Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship Explained

Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship
Native Name:Województwo warmińsko-mazurskie
Native Name Lang:pl
Settlement Type:Voivodeship
Flag Border:no
Image Blank Emblem:Woiwodschaft Ermland-Masuren.png
Blank Emblem Type:Brandmark
Blank Emblem Size:120px
Image Map1:File:Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship administrative map.svg
Map Caption1:Division into counties
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Poland
Seat Type:Capital
Seat:Olsztyn
Parts Type:Counties
Parts:2 cities, 19 land counties *
P1:Elbląg
P2:Olsztyn
P3:Bartoszyce County
P4:Braniewo County
P5:Działdowo County
P6:Elbląg County
P7:Ełk County
P8:Giżycko County
P9:Gołdap County
P10:Iława County
P11:Kętrzyn County
P12:Lidzbark County
P13:Mrągowo County
P14:Nidzica County
P15:Nowe Miasto County
P16:Olecko County
P17:Olsztyn County
P18:Ostróda County
P19:Pisz County
P20:Szczytno County
P21:Węgorzewo County
Governing Body:Executive board
Leader Title1:Voivode
Leader Name1:Radosław Król (PSL)
Leader Title2:Marshal
Leader Name2:Marcin Kuchciński (PO)
Leader Title3:EP
Leader Name3:Podlaskie and Warmian–Masurian
Coor Pinpoint:Olsztyn
Coordinates:53.7833°N 50°W
Area Total Km2:24191.8
Total Type:Total
Population Total:1425967
Population As Of:2019
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Urban:844177
Population Blank1 Title:Rural
Population Blank1:581790
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Demographics Type1:GDP
Demographics1 Footnotes:[1]
Demographics1 Title1:Total
Demographics1 Info1:€14.744 billion
Demographics1 Title2:Per capita
Demographics1 Info2:€10,400
Blank Name Sec2:HDI (2019)
Blank Info Sec2:0.848[2]
· 16th
Blank1 Name Sec2:Primary airport
Blank1 Info Sec2:Olsztyn-Mazury Airport
Blank2 Name Sec2:Highways
Iso Code:PL-28
Registration Plate:N
Footnotes:

Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn. The voivodeship has an area of 241920NaN0 and in 2019 had a population of 1,425,967.

Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 from the entire Olsztyn Voivodeship, the western half of Suwałki Voivodeship, and part of Elbląg Voivodeship, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. The province's name derives from two historic regions, Warmia and Masuria, although also parts of other regions are located within the province, i.e. of Chełmno Land and Powiśle.

The province borders Podlaskie Voivodeship to the east, Masovian Voivodeship to the south, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship to the southwest, Pomeranian Voivodeship to the west, the Vistula Lagoon to the northwest, and the Kaliningrad Oblast (an exclave of Russia) to the north.

History

The region was originally inhabited by several Old Prussian clans, including the Bartians, Pogesanians and Warmians, from whom the name Warmia originated. During the northern Crusade, the Old Prussians were conquered by the Teutonic Order; their land was granted to the order by the pope, and the region became part of the State of the Teutonic Order. The Order encouraged colonization by German settlers in Warmia (Ostsiedlung) and Polish colonists from the region of Masovia, called Masurians (Mazurzy), hence the name Masuria. The Old Prussians were heavily decimated during the crusade and the following revolt. What remained of them became assimilated into the newcomers and thus became extinct.During the Teutonic rule, the region experienced a process of urbanization and economic boost due to the expansion of the Hanseatic League into the region. The Order later attacked their former ally Poland and conquered the region of Pomerelia, beginning a long-lasting conflict with Poland, which subsequently entered into an alliance with Lithuania. In Masuria, the Poles and Lithuanians defeated the Order at the Battle of Grunwald. The wars eventuated in a rebellion by the urban populations of Pomerelia and Warmia, who were affected by the Teutons' numerous wars; upon the urban populations' request, the region was incorporated into Poland by King Casimir IV Jagiellon, and after the Thirteen Years' War it remained under Polish suzerainty, but was divided into two parts: Elbląg and Warmia were incorporated directly into the Kingdom of Poland, while Masuria became a Polish fief under the control of the Teutonic Order, also considered an integral part of "one and indivisible" Kingdom of Poland.[3] The state of the Teutonic Order ceased to exist in 1525 when Grandmaster Albert Hohenzollern introduced secularisation, proclaimed the Duchy of Prussia, and became a vassal of Sigismund I of Poland. The Prussian Hohenzollern line became extinct in 1618 with the death of Albert Frederick, and the Duchy was inherited by the Brandenburgian line; Prussia simultaneously entered into a personal union with the electorate of Brandenburg known as Brandenburg-Prussia, remaining under Polish suzerainty until the Treaty of Oliva in 1660. The throne was inherited by Frederick I of Prussia who wanted to unite the Duchy with Brandenburg and also wanted to proclaim himself king of Prussia and therefore participated in the Russian-initiated Partitions of Poland in which Warmia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and henceforth became part of the newly established province of East Prussia. Together with the rest of the Kingdom, the region became part of the North German Confederation and the German Empire.

