Gromada [ɡrɔˈmada] is a Polish word meaning "gathering", "group", or "assembly".
In this sense, the gromada developed between the 16th and 18th centuries, and continued to function in Congress Poland.
[1] The gromada continued to function in interwar Poland, as a subdivision of a gmina.
[1] In communist Poland between 1954 and 1972, gromadas constituted the lowest tier of local government, taking over the role previously played by gminas.
At present, the smallest unit of local government in rural Poland (subordinate to the gmina) is the sołectwo.