świebodzin]]]]
{{historical populations|1988|982684|2002|1008954|2011|1022843|2021|991213|align=right|cols=1|source=<ref>{{cite web |title=Statistics Poland - National Censuses|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/podgrup/temat/}}</ref>}}The voivodeship contains 3 cities and 40 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (as of 2021):<ref name=pop/>
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
'''Cities (governed by a city mayor or ''prezydent miasta''):'''
# [[Zielona Góra]] (140,708)
# [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]] (121,714)
# [[Nowa Sól]] (37,931)

'''Towns:'''
# [[Żary]] (36,783)
# [[Żagań]] (25,110)
# [[Świebodzin]] (21,428)
# [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą]] (17,656)
# [[Międzyrzecz]] (17,580)
# [[Słubice]] (16,510)
# [[Sulechów]] (16,477)
# [[Gubin, Poland|Gubin]] (16,427)
# [[Lubsko]] (13,647)
# [[Wschowa]] (13,635)
# [[Szprotawa]] (11,447)
# [[Krosno Odrzańskie]] (11,079)
# [[Sulęcin]] (9,930)
# [[Drezdenko]] (9,883)
# [[Strzelce Krajeńskie]] (9,771)
# [[Skwierzyna]] (9,412)
# [[Kożuchów]] (9,231)
# [[Witnica]] (6,640)
# [[Rzepin]] (6,454)
# [[Nowogród Bobrzański]] (5,033)
# [[Zbąszynek]] (4,980)
# [[Sława]] (4,242)
# [[Bytom Odrzański]] (4,219)
# [[Jasień, Lubusz Voivodeship|Jasień]] (4,188)
# [[Czerwieńsk]] (3,911)
# [[Ośno Lubuskie]] (3,884)
# [[Babimost]] (3,859)
# [[Iłowa]] (3,831)
# [[Kargowa]] (3,762)
# [[Małomice]] (3,499)
# [[Dobiegniew]] (3,011)
# [[Gozdnica]] (2,941)
# [[Cybinka]] (2,764)
# [[Nowe Miasteczko]] (2,710)
# [[Torzym]] (2,521)
# [[Łęknica]] (2,382)
# [[Trzciel]] (2,330)
# [[Lubniewice]] (2,078)
# [[Otyń]] (1,657)
# [[Szlichtyngowa]] (1,268)
# [[Brody, Żary County|Brody]]
}}

==Administrative division==
Lubusz Voivodeship is divided into 14 counties ([[powiat]]s): 2 city counties and 12 land counties. These are further divided into 82 [[gmina]]s.

The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
|-bgcolor="D0D8DD"
| align="center"|'''English and<br /> Polish names'''
| align="center"|'''Area<br /> <small>(km<sup>2</sup>)</small>'''
| align="center"|'''Population<br /> <small>(2019)</small>'''
| align="center"|'''Seat'''
| width="30%" align="center"|'''Other towns'''
| align="center"|'''Total<br /> [[gmina]]s'''
|-bgcolor="F0F8FF"
|colspan=6|'''[[City with powiat rights|Cities with powiat rights]]'''
|-
| [[Zielona Góra]]
| align="right"|279
| align="right"|140,871
| colspan=2 |
| align="center"|1
|-
| [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]]
| align="right"|86
| align="right"|123,691
| colspan=2 |
| align="center"|1
|-bgcolor="F0F8FF"
|colspan=6|'''Land counties'''
|-
|[[Żary County]]<br /> powiat żarski
| align="right"| 1,393
| align="right"|96,496
|[[Żary]]
|[[Lubsko]], [[Jasień, Lubusz Voivodeship|Jasień]], [[Łęknica]], [[Brody, Żary County|Brody]]
| align="center"|10
|-
|[[Nowa Sól County]]<br /> powiat nowosolski
| align="right"| 771
| align="right"|86,284
|[[Nowa Sól]]
|[[Kożuchów]], [[Bytom Odrzański]], [[Nowe Miasteczko]]
| align="center"|8
|-
|[[Żagań County]]<br /> powiat żagański
| align="right"| 1,131
| align="right"|79,297
|[[Żagań]]
|[[Szprotawa]], [[Iłowa]], [[Małomice]], [[Gozdnica]]
| align="center"|9
|-
|[[Zielona Góra County]]<br /> powiat zielonogórski
| align="right"| 1,350
| align="right"|75,626
|[[Zielona Góra]]*
|[[Sulechów]], [[Nowogród Bobrzański]], [[Babimost]], [[Czerwieńsk]], [[Kargowa]]
| align="center"|9
|-
|[[Gorzów County]]<br /> powiat gorzowski
| align="right"| 1,213
| align="right"|71,669
|[[Gorzów Wielkopolski]]*
|[[Kostrzyn nad Odrą]], [[Witnica]]
| align="center"|7
|-
|[[Międzyrzecz County]]<br /> powiat międzyrzecki
| align="right"| 1,388
| align="right"|57,851
|[[Międzyrzecz]]
|[[Skwierzyna]], [[Trzciel]]
| align="center"|6
|-
|[[Świebodzin County]]<br /> powiat świebodziński
| align="right"| 937
| align="right"|55,753
|[[Świebodzin]]
|[[Zbąszynek]]
| align="center"|6
|-
|[[Krosno Odrzańskie County]]<br /> powiat krośnieński
| align="right"| 1,390
| align="right"|55,018
|[[Krosno Odrzańskie]]
|[[Gubin, Poland|Gubin]]
| align="center"|7
|-
|[[Strzelce-Drezdenko County]]<br /> powiat strzelecko-drezdenecki
| align="right"| 1,248
| align="right"|49,156
|[[Strzelce Krajeńskie]]
|[[Drezdenko]], [[Dobiegniew]]
| align="center"|5
|-
|[[Słubice County]]<br /> powiat słubicki
| align="right"| 1,000
| align="right"|47,018
|[[Słubice]]
|[[Rzepin]], [[Ośno Lubuskie]], [[Cybinka]]
| align="center"|5
|-
|[[Wschowa County]]<br /> powiat wschowski
| align="right"| 625
| align="right"|38,960
|[[Wschowa]]
|[[Sława]], [[Szlichtyngowa]]
| align="center"|3
|-
|[[Sulęcin County]]<br /> powiat sulęciński
| align="right"| 1,177
| align="right"|35,238
|[[Sulęcin]]
|[[Torzym]], [[Lubniewice]]
| align="center"|5
|-bgcolor="F0F8FF"
|colspan=6 style="text-align:center;font-size:90%"|* seat not part of the county
|-
|}