In 1914, the province turned into a battlefield, seeing notable battles such as the Battle of Tannenberg as part of the Eastern Front of World War I. Later, the region became part of the Weimar Republic, and Nazi Germany, whereas some areas in the south became again part of Poland, following the restoration of its independence in 1918. In the interbellum, the Polish population was subjected to persecution from both the pre-Nazi and Nazi authorities of Germany. With the German invasion of Poland at the start of World War II in 1939, the Germans eventually carried out mass arrests of local Poles, shut down or seized Polish newspapers and libraries,[4] and occupied the pre-war Polish areas of the present-day province, in which they established the Soldau concentration camp, and carried out massacres of Poles, including at Bratian, Nawra, Malinowo and Komorniki.[5] Several subcamps of the Stutthof concentration camp were located in the region. Stalag I-B, a major German prisoner-of-war camp for Polish, Belgian, French, Italian, Serbian and Soviet POWs,[6] and Wolf's Lair, Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters were located in Masuria. After the end of World War II, the German population was expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement, whereas many Masurians emigrated in the following decades.

Ethnic and religious structure

In year 1824, shortly before its merger with West Prussia, the population of East Prussia was 1,080,000 people.[7] Of that number, according to Karl Andree, Germans were slightly more than half, while 280,000 (~26%) were ethnically Polish and 200,000 (~19%) were ethnically Lithuanian,[8] however large portions of its German and Lithuanian populations lived in the northern half of the region, outside of the present Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship. As of year 1819 there were also some 2,400 Jews, according to Georg Hassel.[9] Similar numbers are given by August von Haxthausen in his 1839 book, with a breakdown by county.[10] But the majority of East Prussian Polish and Lithuanian inhabitants were Lutherans, not Roman Catholics like their ethnic kinsmen across the border in the Russian Empire. Only in Southern Warmia Catholic Poles – so called Warmiaks (not to be confused with predominantly Protestant Masurians) – comprised the majority of population, numbering 26,067 people (~81%) in county Allenstein (Polish: Olsztyn) in 1837.[10] Another minority in 19th-century East Prussia, were ethnically Russian Old Believers, also known as Philipponnen – their main town was Eckersdorf (Wojnowo).[11] [12] [13] The Polish population was subjected to Germanisation and Kulturkampf policies.

In year 1817, East Prussia had 796,204 Evangelical Christians, 120,123 Roman Catholics, 864 Mennonites and 2,389 Jews.[14]

The Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship has the largest number of ethnic Ukrainians living in Poland[15] due to forced relocations (such as Operation Vistula) carried out by the Soviet and Polish Communist authorities.

Pasłęk in the western part of the voivodeship is considered the first place in present-day Poland where Dutch immigrants settled (in 1297).[16] There is a claim that they were participants in the killing of Floris V, Count of Holland in 1296, who then fled east, which is alluded to by Dutch poet Joost van den Vondel in his work Gijsbrechcie van Aemstel (1637).[17]

Cities and towns

The Voivodeship contains 3 cities and 47 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2019):[18]

Administrative division

Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship is divided into 21 counties (powiaty): 2 city counties and 19 land counties. These are further divided into 116 gminas.

The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).

