ABSTRACT
Warsaw has been the capital of Poland since 1611. In contrast to Vienna, it experienced periods of unbalanced expansion and contraction. At the end of the 19th century Warsaw rapidly turned into a densely populated industrial city. At the beginning of World War I, the average number of inhabitants per room was 3.8. Poland is a unitary centralized state. According to the Constitution of 1976, it is structured into territorial subdivisions. The system of regional government has undergone several important alterations since the Communist Party took over in 1947. A decisive step was taken in 1950 when a centralized administration took the place of a rather loosely organized setup of regional governments. Although, according to the relevant legislation, the communes and the cities have the power of the purse and decide independently on the distribution of local funds, in reality they almost completely lack practical financial autonomy.
