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West Pomeranian Voivodeship

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West Pomeranian VoivodeshipTemplate:Efn is a voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin.<ref name=dzu98/> Its area equals Template:Convert,<ref>Powierzchnia i ludność w przekroju terytorialnym w 2014 r. (stan z 31 grudnia 2013). Warsaw: Główny Urząd Statystyczny, 2014.</ref> and in 2021, it was inhabited by 1,682,003 people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

It was established on 1 January 1999, out of the former Szczecin and Koszalin Voivodeships and parts of Gorzów, Piła and Słupsk Voivodeships, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. It borders on Pomeranian Voivodeship to the east, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the southeast, Lubusz Voivodeship to the south, the German federal-states of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Brandenburg to the west, and the Baltic Sea to the north.<ref name=dzu98>Ustawa z dnia 24 lipca 1998 r. o wprowadzeniu zasadniczego trójstopniowego podziału terytorialnego państwa (Dz.U. z 1998 r. nr 96, poz. 603).</ref>

Geography and tourism

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File:Festiwal Słowian i Wikingów 2009 12.jpg
Viking Festival in Wolin

West Pomeranian Voivodeship is the fifth largest voivodeship of Poland in terms of area. The largest cities in the region are the capital Szczecin, as well as Koszalin, Stargard, Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście.

This is a picturesque region of the Baltic Sea coast, with many beaches, lakes and woodlands. Szczecin, Świnoujście and Police are important ports. Other major seaside towns include Międzyzdroje, Dziwnów, Kołobrzeg, and Mielno.

File:Stargard Kolegiata6.JPG
Church of the Virgin Mary, Queen of the World, in Stargard

West Pomerania is also rich in various forms and styles of architecture that were built during the Middle Ages as well as the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. Darłowo, the birthplace of Eric of Pomerania, King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, contains a preserved old town with the Gothic Our Lady of Częstochowa church, which holds the king's sarcophagus. The St. Mary's Church in Stargard and Saint John Co-Cathedral in Kamień Pomorski are considered two of the most precious Gothic churches of entire Poland, and as such are listed as Historic Monuments of Poland,<ref>Template:Cite Polish law</ref><ref>Template:Cite Polish law</ref> whereas the Saint Stanislaus Kostka church in Chwarszczany is a nationally unique former Knights Templar church. In Cedynia, the westernmost town of Poland, there is a memorial commemorating the Battle of Cedynia of 972, the oldest recorded battle in the history of Poland. The Świnoujście Lighthouse is the tallest brick lighthouse in the world. The War Cemetery in Stargard is the burial place of over 5,000 Allied soldiers and prisoners of war from both world wars, including Polish, French, Serbian/Yugoslav, Russian/Soviet, Italian, Romanian, Belgian, British, Moroccan, Portuguese and Dutch. There are also numerous World War II memorials, including memorials to Allied POWs from World War II at the former Oflag II-B, Oflag II-D and Stalag Luft IV German POW camps in Choszczno, Kłomino and Tychowo, and a memorial to British pilots of the No. 617 Squadron RAF shot down by Germany in Karsibór, Świnoujście.

There is a diverse repertoire of theaters, festivals, museums and galleries. During a few-day long annual Sea Festival in Szczecin, a number of free open-air concerts take place. In Świnoujście during the summer, the FAMA Academic Youth Arts Festival takes place – an event with several years of tradition, which attracts not only young people but also older alumni. In Międzyzdroje, there is a Festival Of The Stars, which draws many popular actors. In Wolin, a Viking Festival takes place, which draws "Vikings" from all across Europe.

Another draw to the area is a wide array of health resorts. Brine and peloid, discovered in the 19th century, together with geothermal water resources, are popular attractions in Świnoujście, Kamień Pomorski and Połczyn Zdrój.

A notable phenomenon on a worldly scale is the Crooked Forest outside the town of Gryfino.

Cities and towns

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File:Szczecin Zamek Ksiazat Pomorskich (od pln-zach).jpg
Ducal Castle, Szczecin
File:Budynek poczty autor adrian bober.JPG
Main post office, Koszalin
File:Ratusz Miejski w Stargardzie - Nr rejestru zabytku A-1475+A1469.jpg
Market Square and City Hall, Stargard
File:Kołobrzeg, Strand, a (2011-07-26) by Klugschnacker in Wikipedia.jpg
Beach, Kołobrzeg
File:Świnoujście, Polska, ul. Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego - panoramio (2).jpg
Historic townhouses, Świnoujście
File:42-Szczecinek-ratusz(pischmak).jpg
Town Hall, Szczecinek
File:0905 Odra Domiąża ZP.JPG
Oder River in Police

The voivodeship contains five cities and 61 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2019):<ref name="population">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Columns-list

The Polish districts of the historical region Western Pomerania (the three westernmost districts of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship) had a population of about 520,000 in 2012 (cities of Szczecin, Świnoujście and Police County combined) – while the German districts had a population of about 470,000 in 2012 (Vorpommern-Rügen and Vorpommern-Greifswald combined). Overall, about 1 million people live in the historical region of Western Pomerania today, while the Szczecin agglomeration reaches even further.

