Pomeranian Voivodeship

For the historic voivodeship of the Polish Crown, see Pomeranian Voivodeship (1466–1772). For the voivodeship of the Second Polish Republic, see Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919–1939).

Pomeranian Voivodeship Województwo pomorskie (Polish) Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò (Kashubian)
Voivodeship
Flag Coat of arms Brandmark
Location within Poland
Coordinates: 54°12′N 18°01′E
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 km^2 (7,063 sq mi)
Population  (2019)
• Total	2,337,769
• Density	130/km^2 (330/sq mi)
• Urban	1,486,267
• Rural	851,502
GDP [1]
• Total	€34.497 billion
• Per capita	€15,000
ISO 3166 code	PL-22
Vehicle registration	G
HDI (2019)	0.892[2] very high · 3rd
Website	pomorskie.eu
Further divided into 123 gminas

Historical regions in present-day Pomeranian Voivodeship and in Poland

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 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 voivodeship comprises most of Pomerelia (the easternmost part of historical Pomerania), as well as an area east of the Vistula River. The western part of the province, around Słupsk, belonged historically to Farther Pomerania. The central parts of the province belong to Pomerelia, including Kashubia, named after the Kashubian minority. The eastern bank of the Vistula, nowadays called Powiśle (Vistula Plains), belongs to the historical region of Prussia.

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 boats.

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

Kartuzy

Wejherowo

Puck

Gdynia

Sopot

Gdańsk

Gdańsk

N. Dwór Gd.

Lębork

Słupsk

Słupsk

Tczew

Malbork

Sztum

Kwidzyn

Kościerzyna

Człuchów

Chojnice

Bytów

Starogard
Gdański

Cities and towns

Gdańsk, principal seaport of Poland since the Middle Ages and the capital of Pomeranian Voivodeship

Gdynia, one of Poland's three major seaports

The voivodeship contains 7 cities and 35 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (official 2019 figures).^[4]

Cities (governed by a city mayor or prezydent miasta):

1. Gdańsk (468,158)
2. Gdynia (246,244)
3. Słupsk (90,769)
4. Tczew (60,120)
5. Wejherowo (49,652)
6. Starogard Gdański (47,775)
7. Sopot (35,827)

Towns:

1. Rumia (49,160)
2. Chojnice (39,890)
3. Malbork (38,465)
4. Kwidzyn (38,444)
5. Lębork (35,333)
6. Pruszcz Gdański (31,135)
7. Reda (26,011)
8. Kościerzyna (23,776)
9. Bytów (16,918)
10. Ustka (15,460)
11. Kartuzy (14,536)
12. Człuchów (13,649)
13. Puck (11,213)
14. Miastko (10,439)
15. Sztum (9,940)
16. Władysławowo (9,930)
17. Czersk (9,910)
18. Nowy Dwór Gdański (9,905)
19. Prabuty (8,695)
20. Pelplin (7,784)
21. Skarszewy (6,994)
22. Gniew (6,707)
23. Żukowo (6,691)
24. Czarne (5,932)
25. Dzierzgoń (5,364)
26. Brusy (5,188)
27. Debrzno (5,096)
28. Nowy Staw (4,248)
29. Łeba (3,644)
30. Skórcz (3,625)
31. Kępice (3,580)
32. Hel (3,267)
33. Czarna Woda (2,786)
34. Jastarnia (2,704)
35. Krynica Morska (1,303)

For populations as of 2019, see List of cities and towns in Pomeranian Voivodeship.

Administrative division

Słupsk, the largest city in the west of the voivodeship

Tczew, the largest city in the ethnocultural region of Kociewie

Wejherowo, one of the main centres of the ethnocultural region of Kashubia

Starogard Gdański, the capital of Kociewie

Sopot, a resort and one of the three cities of the Tricity

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.

English and Polish names	Area (km^2)	Population (2019)	Seat	Other towns	Total gminas
City counties
Gdańsk	262	468,158			1
Gdynia	136	246,244			1
Słupsk	43.15	90,769			1
Sopot	17.31	35,827			1
Land counties
Wejherowo County powiat wejherowski	1,280	216,764	Wejherowo	Rumia, Reda	10
Starogard County powiat starogardzki	1,345	128,055	Starogard Gdański	Skarszewy, Skórcz, Czarna Woda	13
Tczew County powiat tczewski	698	115,738	Tczew	Pelplin, Gniew	6
Kartuzy County powiat kartuski	1,120	137,942	Kartuzy	Żukowo	8
Słupsk County powiat słupski	2,304	98,793	Słupsk *	Ustka, Kępice	10
Chojnice County powiat chojnicki	1,364	97,616	Chojnice	Czersk, Brusy	5
Gdańsk County powiat gdański	793	117,452	Pruszcz Gdański		8
Kwidzyn County powiat kwidzyński	835	83,231	Kwidzyn	Prabuty	6
Bytów County powiat bytowski	2,193	79,260	Bytów	Miastko	10
Puck County powiat pucki	578	86,203	Puck	Władysławowo, Jastarnia, Hel	7
Kościerzyna County powiat kościerski	1,166	72,589	Kościerzyna		8
Lębork County powiat lęborski	707	66,196	Lębork	Łeba	5
Malbork County powiat malborski	495	63,575	Malbork	Nowy Staw	6
Człuchów County powiat człuchowski	1,574	56,225	Człuchów	Czarne, Debrzno	7
Sztum County powiat sztumski	731	41,808	Sztum	Dzierzgoń	5
Nowy Dwór Gdański County powiat nowodworski (pomorski)	653	35,656	Nowy Dwór Gdański	Krynica Morska	5
* seat not part of the county