English and
Polish names
Area
(km2)
Population
(2019)
SeatOther townsTotal
gminas
City counties
Olsztyn88172,1941
Elbląg80119,7601
Land counties
Olsztyn County
powiat olsztyński
2,840126,334Olsztyn *Dobre Miasto, Biskupiec, Olsztynek, Barczewo, Jeziorany12
Ostróda County
powiat ostródzki
1,765104,526OstródaMorąg, Miłakowo, Miłomłyn9
Iława County
powiat iławski
1,38592,933IławaLubawa, Susz, Kisielice, Zalewo7
Ełk County
powiat ełcki
1,11291,446Ełk5
Szczytno County
powiat szczycieński
1,93369,678SzczytnoPasym, Wielbark8
Kętrzyn County
powiat kętrzyński
1,21362,536KętrzynReszel, Korsze6
Działdowo County
powiat działdowski
95365,288DziałdowoLidzbark6
Bartoszyce County
powiat bartoszycki
1,30957,642BartoszyceGórowo Iławeckie, Bisztynek, Sępopol6
Pisz County
powiat piski
1,77656,328PiszOrzysz, Ruciane-Nida, Biała Piska4
Giżycko County
powiat giżycki
1,11956,661GiżyckoRyn6
Elbląg County
powiat elbląski
1,43157,395Elbląg *Pasłęk, Tolkmicko, Młynary9
Mrągowo County
powiat mrągowski
1,06549,970MrągowoMikołajki5
Braniewo County
powiat braniewski
1,20541,223BraniewoPieniężno, Frombork7
Nowe Miasto County
powiat nowomiejski
69543,900Nowe Miasto Lubawskie5
Lidzbark County
powiat lidzbarski
92441,311Lidzbark WarmińskiOrneta5
Olecko County
powiat olecki
87434,281Olecko4
Nidzica County
powiat nidzicki
96132,940Nidzica4
Gołdap County
powiat gołdapski
77226,825Gołdap3
Węgorzewo County
powiat węgorzewski
69322,796Węgorzewo3
  • seat not part of the county

Sights and tourism

Amongst the most visited sights is the Masurian Lake District, which contains more than 2,000 lakes, including the largest lakes of Poland, Śniardwy and Mamry. Giżycko, Iława, Mrągowo, Mikołajki and Ruciane-Nida are thus popular summer destinations.

Other recognizable landmarks are the Warmian castles (Lidzbark Warmiński Castle, Pieniężno Castle, Olsztyn Castle) and the Cathedral Hill in Frombork, where Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus lived and worked, and which contains his tomb. In collections of the Warmia and Mazury Museum in Olsztyn, visitors can find numerous tokens from the time when Nicolaus Copernicus lived in Warmia.[19] The Lidzbark Warmiński Castle was later the residence of Ignacy Krasicki, nicknamed the Prince of Polish Poets. There are also multiple other Gothic castles and palaces in various styles in the voivodeship. Święta Lipka in Masuria and Gietrzwałd in Warmia are popular pilgrimage sites, and other notable historic churches include the Gothic collegiate church in Dobre Miasto and churches in Orneta and Kętrzyn, which delight visitors with the uniqueness of their architectonic details. Several towns contain entirely or partly preserved medieval town walls with towers and gates, i.e. Lidzbark Warmiński, Nowe Miasto Lubawskie, Pasłęk.

The Elbląg Canal is considered one of the greatest landmarks of the western part of the province. The Grunwald battlefield in Masuria is site of the annual reenactment of one of the largest battles of Medieval Europe. Gołdap is a spa town in the north-eastern part of the province. There is a museum dedicated to composer Feliks Nowowiejski at his birthplace in Barczewo.

There are multiple World War II memorials in the voivodeship, including at the site of the Soldau concentration camp in Działdowo, at the locations of Nazi massacres of Poles, and the war cemetery in Sudwa, where victims of the Stalag I-B German prisoner-of-war camp were buried. The Wolf's Lair, Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II is located in Gierłoż.

Protected areas

Protected areas in Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship include eight areas designated as Landscape Parks, as listed below:

The Łuknajno Lake nature reserve (part of Masurian Landscape Park) is a protected wetland site under the Ramsar convention, as well as being designated by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve.

Cuisine

In addition to traditional nationwide Polish cuisine, Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship has its variety of traditional foods and drinks, specific to its Warmia and Masuria regions, officially protected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland. Masuria produces several types of various meat products, especially kiełbasa, and a plethora of traditional Polish honey. Masuria also shares with neighboring Podlaskie Voivodeship the tradition of producing sękacz, a traditional spit cake of northeastern Poland.

The protected traditional alcoholic beverages of the province are Okowita miodowa warmińska, a beverage of 42% alcohol by volume made from Warmian honey, the Warmian porter, a local type of Polish beer, and Masurian nalewka niedźwiedziówka.[20] [21]

Education

The chief institutions of higher learning in the voivodeship are the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn and Higher State College of Vocational Education in Elbląg. Kortowiada, one of the largest annual university students' holidays in Poland, is held in Olsztyn.

