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Pomeranian voivodshipThe Pomeranian Voivodship (in Polish województwo pomorskie) is an administrative region or voivodship in northern Poland within the historic region of Eastern Pomerania. Capital city: Gdańsk.
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Gdańsk
(1) Pomeranian voivodship (1999-), administrative and local government unit of the Republic of Poland established on January 1, 1999 out of former voivodships of Gdańsk, Elbląg and Słupsk, as a result of Local Government Reogranization Act of 1998. The voivodship's name recalls the region's traditional name of Pomerania (Pomorze).
Along the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodship it spreads along the Baltic coast (on the east). The independent town Gdańsk is the center of the voivodeship. It forms a part of the so-called tricity: Sopot, Gdańsk, and Gdynia. Narrow Hel Peninsula belongs to the voivodship. Other well-known tourist destinations: Puck, Krynica Morska, Ustka, Jastarnia, Rozewie, or Kuźnica with many fishing ports and lighthouses.
Major cities of this region :
(population 2003)
- Tricity (1,035,000)
- Gdańsk (456,700) included in Tricity
- Gdynia (259,900) included in Tricity
- Sopot (41,300) included in Tricity
- Słupsk (102,000)
- Tczew (61,600)
- Starogard Gdański (50,500)
- Wejherowo (46,900)
- Rumia (44,200)
- Chojnice (40,900)
- Kwidzyń (40,400)
- Malbork (40,100)
- Lębork (37,400)
- Kościerzyna (24,000)
- Pruszcz Gdański (22,300)
Administrative division
- Bytów County, Bytów
- Chojnice County, Chojnice
- Człuchow County, Człuchow
- Gdańsk City County
- Gdańsk County, Pruszcz Gdański
- Gdynia City County
- Kartuzy County, Kartuzy
- Kościerzyna County, Kościerzyna
- Kwidzyń County, Kwidzyń
- Lębork County, Lębork
- Malbork County, Malbork
- Nowy Dwór Gdański County, Nowy Dwór Gdański
- Puck County, Puck
- Słupsk City County
- Słupsk County, Słupsk
- Sopot City County
- Starogard Gdański County, Starogard Gdański
- Sztum County, Sztum
- Tczew County, Tczew
- Wejherowo County, Wejherowo
Major corporations
- Grupa Lotos SA, Gdańsk
- International Paper Kwidzyń SA, Kwidzyń
- Energa Gdańska Kompania Energetyczna SA, Gdańsk
- STU Ergo Hestia SA, Sopot
- GE Capital Bank SA, Gdańsk
- Stocznia Gdynia SA, Gdynia
- Polpharma SA, Starogard Gdański
- Gdańska Stocznia Remontowa SA, Gdańsk
- Destylarnia Sobieski SA, Starogard Gdański
- Elnord SA, Gdańsk
- Elektrociepłownie Wybrzeże SA, Gdańsk
- LPP SA, Gdańsk
- Zakład Energetyczny Słupsk SA, Słupsk
- Polnord Energobudowa SA, Gdańsk
Most popular surnames in the region
- 1. Wiśniewski : 7,446
- 2. Kamiński : 6,752
- 3. Lewandowski : 6,687
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Previous Pomeranian Voivodships
(2) Pomeranian voivodship (1945-1950)
was a unit of administration and local government in Poland established 1945 from most of pre-war Pomeranian Voivodship (3), later renamed Bydgoszcz Voivodship.
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
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Wyrzysk ]]
(3) Pomeranian voivodship (1919-1939)
was a unit of administration and local government in the Republic of Poland (II Rzeczpospolita) established in 1919 after WWI from the majority of the Prussian province of West Prussia which fell to Poland. Torun was the capital. In 1938-39 voivodship extended to the south at the expense Poznan Voivodship and Warsaw Voivodship, and called Great Pomerania afterwards.
During WWII occupied by Nazi Germany and renamed Reich province of Gdansk-West Prussia (Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreussen). In 1945 returned to Poland and superseded by Gdansk and Bydgoszcz voivodships. In years 1975-98 reorganized into voivodships of Gdansk, Elblag, Bydgoszcz, Torun and Wloclawek.
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(4) Pomeranian voivodship (1466-1772)
The Pomeranian Voivodship (Polish: Województwo Pomorskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Kingdom of Poland since 1454/1466 till the partitions in 1772/1795. Together with the Chelmno Voivodship and Malbork Voivodship it formed the historical province of Royal Prussia. Capital in Gdansk. Renamed to the Prussian province of West Prussia (1772-1919).
Voivodship Governor (Wojewoda) seat:
- Gdańsk
Regional council (sejmik generalny)
- Gniew
Regional councils (sejmik poselski i deputacki)
- Człuchów
- Tuchola
- Świecie
- Starogród
- Puck
Administrative division:
- 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
- Stargard County, (Powiat Starogrodzki) Starogard Gdański
- Świecie County, (Powiat Świecki), Świecie
- Tczew County, (Powiat Tczewski), Tczew
- Tuchola County, (Powiat Tucholski), Tuchola
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(5) Pomeranian voivodship (1294-1308)
was a province of the Kingdom of Poland. After the extinction of the local dukes 1294 the province fell to Przemysł II of Poland.
Category:Polish historical voivodships (14th century-1795)
Category:Polish historical voivodships (1921-1939)
Category:NUTS 2 Statistical Regions of Europe
Polish language
Polish (język polski, polszczyzna) is the official language of Poland. Polish is the main representative of the Lechitic branch of the Western Slavic languages. It originated in the areas of present-day Poland from several local Western Slavic dialects, most notably those spoken in Greater Poland and Lesser Poland.
Polish was once a lingua franca in various regions of Central and Eastern Europe, mostly due to the political, cultural, scientific and military influence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Although no longer having as great an influence outside of Poland, due in part to the dominance of the Russian language, it is still sometimes spoken or at least understood in western border areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania as a second language.
Outside Influence
Polish has been influenced by contact with foreign languages (foremost Latin, Czech, French, German, Italian, Old Belarusian, Russian and recently it has been virtually bombarded by English, especially American English language elements).
Many words have been borrowed from German as a result of heavy contact with Germans and the German language. This process has been going on since medieval times. Examples include szlachta (from German Adelsgeschlecht=nobility), rachunek (Rechnung=account), ratusz (Rathaus=town hall), burmistrz (Bürgermeister=mayor; word used only for mayors of smaller cities), handel (Handel=commerce), kac (Kater=hangover), kartofel (Kartoffel=potato; this word is dialectal: most Poles use the word 'ziemniak' for potato, but both words are understood anywhere), cukier (Zucker=sugar), kelner (Kellner=waiter) and malarz (Maler=painter; also the word 'malować' has entered Polish as the verb "to paint"). This is especially true of the regional dialects of Upper Silesia. There are also several words of French origin in the language, most likely dating from the Napoleon era, such as ekran (écran=screen), rekin (requin=shark), meble (meuble=furniture), fotel (fauteuil=armchair), plaża (plage=beach) and koszmar (cauchemar=nightmare). Some place names have also been adapted from French, such as the two Warsaw boroughs of Żoliborz (joli bord=beautiful riverside) and Mokotów (mon coteau=my cottage), as well as the suburb of Żyrardów (from the name Girard, with the Polish suffix -ów attached to form the town's name). Other words are borrowed from other Slavic languages, for example "hańba" and "brama" from Czech.
