Pomeranian Voivodeship

Pomeranian Voivodeship Województwo pomorskie (Polish) Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò (Kashubian)
Voivodeship
Flag Coat of arms Brandmark
Location within Poland
Coordinates: 54°12′N 18°01′E / 54.200°N 18.017°E / 54.200; 18.017
Country	Poland
Capital	Gdańsk
Counties	20, including four city counties Gdańsk Gdynia Słupsk Sopot Bytów County Chojnice County Człuchów County Gdańsk County Kartuzy County Kościerzyna County Kwidzyn County Lębork County Malbork County Nowy Dwór Gdański County Puck County Słupsk County Starogard County Sztum County Tczew County Wejherowo County
Government
• Body	Pomeranian Voivodeship executive board
• Voivode	Beata Rutkiewicz (KO)
• Marshal	Mieczysław Struk (KO)
Area
• Total	18,293 km2 (7,063 sq mi)
Population  (2019)
• Total	2,337,769
• Density	130/km2 (330/sq mi)
• Urban	1,486,267
• Rural	851,502
GDP [1]
• Total	€44.869 billion (2023)
• Per capita	€19,500 (2023)
ISO 3166 code	PL-22
Vehicle registration	G
HDI (2022)	0.896[2] very high · 2nd
Highways
Website	pomorskie.eu
Further divided into 123 gminas

Pomeranian Voivodeship (Polish: województwo pomorskie [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ pɔˈmɔrskʲɛ] ^ⓘ; Kashubian: Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò [pvɛˈmvɛrst͡ʃi vɛjɛˈvut͡stfɔ]) 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.

The name Pomerania derives from the Slavic po more, meaning "by the sea" or "on the sea".^[3]

The voivodeship contains 7 cities and 35 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (official 2019 figures).^[5]

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.

Kartuzy

Wejherowo

Puck

Gdynia

Sopot

Gdańsk

Gdańsk

N. Dwór Gd.

Lębork

Słupsk

Słupsk

Tczew

Malbork

Sztum

Kwidzyn

Kościerzyna

Człuchów

Chojnice

Bytów

Starogard
Gdański

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term	Party
1		Jan z Jani (1400–1461)	10 May 1454 – 22 March 1461		Casimir IV
2		Otto Machwicz (??–1478)	19 May 1467 – 7 June 1477		Casimir IV
3		Fabian Legendorf-Mgowski (1425–1483)	10 March 1478 – 9 March 1483		Casimir IV
4		Jan Bajerski (1425–1484)	19 March 1483 – 1 June 1484		Casimir IV
5		Mikołaj Wulkowski (??–1509)	7 January 1485 – 9 December 1509		Casimir IV
6		Mikołaj Szpot (??–1518)	16 March 1512 – 21 May 1518		Sigismund I the Old
7		Jerzy Konopacki (1477–1543)	26 August 1518 – 28 February 1543		Sigismund I the Old
8		Mikołaj Działyński (??–1545)	16 January 1544 – 5 February 1545		Sigismund I the Old
9		Jan Sokołowski (??–1546)	22 May 1545 – 12 July 1546		Sigismund I the Old
10		Stanisław Kostka (1487–1555)	10 September 1546 – 2 May 1551		Sigismund I the Old
11		Jan Działyński (??–1583)	2 May 1551 – 5 January 1556		Sigismund II August
12		Fabian Czema	5 January 1556 – 20 November 1565		Sigismund II August
13		Achacy Czema (??–1576)	3 February 1566 – 29 November 1576		Sigismund II August
14		Krzysztof Kostka (1530–1594)	1577 – 5 August 1594		Stephen Báthory
15		Ludwik Mortęski (1554–1618)	20 October 1594 – 23 August 1611		Sigismund III Vasa
16		Michał Konarski (1557–1613)	1611 – 29 April 1613		Sigismund III Vasa
17		Samuel Żaliński	May 1613 – 3 November 1625		Sigismund III Vasa
18		Maciej Niemojewski (??–1625)	17 November 1625 – December 1625		Sigismund III Vasa
19		Samuel Konarski	9 February 1626 – 30 November 1629		Sigismund III Vasa
20		Paweł Jan Działyński (1594–1653)	16 May 1630 – 17 July 1643		Sigismund III Vasa
21		Gerhard Denhoff (1589–1648)	16 August 1643 – 23 December 1648		Władysław IV Vasa
22		Ludwik Wejher (??–1656)	December 1648 – 18 February 1656		Władysław IV Vasa
23		Stanisław Kobierzycki (1600–1665)	31 May 1656 – 1665		John II Casimir Vasa
24		Jan Ignacy Bąkowski (1615–1679)	8 March 1665 – 1677		John II Casimir Vasa
25		Władysław Denhoff (1639–1683)	1677 – 7 October 1683		John III Sobieski
26		Władysław Łoś (??–1694)	19 February 1684 – January 1694		John III Sobieski
27		Jan Gniński (??–1703)	24 February 1694 – 1703		John III Sobieski
28		Jan Ignacy Działyński (??–1724)	14 April 1703 – November 1724		Augustus II the Strong
29		Stefan Potocki (??–1730)	26 February 1726 – 9 March 1726		Augustus II the Strong
30		Piotr Jan Czapski (1685–1736)	11 March 1726 – 3 November 1736		Augustus II the Strong
31		Jakub Florian Narzymski (1690–1759)	8 July 1737 – 14 April 1758		Augustus III
32		Paweł Michał Mostowski (1721–1781)	20 April 1758 – 20 May 1766		Augustus III
33		Jan Jerzy Flemming (1699–1771)	22 May 1766 – 10 December 1771		Stanisław August Poniatowski
34		Ignacy Franciszek Przebendowski (1730–1791)	31 January 1772 – 18 March 1779		Stanisław August Poniatowski
35		Feliks Antoni Łoś (1737–1804)	5 June 1779 – 9 December 1790		Stanisław August Poniatowski
36		Józef Mier (1730–1808)	9 December 1790 – 24 November 1795		Stanisław August Poniatowski

