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.
Pomeranian Voivodeship
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Location within Poland
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| Coordinates: 54°12′N 18°01′E / 54.200°N 18.017°E / 54.200; 18.017 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Capital | Gdańsk |
| Counties | 20, including four city counties |
| Government | |
| • Body | Pomeranian Voivodeship executive board |
| • Voivode | Beata Rutkiewicz (KO) |
| • Marshal | Mieczysław Struk (KO) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 18,293 km2 (7,063 sq mi) |
| Population
(2019)
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| • Total | 2,337,769 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (330/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 1,486,267 |
| • Rural | 851,502 |
| GDP | |
| • Total | €34.497 billion |
| • Per capita | €15,000 |
| ISO 3166 code | PL-22 |
| Vehicle registration | G |
| HDI (2019) | 0.892[2] very high · 3rd |
| Highways |    |
| Website | pomorskie.eu |
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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 AssumptioninPelplin) 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.
The name Pomerania derives from the Slavic po more, meaning "by the sea" or "on the sea".[3]
The voivodeship contains 7 cities and 35 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (official 2019 figures).[4]
Towns:
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 (km2) |
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 | |||||
| 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 |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 2,095,147 | — |
| 2002 | 2,179,900 | +4.0% |
| 2011 | 2,276,174 | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 2,357,320 | +3.6% |
| Source: pop-stat.mashke.org[5] | ||
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.[6]
| 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:[7] | ||
The A1, S6 and S7 highways pass through the province.
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.[8]
| 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 in Pomeranian Voivodeship include two National Parks and nine Landscape Parks. These are listed below.
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.
| Club | Sport | League | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Gdynia | Basketball (men's) | Polish Basketball League | 9 Polish Championships 4Polish Cups |
| Trefl Sopot | Basketball (men's) | Polish Basketball League | 1 Polish Championship (2024) 3Polish Cups (2012, 2013, 2023) |
| Czarni Słupsk | Basketball (men's) | Polish Basketball League | 0 |
| SKS Starogard Gdański | Basketball (men's) | I Liga | 1Polish Cup (2011) |
| Decka Pelplin | Basketball (men's) | I Liga | 0 |
| Arka Gdynia | Basketball (women's) | Basket Liga Kobiet | 13 Polish Championships 10 Polish Cups |
| Arka Gdynia | Football (men's) | I liga | 2Polish Cups (1979, 2017) |
| Lechia Gdańsk | Football (men's) | Ekstraklasa | 2Polish Cups (1983, 2019) |
| Chojniczanka Chojnice | Football (men's) | II liga | 0 |
| APLG Gdańsk | Football (women's) | Ekstraliga | 0 |
| Pogoń Tczew | Football (women's) | Ekstraliga | 0 |
| Wybrzeże Gdańsk | Speedway | I liga | 0 |
| MMTS Kwidzyn | Handball (men's) | Superliga | 0 |
| Wybrzeże Gdańsk | Handball (men's) | Superliga | 10 Polish Championships |
| KPR Żukowo | Handball (men's) | Liga Centralna | 0 |
| SPR Gdynia | Handball (women's) | Liga Centralna | 2 Polish Championships (2012, 2017) 3 Polish Cups (2014, 2015, 2016) |
| Trefl Gdańsk | Volleyball (men's) | PlusLiga | 2Polish Cups (2015, 2018) |
| Ogniwo Sopot | Rugby union | Ekstraliga | 11 Polish Championships 10 Polish Cups |
| RC Arka Gdynia | Rugby union | Ekstraliga | 4 Polish Championships 1 Polish Cup (2010) |
| RC Lechia Gdańsk | Rugby union | Ekstraliga | 13 Polish Championships 12 Polish Cups |