When borrowing international words, Polish often changes their spelling. For example, the Latin suffix spelled '-tion' in English corresponds to '-cja'. To make the word plural, -cja becomes -cje. Examples of this include "inauguracja" (inauguration), dewastacja (devastation), konurbacja (conurbation) and konotacje (connotations). Also, the digraph 'qu' becomes 'kw' (kwadrat=quadrant; frekwencja=frequency).
Since 1945, as the result of mass education and mass migrations (which affected several countries after the Second World War, with Poland being an extreme case) standard Polish has become far more homogeneous, although regional dialects persist, particularly in the south and south-west in the hilly areas bordering the Czech and Slovak Republics. In the western and northern territories, resettled in large measure by Poles from the territories annexed by the Soviet Union, the older generation speaks a dialect of Polish characteristic of the former eastern provinces.
Classification
The Polish language is the most widely-spoken of the Slavic language subgroup of Lechitic languages which include Kashubian (the only surviving dialect of Pomeranian language) and the extinct Polabian language. The three languages, along with Upper and Lower Sorbian, Czech and Slovak, belong to the West branch of Slavic languages. To English ears, it sounds virtually indistinguishable from Russian, and indeed the two languages have a very similar grammar; however, Polish and Russian speakers cannot understand each other without training due to a very different vocabulary. In other words, to a speaker of one, the other sounds to them about how the first stanza of the poem Jabberwocky would sound to an English-speaker.
Geographic distribution
Polish is mainly spoken in Poland. In fact, Poland is one of the most homogenous European countries in terms of its mother tongue, as close to 97% of Polish citizens declare Polish as their mother tongue. After the Second World War the previously Polish territories annexed by the USSR retained a large amount of the Polish population that was unwilling or unable to migrate toward the post-1945 Poland and even today ethnic Poles in Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine constitute large minorities.
In Lithuania 9 percent of the population declared Polish to be their mother tongue. It is by far the most widely used minority language in the Vilniaus Apskritis (Vilnius region) (26% of the population, according to the 2001 census results), but it is also present in other apskritis. In Ukraine, Polish is most often used in the Lwów and Łuck regions. Western Belarus has an important Polish minority, especially in the Brześć and Grodno regions.
There are also significant numbers of Polish speakers in Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Latvia, New Zealand, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, UAE, the UK and the United States.
In the U.S. the number of people of Polish descent is over 9 million, see: Polish language in the United States, but most of them do not use Polish in their everyday communications.
According to the United States 2000 Census, 667,414 Americans of age 5 years and over reported Polish as language spoken at home, which is about 1.4% of people who speak languages other than English or 0.25% of the U.S. population.
Dialects
It has several dialects that correspond in the main to the old tribal divisions; the most significant of these (in terms of numbers of speakers) are Great Polish (spoken in the west), Little Polish (spoken in the south and southeast), Mazovian (Mazur) spoken throughout the centre and east of the country, and Silesian spoken in the southwest. Mazovian shares some features with the Kashubian language, whose remaining speakers (53.000, according to 2002 Census) live around the city of Gdańsk near the Baltic Sea, predominantly to the west of the city. There are also several, now mostly extinct, regional dialects of Polish, including the Warsaw dialect.
Small numbers of people in Poland also speak Belarusian, Ukrainian, and German as well as several varieties of Romany.
Phonology
Orthography
The Polish alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet but uses diacritics such as kreska (graphically similar to acute accent), superior dot and ogonek.
Polish orthography also includes seven digraphs:
Note that although the Polish orthography is mostly phonetic, some sounds may be written in more than one way:
- as either h or ch
- as either ż or rz (though rż denotes a cluster)
- as either u or ó
- some soft consonants as either ć, dź, ń, ś, ź, or ci, dzi, ni, si, zi
Unlike in English, if consonants are doubled in script, it means that they are also doubled in pronunciation, for example: wanna , not ('bathtub'); motto , not .
Grammar
Polish is often said to be one of the most difficult languages for non-native speakers to learn; of course, this depends on one's native language. While difficult for English speakers, it is relatively easy for speakers of Russian and other Slavic languages. It has a complex gender system with five genders: neuter, feminine and three masculine genders (personal, animate and inanimate). There are 7 cases and 2 numbers.
Nouns, adjectives and verbs are inflected, and both noun declension and verb conjugation are highly irregular. Every verb is either perfective or imperfective.
Verbs often come in pairs, one of them imperfective and the other perfective (usually imperfective verb plus a prefix), but often there are many perfective verbs with different prefixes for single imperfective words.
Tenses are:
Movable suffix is usually attached to verb or to the most accented word of sentence, like question preposition.
Sometimes the sentence may be emphasised with a particle -że- (-ż).
So what have you done ? can be:
- Co zrobiliście?
- Coście zrobili?
- Cóżeście zrobili? (It could be derived from Cóż zrobiliście? which actually sounds odd and is not used)
All the above examples show inflected forms of the verb "zrobić" for the subject "you" informal plural ("wy"). However, it is of note that none of the above examples include the subject itself. The inclusion of the subject is not necessary here because Polish is a pro-drop language. This means that a subject does not need to be used with an inflected verb. Instead, the reader or listener can tell which subject is implied through the type ending on the verb. This is different for each pronoun in Polish with the exceptions of on/ona/ono (he/she/it) which all have the same verb ending as each other and oni/one (they - of a group including male humans/they - of a group of people or things not including male humans) which also have the same verb ending as each other. Because the subject can be dropped, if the subject is used with an inflected verb it places the emphasis of the sentence on the subject. Of the above three examples, a native speaker would not include the subject in the middle sentence and would be unlikely to include a subject in the last one. The below examples show how the subject could be included in such sentences, where possible:
- Co wy zrobiliście?
- Coście zrobili? (a native speaker would not use a subject here)
- Co wyście zrobili? (this example places the stress strongly on "you" -- "wy"+ście)
- Co żeście zrobili? (this example includes the use of the że- particle - considered very colloquial)
Past participle depends on number and gender, so 3rd person, singular past perfect tense can be:
- zrobił (he made/did)
- zrobiła (she made/did)
- zrobiło (it made/did)
Word order
From Wikibooks' Polish Language Course.
Basic word order in Polish is SVO, however it is possible to move words around in the sentence, and to drop subject, object or even sometimes verb, if they are obvious from context.
These sentences mean the same ("Ala (Alice) has a cat"):
- Ala ma kota
- Ala kota ma
- Kota ma Ala
- Ma Ala kota
- Kota Ala ma
- Ma kota Ala
Yet only the first of these sounds natural in Polish, and others should be used for emphasis only, if at all.
If a question mark is added to the end of those sentences they will all mean "does Ala have a cat?"; an optional 'czy' could be added to the begining but native speakers don't use it. The first is usually used as a reassuring question (really, Ala has a cat?). The fourth would be used as a standard question (does Ala have a cat?)
If apparent from context, you can drop the subject, object or even the verb:
- Ma kota - can be used if it's obvious who is being talked about
- Ma - answer for "Czy Ala ma kota?" ("Does Ala have a cat?")
- Ala - answer for "Kto ma kota?" ("Who has a cat?")
- Kota - answer for "Co ma Ala?" ("What does Ala have?")
