Pomorskie

▪ province, Poland

Introduction

Polish  Województwo Pomorskie 

 województwo (province), northern Poland. It is bordered by the Baltic Sea to the north and by the provinces of Warmińsko-Mazurskie to the east, Kujawsko-Pomorskie and Wielkopolskie to the south, and Zachodniopomorskie to the west. It was created in 1999 when the 49 Polish provinces formed in 1975 were consolidated into 16 provinces. As such, it comprises the former provinces of Gdańsk and Słupsk, as well as portions of the former provinces of Elbląg and Bydgoszcz. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. Area 7,063 square miles (18,293 square km). Pop. (2002) 2,179,900; (2006 est.) 2,200,300.

Geography

      Pomorskie is a low-lying region, with a varied relief structure that features more than 1,500 lakes. To the north are the Koszalin Coastland and the Gdańsk Coastland (Gdańsk, Gulf of). The Kashubian Lakeland is in the central part of the province, and the Krajeńskie Lakeland lies to the south. The province's main rivers are the Vistula (Vistula River) (Wisła), Łeba, Reda, and Słupia. One-third of the province is forested, mainly with conifers. Pomorskie has a maritime climate, with mild winters and cool summers. Average annual precipitation ranges from 20 inches (500 mm) in the east to 28 inches (700 mm) in the west. Two-thirds of the province's population is urban. The largest cities are Gdańsk, Gdynia, and Sopot, which together make up the Trójmiasto (“Tri-city”) conurbation. The Kashubs, a Slavic group that lives southwest of Gdańsk, are one of the province's distinct ethnic groups. They retain a number of their culture's customs, and older members still speak a dialect probably derived from the ancient Pomeranian language.

      About half the province is farmland, and the chief crops are cereals, potatoes, rapeseed, fodder, and sugar beets. Cattle breeding and pig raising are of some economic importance. The seaports and shipyards in Gdynia and Gdańsk are quite active. Fishing and fish processing are major industries. Other important industries include petroleum refining, hydroelectric-power generation, food and beverage processing, papermaking, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. A main railway line (used for coal transport) links Upper Silesia with the ports of Gdynia and Gdańsk, while other railway lines link Gdańsk with Szczecin and Warsaw. An international airport operates in Gdańsk-Rębiechowo. The province is popular with tourists who visit Szwajcaria Kaszubska (“Kashubian Switzerland”), the hilly homeland of the Kashubs. Seaside resorts include Ustka, Łeba, Hel, Sopot, and Krynica Morska.

      The main cultural centre of Pomorskie is the tri-city area of Gdańsk-Sopot-Gdynia. The historic buildings of greater Gdańsk include the Old Town Hall, the Church of St. Mary, which is the largest medieval brick church in Europe, and the Oliwa Cathedral. The Cistercian abbey at Pelplin houses the Diocesan Museum, which contains one of the original editions of the Gutenberg Bible. The province also has several Teutonic castles, the most impressive of which is the 13th-century structure at Malbork, a massive fortified castle constructed of 4.5 million bricks. Cultural events include the International Song Festival of popular music in Sopot and the Dominican Fair (Jarmark Dominikanski), the longest-running event in Gdańsk, which dates to 1260. Notable museums include the National Museum and the Maritime Museum in Gdańsk, the Museum of Middle Pomerania in Słupsk, and the Fishing Museum in Hel.

History

      The historic region of Gdańsk Pomerania (Pomorze Gdańskie), or Eastern Pomorze, was crossed by an ancient Roman trade route. In the 9th century the area was inhabited by Slavic and Prussian Pomeranians. The main stronghold was Gdańsk. In the 10th and 11th centuries the region came under the expansive rule of Mieszko I and his son, Bolesław I, who introduced Christianity to the region. In the 12th and 13th centuries Gdańsk Pomerania became an independent duchy, but it was incorporated into the Polish kingdom in the late 13th century. In 1343 Casimir III relinquished Gdańsk Pomerania to the Order of Teutonic Knights (Teutonic Order) in return for Kujavia (Kujawy) (Kujawy). By that time the Słupsk Land, previously seized by Brandenburg, had come under the control of the Western Pomeranian dukes. Opposing the policies of the Teutonic state, the Pomeranian cities and nobility formed the so-called Prussian Union in 1440. When they turned to Casimir IV for help, he issued a decree that incorporated the Teutonic state into Poland (1454). This precipitated the Thirteen Years' War (1454–66), which allowed the Poles to regain Gdańsk. Gdańsk Pomerania, renamed Royal Prussia, became Polish once again.

      In the 16th and 17th centuries trade grew rapidly. Gdańsk Pomerania became the most affluent region of the Polish Commonwealth, and Gdańsk became its most powerful city. Wars with Sweden during the 17th century slowed economic growth, however. After the Partitions of Poland (Poland, Partitions of) (1772, 1793, and 1795), the area remained under Prussian control until the end of World War I. Under the Treaty of Versailles (1919) the middle portion of Gdańsk Pomerania and a 91-mile- (146-km-) long strip of the Baltic coastline were granted to Poland (see Polish Corridor). Gdańsk and a part of the Vistula River fens became the free city of Danzig, placed under the protection of the League of Nations (Nations, League of). Meanwhile, a new port in Gdynia was built in 1922. World War II began on September 1, 1939, when German forces fired on the fort at Westerplatte, just north of Gdańsk. After World War II the whole area of Gdańsk Pomerania was restored to Poland.

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