Administrative division

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West Pomeranian Voivodeship is divided into 21 counties (powiats): three city counties and 18 land counties. These are further divided into 114 gminas.

The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population in 2019):<ref name="population"/>

English and
Polish names 		Area
(km2) 		Population
(2019) 		Seat Other towns Total
gminas
City counties
Szczecin 301 402,067 1
Koszalin 84 107,225 1
Świnoujście 197 40,883 1
Land counties
Stargard County
powiat stargardzki 		1,520 120,088 Stargard Chociwel, Dobrzany, Ińsko, Suchań 10
Gryfino County
powiat gryfiński 		1,870 82,258 Gryfino Chojna, Mieszkowice, Trzcińsko-Zdrój, Cedynia, Moryń 9
Goleniów County
powiat goleniowski 		1,617 82,418 Goleniów Nowogard, Maszewo, Stepnica 6
Szczecinek County
powiat szczecinecki 		1,765 77,731 Szczecinek Borne Sulinowo, Barwice, Biały Bór 6
Kołobrzeg County
powiat kołobrzeski 		726 79,470 Kołobrzeg Gościno 7
Police County
powiat policki 		664 79,967 Police Nowe Warpno 4
Myślibórz County
powiat myśliborski 		1,182 65,999 Myślibórz Barlinek, Dębno 5
Koszalin County
powiat koszaliński 		1,669 66,373 Koszalin * Sianów, Bobolice, Polanów, Mielno 8
Gryfice County
powiat gryficki 		1,018 60,474 Gryfice Trzebiatów, Płoty 6
Drawsko County
powiat drawski 		1,764 57,171 Drawsko Pomorskie Złocieniec, Czaplinek, Kalisz Pomorski 6
Sławno County
powiat sławieński 		1,044 56,231 Sławno Darłowo 6
Wałcz County
powiat wałecki 		1,415 53,325 Wałcz Mirosławiec, Człopa, Tuczno 5
Choszczno County
powiat choszczeński 		1,328 48,419 Choszczno Recz, Pełczyce, Drawno 6
Białogard County
powiat białogardzki 		845 47,697 Białogard Karlino, Tychowo 4
Świdwin County
powiat świdwiński 		1,093 46,997 Świdwin Połczyn-Zdrój 6
Kamień County
powiat kamieński 		1,007 47,115 Kamień Pomorski Międzyzdroje, Wolin, Dziwnów, Golczewo 6
Pyrzyce County
powiat pyrzycki 		726 39,482 Pyrzyce Lipiany 6
Łobez County
powiat łobeski 		1,066 36,954 Łobez Resko, Węgorzyno, Dobra 5
   NOTE: * seat not part of the county

Protected areas

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File:Wpn szlak rowerowy.jpg
Wolin National Park
File:Drawienski Park Narodowy - ptactwo wodne.jpg
Drawa National Park

Protected areas in West Pomeranian Voivodeship include two National Parks and seven Landscape Parks. These are listed below.

Cuisine

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Apart from nationwide Polish cuisine, the region has its local traditional foods and beverages. The voivodeship is notable for production of honey, with several varieties listed as traditional foods by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland.

As a coastal province, there are several local fish dishes, including the Szczecin-style and Kołobrzeg-style herring. Szczecinek krówki, Szczecin gingerbread and Choszczno strucla (type of poppy seed roll) are local delicacies.

Traditional beverages include mead, produced in Cedynia and Wolin, beer from Lipiany and Szczecin and nalewka from Dębina.

Demographics

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Template:Historical populationsAfter Germany's defeat in World War II, the region became again part of Poland by way of the Potsdam Agreement, which created territorial changes demanded by the Soviet Union.

