Lubusz Voivodeship

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Województwo lubuskie


Flag	Coat of arms

Capital city

Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra

Area

13,985 km²

Population (2004)
- Density

1,009,005
72/km²

Powiats
- Urban counties
- Land counties

2
12

Communes

Administrative divisions:

Lubusz Voivodeship (also "Lubusz Province" — Polish: województwo lubuskie) is a voivodeship, or province, in western Poland. It borders on West Pomeranian, Greater Poland, and Lower Silesian Voivodeships.

It was created January 1, 1999, out of the former Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra Voivodeships, pursuant to the 1998 Local Government Reorganization Act. The province's name recalls the historic Lubusz Land (Lebus or Lubus), a medieval Polish district.

The two capitals of Lubusz Province are Gorzów Wielkopolski and Zielona Góra.

This is a flat, swampy region with many lakes and woodlands. In the south, around Zielona Góra, grapes are cultivated.

[edit] History

By conquest the first leaders of the Polans, Mieszko I and especially Boleslaw I added a number of surrounding territories to the newly established core Polish state and Lebus Land or Lubusz in Lusatia came for a short time under Polish rule. However in 1031 under emperor Conrad Lusatia went back to the empire. Part of the historic province was located on the western bank of the Oder River, where the main settlement Lubusz, later known as the German town of Lebus, was located. Polish western expansion was opposed and eventually halted by countermeasures undertaken by Emperor Otto II, Henry II, Conrad and later rulers.

In 1226 Lebus Land came under direct jurisdiction of the empire and around 1250, it was acquired by the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg. It is thus sometimes referred to by Poles as 'the first Polish province to fall to German expansionism (See Drang nach Osten)'.

In 1945, the conquest of eastern Germany by the Soviet Union was followed by the redrawing of Poland's borders. The east part of the region Lubusz (Lebus) was transferred to Poland, which refers to it as part of the 'Regained' or 'Recovered Territories'.

[edit] External links

Counties of Lubusz Voivodeship
City counties: Gorzów Wielkopolski • Zielona Góra Land counties: Gorzów Wielkopolski • Krosno Odrzańskie • Międzyrzecz • Nowa Sól • Słubice • Strzelce Krajeńskie • Sulęcin • Świebodzin • Wschowa • Zielona Góra • Żagań • Żary