- Ala ma - answer for "Kto z naszych znajomych ma kota?" ("Which of our friends has a cat?")
Note the marker "czy" which is used to start a yes/no question, much as the French use "est-ce que".
There is a tendency in Polish to drop the subject rather than the object and you rarely know the object but not the subject. If the question was "Kto ma kota ?" (who has a cat ?), the answer should be "Ala" alone, without a verb.
In particular, "ja" (I) and "ty" (you, singular), and also their plural equivalents "my" (we) and "wy" (you, plural), are almost always dropped.
Conjugation
Conjugation of "iść" ("walking" in Present Continuous):
- Ja idę – I am walking
- Ty idziesz – You are walking
- On/ona/ono idzie – He/she/it is walking
- My idziemy – We are walking
- Wy idziecie – You are walking (Plural)
- Oni/one idą – They are walking ("Oni" masculine, "one" feminine or neuter)
Vocabulary
Singular:
ja - I
ty - you
on - he
ona - she
ono - it
Plural:
my - we
wy - you (Plural)
oni - they (mixed group, both men and women)
one - they (group of only women and children or things)
pies - dog
krowa - cow
świnia - pig
mucha - fly
osa - wasp
pszczoła - bee
drzewo - tree
kwiat - flower
Anglia - England
Szkocja - Scotland
Walia - Wales
Irlandia - Ireland
Wielka Brytania - Great Britain
Zjednoczone Królestwo - United Kingdom
Niemcy - Germany
Japonia - Japan
Stany Zjednoczone Ameryki - The United States of America
Francja - France
Hiszpania - Spain
Wenezuela - Venezuela
Polska - Poland
Polak - Pole
polski - Polish
Konstantynopolitańczykowianeczka - a little girl from Constantinople (the longest word in Polish)
Notes
1 You can hear the voice samples by clicking on the Polish example (ogg format).
See also
- Slavic languages
- Slavic peoples
- Poland
- Common phrases in Polish
- Wiktionary:Polish language
- Wikibooks:Basic Polish language course
- Swietokrzyskie Sermons
External links
- [http://slownik.web-monkeys.com/ słownik polski - polish dictionary]
- [http://www.polishgrammar.com/ 1,000 free multi-choice Polish grammar drills online]
- [http://www.polish-dictionary.com/ Basic English-Polish Dictionary]
- [http://www.polish-translations.com/PolishTranslation/ Articles about Polish Language]
- [http://www.ethnologue.org/show_language.asp?code=pol Polish language on Ethnologue]
- [http://www.fdicts.com/dictlist1.php?k1=75 All free Polish dictionaries]
- [http://sjp.pwn.pl/ PWN Polish-Polish Dictionary]
- [http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/Polish-english/ Webster's Online Polish-English Dictionary]
- [http://www.dict.pl Polish-English dictionary]
- [http://www.anglik.net/polish.htm Free Polish Translation]
- [http://www.poltran.com/ Online translation Polish<->English]
- [http://golem.umcs.lublin.pl/users/ppikuta/lessons/less0.htm Polish language course]
- [http://www.langsites.com/Polish.htm Polish On-line]
- [http://seelrc.org:8080/grammar/pdf/compgrammar_polish.pdf A Concise Polish Grammar, by Ronald F. Feldstein (110-page 600-KB pdf)]
- [http://polish.slavic.pitt.edu Univ. of Pittsburgh: Polish Language Website]
Category:Languages of Poland
Category:West Slavic languages
ko:폴란드어
ja:ポーランド語
th:ภาษาโปแลนด์
VoivodshipA Voivodship (also voivodeship, Romanian: voievodat, Polish: województwo, Serbian: vojvodstvo or vojvodina) was a feudal state in medieval Romania, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Serbia (see Vojvodina), ruled by a Voivod (voivode). The Voivod was initially the military commander next to the ruler.
The term voivodship is still used for the 16 administrative regions in Poland (Voivodships of Poland) and for the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina in Serbia.
Some sources, especially in historical context, use the word palatinate instead of voivodship.
List of Voivodships
palatinate
palatinate
palatinate]
- Romania
- Wallachia
- Moldavia
- Transylvania
- Serbia
- Vojvodina
- Poland
- dolnośląskie
- kujawsko-pomorskie
- łódzkie
- lubelskie
- lubuskie
- małopolskie
- mazowieckie
- opolskie
- podkarpackie
- podlaskie
- pomorskie
- śląskie
- świętokrzyskie
- warmińsko-mazurskie
- wielkopolskie
- zachodnio-pomorskie
Category:Subnational entities
-
Category:History of Vojvodina
Category:Serbian history
Category:History of Romania
Category:History of Poland
Category:History of Russia
Category:History of Hungary
Poland
The Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska) is a country located in Central Europe, between Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania, and Russia (in the form of the Kaliningrad Oblast exclave) to the north.
The Polish state was formed over 1,000 years ago under the Piast dynasty, and reached its golden age near the end of the 16th century under the Jagiellonian dynasty, when Poland was one of the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful countries in Europe. In 1791 the Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth voted for the Constitution of May 3, Europe's first modern codified constitution, and the second in the world after the Constitution of the United States. Soon afterwards, the country ceased to exist after being partitioned by its neighbours Russia, Austria, and Prussia. It regained independence in 1918 in the aftermath of the First World War as the Second Polish Republic. Following the Second World War it became a communist satellite state of the Soviet Union known as the People's Republic of Poland. In 1989 the first partially-free elections in Poland's post-World War II history concluded the Solidarity (Solidarność) movement's struggle for freedom and resulted in the defeat of Poland's communist rulers. The current Third Polish Republic was established, followed a few years later by the drafting of a new constitution in 1997. In 1999 Poland acceded to NATO, and in 2004 it joined the European Union.
Name
:See the name 'Poland' in other languages, in Wiktionary.
Poland's official name in Polish is Rzeczpospolita Polska. The names of the country, Polska, and of the nationality, the Poles, are of Slavic origin. Their name derives from the tribal name Polanie - people living around Lake Gopło - the cradle of Poland mentioned as Glopeani having 400 strongholds circa 845 (Bavarian Geographer). Common opinion holds that the name Polska comes from the Slavic Polanie tribe who established the Polish state in the 10th century (Greater Poland). The conventional etymology of the ethnic name of the Poles relates it to these Polish Polanie, "dwellers of the field"; pole, "field", analogous to Russian polyî, "open land", from Indo-European pelè-, "flat" + -anie, "inhabitants", analogous to Latin -anus, "originating from" (please compare Yuriev-Polsky). In old Latin chronicles the terms terra Poloniae (land of Poland) or Regnum Poloniae (kingdom of Poland) appear.
Parallel to this terminology, another one, Lechia, came into use, thought to derive from the tribe name Lędzianie. It gave rise to an alternative name for "Pole": Lęch, Lęchowie in Old Church Slavonic, Lechia, Lechites in Latin, Lach in Ruthenian, Lyakh in Russian, as well as to old German Lechien, Hungarian Lengyelorszag, Lengyel, Lithuanian Lenkija, lenkas and Turkish Lechistan (from Persian Lehestan).