In 1948, 67 percent of the populace originated from central Poland, Greater Poland and Pomerelia while 25 percent came from the Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union. Another 6 percent returned to Poland from Western Europe. About 50,000 Ukrainians were forcefully resettled to West Pomerania in the Operation Vistula in 1947.<ref>Alina Hutnikiewicz: "Proces Osadnictwa na Pomorzu Zachodnim po 1945 r" in Zeszyty Kulickie 5: Rodzinne Pomorze – dawniej i dziś, pp. 67 ff. Template:In lang</ref>

In the 16th and 17th centuries, some Scots settled in several towns of the current West Pomeranian Voivodeship, i.e. Wałcz, Biały Bór, Człopa and Gryfice,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> whereas in the 17th and 18th centuries French Huguenots settled in Stargard, Kołobrzeg, Szczecin and Gryfino.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Education and science

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File:Pomeranian Medical Academy in Szczecin.jpg
Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin

Economy

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The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 18.3 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 3.7% of Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 17,700 euros or 59% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 67% of the EU average.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Świnoujście LNG terminal, Poland's main liquefied natural gas import terminal, is located in the province.

Industrial, science and technology parks

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Transportation

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File:S3 Goleniow.jpg
Expressway S3 near Goleniów

There are two main international road routes that pass through the voivodeship: National road 3 (Poland) Świnoujście-Szczecin-Gorzów Wielkopolski-Zielona Góra-Legnica-Czech border (part of European route E65 from Swedish Malmö to Chaniá in Greece) and National road 6 (Poland) Szczecin-Koszalin-Słupsk-Gdańsk (part of European route E28 from Berlin to Minsk). Most of the National road 3 in the voivodeship is in a standard of an expressway (Expressway S3 (Poland)). The National road 6 between German border and Rzęśnica is in the standard of autostrada (A6 autostrada (Poland)), whereas part between Rzęścnica and Goleniów and bypasses of Goleniów and Nowogard are in standards of an expressway (Expressway S6 (Poland)). Other important national roads are National road 10 (Poland) (German border-Szczecin-Piła-Bydgoscz-Toruń-Płońsk) and National road 11 (Poland) (Kołobrzeg-Koszalin-Piła-Poznań-Bytom). Apart from the above, some other national roads are located in the voivodeship. The voivodeship possesses also a well-developed network of regional roads.

Main railways in the province are line no. 351 Szczecin-Poznań, line no. 273 Szczecin-Wrocław (so-called "Odra railway"), line no. 202 Stargard-Gdańsk, line no. 401 Szczecin-Świnoujście and line no. 404 Kołobrzeg-Szczecinek. The main railway stations of the province are Szczecin main station, Stargard and Koszalin. The stations are served by fast PKP Intercity trains which connect them with the capital Warsaw, as well as other major Polish cities. In addition to these fast express services, inter-regional trains and intra-regional trains are operated by the firm Przewozy Regionalne. Szczecin main station possesses international train connections with Berlin, Schwerin and Lübeck (operated by DB Regio). Świnoujście has a direct train connection with Stralsund, which is operated by Usedomer Bäderbahn.

The only domestic and international airport in West Pomeranian Voivodeship is Szczecin-Goleniów "Solidarność" Airport. Also, part of the runway of an abandoned airport in Bagicz (near Kołobrzeg) was converted to an airport licensed to service planes carrying not more than 20 passengers on board.

Sports

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File:Szczecin Stadion Miejski dron (1).jpg
Florian Krygier Stadium, home venue of Pogoń Szczecin

Football and basketball enjoy the largest following in the voivodeship.

Professional sports teams
Club Sport League Trophies
Wilki Morskie Szczecin Basketball (men's) Polish Basketball League 1 Polish Championship (2023)
Spójnia Stargard Basketball (men's) Polish Basketball League 0
SKK Kotwica Kołobrzeg Basketball (men's) 1 Liga 1 Polish Cup (2009)
KPS Chemik Police Volleyball (women's) Tauron Liga 11 Polish Championships
10 Polish Cups
Pogoń Szczecin Football (men's) Ekstraklasa 0
Pogoń Szczecin Football (women's) Ekstraliga 1 Polish Championship (2024)
Kotwica Kołobrzeg Football (men's) I liga 0
Świt Szczecin Football (men's) II liga 0
AZS Politechnika Koszalin Handball (women's) Superliga 1 Polish Cup (2008)
Pogoń Szczecin Handball (women's) Liga Centralna 3 Polish Championships (1983, 1986, 1991)
4 Polish Cups
Pogoń Szczecin Handball (men's) Liga Centralna 0

Curiosities

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See also

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Notes

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References

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Template:Geographic location Template:West Pomeranian Voivodeship Template:Pomeranian history Template:Voivodeships of Poland Template:Authority control

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