The Pomeranian Voivodeship or Pomorskie Voivodeship (Polish: Województwo Pomorskie) was an administrative unit of Interwar poland (from 1919 to 1939). It ceased to function in September 1939, following the German and Soviet invasion of Poland.
Most of the territory of Pomeranian province became part of the current Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, of which one of two capitals is the same as the interwar voivodeship's Toruń; the second one is Bydgoszcz.
The name Pomerania derives from the Slavic po more, meaning "by the sea" or "on the sea".[1]
This was a unit of administration and local government in the Republic of Poland (II Rzeczpospolita) established in 1919 after World War I from the majority of the Prussian province of West Prussia (made out of territories taken in Partitions of Poland which was returned to Poland. Toruń was the capital. In 1938–1939, the voivodeship extended to the south at the expense of Poznań Voivodeship and Warsaw Voivodeship, and was called Great Pomerania afterwards (see: Territorial changes of Polish Voivodeships on April 1, 1938).
During World War II, it was occupied by Nazi Germany and unilaterally annexed as Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreußen ("Reich province of Danzig-West Prussia"). Poles and Jews were classified as untermenschen by German authorities and their intended fate slavery and extermination. In 1945, the region was returned to Poland. In 1945 out of its northern territory, the new voivodeship of Gdańsk was formed, including annexed territories of the Free City of Danzig and of German Prussian Province of Pomerania and German Prussian Province of East Prussia. The bulk of the old voivodeship was enlarged by annexed territories of the German Prussian Province of Pomerania and later renamed into Bydgoszcz voivodeship. In the years 1975–1998, it was reorganized into the voivodeships of Gdańsk, Elbląg, Bydgoszcz, Toruń, and Włocławek.
Between April 1, 1938 and September 1, 1939, the Voivodeship's area was 25 683 km2, and its population - 1 884 400 (according to the 1931 census). It consisted of 28 powiats (counties), 64 cities, and 234 villages. Railroad density was high, with 11.4 km. per 100 km2 (total length of railroads within the Voivodeship's area was 1 887 km., second in the whole country). Forests covered 26.7% of the voivodeship, which was higher than the national average (in 1937, the average was 22.2%).
Pomorskie Voivodeship was one of the richest and best developed in interwar Poland. With numerous cities and well-developed rail, it also provided the country with access to the Baltic Sea. Only 8.3% of population was illiterate, which was much lower than the national average of 23.1% (as for 1931). Poles made up majority of population (88%). After World War I, the number of Germans was 117,251 in 1926 and 107,555 in 1934.[2] As of 1931, 9.8% of the populace were ethnic Germans and 0.3% Jews.
This is the list of the Pomorskie Voivodeship counties as of August 31, 1939:
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Biggest cities of the Voivodeship were (data according to the 1931 Polish census):
According to the 1921 census the voivodeship was inhabited by 935,643 people, of whom by nationality 757,801 were Poles (81%), 175,771 were Germans (18.8%), 419 were Jews (0.04%) and 1,652 were all others (0.2%). By religion - according to the census of 1921 - 744,699 were Roman Catholics (79.6%), 186,224 were Protestants of all kinds (19.9%), 2,927 were Jews (0.3%) and 1,793 were all others (0.2%).[3]
The detailed results of the 1931 census by county are presented below:
In 1926 and 1934 German minority in Pomeranian Voivodeship carried out their own censuses, counting themselves. Here are their results:
53°00′41″N 18°36′25″E / 53.011288°N 18.606882°E / 53.011288; 18.606882