Pomeranian Voivodship

The Pomeranian Voivodship (in Polish województwo pomorskie) is an administrative region or voivodship in northern Poland within the historic region of Eastern Pomerania.

(1) Pomeranian voivodship (1466-1772), part of Royal Prussia, an autonomous province in the Kingdom of Poland (I Rzeczpospolita). Capital in Gdansk. Renamed to the Prussian province of West Prussia (1772-1919)

(2) Pomeranian voivodship (1919-1939), administrative province of the Republic of Poland (II Rzeczpospolita) established in 1919 after WWI from the majority of the Prussian probince of West Prussia which fell to Poland. Capital was initially in Torun. In 1938-39 voivodship extended to the the south at the expense of voivodships of Poznan and Warsaw, and called Great Pomerania afterwards. The capital was moved to Bydgoszcz.

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 In 1945 returned to Poland and superseded by Gdansk and Bydgoszcz voivodships.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.

(3) Pomeranian voivodship (1945-?) administrative province of Poland established 1945 from most of pre-war Pomeranian Voivodship (2), later renamed Bydgoszcz Voivodship

Capital city: Bydgoszcz

List of counties in 1946
English county name, Polish county name, capital city

Bydgoszcz City, miasto Bydgoszcz
Torun City, miasto Toruń
Brodnica County, powiat brodnicki, Brodnica
Bydgoszcz County, powiat bydgoski, Bydgoszcz
Chelmno County, powiat chełmiński, Chelmno
Chojnice County, powiat chojnicki, Chojnice
Grudziadz County, powiat grudziądzki, Grudziadz
Inowroclaw County, powiat inowroclawski, Inowroclaw
Lipno County, powiat lipnowski/lipieński?, Lipno
Lubawa County, powiat lubawski, Lubawa
Nieszawa County, powiat nieszawski, Nieszawa
Rypin County, powiat rypiński, Rypin
Sepolno County, powiat sępoleński, Sepolno Krajenskie
Swiecie County, powiat świecki, Swiecie
Szubin County, powiat szubiński, Szubin
Torun County, powiat toruński, Torun
Tuchola County, powiat tucholski, Tuchola
Wabrzezno County, powiat wąbrzeski, Wabrzezno
Wloclawek County, powiat włocławski, Wloclawek
Wyrzysk County, powiat wyrzyski, Wyrzysk

(4) Pomeranian voivodship (1999-), administrative and local government unit of the Republic of Poland (III Rzeczpospolita) established on 1 January 1999 out of former voivodships of Gdansk, Elblag and Slupsk, as a result of Local Goverment Reogranization Act of 1998. The voivodship's name recalls the region's traditional name of Pomerania (Pomorze).

Major cities of this region :

Along the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodship it spreads along the Baltic coast (on the east). The independent town Gdansk is the center of the voivodeship. It forms a part of the so-called tricity: Sopot, Gdansk, and Gdynia. Narrow Hel pennisula belongs to the voivodship. Other well-known tourist destinations: Puck, Krynica Morska, Ustka, Jastarnia, Rozewie, or Kuźnica with many fishing ports and lighthouses.

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Pomeranian Voivodship