Pomeranian Voivodeship
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox settlement
Pomeranian Voivodeship (Template:Langx Template:IPA; Template:Langx Template:IPA) is a voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk.
The voivodeship was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former voivodeships of Gdańsk, Elbląg and Słupsk, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1997. It is bordered by the West Pomeranian Voivodeship to the west, Greater Poland and the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship to the south, the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship to the east, and the Baltic Sea to the north. It also shares a short land border with Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast), on the Vistula Spit. The bulk of the voivodeship is located in the historic region of Pomerania, with the territories on the eastern bank of the Vistula being part of Powiśle. The Pomeranian part of the region comprises most of Pomerelia (the easternmost part of Pomerania) with its subregions of Kashubia and Kociewie, whereas the western part, around Słupsk, is part of Farther Pomerania.
The province is one of rich cultural heritage. The Tricity urban area, consisting of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, is one of the main cultural, commercial and educational centres of Poland. Gdańsk and Gdynia are two of the major Polish seaports, the first erected by Mieszko I of Poland in the Middle Ages, the latter built in the interwar period. Amongst the most recognisable landmarks of the region are the historic city centre of Gdańsk filled with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces, the Museum of the National Anthem in Będomin, located at the birthplace of Józef Wybicki, poet and politician, author of the national anthem of Poland, the largest medieval churches of Poland (the St. Mary's Church in Gdańsk and the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Pelplin) and the Malbork Castle. The voivodeship also includes the narrow Hel Peninsula and the Polish half of the Vistula Spit. Other tourist destinations include Wejherowo, Sopot, Jurata, Łeba, Władysławowo, Puck, Krynica Morska, Ustka, Jastarnia, Kuźnica, Bytów and many fishing ports, lighthouses, and marinas.
Etymology
The name Pomerania derives from the Slavic po more, meaning "by the sea" or "on the sea".<ref>Der Name Pommern (po more) ist slawischer Herkunft und bedeutet so viel wie "Land am Meer". Template:Webarchive (Pommersches Landesmuseum, German)</ref>
Cities and towns
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Template:Historical populationsThe voivodeship contains 7 cities and 35 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (official 2019 figures).<ref name="population">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Columns-list
Administrative division
Pomeranian Voivodeship is divided into 20 counties (powiats): 4 city counties, and 16 land counties. These are further divided into 123 gminas (communes).
The counties are listed below in order of decreasing population.
| English and Polish names |
Area (km2) |
Population (2019) |
Seat | Other towns | Total gminas |
| City counties | |||||
| Gdańsk | 262 | 468,158 | 1 | ||
| Gdynia | 136 | 246,244 | 1 | ||
| Słupsk | 43.15 | 90,769 | 1 | ||
| Sopot | 17.31 | 35,827 | 1 | ||
| Land counties | |||||
| Wejherowo County powiat wejherowski |
1,280 | 216,764 | Wejherowo | Rumia, Reda | 10 |
| Starogard County powiat starogardzki |
1,345 | 128,055 | Starogard Gdański | Skarszewy, Skórcz, Czarna Woda | 13 |
| Tczew County powiat tczewski |
698 | 115,738 | Tczew | Pelplin, Gniew | 6 |
| Kartuzy County powiat kartuski |
1,120 | 137,942 | Kartuzy | Żukowo | 8 |
| Słupsk County powiat słupski |
2,304 | 98,793 | Słupsk * | Ustka, Kępice | 10 |
| Chojnice County powiat chojnicki |
1,364 | 97,616 | Chojnice | Czersk, Brusy | 5 |
| Gdańsk County powiat gdański |
793 | 117,452 | Pruszcz Gdański | 8 | |
| Kwidzyn County powiat kwidzyński |
835 | 83,231 | Kwidzyn | Prabuty | 6 |
| Bytów County powiat bytowski |
2,193 | 79,260 | Bytów | Miastko | 10 |
| Puck County powiat pucki |
578 | 86,203 | Puck | Władysławowo, Jastarnia, Hel | 7 |
| Kościerzyna County powiat kościerski |
1,166 | 72,589 | Kościerzyna | 8 | |
| Lębork County powiat lęborski |
707 | 66,196 | Lębork | Łeba | 5 |
| Malbork County powiat malborski |
