Garrisoned in Tarnów, the unit belonged to the 6th Infantry Division from Kraków.

The history of the regiment dates back to the final weeks of World War I, when ethnic Polish soldiers, serving in the Austrian 57th Infantry Regiment, abandoned their positions on the Italian Front, and returned to Tarnów.

In February 1919, its name was changed into the 16th Infantry Regiment of the Land of Tarnów.

The flag of the regiment was funded by the residents of the counties of Tarnów, Dąbrowa Tarnowska and Brzesko.

The badge, approved in August 1930, was in the shape of the cross, with the coat of arms of Tarnów in the middle, and the number 16, together with the names of the Polish–Soviet War battles: DAWIDOW KRASNE MUROWA.