The Police Academy in Szczytno, the main police academy in Poland, is located in the voivodeship.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland. 28 towns are members of Cittaslow, more than in any other province of Poland.[22]

Twin towns – sister cities

The Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship is twinned with:

Sports

+ Professional sports teams
ClubSportLeagueTrophies
AZS OlsztynVolleyball (men's)PlusLiga5 Polish Championships
7 Polish Cups
Start ElblągHandball (women's)Superliga2 Polish Championships (1992, 1994)
3 Polish Cups (1993, 1994, 1999)
Olimpia ElblągFootball (men's)II liga0
Stomil OlsztynFootball (men's)II liga0
Stomilanki OlsztynFootball (women's)Ekstraliga0
Constract LubawaFutsal (men's)Ekstraklasa1 Polish Cup (2020)

See also

External links

53.85°N 70°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: EU regions by GDP, Eurostat. 18 September 2023.
  2. Web site: Sub-national HDI - Subnational HDI - Global Data Lab. globaldatalab.org. en. 13 December 2021. Radboud University Nijmegen.
  3. Book: Górski, Karol. Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych. 1949. Instytut Zachodni. Poznań. 96–97, 214–215. pl.
  4. Cygański. Mirosław. 1984. Hitlerowskie prześladowania przywódców i aktywu Związków Polaków w Niemczech w latach 1939-1945. Przegląd Zachodni. pl. 4. 41–42.
  5. Book: Wardzyńska, Maria. 2009. Był rok 1939. Operacja niemieckiej policji bezpieczeństwa w Polsce. Intelligenzaktion. pl. Warsaw. IPN. 177, 228–229, 235–236.
  6. Book: Megargee. Geoffrey P.. Overmans. Rüdiger. Vogt. Wolfgang. 2022. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 390. 978-0-253-06089-1.
  7. Book: Plater, Stanisław. Jeografia wschodniéy części Europy czyli Opis krajów przez wielorakie narody słowiańskie zamieszkanych: obejmujący Prussy, Xsięztwo Poznańskie, Szląsk Pruski, Gallicyą, Rzeczpospolitę Krakowską, Krolestwo Polskie i Litwę. u Wilhelma Bogumiła Korna. 1825. Wrocław. 17. pl.
  8. Book: Polen: in geographischer, geschichtlicher und culturhistorischer Hinsicht. Andree. Karl. Verlag von Ludwig Schumann. 1831. 218. de.
  9. Book: Hassel, Georg. Statistischer Umriß der sämmtlichen europäischen und der vornehmsten außereuropäischen Staaten, in Hinsicht ihrer Entwickelung, Größe, Volksmenge, Finanz- und Militärverfassung, tabellarisch dargestellt; Erster Heft: Welcher die beiden großen Mächte Österreich und Preußen und den Deutschen Staatenbund darstellt. Verlag des Geographischen Instituts Weimar. 1823. 41. de.
  10. Book: Die Ländliche Verfassung in den Einzelnen Provinzen der Preussischen Monarchie. Haxthausen. August. 1839. 75–91. de.
  11. Web site: Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Wojnowo (Eckersdorf). wojnowo.net.
  12. Book: Tetzner, Franz. Die Slawen in Deutschland: beiträge zur volkskunde der Preussen, Litauer und Letten, der Masuren und Philipponen, der Tschechen, Mährer und Sorben, Polaben und Slowinzen, Kaschuben und Polen. Verlag von F. Vieweg. 1902. Braunschweig. 212–248.
  13. Web site: Old Believers in Poland – historical and cultural information. Poland's Linguistic Heritage.
  14. Book: Hoffmann, Johann Gottfried. Übersicht der Bodenfläche und Bevölkerung des Preußischen Staates : aus den für das Jahr 1817 mtlich eingezogenen Nachrichten. Decker. 1818. Berlin. 51.
  15. Mniejszości narodowe i etniczne w Polsce on the pages of Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration. Retrieved on 9 September 2007
  16. Book: . Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom III. 1882. pl. Warszawa. 96.
  17. Book: Morciniec, Norbert. Historia literatury niderlandzkiej do końca 19. wieku. 2019. pl. Oficyna Wydawnicza ATUT. Wrocław. 106. 978-83-7977-424-1.
  18. Web site: GUS. Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2019. As of 30th June. 11 September 2020. stat.gov.pl. en.
  19. Book: Polska — Rozwój Regionów . 2010 . Związek Województw Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Union of the Voivodeships of the Republic of Poland).
  20. Web site: Okowita miodowa warmińska. Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl. 23 May 2024. pl.
  21. Web site: Porter warmiński. Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi - Portal Gov.pl. 23 May 2024. pl.
  22. Web site: Welcome to Cittaslow International. 21 May 2024.
  23. Web site: Podolsk sister cities. 29 April 2010.