History
Poland began to form into a recognizable unitary and territorial entity around the middle of the 10th century under the Piast dynasty. Poland's first historically documented ruler, Mieszko I, was baptized in 966, adopting Catholic Christianity as the country's new official religion, to which the bulk of the population converted in the course of the next century. In the 12th century Poland fragmented into several smaller states, which were later ravaged by the Mongol armies of the Golden Horde in 1241. In 1320 Władysław I became the King of reunified Poland. His son Kazimierz Wielki repaired the Polish economy, built new castles and won the war against the Russian dukedom (Lwow become a Polish City). Under the Jagiellon dynasty, Poland forged an alliance with its neighbour Lithuania. A golden age occurred in the 16th century during its union (Lublin Union) with Lithuania in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The citizens of Poland took pride in their ancient freedoms and parliamentary system, although the Szlachta monopolised most of the benefits. Since that time Poles have regarded freedom as their most important value. Poles often call themselves the nation of the free people.
freedom
In the mid-17th century a Swedish invasion rolled through the country in the turbulent time known as "The Deluge" (potop). Numerous wars against the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Cossacks, Transylvania and Brandenburg-Prussia ultimately came to an end in 1699. During the following 80 years, the waning of the central government and deadlock of the institutions weakened the nation, leading to anarchistic tendencies and a growing dependency on Russia. In Polish Democracy every member of parliament was able to break any work or project by shouting 'Liberum Veto' during the session. Russian tsars took advantage of this unique political vulnerability by offering money to Parliamentary traitors, who in turn would consistently and subversively block necessary reforms and new solutions.
The Enlightenment in Poland fostered a growing national movement to repair the state, resulting in the first written constitution in Europe, the Constitution of May 3 in 1791. The process of reforms ceased with the partitions of Poland between Russia, Prussia, and Austria in 1772, 1793 and 1795 which ultimately dissolved the country. Poles resented their shrinking freedoms and several times rebelled against their oppressors (see List of Polish Uprisings).
Napoleon recreated a Polish state, the Duchy of Warsaw, but after the Napoleonic wars, Poland was split again by the Allies at the Congress of Vienna. The eastern part was ruled by the Russian tsar as a Congress Kingdom, and possessed a liberal constitution. However, the tsars soon reduced Polish freedoms and Russia eventually de facto annexed the country. Later in the 19th century, Austrian-ruled Galicia became the oasis of Polish freedom.
During World War I all the Allies agreed on the restitution of Poland that United States President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed in point 13 of his Fourteen Points. Shortly after the surrender of Germany in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic (II Rzeczpospolita Polska). A new threat, Soviet aggression, arose in the 1919 (Polish-Soviet War), but Poland succeeded in defending its independence.
Polish-Soviet War
The Second Polish Republic lasted until the start of World War II when Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland. Poland surrendered on September 28 1939 and suffered greatly in the period that followed as a General Government. Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland lost the highest percentage of its citizens: over 6 million perished, half of them Polish Jews. In its conclusion, Poland's borders shifted westwards, pushing the eastern border to the Curzon line and the western border to the Oder-Neisse line. After the shift, Poland emerged 20% smaller by 77,500 km² (29,900 mi²); although the important cities of Gdańsk, Szczecin and Wrocław were all incorporated into its post-war borders. The shift also involved the migration of millions of people – Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Jews. As a result of these events, Poland became, for the first time in history, an ethnically unified country. A Polish minority is still present in neighbouring countries of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania, as well as in other countries (see Poles article for the population numbers). The largest number of ethnic Poles outside of the country can be found in the United States.
The Soviet Union instituted a new communist government in Poland, analogous to much of the rest of the Eastern Bloc. Military alignment within the Warsaw Pact throughout the Cold War was also part of this change. In 1948 a turn towards Stalinism brought in the beginning of the next period of totalitarian rule. The People's Republic of Poland (Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa) was officially proclaimed in 1952. In 1956 the régime became more liberal, freeing many people from prison and expanding some personal freedoms. In 1970 the government was changed. It was a time when the economy was more modern, and the government had large credits. Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union, "Solidarity", which over time became a political force. It eroded the dominance of the Communist Party; by 1989 it had triumphed in parliamentary elections, and Lech Wałęsa, a Solidarity candidate, eventually won the presidency in 1990. The Solidarity movement greatly contributed to the soon-following collapse of Communism all over Eastern Europe.
A shock therapy program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. Despite a regression in social and economic standards, there were numerous improvements in other human rights (free speech, functioning democracy and the like). Poland was the first post-communist country to regain pre-1989 GDP levels. Poland joined the NATO alliance in 1999 along with the Czech Republic and Hungary. Polish voters then said yes to the EU in a referendum in June 2003. Poland joined the European Union on 1 May 2004.
Politics
Poland is a democratic republic. Its current constitution dates from 1997. The government structure centres on the Council of Ministers, led by a prime minister. The president appoints the cabinet according to the proposals of the prime minister, typically from the majority coalition in the bicameral legislature's lower house (the Sejm). The president, elected by popular vote every five years, serves as the head of state. The current president is Aleksander Kwaśniewski.
Polish voters elect a two house parliament, consisting of a 460 member lower house Sejm and a 100 member Senate (Senat). The Sejm is elected under a proportional representation electoral system similar to that used in other parliamentary political systems while the Senate is elected under a comparatively rare first past the post bloc voting. With the exception of ethnic minority parties, only political parties receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enter Sejm. When sitting in joint session, members of Sejm and Senate form the National Assembly, (Polish Zgromadzenie Narodowe). The National Assembly is formed on three occasions: taking oath by the new president, bringing an indictment against the President of the Republic to the Tribunal of State, declaration of the President's permanent incapacity to exercise his duties due to the state of his health.
The judicial branch plays an important role in decision-making. Its major institutions include the Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy), the Supreme Administrative Court (Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny) (judges appointed by the president of the republic on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period), the Constitutional Tribunal (Trybunał Konstytucyjny) (judges chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms) and the Tribunal of State (Trybunał Stanu) (judges chosen by the Sejm for for the current term of office of the Sejm, except for the position of chairperson which is held by the First President of the Supreme Court). The Sejm (on approval of the Polish Senate) appoints the Ombudsman or the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection (Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich) for a five-year term. The Ombudsman has the duty of guarding the observance and implementation of the rights and liberties of the human being and of the citizen, the law and principles of community life and social justice.
Geography
judicial branch
The Polish landscape consists almost entirely of the lowlands of the North European Plain, at an average height of 173 metres (568 ft), though the Sudetes (including the Karkonosze) and the Carpathian Mountains (including the Tatra mountains, where one also finds Poland's highest point, Rysy, at 2,499 m [8,199 ft]) form the southern border. Several large rivers cross the plains; for instance, the Vistula (Wisła), Oder (Odra), Warta the (Western) Bug. Poland also contains over 9,300 lakes, predominantly in the north of the country. Masuria (Mazury) forms the largest and most-visited lake district in Poland. Remains of the ancient forests survive: see list of forests in Poland. Poland enjoys a temperate climate, with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters and mild summers with frequent showers and thunder showers.
Big Cities
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Administrative division
climate
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Poland is subdivided into sixteen administrative regions known as voivodships (województwa, singular - województwo):
Lower levels of administrative division are:
- powiats (counties)
- gminas (commune)
Economy
gmina
gmina
gmina]
Since its return to democracy, Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of liberalising the economy and today stands out as one of the most successful and open examples of the transition from a partially state-capitalist market economy to a primarily privately owned market economy.
