Plock, Poland

Country Information

Capital: Warsaw
Area: 312,685 sq km
Population: 38.5 million
Population growth rate: 0.03%
Median age: 36 years (total), 34 years (men), 38 years (women)
Life expectancy: 74 years (total), 70 years (men), 78 years (women)
GDP - purchasing power parity: US$463 billion
GDP - per capita: US$12,000
Industries: machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles

City Information

Płock is a city in central Poland, located on the Vistula river bank, with 130 thousand inhabitants. The city is situated about 100 km from Warsaw in the north-west direction. Amongst other bigger cities surrounding Płock: Łódź (approximately 110 km), Bydgoszcz (app. 175 km) are worth mentioning. The city is set on the banks of the longest river in Poland – Vistula, and on the grounds of the Mazovian Lowland, which dominate the central part of the country.  The climate is continental. Warsaw with its surrounding cities (so called Warsaw agglomeration) plays a dominant role in the region.

Płock owes its development mostly thanks to the building of a huge petrochemical plant after the war, when the government in 1959 decided to place the plant on the grounds surrounding the city. Enough said that the population of Płock tripled in the period of 45 years (1960–2005) from 43 000 to 130 000 inhabitants. Płock of those days was the destination of migration for work. It has to be mentioned that Płock has a rich history, it is one of the oldest cities in Poland (its civic rights are amongst the earliest in Poland and are dated to 1237).

It was as early as 1009 when Benedictine monks settled in the city of Płock, what is more the city was the capital of Poland at the turn of 11th and 12th century (such rulers as Bolesław Krzywousty and Władysław Herman had their seats in the city, their remains are buried in the cathedral tombs), Marshal Małachowski High School, the oldest school in Poland (founded in 1180) is also situated here. The Middle Ages was the priod of constant wars rumbling over Polish grounds. During the period of Poland Partitions the city got under Prussian rule, while during Nazi occupation its name was changed to Schrottersburg. Post-war years are a period of the reconstruction of the city: apart from locating the petrochemical plant in the city premises, a river shipyard, a zoological park, new hospitals, housing estates, institutions of higher education, workshops, community centers (museums, theaters and amphitheater) have been built here.

Płock is a city of the parliamentary democracy status, which assumes the three-level division of the powers on the domestic level, that is legislative power in the hands of the bicameral Sejm and Senate; the executive power represented by the President and the Prime Minister leading the Council of Ministers,the judicial power (courts). The Constitution determines the character of the state system. Since 1999 Poland is divided into 16 provinces so called “voivodships”, the capital of the one Płock is located in is Warsaw. Płock has the statute of a powiat (city district). The authority on local level is based around City Council. The executive power is held by the Mayor of the City (elected for a 5-year-long term in the office) and is implemented with the use of resolutions of the City Council.

Last election to the City Council was won by the right-wing party (Law and Justice), which followed in bringing 8 councilors to the City Hall, the next party was Left and Democrats with 6 members, Civic Platform with 5 ones, Our City Płock in the number of 4 and Polish People’s Party with 2. Taking into consideration the national scale, the proportions were completely different: Civic Platform won getting the 41.5% of voices, next Law and Justice with the 32%, Left and Democrats at the level of 13% and Polish Folk Fraction with 9%.

Other influential non-municipal institutions we could include: associations, foundations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as trade unions.

Related Project(s)

• The Grant Fund for Plock