On 29 April 2026, the agenda of the 25th session of the Bolesławiec City Council included, among other things, a report by the Mayor on the most important actions taken between sessions. In his address, Mayor Piotr Roman drew attention to an initiative of nationwide significance—the establishment of the National Association of Inner Cities. City Hall: — This is a response to the challenges faced by cities operating within a specific administrative arrangement known as “ring municipalities”—cities surrounded by rural municipalities. The initiative was launched by the mayor of Sochaczew, who invited the heads of similar local governments throughout Poland to cooperate.
The Mayor of Bolesławiec stressed that the city is following the initiative with interest, seeing it as an opportunity to genuinely strengthen the position of centres such as Bolesławiec. In this context, he presented the councillors with a detailed overview of the mutual benefits of merging the urban and rural municipalities of Bolesławiec—a solution that could bring tangible organisational, financial and social benefits.
City Hall:
Today, the municipality of Bolesławiec covers 22.84 km² and has 36,800 residents (as of the end of 2024), giving it a high population density of approximately 1,611 people per km². The rural municipality of Bolesławiec, by contrast, covers as much as 289.08 km² and is inhabited by 14,976 people, with a considerably lower density of around 52 residents per km². These proportions clearly show the differences in the structures of the two units, but also their potential to complement each other.
As the Mayor noted, a merger would mean, among other things, lower management costs. Reducing the number of the highest-paid positions would help cut administrative expenses. He also pointed to costs resulting from duplicated offices, including the operation of two councils with a total of 36 councillors. The cost of maintaining these structures alone exceeds PLN 1 million per year. A shared administration would also mean better use of staff and infrastructure.
Office:
Public transport is an important part of the integration. The first step would be to restore the situation from before 2018 and introduce free public transport throughout the future urban-rural municipality. At present, extending free rides to nearby localities—including Kruszyn, Łaziska, Otok, Bożejowice, Dobra, Brzeźnik, Łąka and Bolesławice—would cost approximately PLN 3.5 million per year.
He added:
Educational benefits would also be significant: students could attend schools closest to their homes, regardless of the current administrative boundaries. This would be a more flexible solution, better suited to residents’ actual needs.
The Mayor of Bolesławiec also pointed to financial mechanisms supporting such processes. One of them is the so-called merger bonus—increased participation in personal income tax revenue for five years, meaning higher income for the newly created unit.
The benefits for residents would also include the development of the Bolesławiec Resident Card—a system of discounts and benefits covering, among other things, the thermal baths, outdoor pools, ice rink, BPW “Orka”, use of the Municipal Stadium, the Museum of Ceramics, the Knowledge Centre, the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre and more. Standardising the rules would allow all residents to use the city’s services on equal terms. The same would apply to the paid parking zone, with preferential rates and subscriptions for residents of the entire municipality.
The authorities of the City of Bolesławiec argue:
It is worth emphasising that even today, despite the formal division, many areas operate jointly. These include the Water Supply and Sewage Company, the Spatial Information System, the Civil Registry Office, the Citizens’ Affairs Department—including the issuing of identity cards—the Local Passport Office, the shelter for homeless men, and ZIT ZOF—the Integrated Territorial Investments of the Western Functional Area.
Social and cultural institutions in Bolesławiec also serve residents of the rural municipality, often without additional funding. These include the library (approximately 25–30% of readers are residents of the rural municipality), the 1st Community Self-Help Centre, the 2nd Community Self-Help Centre, and the Social Welfare Home (approximately 12% of residents staying there are from the rural municipality).
A similar situation exists in waste management. Although there is a joint Municipal Waste Disposal Facility in Trzebień, collection and sorting systems remain separate. A merger would mean standardising them and improving efficiency.
As the Mayor concluded, one shared municipality would primarily mean balanced development and rational management—from road infrastructure, spatial and environmental management, to investment and promotional policy. It would also mean greater cohesion in crisis response and an increase in land values.
What do you think? We invite you to join the discussion.