Pomeranian Voivodeship

Pomeranian Voivodeship (Województwo pomorskie ; Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò ) 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 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 (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.

Ethymology
The name Pomerania derives from the Slavic po more, meaning "by the sea" or "on the sea".

Cities and towns
The voivodeship contains 7 cities and 35 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (official 2019 figures). • Cities (governed by a city mayor or prezydent miasta):

• # Gdańsk (468,158)

• # Gdynia (246,244)

• # Słupsk (90,769)

• # Tczew (60,120)

• # Wejherowo (49,652)

• # Starogard Gdański (47,775)

• # Sopot (35,827)

• Towns:

• # Rumia (49,160)

• # Chojnice (39,890)

• # Malbork (38,465)

• # Kwidzyn (38,444)

• # Lębork (35,333)

• # Pruszcz Gdański (31,135)

• # Reda (26,011)

• # Kościerzyna (23,776)

• # Bytów (16,918)

• # Ustka (15,460)

• # Kartuzy (14,536)

• # Człuchów (13,649)

• # Puck (11,213)

• # Miastko (10,439)

• # Sztum (9,940)

• # Władysławowo (9,930)

• # Czersk (9,910)

• # Nowy Dwór Gdański (9,905)

• # Prabuty (8,695)

• # Pelplin (7,784)

• # Skarszewy (6,994)

• # Gniew (6,707)

• # Żukowo (6,691)

• # Czarne (5,932)

• # Dzierzgoń (5,364)

• # Brusy (5,188)

• # Debrzno (5,096)

• # Nowy Staw (4,248)

• # Łeba (3,644)

• # Skórcz (3,625)

• # Kępice (3,580)

• # Hel (3,267)

• # Czarna Woda (2,786)

• # Jastarnia (2,704)

• # Krynica Morska (1,303)

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.

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.

Transport

 * Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport
 * Obwodnica Trójmiejska

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

Railway

 * 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.

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.

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.
 * There are numerous castles in the province, and the Kwidzyn and Malbork castles are listed as Historic Monuments of Poland, 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. 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).
 * 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.
 * 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.