495 | 63,575 | Malbork | Nowy Staw | 6 |
| Człuchów County powiat człuchowski |
1,574 | 56,225 | Człuchów | Czarne, Debrzno | 7 |
| Sztum County powiat sztumski |
731 | 41,808 | Sztum | Dzierzgoń | 5 |
| Nowy Dwór Gdański County powiat nowodworski (pomorski) |
653 | 35,656 | Nowy Dwór Gdański | Krynica Morska | 5 |
| * seat not part of the county | |||||
Template:Pomeranian Voivodeship Labelled Map Small Template:Clear left
Governors
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| Template:Abbr | Portrait | Name Template:Small |
Term | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Albert Forster.jpg | Albert Forster Template:Small |
Template:Dts – Template:Dts |
style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | Nazi Party |
| Template:Abbr | Portrait | Name Template:Small |
Term | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henryk Śliwowski Template:Small |
Template:Dts – Template:Dts |
style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | Polish United Workers' Party | |
| 2 | File:JerzyKolodziejski1997.png | Jerzy Kołodziejski Template:Small |
Template:Dts – Template:Dts |
style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | Polish United Workers' Party |
| 3 | File:Gen. Mieczysław Cygan.jpg | Mieczysław Cygan Template:Small |
Template:Dts – Template:Dts |
style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | Polish United Workers' Party |
| 4 | Jerzy Jędykiewicz Template:Small |
Template:Dts – Template:Dts |
style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | Polish United Workers' Party | |
| 5 | File:Maciej Płażyński Kancelaria Senatu 2005.jpg | Maciej Płażyński Template:Small |
Template:Dts – Template:Dts |
style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | Independent |
| 6 | Henryk Wojciechowski Template:Small |
Template:Dts – Template:Dts |
style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | Democratic Left Alliance | |
.JPG){kind=link}
Timeline since 1919
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bar:Łaszewski from: 19/10/1919 till: 21/07/1920 color:ZLN text:"Stefan Łaszewski" bar:Brejski from: 27/07/1920 till: 16/05/1924 color:independent text:"Jan Brejski" bar:Wachowiak from: 16/05/1924 till: 12/10/1926 color:NPR text:"Stanisław Wachowiak" bar:Młodzianowski from: 18/10/1926 till: 04/07/1928 color:independent text:"Kazimierz Młodzianowski" bar:Lamot from: 12/07/1929 till: 18/11/1931 color:independent text:"Wiktor Lamot" bar:Kirtiklis from: 21/11/1931 till: 12/07/1936 color:independent text:"Stefan Kirtiklis" bar:Raczkiewicz from: 17/07/1936 till: 05/09/1939 color:independent text:"Władysław Raczkiewicz" bar:Forster from: 26/10/1939 till: 24/03/1945 color:NAZI text:"Albert Forster" bar:Okęcki from: 30/03/1945 till: 01/02/1946 color:PZPR text:"Mieczysław Okęcki bar:Zrałek from: 01/02/1946 till: 25/05/1950 color:PZPR text:"Stanisław Zrałek" bar:Wągrowski from: 25/05/1950 till: 28/03/1952 color:PZPR text:"Mieczysław Wągrowski" bar:Geraga from: 01/04/1952 till: 28/02/1954 color:PZPR text:"Bolesław Geraga" bar:Szeliga from: 04/03/1954 till: 26/11/1956 color:PZPR text:"Walenty Szeliga" bar:Wołek from: 26/11/1956 till: 16/11/1960 color:PZPR text:"Józef Wołek" bar:Stolarek from: 16/11/1960 till: 31/12/1969 color:PZPR text:"Piotr Stolarek" bar:Bejm from: 31/12/1969 till: 01/01/1972 color:PZPR text:"Tadeusz Bejm" bar:Śliwowski from: 01/01/1972 till: 15/01/1979 color:PZPR text:"Henryk Śliwowski" bar:Kołodziejski from: 15/01/1979 till: 31/12/1982 color:PZPR text:"Jerzy Kołodziejski" bar:Cygan from: 31/12/1982 till: 22/12/1988 color:PZPR text:"Mieczysław Cygan" bar:Jędykiewicz from: 22/12/1988 till: 03/08/1990 color:PZPR text:"Jerzy Jędykiewicz" bar:Płażyński from: 04/08/1990 till: 11/07/1996 color:independent text:"Maciej Płażyński" bar:Wojciechowski from: 11/07/1996 till: 31/12/1997 color:SLD text:"Henryk Wojciechowski" bar:Sowiński from: 01/01/1998 till: 20/10/2001 color:AWS text:"Tomasz Sowiński" bar:Kurylczyk from: 20/10/2001 till: 26/07/2004 color:SLD text:"Jan Ryszard Kurylczyk" bar:Dąbrowski from: 26/07/2004 till: 24/01/2006 color:SLD text:"Cezary Dąbrowski" bar:Ołowski from: 26/01/2006 till: 26/02/2007 color:PiS text:"Piotr Ołowski" bar:Karczewski from: 26/02/2007 till: 29/11/2007 color:PiS text:"Piotr Karczewski" bar:Zaborowski from: 29/11/2007 till: 25/10/2011 color:PO text:"Roman Zaborowski" bar:Stachurski from: 12/12/2011 till: 08/12/2015 color:PO text:"Ryszard Stachurski" bar:Drelich from: 08/12/2015 till: 20/12/2023 color:PiS text:"Dariusz Drelich" bar:Rutkiewicz from: 20/12/2023 till: $today color:independent text:"Beata Rutkiewicz"
</timeline>
Economy
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 29.2 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 5.9% of Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 20,800 euros or 69% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 74% of the EU average.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Major corporations
| Corporation name Further information |
Location | Kind of activity |
| Energa Gdańsk Power Generator [1] | Gdańsk | energy supplies |
| Ergo Hestia [2] | Sopot | insurance |
| Gdańsk Repair Yard[3] | Gdańsk | repair shipyard |
| Gdynia Stocznia [4] | Gdynia | shipyard |
| GE Capital Bank[5] | Gdańsk | banking |
| Grupa LOTOS [6] | Gdańsk | petroleum products |
| Intel Technology Poland [7] | Gdańsk | hardware |
| International Paper Kwidzyn [8] | Kwidzyn | paper products |
| Lubiana [9] | Łubiana near Kościerzyna | china-ware manufacturer |
| Philips Consumer Electronics | Kwidzyn | electronics |
| Polpharma[10] | Starogard Gdański | medicines |
| Prokom Software [11] | Gdynia | software |
| Destylarnia Sobieski [12] | Starogard Gdański | distillery |
| Elnord [13] | Gdańsk | energy supplies |
| LPP [14] | Gdańsk | designing and distributing clothes |
| Source:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
Transport
The A1, S6 and S7 highways pass through the province.
Railway
The three busiest railway stations of northern Poland, and three of ten busiest railway stations of Poland overall, are located in the voivodeship. Those are Gdynia Główna, Gdańsk Główny and Gdańsk Wrzeszcz.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Education
Higher education
| Name | Location | Students in thousands | |
| total | of which women | ||
| Total | - | 97.9 | 55.3 |
| Uniwersytet Gdański (Gdańsk University) |
Tricity | 29.3 | 19.4 |
| Politechnika Gdańska (Gdańsk University of Technology) |
Gdańsk | 17.6 | 5.9 |
| Akademia Pomorska w Słupsku (Pomeranian Academy in Słupsk) |
Słupsk | 8.1 | 6.0 |
| Akademia Medyczna w Gdańsku (Medical University of Gdańsk) |
Gdańsk | 4.2 | 3.1 |
| Akademia Wychowanie Fizycznego i Sportu w Gdańsku (Gdańsk Sports Academy) |
Gdańsk | 4.1 | 1.9 |
| Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Gdańsku (Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts) |
Gdańsk | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Akademia Marynarki Wojennej im. Bohaterów Westerplatte (Polish Naval Academy) |
Gdynia | . | . |
| Akademia Morska w Gdyni (Gdynia Maritime Academy) |
Gdynia | . | . |
| Gdańskie Seminarium Duchowne (Gdańsk Seminary) |
Gdańsk | . | . |
| Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki w Gdańsku (Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music, in Gdańsk) |
Gdańsk | . | . |
| Data as of 31 November 2005, source http://www.stat.gov.pl | |||
Protected areas
Protected areas in Pomeranian Voivodeship include two National Parks and nine Landscape Parks. These are listed below.
- Słowiński National Park (a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve)
- Tuchola Forest National Park (part of a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve)
- Coastal Landscape Park
- Iława Lake District Landscape Park (partly in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship)
- Kashubian Landscape Park
- Słupia Valley Landscape Park
- Tricity Landscape Park
- Tuchola Landscape Park (partly in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship)
- Vistula Spit Landscape Park
- Wdydze Landscape Park
- Zaborski Landscape Park
Sports
Football, basketball, motorcycle speedway and volleyball enjoy the largest following in the voivodeship. The Arka Gdynia and Lechia Gdańsk football clubs contest the Tricity Derby, the fiercest football rivalry in northern Poland.
Since the establishment of the province, several major international sports competitions were co-hosted by the province, including the EuroBasket 2009, UEFA Euro 2012, 2013 Men's European Volleyball Championship, 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, 2016 European Men's Handball Championship, 2017 Men's European Volleyball Championship, 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, 2021 Men's European Volleyball Championship, 2023 World Men's Handball Championship.
| Club | Sport | League | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Gdynia | Basketball (men's) | Polish Basketball League | 9 Polish Championships 4 Polish Cups |
| Trefl Sopot | Basketball (men's) | Polish Basketball League | 1 Polish Championship (2024) 3 Polish Cups (2012, 2013, 2023) |
| Czarni Słupsk | Basketball (men's) | Polish Basketball League | 0 |
| SKS Starogard Gdański | Basketball (men's) | I Liga | 1 Polish Cup (2011) |
| Decka Pelplin | Basketball (men's) | I Liga | 0 |
| Arka Gdynia | Basketball (women's) | Basket Liga Kobiet | 13 Polish Championships 10 Polish Cups |
| Arka Gdynia | Football (men's) | Ekstraklasa | 2 Polish Cups (1979, 2017) |
| Lechia Gdańsk | Football (men's) | Ekstraklasa | 2 Polish Cups (1983, 2019) |
| Chojniczanka Chojnice | Football (men's) | II liga | 0 |
| APLG Gdańsk | Football (women's) | Ekstraliga | 0 |
| Pogoń Tczew | Football (women's) | Ekstraliga | 0 |
| Wybrzeże Gdańsk | Speedway | I liga | 0 |
| MMTS Kwidzyn | Handball (men's) | Superliga | 0 |
| Wybrzeże Gdańsk | Handball (men's) | Superliga | 10 Polish Championships |
| KPR Żukowo | Handball (men's) | Liga Centralna | 0 |
| SPR Gdynia | Handball (women's) | Liga Centralna | 2 Polish Championships (2012, 2017) 3 Polish Cups (2014, 2015, 2016) |
| Trefl Gdańsk | Volleyball (men's) | PlusLiga | 2 Polish Cups (2015, 2018) |
| Ogniwo Sopot | Rugby union | Ekstraliga | 11 Polish Championships 10 Polish Cups |
| RC Arka Gdynia | Rugby union | Ekstraliga | 4 Polish Championships 1 Polish Cup (2010) |
| RC Lechia Gdańsk | Rugby union | Ekstraliga | 13 Polish Championships 12 Polish Cups |
Curiosities
- There are two spa towns in the province: Sopot and Ustka.
- The provincial capital of Gdańsk was the largest city of Poland for over 250 years, from the mid-15th century to the early 18th century, when it was surpassed by the national capital of Warsaw. Gdańsk has five sites listed as Historic Monuments of Poland, a joint record with Kraków, including its historic city center.<ref>Template:Cite Polish law</ref>
- There are numerous castles in the province, and the Kwidzyn and Malbork castles are listed as Historic Monuments of Poland,<ref>Template:Cite Polish law</ref><ref>Template:Cite Polish law</ref> with the latter also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The longest wooden pier in Europe, the Sopot Pier, is located in the voivodeship.
- In 1380, the first Scots settled in Gdańsk, founding what would eventually become a significant Scottish diaspora in Poland, and later on, Scots also lived in Chojnice, Czarne, Człuchów, Debrzno, Gniew, Kościerzyna, Puck, Starogard Gdański, Tczew.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Stare Szkoty neighbourhood of Gdańsk is named after the Scottish settlers.
- One of the three parish churches of the Armenian Catholic Church in Poland is located in Gdańsk (see also: Armenians in Poland).
- The voivodeship features several places where major international treaties were signed in the past, i.e. the Dano-Polish truce of 1458 and Polish-Swedish alliance of 1677, both signed in Gdańsk,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> the Polish-Swedish truces of 1629 and 1635 signed in Stary Targ and Sztumska Wieś, respectively, and the peace treaty ending the Second Northern War of 1655–1660.
- Sztutowo is the location of the former Stutthof concentration camp, the first Nazi German concentration camp established outside of pre-war Germany during World War II.
- The Westerplatte peninsula in Gdańsk was the site of the Battle of Westerplatte, the first battle of the German invasion of Poland and World War II, and is now designated a Historic Monument of Poland.<ref>Template:Cite Polish law</ref>
- During World War II, the Stalag II-B and Stalag XX-B major prisoner-of-war camps for Polish, British, French, Belgian, Serbian, Dutch, Soviet, Italian, American, Australian, New Zealander, Canadian, Senegalese, Malagasy, Tunisian, Moroccan, Algerian and other Allied POWs were operated in the territory by Nazi Germany. There are cemeteries of the POWs at the sites in Czarne and Malbork.
- There are numerous memorials at the sites of Nazi massacres of Poles from World War II, including the largest massacres in Piaśnica, Szpęgawsk and Chojnice.
- The Pomeranian Voivodeship is one of four first-level administrative divisions containing the name of the region of Pomerania, the other being the neighbouring West Pomeranian Voivodeship and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany.
References
External links
- Information about Pomeranian Voivodeship - official website (pl, en, ru)
- Economy brochure (en)
- The Pomorskie Voivodeship. The Greatest Tourist Attractions - Brochure (en)
- Pomerania Development Agency Co. (en)
Template:Geographic location Template:Pomeranian Voivodeship Template:Voivodeships of Poland Template:Pomerania Template:Authority control