The privatisation of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed for the rapid development of an aggressive private sector, followed by a development of consumer rights organisations later on. Restructuring and privatisation of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railways, and energy) has begun. The biggest privatisations so far were a sale of Telekomunikacja Polska, a national telecom to France Telecom (2000) and an issue of 30% shares of the biggest Polish bank, PKO BP, on the Polish stockmarket (2004).
Poland has a large agricultural sector of private farms, that could be a leading producer of food in the European Union now that Poland is a member. Challenges remain, especially under-investment. Structural reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Warsaw leads Central Europe in foreign investment and allegedly needs a continued large inflow. GDP growth had been strong and steady from 1993 to 2000 with only a short slowdown from 2001 to 2002. The prospect of closer integration with the European Union has put the economy back on track, with growth of 3.7% annually in 2003, a rise from 1.4% annually in 2002. In 2004 GDP growth equalled 5.4%.
Annual growth rates broken down by quarters:
- 2003: Q1 - 2.2% | Q2 - 3.8% | Q3 - 4.7% | Q4 - 4.7%
- 2004: Q1 - 6.9% | Q2 - 6.1% | Q3 - 5.8% | Q4 - 5.9%
- 2005: Q1 - 2.1% | Q2 - 2.8% | Q3 - 3.7% |
Although the Polish economy is currently undergoing an economic boom there are many challenges ahead. The most notable task on the horizon is the preparation of the economy (through continuing deep structural reforms) to allow Poland to meet the strict economic criteria for entry into the European Single Currency. There is much speculation as to just when Poland might be ready to join the Eurozone, although the best guess estimates put the entry date somewhere between 2009 and 2013. For now, Poland is preparing to make the Euro its official currency (as other countries of the European Union), and the Złoty will eventually be abolished from the modern Polish economy. Since joining the European Union, many young Polish people have left their country to work in other EU countries becouse of high unemployment rate (about 17%).
Poland produces: clothes, electronics, cars, buses (Autosan, Jelcz SA, Solaris, ) helicopters (PZL Świdnik), planes (PZL Mielec), ships, military engineering (including tanks), medicines (Polpharma, Polfa, etc), food, chemical products etc.
Science, technology and education
The education of Polish society was a goal of rulers as early as the 12th century. The library catalog of the Cathedral Chapter of Kraków dating back to 1110 shows that already in the early 12th century Polish intellectuals had access to the European literature. In 1364, in Kraków, the Jagiellonian University, founded by King Kazimierz Wielki, became one of Europe's great early universities. In 1773 King Stanisław August Poniatowski established his Commission on National Education (Komisja Edukacji Narodowej), the world's first state ministry of education. Today, Poland has more than a hundred institutions of post-secondary education: technical, medical, economics, as well as the traditional universities to be found in its major cities; e.g., Gdańsk, Bydgoszcz, Katowice, Kraków, Lublin, Łódź, Poznań, Rzeszów, Warsaw, Wrocław yielding over 61 thousand scientists. Furthermore, there are about 300 research and development institutes, with about 10 thousand more researchers. In addition, there is a number of smaller laboratories. In sum, there are 91 thousand scientists in Poland today.
Telecommunication and IT
The share of the telecom sector in the GDP is 4.4% (end of 2000 figure), compared to 2.5% in 1996. Nevertheless, despite high expenditures for telecom infrastructure (the coverage increased from 78 users per 1000 inhabitants in 1989 to 282 in 2000)
the coverage mobile cellular is 660 users per 1000 people (2005)
- Telephones - mobile cellular: 25.3 million (Raport Telecom Team 2005)
- Telephones - main lines in use: 12.5 million (Raport Telecom Team 2005)
Transportation
- Rail: The Polish State Railways (PKP) is one of the larger railway systems of central and western Europe, with 23,420 kilometres (14,552 mi) in its network (1998). Refurbishment of the network has commenced to bring standards into line with western European railway networks. [http://www.plk-sa.pl/]
- Road: By Western European standards, Poland has a relatively poor infrastructure of expressways/highways. The Government has undertaken a programme to improve the standard of a number of significant national highways by 2013. The total length of expressways/highways is 364,657 kilometres (226,587 mi). There are a total of 9,283,000 registered passenger automobiles, as well as 1,762,000 registered trucks and buses (2000).
PKP
- Air: Poland has eight major airports (in decreasing order of traffic: Warsaw, Kraków, Katowice, Gdańsk, Poznań, Wrocław, Szczecin and Rzeszów), a total of 123 airports and airfields, as well as three heliports. The number of passenger at Polish airports has consistently increased since 1991.
- Marine: The total length of navigable rivers and canals is 3,812 kilometres (2,369 mi). The merchant marine consists of 114 ships, with an additional 100 ships registered outside the country. The principal ports and harbours are: Port of Gdańsk, Port of Gdynia, Port of Szczecin, Port of Swinoujscie, Port of Ustka, Port of Kolobrzeg, Gliwice, Warsaw, Wroclaw.
Tourism and holidays
Wroclaw
- Tourism in Poland
- Holidays in Poland
- [http://wikitravel.org/en/Poland Poland on Wikitravel]
Demographics
Poland formerly played host to many languages, cultures and religions. However, the outcome of World War II and the following shift westwards to the area between the Curzon line and the Oder-Neisse line gave Poland an appearance of homogeneity. Today 36,983,700 people, or 96.74% of the population considers itself Polish (Census 2002), 471,500 (1.23%) declared another nationality. 774,900 people (2.03%) didn't declare any nationality. The officially recognised ethnic minorities include: Germans, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Jews and Belarusians. The Polish language, a member of the West Slavic branch of the Slavic languages, functions as the official language of Poland. Most Poles adhere to the Roman Catholic faith, and 75% count as practising Catholics. The rest of the population consists mainly of Eastern Orthodox (about 509 500), Jehovah's Witnesses (about 123 034) and various Protestant (about 86 880 in the largest Evangelical-Augsburg Church and about as many in smaller churches) religious minorities.
[http://www.stat.gov.pl/opracowania_zbiorcze/maly_rocznik_stat/2003/rocznik4/relig.htm]
Culture
Evangelical-Augsburg Church]]
Polish culture has more then 1000 years of history. Poland situated between Western and Eastern cultural spaces and got influences from both. For example the traditional costumes include also Islamic influences. Polish culture developed actively and always been as part of western (Western Europe) culture. We can see that today - architecture, folklore, art etc. Also Poland influenced to near situated countries.
UNESCO World Heritage in Poland
- Warszawa (Old Town)
- Kraków (Old Town)
- Wieliczka (Salt mine)
- Malbork (Biggest Brick Stone Castle)
- Zamość (Renaissance Town)
- Toruń (Gothic Town)
- Oświęcim (Auschwitz concentration camp)
- Jawor (Baroque Peace Church)
- Świdnica (Baroque Peace Chruch)
- Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (Pilgrim´s Place)
- Białowieża Forest (National Park - largest remaining primeval forest in Europe)
- Dębno (Gothic Wooden Chruch)
- Słowiński Park Narodowy (highest sand hills)
International rankings
- Human Development Index 2005: Rank 36th out of 177 countries.
- Reporters Without Borders world-wide press freedom index 2004: Rank 32nd out of 167 countries.
