Summary:

The article presents changes in conditions and development of technical (water supplynet, sewage, gas district and communal roads) and social (housingsupplies, schools, drugstores, hospitals, libraries, hotels) infrastructure elements in Olkusz district in Małopolska province in 1998 – 2003. The rate of changes was described. Present situation is introduced with Perkal index, as well as analysis of relationships between equipment of infrastructure elements and level of socio-economic development expressed by number of commercial entities and revenue of communes per inhabitant Obtained high values of correlation coefficient confirm significant importance of the infrastructure in shaping the socio-economic development. During the period of investigation, the development rate of district technical infrastructure was 2,5-times higher in composision to the social one. Within technical infrastructure elements, the fastest development of the gas grid was observed. Within social infrastructure oneshealth protection objects – drugstores. More infrastructured elements are present in urban and urban-rural communes: Bukowno, Olkusz and Wolbrom, much less in rural communes: Trzyciąż, Klucze and Bolesław. The most important infrastructure needs come from the necessity of water supply and sewage disposal management modernization.