| Pomeranian Voivodeship | |
| Native Name: | |
| Settlement Type: | Voivodeship |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Pomorskie logo.png |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Brandmark |
| Blank Emblem Size: | 120px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Gdańsk |
| Parts Type: | Counties |
| Parts: | 20, including four city counties |
| P1: | Gdańsk |
| P2: | Gdynia |
| P3: | Słupsk |
| P4: | Sopot |
| P5: | Bytów County |
| P6: | Chojnice County |
| P7: | Człuchów County |
| P8: | Gdańsk County |
| P9: | Kartuzy County |
| P10: | Kościerzyna County |
| P11: | Kwidzyn County |
| P12: | Lębork County |
| P13: | Malbork County |
| P14: | Nowy Dwór Gdański County |
| P15: | Puck County |
| P16: | Słupsk County |
| P17: | Starogard County |
| P18: | Sztum County |
| P19: | Tczew County |
| P20: | Wejherowo County |
| Governing Body: | Pomeranian Voivodeship executive board |
| Leader Title1: | Voivode |
| Leader Name1: | Beata Rutkiewicz (KO) |
| Leader Title2: | Marshal |
| Leader Name2: | Mieczysław Struk (KO) |
| Area Total Km2: | 18293 |
| Total Type: | Total |
| Population Total: | 2337769 |
| Population As Of: | 2019 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Urban: | 1486267 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Rural |
| Population Blank1: | 851502 |
| Demographics Type1: | GDP |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | [1] |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics1 Info1: | €34.497 billion |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics1 Info2: | €15,000 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | HDI (2019) |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 0.892[2] · 3rd |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Highways |
| Iso Code: | PL-22 |
| Registration Plate: | G |
| Website: | pomorskie.eu |
| Footnotes: |
|
Pomeranian Voivodeship (Polish: Województwo pomorskie pronounced as /pl/; Kashubian: Pòmòrsczé wòjewództwò pronounced as /csb/) is a voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk.
The voivodeship was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former voivodeships of Gdańsk, Elbląg and Słupsk, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1997. It is bordered by West Pomeranian Voivodeship to the west, Greater Poland and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeships to the south, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship to the east, and the Baltic Sea to the north. It also shares a short land border with Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast), on the Vistula Spit. The bulk of the voivodeship is located in the historic region of Pomerania, with the territories on the eastern bank of the Vistula being part of Powiśle. The Pomeranian part of the region comprises most of Pomerelia (the easternmost part of Pomerania) with its subregions of Kashubia and Kociewie, whereas the western part, around Słupsk, is part of Farther Pomerania.
The province is one of rich cultural heritage. The Tricity urban area, consisting of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, is one of the main cultural, commercial and educational centres of Poland. Gdańsk and Gdynia are two of the major Polish seaports, the first erected by Mieszko I of Poland in the Middle Ages, the latter built in the interwar period. Amongst the most recognisable landmarks of the region are the historic city centre of Gdańsk filled with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque masterpieces, the Museum of the National Anthem in Będomin, located at the birthplace of Józef Wybicki, poet and politician, author of the national anthem of Poland, the largest medieval churches of Poland (the St. Mary's Church in Gdańsk and the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Pelplin) and the Malbork Castle. The voivodeship also includes the narrow Hel Peninsula and the Polish half of the Vistula Spit. Other tourist destinations include Wejherowo, Sopot, Jurata, Łeba, Władysławowo, Puck, Krynica Morska, Ustka, Jastarnia, Kuźnica, Bytów and many fishing ports, lighthouses, and marinas.
The name Pomerania derives from the Slavic po more, meaning "by the sea" or "on the sea".[3]
The voivodeship contains 7 cities and 35 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (official 2019 figures).[4]
Pomeranian Voivodeship is divided into 20 counties (powiats): 4 city counties, and 16 land counties. These are further divided into 123 gminas (communes).
The counties are listed below in order of decreasing population.
| English and Polish names | Area (km2) | Population (2019) | Seat | Other towns | Total gminas |
| City counties | |||||
| Gdańsk | 262 | 468,158 | 1 | ||
| Gdynia | 136 | 246,244 | 1 | ||
| Słupsk | 43.15 | 90,769 | 1 | ||
| Sopot | 17.31 | 35,827 | 1 | ||
| Land counties | |||||
| Wejherowo County powiat wejherowski | 1,280 | 216,764 | Wejherowo | Rumia, Reda | 10 |
| Starogard County powiat starogardzki | 1,345 | 128,055 | Starogard Gdański | Skarszewy, Skórcz, Czarna Woda | 13 |
| Tczew County powiat tczewski | 698 | 115,738 | Tczew | Pelplin, Gniew | 6 |
| Kartuzy County powiat kartuski | 1,120 | 137,942 | Kartuzy | Żukowo | 8 |
| Słupsk County powiat słupski | 2,304 | 98,793 | Słupsk * | Ustka, Kępice | 10 |
| Chojnice County powiat chojnicki | 1,364 | 97,616 | Chojnice | Czersk, Brusy | 5 |
| Gdańsk County powiat gdański | 793 | 117,452 | Pruszcz Gdański | 8 | |
| Kwidzyn County powiat kwidzyński | 835 | 83,231 | Kwidzyn | Prabuty | 6 |
| Bytów County powiat bytowski | 2,193 | 79,260 | Bytów | Miastko | 10 |
| Puck County powiat pucki | 578 | 86,203 | Puck | Władysławowo, Jastarnia, Hel | 7 |
| Kościerzyna County powiat kościerski | 1,166 | 72,589 | Kościerzyna | 8 | |
| Lębork County powiat lęborski | 707 | 66,196 | Lębork | Łeba | 5 |
| Malbork County powiat malborski | 495 | 63,575 | Malbork | Nowy Staw | 6 |
| Człuchów County powiat człuchowski | 1,574 | 56,225 | Człuchów | Czarne, Debrzno | 7 |
| Sztum County powiat sztumski | 731 | 41,808 | Sztum | Dzierzgoń | 5 |
| Nowy Dwór Gdański County powiat nowodworski (pomorski) | 653 | 35,656 | Nowy Dwór Gdański | Krynica Morska | 5 |
| |||||
| Name | Period | |
|---|---|---|
| Tomasz Sowińskii | 1 January 1999 - 20 October 2001 | |
| Jan Ryszard Kurylczyk | 20 October 2001 - 26 July 2004 | |
| Cezary Dąbrowski | 26 July 2004 - 27 January 2006 | |
| Piotr Ołowski | 27 January 2006 - 26 February 2007 | |
| Piotr Karczewski | 22 May 2007 - 29 November 2007 | |
| Roman Zaborowski | 29 November 2007 - 25 October 2011 | |
| Ryszard Stachurski | 12 December 2011 – 8 December 2015 | |
| Dariusz Drelich | 8 December 2015 – present |
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 29.2 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 5.9% of Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 20,800 euros or 69% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 74% of the EU average.[5]
The A1, S6 and S7 highways pass through the province.