- Index of Economic Freedom 2005: Rank 41st out of 155 countries.
See also
- Extreme points of Poland
- List of castles of Poland
- List of cities in Poland
- List of Poland-related topics
- List of Poles
- Polish Armed Forces
- Polonization
- Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego
- Związek Harcerstwa Rzeczypospolitej
- Anti-Polonism
External links
Governmental websites
- [http://www.sejm.gov.pl/english.html Sejm] - Sejm - lower chamber of the Parliament
- [http://www.senat.gov.pl/indexe.htm Senat] - Senate - upper chamber of the Parliament
- [http://www.president.pl/x.node?id=479 Prezydent] - President of the Republic of Poland
- [http://www.kprm.gov.pl/english/index.html KPRM] - Prime Minister's Office
- [http://www.sn.pl/english/index.html Sąd Najwyższy] - Supreme Court
- [http://www.trybunal.gov.pl/eng/index.htm Trybunał Konstytucyjny] - Constitutional Tribunal
- [http://www.nbp.pl/Home.aspx?f=srodeken.htm National Bank of Poland]
- [http://www.poland.pl/ The Poland.pl portal]
- [http://www.wse.com.pl/ Warsaw Stock Exchange]
- [http://www.stat.gov.pl/english/index.htm GUS] - Central Statistical Office
- [http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/angielski/kon1.htm Constitution of Poland]
Poland Tourism
- [http://www.poland-tourism.pl/start.asp?tf=US Polish National Tourist Office (from pot.gov.pl)]
English-language websites on Poland
- [http://www.poland.gov.pl Polska /page about Poland]
- [http://polblog.pl/ PolBlog - Polish News Site]
- [http://www.polishforums.com Poland and Polish Community Online]
- [http://www.centreurope.org/pl/poland.htm Centreurope.org: Poland section]
- [http://www.warsawvoice.pl Warsawvoice]
- [http://www.wbj.pl Warsaw Business Journal]
- [http://www.parks.it/world/PL/Eindex.html Parks in Poland] National parks, wetlands, biosphere reserves and other protected areas
Category:European Union member states
Category:Republics
People of Poland
zh-min-nan:Polska
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ko:폴란드
ms:Poland
ja:ポーランド
simple:Poland
th:ประเทศโปแลนด์
fiu-vro:Poola
Eastern PomeraniaEastern Pomerania (also Pomerelia, East Pomerania, Gdańsk Pomerania, Vistula Pomerania) is a geographical and historical region in the east of Pomerania in northern Poland.
The indigenous population of Pomeranians is mostly the Kashubians, who speak the Kashubian dialect of Pomeranian language. They organize in the Kashubian-Pomeranian Association.
See also
- Dukes of Pomerania
- Pomeranian Voivodship
- Royal Prussia
- Province of West Prussia
Category:Regions of Poland
Pomerania
10-field Pomeranian coats of arms in 15th–17th centuries
Pomerania (, , Pomeranian (Kashubian): Pòmòrze and Pòmòrskô, Latin: Pomerania, Pomorania) is a geographical and historical region in northern Poland and Germany on the south coasts of the Baltic Sea between and on both sides of the Vistula and Oder (Odra) rivers, reaching the Recknitz river in the west.
Polish Pomerania is currently divided into 3 voivodships: the West Pomeranian Voivodship (Zachodniopomorskie, ZP), Pomeranian Voivodship (Pomorskie, PM) and the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship (Kujawsko-Pomorskie, KP). German Pomerania (Vorpommern) is part of the German Bundesland (federal state) of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania).
The history of the region is rich and varied, perhaps due to its having been under the rule of many different powers through the centuries, as all of Europe. A Polish province since 962, from 1181 until 1806, Pomerania was a part of the Holy Roman Empire and was ruled as imperial fiefs by the Dukes of Pomerania and the kings of Poland, Denmark, Saxony, Brandenburg, Prussia, and Sweden. With the split of the Holy Roman Empire into Austrian and German Empire, Pomerania was a part of Germany.
Origin and meaning of the name
The name is a Pomeranian translation of 'longum mare' and means 'country by/next to/along the sea'
The name was probably first mentioned as Latin words 'longum mare' (=along the sea) in an obscure church record of around 1080), called the Dagome Iudex, but supposedly dealing with 992. It names Oda von Haldensleben and her husband as Dagome, which is assumed to refer to Mieszko I, referring to territory Dagome gave as gift to the pope. In an imperial record of 1046 there is an actual first mention of Pomerania as Zemuzil dux Bomeranorum (Siemomysl, Duke of Pomeranians). From then on Pomerania is mentioned many times in the chronicles by Adam of Bremen (ca. 1070) and Gallus Anonymous (ca. 1113).
Subdivisions of Pomerania
In the German tradition Pomerania is often divided into Vorpommern (on the left bank of the Oder river) and Hinterpommern (on its right bank). The easternmost part is known in German as Pommerellen, bordering and overlapping with West Prussia.
Polish terminology divides Pomerania into: Pomorze Zachodnie (Western Pomerania) and Pomorze Wschodnie or Pomorze Gdańskie (Gdańsk Pomerania). The former covers roughly the teritorries referred to in German as Vorpommern and Hinterpommern, the latter corresponds to Pommerellen. Under Polish administration a number of several different voivodships all using the name Pomerania have been established.
Kashubian geographic terminology with regard to Pomerania is similar to Polish, and distinguishes between Zôpadnô Pòmòrskô (Western Pomerania) and Pòrénkòwô Pòmòrskô (Eastern Pomerania).
Demographics
|
The biggest cities are (with population figures for 1999):
- in Polish Pomerania
- Tricity metropolitan area (population(2001): 1035,000 area 1,332,51 km² ) including
- Gdańsk (458,988) (1905 - 159,685)
- Gdynia (253,521)
- Sopot (46,000)
- Szczecin (416,988) (1905 - 224,078)
- Toruń (206,158)
- Koszalin (112,375)
- Słupsk (102,370)
- Stargard Szczeciński (72,000)
and Kołobrzeg (Kolberg), Szczecinek Świnoujście
- in German Pomerania
- Greifswald (52,984)
- Stralsund (63,000)
- Wolgast
- Barth
Geography
Pomerania is the area along the Baltic Sea between the Vistula, Noteć, Warta and Oder rivers. The islands of Uznam, Wolin and Rügen lie along the Pomeranian coast, while the Hel peninsula and the Vistula peninsula jut out into the Baltic.
The Baltic forms the Bay of Pomerania, Szczecin Bay, Gdańsk Bay with Bay of Puck, and Vistula Bay along the coast. Lakes Lebsko, Jamno and Gardno were formerly bays but have been cut off from the sea.
Prehistoric times
In prehistoric times Pomerania was settled by migrants from Scandinavia, called the Rugians. Later, they moved on to Central Europe and were replaced by Slavic tribes.
The Pomeranians are first mentioned around the year 1000 AD.
The territory of northern Germania, as it was recorded 2000 years ago was covered with ice, which did not start to recede until the late period of the Old Stone Age or Paleolithic some 10,000 years BC, when the Scandinavian glacier receded to the north. Various archeological cultures developed in the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age.