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term	Party
1		Theodor von Schön (1773–1856)	1816 – 1829		Independent
2		Heinrich von Achenbach (1829–1899)	1878 – 1879		Free Conservative Party
3		Ernst von Ernsthausen (1827–1898)	1879 – 1888		German Conservative Party
4		Adolf Hilmar von Leipziger (1825–1891)	1888 – 1891		Independent
5		Gustav von Goßler (1838–1902)	1891 – 1902		German Conservative Party
6		Clemens von Delbrück (1856–1921)	1902 – 1905		Independent
7		Ernst Ludwig von Jagow (1853–1930)	1905 – 1919		Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term	Party
1		Stefan Łaszewski (1862–1924)	19 October 1919 – 21 July 1920		Popular National Union
2		Jan Brejski (1863–1934)	27 July 1920 – 16 May 1924		Independent
3		Stanisław Wachowiak (1890–1972)	16 May 1924 – 12 October 1926		National Workers' Party
4		Kazimierz Młodzianowski (1880–1928)	18 October 1926 – 4 July 1928		Independent
5		Wiktor Lamot (1891–1959)	12 July 1929 – 18 November 1931		Independent
6		Stefan Kirtiklis (1890–1951)	21 November 1931 – 14 July 1936		Independent
7		Władysław Raczkiewicz (1885–1947)	17 July 1936 – 5 September 1939		Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term	Party
1		Albert Forster (1902–1952)	26 October 1939 – 27 March 1945		Nazi Party

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term	Party
1		Mieczysław Okęcki (1882–1952)	30 March 1945 – February 1946		Polish United Workers' Party
2		Stanisław Zrałek (1907–1954)	February 1946 – May 1950		Polish United Workers' Party
3		Mieczysław Wągrowski (1902–1967)	25 May 1950 – 28 March 1952		Polish United Workers' Party
4		Bolesław Geraga (1912–1986)	April 1952 – February 1954		Polish United Workers' Party
5		Walenty Szeliga (??–??)	4 March 1954 – 26 November 1956		Polish United Workers' Party
6		Józef Wołek (1913–1985)	26 November 1956 – 16 November 1960		Polish United Workers' Party
7		Piotr Stolarek (1908–1976)	1960 – 1969		Polish United Workers' Party
8		Tadeusz Bejm (1929–1988)	1969 – 1972		Polish United Workers' Party
9		Henryk Śliwowski (1920–1984)	1972 – 31 May 1975		Polish United Workers' Party

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term	Party
1		Henryk Śliwowski (1920–1984)	1 June 1975 – 15 January 1979		Polish United Workers' Party
2		Jerzy Kołodziejski (1933–2001)	1979 – 1982		Polish United Workers' Party
3		Mieczysław Cygan (1921–2006)	1982 – 1988		Polish United Workers' Party
4		Jerzy Jędykiewicz (1946–living)	22 December 1988 – 3 August 1990		Polish United Workers' Party
5		Maciej Płażyński (1958–2010)	4 August 1990 – 11 July 1996		Independent
6		Henryk Wojciechowski (1948–living)	July 1996 – December 1997		Democratic Left Alliance

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term	Party
1		Tomasz Sowiński (1965–living)	1 January 1998 – 20 October 2001		Solidarity Electoral Action
2		Jan Ryszard Kurylczyk (1945–living)	20 October 2001 – 26 July 2004		Democratic Left Alliance
3		Cezary Dąbrowski (1941–2023)	26 July 2004 – 24 January 2006		Democratic Left Alliance
4		Piotr Ołowski (1963–living)	26 January 2006 – 26 February 2007		Law & Justice
5		Piotr Karczewski (1964–living)	22 May 2007 – 29 November 2007		Law & Justice
6		Roman Zaborowski (1956–living)	29 November 2007 – 25 October 2011		Civic Platform
7		Ryszard Stachurski (1950–living)	12 December 2011 – 8 December 2015		Civic Platform
8		Dariusz Drelich (1967–living)	12 December 2011 – 8 December 2015		Law & Justice
9		Beata Rutkiewicz (1977–living)	20 December 2023 – Incumbent		Independent

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.^[6]

Gdynia Główna and Gdańsk Główny railway stations

• Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport
• Obwodnica Trójmiejska

The A1, S6 and S7 highways pass through the province.

• Pomorska Kolej Metropolitalna
• SKM

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.^[8]

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

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.

• 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.^[9]
• There are numerous castles in the province, and the Kwidzyn and Malbork castles are listed as Historic Monuments of Poland,^[10][11] 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.^[12] 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,^[13][14] 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.^[15]
• 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.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pomeranian Voivodeship.

• 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)