| Native Name: | Województwo Poznańskie |
| Conventional Long Name: | Poznań Voivodeship |
| Common Name: | Poznań Voivodeship |
| Subdivision: | Voivodeship |
| Nation: | Poland |
| P1: | Province of Posen |
| Flag P1: | Flagge Preußen - Provinz Posen.svg |
| S1: | Reichsgau Wartheland |
| Flag S1: | Flag of Germany 1933.svg |
| Image Map Caption: | Location of Poznań Voivodeship (red) within the Second Republic of Poland (1938). |
| Capital: | Poznań |
| Title Leader: | Voivode |
| Leader1: | Wojciech Trąmpczyński |
| Year Leader1: | Aug - October 1919 (first) |
| Leader2: | Cyryl Ratajski |
| Year Leader2: | September 1939 (last) |
| Date Start: | 1 August |
| Year Start: | 1919 |
| Event1: | Territorial changes |
| Date Event1: | 1 April 1938 |
| Event End: | Annexed |
| Date End: | 12 September |
| Year End: | 1939 |
| Stat Year1: | 1921 |
| Stat Area1: | 26,528 |
| Stat Pop1: | 1,967,865 |
| Stat Year2: | 1931 |
| Stat Pop2: | 2,339,600 |
| Stat Area2: | 26,528 |
| Stat Year3: | 1939 |
| Stat Area3: | 28,089 |
Poznań Voivodeship (Polish: Województwo Poznańskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1919–1939, created after World War I from the Prussian-German province of Poznań (Province of Posen). The borders were changed in 1939: the city of Bydgoszcz passed to the Pomeranian Voivodeship, but some eastern areas were included (see Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on April 1, 1938).
During World War II, it was occupied by Nazi Germany and annexed as Reichsgau Wartheland "(Reich province of the Land of the Warta River)".
Between April 1, 1938 and September 1, 1939, the Voivodeship's area was 28 089 km2, and its population - 2 339 600 (according to the 1931 Polish census). It consisted of 29 powiats (the highest number in Poland, however, most of them were very small, both in area and population), 100 towns (the highest number in Poland) and 237 villages. Railroad density was high, with 10.1 km. per 100 km2 (total length of railroads within the Voivodeship's area was 2684 km, the highest in the whole country). Forests covered 19.8% of the Voivodeship, which was lower than the national average (in 1937 the average was 22.2%).
Poznańskie Voivodeship was one of the richest and best developed in interwar Poland. With numerous cities and well-developed rail, it also was a breadbasket of the country, its highly efficient agriculture was well-mechanized. The city of Poznań was a big industrial center, as well as a key railroad junction. Only 7.6% of population was illiterate, which was much lower than the national average of 23.1% (as of 1931). Poles made up the majority of the population (90.5%), with 9.2% Germans and 0.3% Jews.
After World War I the number of Germans was 224,254 in 1926 and 203,135 in 1934.[1]
This is the list of the Poznań Voivodeship counties as for August 31, 1939:
The biggest cities of the Voivodeship were (data according to the 1931 census):