History of Pomerania
The Mediaeval Period
Throughout the early mediaeval period Pomerania was claimed by Mecklenburg, Brandenburg and Poland, and occasionally by the Teutonic Knights. In 1420 the Wendish nobles of Brandenburg were supported by the Wends of Pomerania in an uprising against the Margrave of Brandenburg, Frederick von Hohenzollern ("Irontooth"), but were decively defeated at Angermünde. Frederick believed that the key to the complicated politics of his region was to forge close ties with Poland, which could now control the Teutonic order and was therefore in a position to confirm Brandenburg’s claims to Pomerania. He therefore arranged for his second son, Frederick, to get engaged to King Vladislav of Poland’s daughter.
This enraged Sigismund of Bohemia, who now threw his support behind the Dukes of Pomerania, granting them the Uckermark. In 1425 it came to war, with Brandenburg facing Pomerania, Mecklenburg, the Teutonic Order and even Poland. Frederick’s plans had come badly unstuck. In the war which followed, Frederick was able to keep the Uckermark, but Hohenzollern pretensions to rule Pomerania were thwarted.
The 16th-17th Centuries
Disputes with Brandenburg continued. These were partially agreed at the Conference of Juterbog (1527) between Joachim I of Brandenburg and the Duke of Pomerania. As the Reformation gathered pace, Pomerania also went Protestant, but the process was slower than in Brandenburg.
In 1637 the last of the Wendish Dukes of Pomerania, Bogislaw XIV, died out. During the Thirty Years War Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden occupied Pomerania. In the negotiations between France Brandenburg and Sweden following the Northern War the Brandenburgish diplomats Joachim Friedrich von Blumenthal and his son Christoph Caspar obtained the rights of succession for Brandenburg, though the argument with Sweden, especially over Hither Pomerania, continued to the end of the 17th century and beyond, until the Treaty of Stockholm in 1720, by which time Brandenburg had become Prussia.
The 18th-19th centuries
Prussian noblemen began to acquire estates in Pomerania, while Pomeranian noblemen were integrated into Prussian society. Thus originally Wendish families such as the von Lettows, von Zitzewitzes and von Krockows intermarried with German families from Brandenburg such as the von Blumenthals, who possessed great estates at Quackenburg, Varzin, Dubberzin, Schlönwitz and elsewhere. By the nineteenth century Pomerania was fully Germanised, and was a popular place of retirement for the well-to-do such as Bismarck, who bought Varzin.
The 20th Century
During the Nazi period Pomerania was a hotbed of opposition to the Nazis, where the network of aristocratic estates and the loyalties they generated were ideal for conspiracy. Dietrich Bonhoeffer ran his illegal seminary at Schlönwitz in 1938. It was therefore ironic that Pomerania should have been given to Poland to compensate her for losses of territory elsewhere, and the German speaking population was unceremoniously expelled. A popular account of this period can be found in Christian von Krockow's book The Hour of the Women.
Modern 20th Century divisions of Pomerania
The eastern part of Pomerania, Pomorze, is a geographical and historical region in Poland that encompasses three Polish voivodships: the West Pomeranian Voivodship (Zachodniopomorskie), Pomeranian Voivodship (Pomorskie) and the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship (Kujawsko-Pomorskie). The most western part of Pomerania (Vorpommern, in Polish Zapomorze) is part of the German state (Bundesland) of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern).
See also
- Kashubian-Pomeranian Association
Further reading
Publications in English
- Linda Herrick & Wendy Uncapher, Pomerania Atlantic Bridge to Germany, Origins, Janesville, WI, 2005.
Publications in Polish
- Gerard Labuda (ed.), Historia Pomorza, vol. I (to 1466), parts 1-2, Poznań 1969
- Gerard Labuda (ed.), Historia Pomorza, vol. II (1466–1815), parts 1-2, Poznań 1976
- Gerard Labuda (ed.), Historia Pomorza, vol. III (1815–1850), parts 1-3, Poznań
- Gerard Labuda (ed.), Historia Pomorza, vol. IV (1850–1918), part 1, Toruń 2003
- Marian Biskup (ed.), Śląsk i Pomorze w historii stosunków polsko-niemieckich w średniowieczu. XII Konferencja Wspólnej Komisji Podręcznikowej PRL-RFN Historyków 5–10 VI 1979 Olsztyn, Instytut Zachdni, Poznań 1987
- Antoni Czubiński, Zbigniew Kulak (ed.), Śląsk i Pomorze w stosunkach polsko-niemieckich od XVI do XVII w. XIV Konferencja Wspólnej Komisji Podręcznikowej PRL-RFN Historyków, 9–14 VI 1981 r. Zamość, Instytut Zachodni, Poznań 1987
- Szkice do dziejów Pomorza, vol. 1-3, Warszawa 1958-61
- B. Wachowiak, Rozwój gospodarczo-społeczny Pomorza Zachodniego od połowy XV do początku XVII wieku, Studia i Materiały do dziejów Wielkopolski i Pomorza, 1958, z. 1
- J. Wiśniewski, Początki układu kapitalistycznego na Pomorzu Zachodnim w XVIII wieku, Studia i Materiały do dziejów Wielkopolski i Pomorza, 1958, z. 1
- A. Wielopolski, Gospodarka Pomorza Zachodniego w latach 1800–1918, Szczecin 1959
- W. Odyniec, Dzieje Prus Królewskich (1454–1772). Zarys monograficzny, Warszawa 1972
- Dzieje Pomorza Nadwiślańskiego od VII wieku do 1945 roku, Gdańsk 1978
- Zygmunt Boras, "Książęta Pomorza Zachodniego", Poznań 1969, 1978, 1996
- Zygmunt Boras, "Stosunki polsko-pomorskie w XVI w", Poznań 1965
- Zygmunt Boras, "Związki Śląska i Pomorza Zachdoniego z Polską w XVI wieku", Poznań 1981
- Kazimierz Kozłowski, Jerzy Podralski, "Poczet Książąt Pomorza Zachodniego", KAW, Szczecin 1985
- Lech Bądkowski, W. Samp. "Poczet książąt Pomorza Gdańskiego", Gdańsk 1974
- B. Śliwiński, "Poczet książąt gdańskich", Gdańsk 1997
- Wojciech Myślenicki, "Pomorscy sprzymierzenscy Jagiellończyków", Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, Poznań 1979
- Józef Spors, "Podziały administracyjne Pomorza Gdańskiego i Sławieńsko-Słupskiego od XII do początków XIV w", Słupsk 1983
- Kazimierz Ślaski, "Podziały terytorialne Pomorza w XII-XII w.", Poznań 1960
- Benon Miśkiewicz, "Z dziejów wojennych Pomorza Zachodniego. Cedynia 972-Siekierki 1945", Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, Poznań 1972
Publications in German
- M. Wehrmann, Geschichte von Pommern, vol. 1-2, Gotha 1919-21
- M. Spahn, Verfassungs- und Wirtshaftsgeschichte des Herzogtums Pommern von 1476 bis 1625, Leipzig 1896
- B. Schumacher, Geschichte Ost- und Westpreussens, Wurzburg 1959
External links
Internet directories
- [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/Poland/Voivodships/Western_Pomerania/ Open Directory Project - Western Pomerania - internet directory]
- [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/Poland/Voivodships/Pomerania-Kashubia/ Open Directory Project - Kashubian Pomerania - internet directory]
- [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/Poland/Voivodships/Kuyavia_and_Pomerania/ Open Directory Project - Kuyavia and Pomerania - internet directory]
- [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/Germany/States/Mecklenburg-Western_Pomerania/ Open Directory Project - Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - internet directory]
Culture and history
- [http://www.zamek.szczecin.pl/ Pomeranian Dukes Castle in Szczecin (Polish, German, English)]
- [http://www.archiv-vegelahn.de/pommern.html Pomeranian (German)]
Maps of Pomerania
- [http://www.frombork.art.pl/Frombork-foto/Sd687_i.jpg Woiewództwa Pomorskie i Małborskie oraz Pomerania Elektorska, G.B.A.Rizzi-Zannoni 1772]
- [http://feefhs.org/maps/GERE/ge-pomer.html FEEFHS Map Room: German Empire - East (1882) - Pommern (Pomerania), Prussia]
Category:Regions of Poland
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ja:ポモージェ
Gdańsk VoivodshipThe name Gdańsk Voivodship has been used twice to designate local governments in Poland.
