Bukowno is located in western part of Lesser Poland Voivodeship, between Katowice and Kraków about 40 km (24.85 mi) away from both towns.

[1] Bukowno is situated on the Sztoła River, and belongs to the Jaworzno - Chrzanów Industrial District, which is part of historic Lesser Poland, and is located in the Lesser Polish Upland, amidst deciduous and coniferous forests.

In the Middle Ages Bukowno belonged to the Bishops of Kraków, and since its foundation until 1790 was part of the so-called Sławków Estate.

It was regained by Poles as a result of the Austro-Polish War in 1809 and became part of the short-lived Polish Duchy of Warsaw, and in 1815, for the first time in history, it was administratively separated from Kraków, as together with Olkusz, it became part of Russian-controlled Congress Poland, while the city of Kraków remained in Austrian Galicia.

Following the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, which started World War II in 1939, it was under German occupation until 1945.