The three busiest railway stations of northern Poland, and three of ten busiest railway stations of Poland overall, are located in the voivodeship. Those are Gdynia Główna, Gdańsk Główny and Gdańsk Wrzeszcz.[7]
| Name | Location | Students in thousands | ||
| total | of which women | |||
| Total | align="right" | - | 97.9 | 55.3 |
| Uniwersytet Gdański (Gdańsk University) | Tricity | 29.3 | 19.4 | |
| Politechnika Gdańska (Gdańsk University of Technology) | Gdańsk | 17.6 | 5.9 | |
| Akademia Pomorska w Słupsku (Pomeranian Academy in Słupsk) | Słupsk | 8.1 | 6.0 | |
| Akademia Medyczna w Gdańsku (Medical University of Gdańsk) | Gdańsk | 4.2 | 3.1 | |
| Akademia Wychowanie Fizycznego i Sportu w Gdańsku (Gdańsk Sports Academy) | Gdańsk | 4.1 | 1.9 | |
| Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Gdańsku (Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts) | Gdańsk | 0.9 | 0.7 | |
| Akademia Marynarki Wojennej im. Bohaterów Westerplatte (Polish Naval Academy) | Gdynia | . | . | |
| Akademia Morska w Gdyni (Gdynia Maritime Academy) | Gdynia | . | . | |
| Gdańskie Seminarium Duchowne (Gdańsk Seminary) | Gdańsk | . | . | |
| Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki w Gdańsku (Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music, in Gdańsk) | Gdańsk | . | . | |
| Data as of 31 November 2005, source http://www.stat.gov.pl | ||||
Protected areas in Pomeranian Voivodeship include two National Parks and nine Landscape Parks. These are listed below.
Football, basketball, motorcycle speedway and volleyball enjoy the largest following in the voivodeship. The Arka Gdynia and Lechia Gdańsk football clubs contest the Tricity Derby, the fiercest football rivalry in northern Poland.
Since the establishment of the province, several major international sports competitions were co-hosted by the province, including the EuroBasket 2009, UEFA Euro 2012, 2013 Men's European Volleyball Championship, 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, 2016 European Men's Handball Championship, 2017 Men's European Volleyball Championship, 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, 2021 Men's European Volleyball Championship, 2023 World Men's Handball Championship.
| + Professional sports teams | ||||
| Club | Sport | League | Trophies | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Gdynia | Basketball (men's) | Polish Basketball League | 9 Polish Championships 4 Polish Cups | |
| Trefl Sopot | Basketball (men's) | Polish Basketball League | 1 Polish Championship (2024) 3 Polish Cups (2012, 2013, 2023) | |
| Czarni Słupsk | Basketball (men's) | Polish Basketball League | 0 | |
| SKS Starogard Gdański | Basketball (men's) | I Liga | 1 Polish Cup (2011) | |
| Decka Pelplin | Basketball (men's) | I Liga | 0 | |
| Arka Gdynia | Basketball (women's) | Basket Liga Kobiet | 13 Polish Championships 10 Polish Cups | |
| Arka Gdynia | Football (men's) | I liga | 2 Polish Cups (1979, 2017) | |
| Lechia Gdańsk | Football (men's) | Ekstraklasa | 2 Polish Cups (1983, 2019) | |
| Chojniczanka Chojnice | Football (men's) | II liga | 0 | |
| APLG Gdańsk | Football (women's) | Ekstraliga | 0 | |
| Pogoń Tczew | Football (women's) | Ekstraliga | 0 | |
| Wybrzeże Gdańsk | Speedway | I liga | 0 | |
| MMTS Kwidzyn | Handball (men's) | Superliga | 0 | |
| Wybrzeże Gdańsk | Handball (men's) | Superliga | 10 Polish Championships | |
| KPR Żukowo | Handball (men's) | Liga Centralna | 0 | |
| SPR Gdynia | Handball (women's) | Liga Centralna | 2 Polish Championships (2012, 2017) 3 Polish Cups (2014, 2015, 2016) | |
| Trefl Gdańsk | Volleyball (men's) | PlusLiga | 2 Polish Cups (2015, 2018) | |
| Ogniwo Sopot | Rugby union | Ekstraliga | 11 Polish Championships 10 Polish Cups | |
| RC Arka Gdynia | Rugby union | Ekstraliga | 4 Polish Championships 1 Polish Cup (2010) | |
| RC Lechia Gdańsk | Rugby union | Ekstraliga | 13 Polish Championships 12 Polish Cups |