West Pomeranian Voivodeship
| West Pomeranian Voivodeship Województwo zachodniopomorskie |
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| — Voivodeship — | |||
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| Coordinates(Szczecin): | |||
| Country |  Poland |
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| Capital | Szczecin | ||
| Counties |
3 cities, 18 land counties *
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| Area | |||
| - Total | 22,896 km² (8,840.2 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 1,693,533 | ||
| - Density | 74/km² (191.6/sq mi) | ||
| - Urban | 1,170,105 | ||
| - Rural | 523,428 | ||
| Car plates | Z | ||
| * further divided into 114 gminas | |||
| Website: http://bip.szczecin.uw.gov.pl | |||
West Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known as West Pomeranian Province or by its Polish name of województwo zachodniopomorskie [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ zaˈxɔdɲɔ pɔˈmɔrskʲɛ] or simply Zachodniopomorskie) is a voivodeship, or province, in north-western Poland. It borders on Pomeranian Voivodeship to the east, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the south-east, Lubusz Voivodeship to the south, the German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania to the west, and the Baltic Sea to the north.
It was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former Szczecin and Koszalin Voivodeships and parts of other neighbouring voivodeships, pursuant to the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998. It is named for the historical region of Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze). In spite of the name "West Pomeranian" the voivoideship does not include the most westerly parts of historical Pomerania, which lie in Germany (see Vorpommern).
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Geography and tourism
West Pomeranian Voivodeship is the fifth largest voivodeship of Poland in terms of area. Among the largest cities of the region are the capital Szczecin, as well as Koszalin, Stargard Szczeciński, and Świnoujście.
This is a picturesque region of the Baltic Sea coast, with many beaches, lakes and woodlands. Szczecin and Świnoujście are important ports. Other major seaside towns include Międzyzdroje, Dziwnów, Kołobrzeg, and Mielno.
West Pomerania is considered one of the greenest regions of Poland, and one of the most attractive for tourists. It is characterized by incredible diversity of the landscape: beaches, hundreds of lakes, and forests full of wild life (e.g. Wkrzanska Forest), spreading mainly up the hills of the glacial lakes areas. West Pomerania is also rich in various forms and styles of architecture that were built during the Middle Ages as well as the Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance periods. 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 dicsovered in the 19th century, together with geothermal water resources, are popular attractions in Świnoujście, Kamień Pomorski and Połczyn Zdrój.
Cities and towns
The voivodeship contains 62 cities and towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2006 [1]):
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1. Szczecin (410,809) |
22. Myślibórz (11,867) |
43. Maszewo (3,073) |
Administrative division
West Pomeranian Voivodeship is divided into 21 counties (powiats): 3 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).
| English and Polish names |
Area (km²) |
Population (2006) |
Seat | Other towns | Total gminas |
| City counties | |||||
| Szczecin | 301 | 410,809 | 1 | ||
| Koszalin | 84 | 107,783 | 1 | ||
| Świnoujście | 197 | 40,899 | 1 | ||
| Land counties | |||||
| Stargard County powiat stargardzki |
1,520 | 119,402 | Stargard Szczeciński | Chociwel, Dobrzany, Ińsko, Suchań | 10 |
| Gryfino County powiat gryfiński |
1,870 | 82,813 | Gryfino | Chojna, Mieszkowice, Trzcińsko-Zdrój, Cedynia, Moryń | 9 |
| Goleniów County powiat goleniowski |
1,617 | 78,738 | Goleniów | Nowogard, Maszewo | 6 |
| Szczecinek County powiat szczecinecki |
1,765 | 77,232 | Szczecinek | Borne Sulinowo, Barwice, Biały Bór | 6 |
| Kołobrzeg County powiat kołobrzeski |
726 | 76,089 | Kołobrzeg | 7 | |
| Myślibórz County powiat myśliborski |
1,182 | 67,412 | Myślibórz | Barlinek, Dębno | 5 |
| Police County powiat policki |
664 | 64,147 | Police | Nowe Warpno | 4 |
| Koszalin County powiat koszaliński |
1,669 | 64,087 | Koszalin * | Sianów, Bobolice, Polanów | 8 |
| Gryfice County powiat gryficki |
1,018 | 60,773 | Gryfice | Trzebiatów, Płoty | 6 |
| Drawsko County powiat drawski |
1,764 | 58,073 | Drawsko Pomorskie | Złocieniec, Czaplinek, Kalisz Pomorski | 6 |
| Sławno County powiat sławieński |
1,044 | 57,643 | Sławno | Darłowo | 6 |
| Wałcz County powiat wałecki |
1,415 | 54,639 | Wałcz | Mirosławiec, Człopa, Tuczno | 5 |
| Choszczno County powiat choszczeński |
1,328 | 50,066 | Choszczno | Recz, Pełczyce, Drawno | 6 |
| Świdwin County powiat świdwiński |
1,093 | 48,920 | Świdwin | Połczyn-Zdrój | 6 |
| Białogard County powiat białogardzki |
845 | 48,241 | Białogard | Karlino | 4 |
| Kamień County powiat kamieński |
1,007 | 47,604 | Kamień Pomorski | Międzyzdroje, Wolin, Dziwnów, Golczewo | 6 |
| Pyrzyce County powiat pyrzycki |
726 | 39,931 | Pyrzyce | Lipiany | 6 |
| Łobez County powiat łobeski |
1,066 | 38,232 | Łobez | Resko, Węgorzyno, Dobra | 5 |
| * seat not part of the county | |||||
Protected areas
Protected areas in West Pomeranian Voivodeship include two National Parks and seven Landscape Parks. These are listed below.
- Drawno National Park (partly in Lubusz and Greater Poland Voivodeships)
- Wolin National Park
- Barlinek-Gorzów Landscape Park (partly in Lubusz Voivodeship)
- Cedynia Landscape Park
- Drawsko Landscape Park
- Ińsko Landscape Park
- Lower Odra Valley Landscape Park
- Szczecin Landscape Park
- Ujście Warty Landscape Park (partly in Lubusz Voivodeship)
Most popular surnames in the region
- Nowak: 7,444
- Kowalski: 6,345
- Wiśniewski: 6,284
Education and science
- University of Szczecin (Polish Uniwersytet Szczeciński) with 35.000 students, rector Zdzisław Chmielewski
- Technical University of Koszalin with 14,000 students(Politechnika Koszalińska)
- Szczecin University of Technology with 12,500 students (Politechnika Szczecińska)
- Pomeranian Medical University with 4,000 students (Pomorska Akademia Medyczna)
- University of Agriculture in Szczecin with 10,000 students (Akademia Rolnicza w Szczecinie)
- Branch of Academy of Music in Poznań (Akademia Muzyczna w Poznaniu)
- Maritime University of Szczecin (Akademia Morska w Szczecinie)
- The West Pomeranian Business School with 3,000 students (Zachodniopomorska Szkoła Biznesu)
Airport
The only domestic and international airport in West Pomeranian Voivodeship is Szczecin-Goleniów "Solidarność" Airport.
See also
- Pomeranians
- Dukes of Pomerania
- History of Pomerania
- Prussia's Province of Pomerania
External links and references
- Westpomeranian System of Tourist Information
- The Parliament of the Westpomeranian Voivodeship
- Marshal's Office of the Westpomeranian Voivodeship
- Voivode's Office of the Westpomeranian Voivodeship
- Zrot : Official Tourism Site (Polish, English, German)
- Zart : Good Tourism Site (Polish, English, German)
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