==Economy==
The [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the province was 10.8 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 2.2% of Polish economic output. The GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 17,600 euros or 58% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 67% of the EU average.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58|title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018|website=Eurostat}}</ref>

[[image:4770 Lubusz Voivodeship July 2019.JPG|thumb|[[A2 autostrada (Poland)|A2 autostrada]] with view towards west in the Voivodeship]]
==Transport==
The sole airport in the voivodeship is the [[Zielona Góra Airport]]. The [[A2 autostrada (Poland)|A2]], [[A18 autostrada (Poland)|A18]] and [[Expressway S3 (Poland)|S3]] highways pass through the province.

==Protected areas==
[[File:Drawienski Park Narodowy - jezioro Ostrowieckie 1.jpg|thumb|[[Drawa National Park]]]]
[[File:Potok Sucha (Zespół Przyrodniczo-Krajobrazowy w Gminie Szprotawa).jpg|thumb|Potok Sucha, a protected nature reserve in the [[Gmina Szprotawa|Szprotawa Commune]]]]
[[Protected area]]s in Lubusz Voivodeship include two [[national park]]s and eight [[landscape park (protected area)|landscape parks]]. These are listed below.
*[[Drawa National Park]] (partly in [[Greater Poland Voivodeship|Greater Poland]] and [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]]s)
*[[Warta Mouth National Park]]
*[[Warta Mouth Landscape Park]] (partly in West Pomeranian Voivodeship)
*[[Barlinek-Gorzów Landscape Park]] (partly in West Pomeranian Voivodeship)
*[[Gryżyna Landscape Park]]
*[[Krzesin Landscape Park]]
*[[Łagów Landscape Park]]
*[[Muskau Bend Landscape Park]] ([[List of World Heritage Sites of Poland|UNESCO World Heritage Site]])
*[[Przemęt Landscape Park]] (partly in Greater Poland Voivodeship)
*[[Pszczew Landscape Park]] (partly in Greater Poland Voivodeship)

==Sights and tourism==
There are six [[List of Historic Monuments (Poland)|Historic Monuments of Poland]] and one [[World Heritage Site]] in the voivodeship:
*[[Muskau Park]] in [[Łęknica]] (listed as both)<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 14 kwietnia 2004 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii|year=2004|volume=102|number=1059}}</ref>
*Former Cistercian abbey in [[Gościkowo]]<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 22 listopada 2017 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Gościkowo-Paradyż - pocysterski zespół klasztorny"|year=2017|number=2256}}</ref>
*Church of the Visitation of Mary in [[Klępsk]]<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 15 marca 2017 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Klępsk - kościół pod wezwaniem Nawiedzenia Najświętszej Maryi Panny"|year=2017|number=688}}</ref>
*Former Augustinian Abbey and [[Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Żagań]], one of the burial sites of the Piast dynasty<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 28 lutego 2011 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Żagań - poaugustiański zespół klasztorny"|year=2011|volume=54|number=280}}</ref>
*[[Międzyrzecz Castle|Piast Royal Castle]] in [[Międzyrzecz]]<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 13 listopada 2024 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Międzyrzecz - zamek piastowski z zespołem dworsko-parkowym"|year=2024|number=1677}}</ref>
*Sanctuary of Our Lady of Rokitno in [[Rokitno, Międzyrzecz County|Rokitno]]<ref>{{Cite Polish law|title=Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 20 listopada 2024 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Rokitno - Sanktuarium Matki Bożej Rokitniańskiej"|year=2024|number=1734}}</ref>

