The current Lesser Poland Voivodeship, however, covers only a small part of the broader ancient Małopolska region, which stretched far north, to Radom and Siedlce, also including such cities as Lublin, Kielce, Częstochowa, and Sosnowiec.

The largest regional enterprise operates here, the Tadeusz Sendzimir Steelworks in Nowa Huta, employing 17,500 people.

Another major industrial center is located in the west, in the neighborhood of Chrzanów (chiefly the production of railway engines) and Oświęcim (chemical works).

There are almost 210,000 registered economic entities operating in the voivodeship, mostly small and medium-sized, of which 234 belong to the state-owned sector.

Nowy Sącz has become a major educational center in the region thanks to its Higher School of Business and Administration, with an American curriculum, founded in 1992.

In 1038, Kraków became the capital of Poland by decision of Casimir I the Restorer, retaining its role for several centuries with short-term breaks.

In the Late Middle Ages, Oświęcim and Zator were ducal seats of local lines of the Piast dynasty.

During World War II, it was occupied by Germany, with the occupiers committing their genocidal policies against Poles and Jews in the region, massacring civilians and prisoners of war, including at Szczucin and Olkusz, operating prisons, forced labour camps and, most notably, the Auschwitz concentration camp with a network of subcamps in various localities.

Four national parks and numerous reserves have been established in the voivodeship to protect the environment of Lesser Poland.

The region has areas for tourism and recreation, including Zakopane (Poland's most popular winter resort) and the Tatra, Pieniny and Beskidy Mountains.

There are ten spa towns: Krynica-Zdrój, Muszyna, Piwniczna-Zdrój, Rabka-Zdrój, Szczawnica, Wapienne, Wieliczka, Wysowa-Zdrój, Zakopane, Żegiestów.

The voivodeship is rich in historic architecture ranging from Romanesque and Gothic to Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau.

At Wadowice, birthplace of John Paul II (50 kilometers southwest of Kraków) is a museum dedicated to the late pope's childhood.

There are numerous World War II memorials in the province, including a museum at the site of the former Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz-I and Auschwitz-II-Birkenau, as well as the Auschwitz Jewish Center, visited annually by a million people.

The voivodeship is abundant in castles, including Mirów, Niedzica, Niepołomice, Nowy Wiśnicz, Pieskowa Skała and Wawel.

In addition to traditional nationwide Polish cuisine, the voivodeship is known for its variety of regional and local traditional foods, which include especially various cheeses, including the Bundz, Oscypek and Bryndza Podhalańska from mountain areas, meat products, especially local types of kiełbasa and bacon, honeys and various dishes and meals, officially protected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland.