Pomeranian Voivodeship

Infobox Settlement
name = Pomeranian Voivodeship
native_name=Województwo pomorskie
settlement_type=

---

image_shield = POL województwo pomorskie COA.svg


map_caption = Location within Poland
subdivision_type=Country
subdivision_name=POL
seat_type=Capital
seat = Gdańsk
parts_type = Counties
parts=4 cities, 16 land counties *
p1=Gdańsk|p2=Gdynia|p3=Słupsk|p4=Sopot|p5=Bytów County|p6=Chojnice County|p7=Człuchów County|p8=Gdańsk County|p9=Kartuzy County|p10=Kościerzyna County|p11=Kwidzyn County|p12=Lębork County|p13=Malbork County|p14=Nowy Dwór Gdański County|p15=Puck County|p16=Słupsk County|p17=Starogard County|p18=Sztum County|p19=Tczew County|p20=Wejherowo County
coor_type=Gdańsk|latd=54|latm=22|latNS=N|longd=18|longm=38|longEW=E
area_total_km2 = 18293
total_type=Total
population_total = 2201069
population_as_of = 2006
population_density_km2 = auto
population_urban= 1478802
population_blank1_title=Rural
population_blank1= 722267
blank_name=Car plates
blank_info=G
website=http://www.woj-pomorskie.pl
footnotes = * further divided into 123 gminas

Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known as Pomerania Province, or by its Polish name of "województwo pomorskie" [IPA-pl|w|o|j|e|'|w|u|c|t|f|o IPA-pl|p|o|'|m|o|r|s|k|j|e] or simply "Pomorskie") is a voivodeship, or province, in northern Poland, within the eastern part of the historic region of Pomerania ( _pl. Pomorze). Its capital city is Gdańsk.

Pomeranian Voivodeship was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former voivodeships of Gdańsk, Elbląg and Słupsk, pursuant to the 1998 Local Government Reorganization Act. It is bordered by West Pomeranian Voivodeship to the west, Greater Poland and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeships to the south, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship to the east, and the Baltic Sea to the north. It also shares a short land border with Russia, on the Vistula Spit.

Gdańsk, the regional capital, forms part of the Tricity of Sopot, Gdańsk and Gdynia. The voivodeship also includes the narrow Hel Peninsula and the Polish half of the Vistula Spit. Other tourist destinations include Sopot, Jurata, Łeba, Władysławowo, Puck, Krynica Morska, Ustka, Jastarnia, Rozewie, Kuźnica, and many fishing ports and lighthouses.

Cities and towns

The voivodeship contains 42 cities and towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2006 [http://www.stat.gov.pl/gus/45_655_PLK_HTML.htm] ):1. Gdańsk (457,630)
2. Gdynia (252,443)
3. Słupsk (98,402)
4. Tczew (60,263)
5. Starogard Gdański (48,136)
6. Wejherowo (45,170)
7. Rumia (44,497)
8. Sopot (39,836)
9. Chojnice (39,716)
10. Malbork (38,478)
11. Kwidzyn (37,814)
12. Lębork (35,069)
13. Pruszcz Gdański (23,986)
14. Kościerzyna (23,016)
15. Reda (18,509)
16. Bytów (16,715)
17. Ustka (16,227)
18. Kartuzy (15,263)
19. Władysławowo (14,892)
20. Człuchów (14,597)
21. Puck (11,329)
22. Miastko (10,987)
23. Nowy Dwór Gdański (9,948)
24. Sztum (9,945)
25. Czersk (9,463)
26. Prabuty (8,488)
27. Pelplin (8,486)
28. Skarszewy (6,824)
29. Gniew (6,787)
30. Żukowo (6,302)
31. Czarne (5,917)
32. Dzierzgoń (5,630)
33. Debrzno (5,359)
34. Brusy (4,582)
35. Nowy Staw (4,447)
36. Jastarnia (4,033)
37. Hel (3,898)
38. Kępice (3,829)
39. Łeba (3,824)
40. Skórcz (3,512)
41. Czarna Woda (3,182)
42. Krynica Morska (1,371)

Administrative division

Pomeranian Voivodeship is divided into 20 counties (powiats): 4 city counties and 16 land counties. These are further divided into 123 gminas.

The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).

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
*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

Most popular surnames in the region

# Wiśniewski: 7,446
# Kamiński: 6,752
# Lewandowski: 6,687

Previous Pomeranian Voivodeships

Pomeranian Voivodeship (1294-1308)

Pomeranian Voivodeship was a province of the Kingdom of Poland. After the extinction of the local dukes in 1294, the province fell to Przemysł II of Poland.

Pomeranian Voivodeship (1466-1772)

This was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland from 1454/1466 until the partitions in 1772/1795. Together with the Chełmno Voivodeship and Malbork Voivodeship it formed the historical province of Royal Prussia. The capital was at Gdańsk. It was renamed to the Prussian province of West Prussia (1772-1919).

Voivodeship Governor (Wojewoda) seat:
* Gdańsk

Regional council (sejmik generalny)
* Gniew

Regional councils (sejmik poselski i deputacki)
* Człuchów
* Tuchola
* Świecie
* Starogród
* Puck

Administrative divisions:

* Człuchów County, (Powiat Człuchowski), Człuchów
* Gdańsk County, (Powiat Gdański), Gdańsk
* Koscierzyna County, (Powiat Kościerzyński), Kościerzyna
* Mirachowo County, (Powiat Mirachowski), Mirachowo
* Nowe County, (Powiat Nowski), Nowe
* Puck County, (Powiat Pucki), Puck
* Skarszewy County, (Powiat Skarszewski), Skarszewy
* Starogard County, (Powiat Starogrodzki) Starogard Gdański
* Świecie County, (Powiat Świecki), Świecie
* Tczew County, (Powiat Tczewski), Tczew
* Tuchola County, (Powiat Tucholski), Tuchola

Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919-1939)

This was a unit of administration and local government in the Republic of Poland (II Rzeczpospolita) established in 1919 after World War I from the majority of the Prussian province of West Prussia which fell to Poland. Toruń was the capital. In 1938-39 the voivodeship extended to the south at the expense of Poznań Voivodeship and Warsaw Voivodeship, and was called Great Pomerania afterwards (see: Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on April 1, 1938).

During WWII it was occupied by Nazi Germany and annexed as "Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreussen" "(Reich province of Gdańsk-West Prussia)." In 1945 it was returned to Poland and superseded by Gdańsk and Bydgoszcz voivodeships. In the years 1975-98 it was reorganized into the voivodeships of Gdańsk, Elbląg, Bydgoszcz, Toruń and Włocławek.

Pomeranian Voivodeship (1945-1950)

This was a unit of administration and local government in Poland established in 1945 from most of the pre-war Pomeranian Voivodeship, later renamed Bydgoszcz Voivodeship.

Capital city: Bydgoszcz

List of counties in 1946
English county name, Polish county name, capital city
* Bydgoszcz City, miasto Bydgoszcz
* Toruń City, miasto Toruń
* Brodnica County, powiat brodnicki, Brodnica
* Bydgoszcz County, powiat bydgoski, Bydgoszcz
* Chełmno County, powiat chełmiński, Chełmno
* Chojnice County, powiat chojnicki, Chojnice
* Grudziądz County, powiat grudziądzki, Grudziądz
* Inowrocław County, powiat inowroclawski, Inowrocław
* Lipno County, powiat lipnowski/lipnieński?, Lipno
* Lubawa County, powiat lubawski, Lubawa
* Nieszawa County, powiat nieszawski, Nieszawa
* Rypin County, powiat rypiński, Rypin
* Sępolno County, powiat sępoleński, Sępolno Krajenskie
* Świecie County, powiat świecki, Świecie
* Szubin County, powiat szubiński, Szubin
* Toruń County, powiat toruński, Toruń
* Tuchola County, powiat tucholski, Tuchola
* Wąbrzeźno County, powiat wąbrzeski, Wąbrzeźno
* Włocławek County, powiat włocławski, Włocławek
* Wyrzysk County, powiat wyrzyski, Wyrzysk

External links

* [http://www.woj-pomorskie.pl/Pages/Lang/en/Article/pdf,pdf.html Information about Pomeranian Voivodeship - official website] (en)
* [http://www.wrotapomorza.pl/res/wizytowka/wersje_jezykowe/memorandum_en_2006.pdf Economy brochure] (en)
* [http://www.wrotapomorza.pl/res/wizytowka/wersje_jezykowe/folder_hity_pomorza_2006_angielski_.pdf The Pomorskie Voivodeship. The Greatest Tourist Attractions - Brochure] (en)
* [http://www.arp.gda.pl/en/dokumenty Pomerania Development Agency Co.] (en)
* [http://www.wrotapomorza.pl/en Wrota Pomorza - Pomeranian Voivodeship Portal] (en) (de) (fr) (pl) (ru)