According to the 1921 census the voivodeship was inhabited by 1,967,865 people, of whom by nationality 1,636,316 were Poles (83.2%), 327,846 were Germans (16.7%), 1,485 were Jews (0.1%) and 2,218 were all others (0.1%). By religion, according to the 1921 census, 1,632,087 were Roman Catholics (83%), 322,872 were Protestants of all kinds (16.4%), 10,397 were Jews (0.5%) and 2,509 were all others (0.1%).[2]
The detailed results of the 1931 census by county are presented below:
| Poznań City | 246470 | 238167 | 96.6% | 1067 | 0.4% | 6387 | 2.6% | 0.3% | 236829 | 96.1% | 1954 | 0.8% | 6516 | 2.6% | 0.5% | |
| Bydgoszcz City | 117200 | 104647 | 89.3% | 912 | 0.8% | 11276 | 9.6% | 0.3% | 103594 | 88.4% | 1692 | 1.4% | 10648 | 9.1% | 1.1% | |
| Bydgoszcz County | 58139 | 50247 | 86.4% | 144 | 0.2% | 7517 | 12.9% | 0.4% | 44831 | 77.1% | 148 | 0.3% | 12700 | 21.8% | 0.8% | |
| Chodzież | 44508 | 31930 | 71.7% | 47 | 0.1% | 12493 | 28.1% | 0.1% | 30831 | 69.3% | 150 | 0.3% | 13384 | 30.1% | 0.3% | |
| Czarnków | 43256 | 36764 | 85.0% | 138 | 0.3% | 6273 | 14.5% | 0.2% | 36997 | 85.5% | 259 | 0.6% | 5894 | 13.6% | 0.2% | |
| Gniezno City | 30675 | 29873 | 97.4% | 102 | 0.3% | 675 | 2.2% | 0.1% | 29802 | 97.2% | 137 | 0.4% | 678 | 2.2% | 0.2% | |
| Gniezno County | 57256 | 50391 | 88.0% | 24 | 0.0% | 6790 | 11.9% | 0.1% | 49215 | 86.0% | 174 | 0.3% | 7595 | 13.3% | 0.5% | |
| Gostyń | 55929 | 53461 | 95.6% | 0 | 0.0% | 2456 | 4.4% | 0.0% | 53270 | 95.2% | 28 | 0.1% | 2543 | 4.5% | 0.2% | |
| Inowrocław City | 34364 | 33498 | 97.5% | 51 | 0.1% | 753 | 2.2% | 0.2% | 33356 | 97.1% | 139 | 0.4% | 750 | 2.2% | 0.3% | |
| Inowrocław County | 48599 | 40956 | 84.3% | 5 | 0.0% | 7584 | 15.6% | 0.1% | 40796 | 83.9% | 25 | 0.1% | 7605 | 15.6% | 0.4% | |
| Jarocin | 87546 | 83692 | 95.6% | 52 | 0.1% | 3744 | 4.3% | 0.1% | 84355 | 96.4% | 113 | 0.1% | 2912 | 3.3% | 0.2% | |
| Kępno | 86849 | 82685 | 95.2% | 102 | 0.1% | 3273 | 3.8% | 0.9% | 77658 | 89.4% | 296 | 0.3% | 8393 | 9.7% | 0.6% | |
| Kościan | 78899 | 76019 | 96.3% | 1 | 0.0% | 2832 | 3.6% | 0.1% | 75984 | 96.3% | 24 | 0.0% | 2675 | 3.4% | 0.3% | |
| Krotoszyn | 75456 | 69733 | 92.4% | 44 | 0.1% | 5625 | 7.5% | 0.1% | 69264 | 91.8% | 152 | 0.2% | 5833 | 7.7% | 0.3% | |
| Leszno | 61211 | 51240 | 83.7% | 115 | 0.2% | 9814 | 16.0% | 0.1% | 55120 | 90.0% | 222 | 0.4% | 5729 | 9.4% | 0.2% | |
| Międzychód | 31032 | 28013 | 90.3% | 7 | 0.0% | 2992 | 9.6% | 0.1% | 27107 | 87.4% | 11 | 0.0% | 3844 | 12.4% | 0.2% | |
| Mogilno | 89186 | 81347 | 91.2% | 35 | 0.0% | 7719 | 8.7% | 0.1% | 80814 | 90.6% | 158 | 0.2% | 7965 | 8.9% | 0.3% | |
| Nowy Tomyśl | 87331 | 70946 | 81.2% | 25 | 0.0% | 16289 | 18.7% | 0.1% | 71915 | 82.3% | 150 | 0.2% | 14888 | 17.0% | 0.4% | |
| Oborniki | 50388 | 42296 | 83.9% | 48 | 0.1% | 7960 | 15.8% | 0.2% | 42216 | 83.8% | 193 | 0.4% | 7785 | 15.5% | 0.4% | |