Furthermore, there are several preserved old towns with historic town halls and market squares (i.e. [[Zielona Góra]], [[Wschowa]], [[Świebodzin]] and [[Bytom Odrzański]]). Of the historic town halls, the one in [[Kargowa]] was the site of an armed defense against the annexation by Prussia in the [[Second Partition of Poland]] in 1793. Several towns contain entirely or partly preserved medieval town walls with towers and gates, i.e. [[Kożuchów]], [[Strzelce Krajeńskie]], [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]],<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Lubuskie po drodze. Świat militariów i fortyfikacji|language=pl|location=Zielona Góra|pages=14, 18, 21|isbn=978-83-8009-168-9}}</ref> Wschowa. There are multiple castles, including Piast Royal and Ducal castles in [[Krosno Odrzańskie]], [[Kożuchów]], [[Międzyrzecz]] and [[Żagań]]. There are also numerous palaces, including at [[Brody, Żary County|Brody]], [[Dąbrówka Wielkopolska]], [[Glisno, Gmina Lubniewice|Glisno]], [[Jędrzychowice, Wschowa County|Jędrzychowice]], [[Kalsk]], [[Mierzęcin, Lubusz Voivodeship|Mierzęcin]], [[Trzebiechów, Zielona Góra County|Trzebiechów]], [[Żary]]. The village of [[Łagów, Świebodzin County|Łagów]], which hosted the [[Knights Templar]] and the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]] in the past, contains the [[Łagów Castle|Castle of the Order of St. John]], and several other medieval structures. [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą]] and its surroundings contain fortifications of the Kostrzyn Fortress with Fort Sarbinowo, which housed a [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War I|German strict regime prisoner-of-war camp]] for [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] officers during [[World War I]], considered the only German WWI POW camp from which no one managed to escape.<ref>{{cite book|last=Orłow|first=Aleksander|editor-last1=Mykietów|editor-first1=Bogusław|editor-last2=Bryll|editor-first2=Wolfgang Damian|editor-last3=Tureczek|editor-first3=Marceli|year=2011|title=Forty. Jeńcy. Monety. Pasjonaci o Twierdzy Kostrzyn|language=pl|location=Zielona Góra|publisher=Księgarnia Akademicka|pages=18, 21, 27|chapter=Oficerski obóz jeniecki twierdzy Kostrzyn nad Odrą 1914−1918}}</ref>

Major museums dedicated to the history of the region are located in Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra. There are museums dedicated to [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] prisoners of war at the former [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|German POW camps]] in [[Dobiegniew]] and Żagań.<ref name=lpd43/> In Żagań, there is a memorial to the victims of the [[Stalag Luft III murders]] of Allied POWs, perpetrated by Nazi Germany in World War II. There are multiple other memorials to victims of Nazi Germany in the region. In [[Bucze, Świebodzin County|Bucze]] there is a memorial to American airmen shot down by the Germans in 1945.<ref name=lpd/> The garrison town of Żagań hosts Poland's oldest monument of [[Wojtek (bear)|Wojtek]], the soldier bear of the [[II Corps (Poland)|Polish II Corps]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://urzadmiasta.zagan.pl/2013/06/19/niedzwiedz-wojtek-zamieszkal-w-zaganiu/|title=Niedźwiedź Wojtek zamieszkał w Żaganiu|website=Urząd Miasta Żagań|access-date=1 June 2024|language=pl}}</ref>

[[Kuna (icebreaker)|''Kuna'']], the world's oldest in service [[river icebreaker]], is docked in the river port of Gorzów Wielkopolski and is open to the public as a [[museum ship]].<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Lubuskie po drodze. Świat militariów i fortyfikacji|language=pl|location=Zielona Góra|page=11|isbn=978-83-8009-168-9}}</ref>

One of the world's tallest Christ statues, the [[Christ the King Statue, Świebodzin|Christ the King Statue]] is located in [[Świebodzin]], whereas [[Słubice]] hosts the [[Wikipedia Monument]].

