The year 2007 marks the 140th anniversary of the first local elections in Rzeszów and the entire Region of Galicja of that time. The elections constituted a real beginning of the local government in Polish territories.
On 23 January 1867, the administrative reform was effected in Galicja. The existing division (into eastern and western Galicja) and the structure of local government authorities were abandoned. Small administrative and judicial poviats were removed and they remained operational as judicial districts. Instead of that, the former Rzeszów District was divided into ne poviats, among them, Rzeszów, Ropczyce, Kolbuszowa and Nisko.
The reform entered into force a month later, on 28 February 1867. It was preceded by elections to the autonomous Town Council. 30 councillors and 15 their deputies were elected for a 3-year term of office.

The capital city of the Podkarpackie Province will commemorate this momentous jubilee in order to promote the idea of local government in the city and the region. On Monday, 23 April 2007, a ceremonial session of the Town Council of Rzeszów will be staged to accompany a scientific session and the exhibition of documents and historical photographs related to local governance in Rzeszów. Moreover, an occasional book entitled 140 years of Local Government in the City of Rzeszów featuring, among others, papers presented at the session, photographs and documents, will be published. Włodzimierz Bonusiak, Ph.D., the Rector of the University of Rzeszów, who is also a reviewer of the occasional publication, has assumed scientific patronage over the session. All participants of the jubilee celebrations will receive the publication, and its copies will be also passed to all universities and colleges in Rzeszów, high schools, scientific and municipal libraries of Rzeszów and neighboring towns: Tyczyn, Głogów, Sokołów Małopolski and Błażowa. Two copies will also be sent to: the Ossolineum Publishing House in Wrocław and the library of the Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland.
The celebrations will commence at 01:00 p.m. with the Holy Mass at a parish church. At 04:00 p.m., a ceremonial session of the Town Council of Rzeszów will start at Wanda Siemaszkowa Theater and will be followed by the scientific session. At 06:30 p.m., at the theater's foyer an exhibition entitled Local governments, terms of office, elections - 140years of the Local Government in the City of Rzeszów will be opened.

Rzeszów - Golden Formats Winner!

The capital of Podkarpackie Province has won the main award of Golden Formats, Polish Cities' Promotion Festival. Rzeszów has won the first place in the ‘promotional publication' category for a calendar featuring local legends, which was published on the order and under the supervision of the Town Hall. The calendar was prepared based on the book by Marek Czarnota entitled Tales, legends and stories from Rzeszów and its vicinity, illustrated by children. Grade 1-4 pupils of primary schools in Rzeszów have made the drawings included in the book and the calendar.
The Promotion, Culture and Sports Department of Rze-szów Town Hall has received nearly 800 illustrations made by children. Not all of them could be included in the book. Therefore, last autumn a 7-sheet wall calendar featuring illustrations to legends, which were not contained in the book was arranged.
The calendar was prepared in a colorful, childlike convention. Each month page, along with the title page, presents the text of a legend and a big illustration to it made in an original technique. The calendar was prepared and printed in 1000 copies by the MITEL publishing house in Rzeszów. It was sent, among others, to the educational institutions, offices, universities and companies in the region. Several copies of the calendar, which is the winner of Golden Formats Festival, have also been presented to twin cities of Rzeszów during official meetings with delegations visiting the town.
An attractive statuette and a diploma are not only awards for such a tremendous success of Rzeszów. More measurable laurel for winning the Golden Formats is a promotional campaign for the city worth PLN 100,000 with the use of billboards placed across Europe.