| Ostrów Wlkp. | 104126 | 100017 | 96.1% | 6 | 0.0% | 3985 | 3.8% | 0.1% | 93636 | 89.9% | 106 | 0.1% | 10082 | 9.7% | 0.3% | |
| Poznań County | 91182 | 86466 | 94.8% | 8 | 0.0% | 4596 | 5.0% | 0.1% | 86134 | 94.5% | 32 | 0.0% | 4654 | 5.1% | 0.4% | |
| Rawicz | 49882 | 44834 | 89.9% | 61 | 0.1% | 4812 | 9.6% | 0.4% | 44254 | 88.7% | 94 | 0.2% | 5258 | 10.5% | 0.6% | |
| Szamotuły | 67742 | 62933 | 92.9% | 82 | 0.1% | 4709 | 7.0% | 0.0% | 62640 | 92.5% | 250 | 0.4% | 4578 | 6.8% | 0.4% | |
| Szubin | 47825 | 38091 | 79.6% | 35 | 0.1% | 9638 | 20.2% | 0.1% | 37770 | 79.0% | 119 | 0.2% | 9776 | 20.4% | 0.3% | |
| Śrem | 57304 | 54269 | 94.7% | 20 | 0.0% | 2996 | 5.2% | 0.0% | 54107 | 94.4% | 82 | 0.1% | 3000 | 5.2% | 0.2% | |
| Środa Wlkp. | 49902 | 47833 | 95.9% | 17 | 0.0% | 2016 | 4.0% | 0.1% | 47667 | 95.5% | 75 | 0.2% | 2029 | 4.1% | 0.3% | |
| Wągrowiec | 54259 | 47159 | 86.9% | 36 | 0.1% | 7039 | 13.0% | 0.0% | 46574 | 85.8% | 100 | 0.2% | 7424 | 13.7% | 0.3% | |
| Wolsztyn | 47892 | 37993 | 79.3% | 12 | 0.0% | 9857 | 20.6% | 0.1% | 38708 | 80.8% | 48 | 0.1% | 8968 | 18.7% | 0.4% | |
| Września | 43698 | 41119 | 94.1% | 42 | 0.1% | 2506 | 5.7% | 0.1% | 41370 | 94.7% | 77 | 0.2% | 2188 | 5.0% | 0.1% | |
| Wyrzysk | 66873 | 53057 | 79.3% | 20 | 0.0% | 13736 | 20.5% | 0.1% | 53414 | 79.9% | 132 | 0.2% | 13069 | 19.5% | 0.4% | |
| Żnin | 41521 | 36719 | 88.4% | 33 | 0.1% | 4738 | 11.4% | 0.1% | 36573 | 88.1% | 71 | 0.2% | 4724 | 11.4% | 0.4% | |
| Total | 2106500 | 1906395 | 90.5% | 3291 | 0.2% | 193080 | 9.2% | 0.2% | 1886801 | 89.6% | 7211 | 0.3% | 204087 | 9.7% | 0.4% |
|---|
In 1926 and 1934 German minority in Poznań Voivodeship carried out their own censuses, counting themselves. Here are their results:
| County (German name in brackets) | ethnic German population (1926) | ethnic German population (1934) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,038 | 9,442 | ||
| 4,655 | 4,377 | ||
| 11,016 | 10,021 | ||
| Bydgoszcz (Bromberg, district) | 13,281 | 12,211 | |
| 5,511 | 4,773 | ||
| Gniezno (Gnesen) / Witkowo | 8,616 | 7,876 | |
| 2,395 | 2,162 | ||
| Grodzisk Wielkopolski (Grätz) / Nowy Tomyśl (Neutomischel) | 16,576 | 16,555 | |
| 8,455 | 8,096 | ||
| Jarocin (Jarotschin) / Pleszew (Pleschen) | 4,667 | 4,019 | |
| Kępno (Kempen) / Ostrzeszów (Schildberg) | 16,631 | 10,889 | |
| 14,246 | 12,348 | ||
| Koźmin (Koschmin) / Krotoszyn (Krotoschin) | 6,542 | 5,807 | |
| Leszno (Lissa) | 9,917 | 8,371 | |
| Mogilno (Mogilno) / Strzelno (Strelno) | 8,727 | 7,770 | |
| 9,417 | 8,410 | ||
| Poznań (Posen, town) | 5,980 | 4,387 | |
| 4,687 | 4,252 | ||
| 6,184 | 5,038 | ||
| 5,029 | 4,841 | ||
| Śmigiel (Schmiegel) / Kościan (Kosten) | 3,636 | 3,488 | |
| 2,802 | 3,574 | ||
| 2,269 | 2,029 | ||
| 10,193 | 8,879 | ||
| 13,495 | 12,410 | ||
| 10,369 | 9,313 | ||
| 8,401 | 7,143 | ||
| 2,436 | 2,115 | ||
| 5,404 | 4,539 | ||
| Poznań Voivodship (total) | 224,254 | 203,135 |