<gallery>
2023-08 Park Mużakowski (1).jpg|Muskau Park in [[Łęknica]]
Gościkowo, Zielonogórsko-Gorzowskie Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne w Gościkowie-Paradyżu - zespół klasztorny - fotopolska.eu (240987).jpg|Former Cistercian abbey in [[Gościkowo]]
Klępsk - widok z empory połudn. na północna stronę kościoła..jpg|Church of the Visitation of Mary in [[Klępsk]]
Stary Rynek ZG.jpg|Market Square in [[Zielona Góra]]
Kamieniczki nr 3 i 4, Rynek, Bytom Odrzański.jpg|Old townhouses at the [[Bytom Odrzański]] market square
Strzelce Krajeńskie, mury obronne (17).jpg|Medieval town walls of [[Strzelce Krajeńskie]]
Międzyrzecz. Zamek XIV - XVI w. (13).jpg|[[Międzyrzecz Castle|Royal Castle]] in [[Międzyrzecz]]
2018 Zamek joannitów w Łagowie 6.jpg|[[Łagów Castle|Castle of the Order of St. John]] in [[Łagów, Świebodzin County|Łagów]]
Willa Schroedera 04.JPG|Museum of Ancient Art in [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]]
PL Küstrin Kietzer Tor.JPG|Kostrzyn Fortress in [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą]]
MOs810 WG 2015 22 (Notecka III) (Dobiegniew, Woldenberg Offlag Museum).JPG|Museum at the former [[Oflag II-C]] POW camp in [[Dobiegniew]]
The50Memorial.jpg|[[Stalag Luft III murders]] victims memorial in [[Żagań]]
</gallery>

==Sports==
[[File:Stadion Jancarza BN.jpg|thumb|2017 [[Speedway Grand Prix of Poland]] at the [[Edward Jancarz Stadium]] in [[Gorzów Wielkopolski]]]]
[[Motorcycle speedway]] enjoys a large following in the province with the [[Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski]] and [[Falubaz Zielona Góra]] clubs being among the most accomplished in the sport in the country. The teams contest the Lubusz Voivodeship Derby, one of the fiercest speedway rivalries.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:90%"
|-
|+ Professional sports teams
|-
!Club
!Sport
!League
!Trophies
|-
|[[Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski]]
|Speedway
|[[Ekstraliga (speedway)|Ekstraliga]]
|9 Polish Championships
|-
|[[Falubaz Zielona Góra]]
|Speedway
|[[Ekstraliga (speedway)|Ekstraliga]]
|7 Polish Championships
|-
|[[Zastal Zielona Góra]]
|[[Basketball]] (men's)
|[[Polish Basketball League]]
|5 Polish Championships<br>3 [[Polish Basketball Cup|Polish Cups]] ([[2015 Polish Basketball Cup|2015]], [[2017 Polish Basketball Cup|2017]], [[2021 Polish Basketball Cup|2021]])
|-
|[[AZS AJP Gorzów Wielkopolski]]
|[[Basketball]] (women's)
|[[Basket Liga Kobiet]]
|1 Polish Cup (2025)
|-
|[[Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski]]
|[[Handball]] (men's)
|Liga Centralna (2nd tier)
|0
|-
|[[Cuprum Stilon Gorzów]]
|[[Volleyball]] (men's)
|[[PlusLiga]]
|0
|-
|[[Astra Nowa Sól]]
|[[Volleyball]] (men's)
|I liga (2nd tier)
|0
|-
|[[Olimpia Sulęcin]]
|[[Volleyball]] (men's)
|I liga (2nd tier)
|0
|}

==See also==
*[[List of German exonyms in the Lubusz Voivodeship]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://poland.gov.pl/Mieszko,I,and,Boleslaw,Chrobry,(Boleslaus,the,Brave),326.html Polish Government Link, Lands conquered by Mieszko I and Boleslaw I ]
*[http://www.lubuskie.pl Official website of Lubusz Voivodeship]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150315070242/http://www.wrotalubuskie.eu/ - Tourism in Lubuskie] - TURYSTYKA

{{Geographic location
| Northwest = 
| North     = {{flag|West Pomeranian Voivodeship}}
| Northeast = 
| West      = {{flag|Brandenburg}}, {{flag|Germany}}
| Centre    = {{flag|Lubusz Voivodeship}}
| East      = {{flag|Greater Poland Voivodeship}}
| Southwest = {{flag|Saxony}}, {{flag|Germany}}
| South     = {{flag|Lower Silesian Voivodeship}}
| Southeast = 
}}
{{Lubusz Voivodeship}}
{{Voivodeships of Poland}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord|52|11|43|N|15|20|51|E|region:PL-LB_type:adm1st|display=title}}

[[Category:Lubusz Voivodeship| ]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1999]]