wójt

A wójt is the highest administrative officer of a Polish rural gmina, i.e., of a commune (gmina) comprising only villages. (The head of a town or city is called, respectively, the burmistrz or "president".) Historically, the position of wójt was equal to the one of mayor in cities ruled according to the Magdeburg Law, and also existed in lands of the Cossack Hetmanate, as well as under Austrian rule.