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Poland
Gdańsk Voivodship (1) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975-1998, superseded by Pomeranian Voivodship. It's capital city was Gdańsk.
Statistics (1 January 1992):
- Area: 7.400 sq.km
- Population: 1 431 600 inhabitants
- Population density: 194 inhabitants/sq.km
- Administrative division: 47 communes
- Number of cities and towns (urban communes): 20
Governors:
- Maciej Płażyński 1990-1997
Major cities and towns (population 1995):
- Gdańsk (462 800);
- Gdynia (251 400);
- Tczew (60 600);
- Starogard Gdański (50 600);
- Wejherowo (47 300);
- Sopot (43 700);
- Rumia (40 000);
- Kościerzyna (23 100);
- Pruszcz Gdański (21 200),
- Other towns (population 1980):
- Kartuzy (12 000);
- Puck (11 100);
- Władysławowo (10 600).
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Gdansk Voivodship (2) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1945-1975, superseded by the voivodships of Gdansk (1), Elbląg and Słupsk (area of Lębork). It's capital was also Gdańsk.
List of counties in 1946-1975
English county name, Polish county name, capital city
- Gdańsk City, miasto Gdańsk
- Gdynia City, Miasto Gdynia
- Elbląg County, powiat elbląski, Elbląg
- Gdańsk County, powiat gdański, Gdańsk
- Kartuzy County powiat kartuski, Kartuzy
- Kościerzyna County, powiat kościerzyński, Kościerzyna
- Kwidzyn County, powiat kwidzyński, Kwidzyn
- Lębork County, powiat lęborski, Lębork
- Malbork County, powiat malborski, Malbork
- Sea County, powiat morski Puck
- Starogard County, powiat starogardzki, Starogard Gdański
- Sztum County, powiat sztumski, Sztum
- Tczew County, powiat tczewski, Tczew
New counties established 1946-1975:
- Sopot City, miasto Sopot, previously part of Gdańsk County
- Elbląg City, miasto Elbląg, previously part of Elbląg County
- Puck County, powiat puck, Puck, previously part of Sea County
- Wejherowo County, powiat wejherowski, Wejherowo, previously part of Sea County
- Nowy Dwór Gdański County, powiat nowodworski, Nowy Dwór Gdański, previously part of Gdańsk County
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See also:
Voivodships of Poland
Category:Polish historical voivodships (1945-1975)
Category:Polish historical voivodships (1975-1998)
Słupsk Voivodship
Słupsk Voivodship (Polish: województwo słupskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from 1975 to 1998, previously part of Szczecin Voivodship (1945–1950) and Koszalin Voivodship (1950–1975), superseded by Pomeranian Voivodship (since 1999). Its capital city was Słupsk.
- Area: 7,400 km²
- Population: 413,800 inhabitants
- Population density: 56 inhabitants/km²
- Administrative division: 31 communes
- Number of cities and towns (urban communes): 11
Major cities and towns (population in 1995)
- Słupsk (102,700)
- Lębork (36,300)
Other towns (population in 1980)
- Ustka (15,200)
- Bytów (13,300)
- Sławno (12,700)
- Człuchów (10,700)
- Miastko (10,000)
See also
- Voivodships of Poland
Category:Polish historical voivodships (1975-1998)
Zachodniopomorskie Voivodship
West Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze Zachodnie; German: Westpommern; Latin: Pomerania Occidentalis) or West Pomeranian Voivodship (Polish: województwo zachodniopomorskie) is an administrative region or voivodship in the northwestern part of Poland. It borders the Lubusz (Lubuskie), Greater Poland (Wielkopolskie) and Pomeranian (Pomorskie) voivodships.
It was established on 1 January 1999 out of the former Szczecin, Koszalin, and parts of neighbouring voivodships as a result of Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998. The voivodship's name recalls the region's traditional name of Western Pomerania (Pomorze Zachodnie).
This is a picturesque region of Baltic Sea coast, unspoilt nature, lakes and woodlands. Major coastal towns: Koszalin, Swinoujscie, Miedzyzdroje, Dziwnow, Kolobrzeg, and Mielno.
The capital of this administrative region is:
Szczecin.
Area: 22,902 km²
Population: 1,735,900 (2003).
Population density: 76/km²
Administrative division: 21 counties, 61 cities, 114 communities
Administrative division
Szczecin
- Białogard County, Białogard
- Choszczno County, Choszczno
- Drawsko Pomorskie County, Drawsko Pomorskie
- Goleniów County, Goleniów
- Gryfice County, Gryfice
- Gryfino County, Gryfino
- Kamień Pomorski County, Kamień Pomorski
- Kołobrzeg County, Kołobrzeg
- Koszalin City County
- Koszalin County, Koszalin
- Łobez County, Łobez
- Myślibórz County, Myślibórz
- Police County, Police
- Pyrzyce County, Pyrzyce
- Sławno County, Sławno
- Stargard Szczeciński County, Stargard Szczeciński
- Szczecin City County
- Szczecinek County, Szczecinek
- Świdwin County, Świdwin
- Świnoujście City County
- Wałcz County, Wałcz
Major cities and towns
- Szczecin (415.700)
- Koszalin (113.400)
- Stargard Szczecinski (75.300)
- Kolobrzeg (47.200)
- Swinoujscie (43.700)
- Szczecinek (41.700)
- Police (35.800)
- Walcz (27.000)
- Bialogard (26.000)
- Goleniow (23.100)
- Gryfino (22.600)
Major corporations
- Grupa Kronospan SA, Szczecinek
- Zakłady Chemiczne Police SA, Police
- Swedwood Poland SA, Szczecin
- Zespół Elektrowni Dolna Odra SA, Nowe Czarnowo
- Stocznia Szczecińska Nowa sp. z o.o., Szczecin
- Polska Żegluga Morska SA, Szczecin
- Netto Artykuły Żywnościowe sp. z o.o., Kobylanka
- Komfort sp. z o.o., Szczecin
- Agencja Reklamowa Anny Turkiewicz, Szczecin
- Zakład Energetyczny Koszalin SA, Koszalin
- Petrocargo/OW Bunker sp. z o.o., Szczecin
- Vobis Microcomputer sp. z o.o., Szczecin
- Yiotarini Holdings Co Ltd., Szczecinek
- PZE Cefarm-Szczecin SA, Szczecin
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