Governors

Name	Period
Tomasz Sowińskii	1 January 1999 - 20 October 2001
Jan Ryszard Kurylczyk	20 October 2001 - 26 July 2004
Cezary Dąbrowski	26 July 2004 - 27 January 2006
Piotr Ołowski	27 January 2006 - 26 February 2007
Piotr Karczewski	22 May 2007 - 29 November 2007
Roman Zaborowski	29 November 2007 - 25 October 2011
Ryszard Stachurski	12 December 2011 – 8 December 2015
Dariusz Drelich	8 December 2015 – present

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.^[5]

Gdańsk seaport

Polpharma pharmaceutical company, in Starogard Gdański

Major corporations

Corporation name Further information	Location	Kind of activity
Energa Gdańsk Power Generator [1]	Gdańsk	energy supplies
Ergo Hestia [2]	Sopot	insurance
Gdańsk Repair Yard[3]	Gdańsk	repair shipyard
Gdynia Stocznia [4]	Gdynia	shipyard
GE Capital Bank[5]	Gdańsk	banking
Grupa LOTOS [6]	Gdańsk	petroleum products
Intel Technology Poland [7]	Gdańsk	hardware
International Paper Kwidzyn [8]	Kwidzyn	paper products
Lubiana [9]	Łubiana near Kościerzyna	china-ware manufacturer
Philips Consumer Electronics	Kwidzyn	electronics
Polpharma[10]	Starogard Gdański	medicines
Prokom Software [11]	Gdynia	software
Destylarnia Sobieski [12]	Starogard Gdański	distillery
Elnord [13]	Gdańsk	energy supplies
LPP [14]	Gdańsk	designing and distributing clothes
Source:[6]

Transport

• Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport
• Obwodnica Trójmiejska
• Autostrada A1

Railway

• Pomorska Kolej Metropolitalna
• Reskowo railway station^[7]
• Szałamaje railway station^[8]
• SKM

Education

Gdańsk University Faculty of Law, in Gdańsk-Przymorze

Main building, Gdańsk University of Technology

Gdańsk Medical University

Gdynia Maritime Academy

Higher education

Name	Location	Students in thousands
		total	of which women
Total	-	97.9	55.3
Uniwersytet Gdański (Gdańsk University)	Tricity	29.3	19.4
Politechnika Gdańska (Gdańsk University of Technology)	Gdańsk	17.6	5.9
Akademia Pomorska w Słupsku (Pomeranian Academy in Słupsk)	Słupsk	8.1	6.0
Akademia Medyczna w Gdańsku (Medical University of Gdańsk)	Gdańsk	4.2	3.1
Akademia Wychowanie Fizycznego i Sportu w Gdańsku (Gdańsk Sports Academy)	Gdańsk	4.1	1.9
Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Gdańsku (Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts)	Gdańsk	0.9	0.7
Akademia Marynarki Wojennej im. Bohaterów Westerplatte (Polish Naval Academy)	Gdynia	.	.
Akademia Morska w Gdyni (Gdynia Maritime Academy)	Gdynia	.	.
Gdańskie Seminarium Duchowne (Gdańsk Seminary)	Gdańsk	.	.
Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki w Gdańsku (Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music, in Gdańsk)	Gdańsk	.	.
Data as of 31 November 2005, source http://www.stat.gov.pl

Protected areas

Dunes, Słowiński National Park

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

Gallery

• 
  Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Pelplin
• 
  Malbork Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• 
  The Gothic New Gate in Słupsk
• 
  Neptune's Fountain and the Long Market in Gdańsk
• 
  Royal Chapel in Gdańsk
• 
  Museum of the National Anthem in Będomin
• 
  Pier in Sopot, the longest wooden pier in Europe
• 
  Road bridge in Tczew, built as the longest bridge in Europe in the mid-19th-century
• 
  Dar Pomorza in Gdynia
• 
  Seal Sanctuary in Hel

References

1. "EU regions by GDP". Eurostat. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
2. "Sub-national HDI - Subnational HDI". Global Data Lab. Radboud University Nijmegen. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
3. Der Name Pommern (po more) ist slawischer Herkunft und bedeutet so viel wie "Land am Meer". Archived 2020-08-19 at the Wayback Machine (Pommersches Landesmuseum, German)
4. GUS. "Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2019. As of 30th June". stat.gov.pl. Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
5. "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat. Archived from the original on 2022-10-10.
6. "Economy" (PDF). The Province of Pomerania. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
7. Reskowo article at Polish stations database, URL accessed at 18 March 2006
8. Szałamaje article at Polish Stations Database, URL accessed at 7 March 2006

External links

• 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)