Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; german: Großpolen, sv, Storpolen, la, Polonia Maior), is a
historical region of west-central
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...
. Its chief and largest city is
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
followed by
Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
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, image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...
, the oldest city in Poland.
The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history. Since the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, Wielkopolska proper has been split into the
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
and
Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
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, image_flag = POL Kalisz flag.svg ...
voivodeship
A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval ...
s. In the wider sense, it also encompassed
Sieradz
Sieradz ( la, Siradia, yi, שעראַדז, שערעדז, שעריץ, german: 1941-45 Schieratz) is a city on the Warta river in central Poland with 40,891 inhabitants (2021). It is the seat of the Sieradz County, situated in the Łódź Voivod ...
,
Łęczyca
Łęczyca (; in full the Royal Town of Łęczyca, pl, Królewskie Miasto Łęczyca; german: Lentschitza; he, לונטשיץ) is a town of 13,786 inhabitants () in central Poland. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship, it is the county seat of the ...
,
Brześć Kujawski and
Inowrocław voivodeships, which were situated further eastward. After the
Partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century, Greater Poland was incorporated into
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
as the
Grand Duchy of Posen
The Grand Duchy of Posen (german: Großherzogtum Posen; pl, Wielkie Księstwo Poznańskie) was part of the Kingdom of Prussia, created from territories annexed by Prussia after the Partitions of Poland, and formally established following th ...
. The region in the proper sense roughly coincides with the present-day
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo wielkopolskie; ), also known as Wielkopolska Voivodeship, Wielkopolska Province, or Greater Poland Province, is a voivodeship, or province
A province is almost always an administrative division ...
( pl, województwo wielkopolskie).
Like the historical regions of
Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to t ...
,
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is spli ...
,
Mazovia
Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centuri ...
or
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...
, the Greater Poland region possesses its own distinctive folk costumes, architecture, cuisine, dialect and other traditions that differ from other parts of Poland.
Name
Because Greater Poland was the settlement area of the
Polans and the core of the
early Polish state, the region was at times simply called "Poland" (Latin ). The more specific name is first recorded in the Latin form in 1257 and in Polish in 1449. Its original meaning was ''the Older Poland'' to contrast with
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...
(Polish , Latin ), a region in south-eastern Poland with its capital at
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...
that later became the main centre of the state.
Geography
Greater Poland comprises much of the area drained by the
Warta River and its tributaries, including the
Noteć River. The region is distinguished from
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...
with the lowland landscape, and from both Lesser Poland and
Mazovia
Mazovia or Masovia ( pl, Mazowsze) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the unofficial capital and largest city. Throughout the centuri ...
with its numerous lakes. In the strict meaning, it covers an area of about , and has a population of 3.5 million. In the wider sense, it has almost , and 7 million inhabitants.
The region's main metropolis is
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
, near the centre of the region, on the Warta. Other cities are
Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
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to the south-east,
Konin to the east,
Piła to the north,
Ostrów Wielkopolski to the south-east,
Gniezno
Gniezno (; german: Gnesen; la, Gnesna) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. One of the Piast dynasty's chief cities, ...
(the earliest capital of Poland) to the north-east, and
Leszno to the south-west.
An area of of forest and lakeland south of Poznań is designated the
Wielkopolska National Park (), established in 1957. The region also contains part of
Drawa National Park, and several designated
Landscape Parks. For example, the
Rogalin Landscape Park is famous for about 2000 monumental
oak trees growing on the flood plain of the river
Warta, among numerous
ox-bow lakes.
History
Greater Poland formed the heart of the 10th-century
early Polish state, sometimes being called the "cradle of Poland".
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint Joh ...
and
Gniezno
Gniezno (; german: Gnesen; la, Gnesna) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. One of the Piast dynasty's chief cities, ...
were early centres of royal power, but following devastation of the region by
pagan rebellion in the 1030s, and the invasion of
Bretislaus I of Bohemia in 1038, the capital was moved by
Casimir I the Restorer from Gniezno to
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...
.
In the
Testament of Bolesław III Wrymouth
The last will and testament of the Piast duke Bolesław III Wrymouth of Poland, established rules for governance of the Polish kingdom by his four surviving sons after his death. By issuing it, Bolesław planned to guarantee that his heirs would n ...
, which initiated the period of fragmentation of Poland (1138–1320), the western part of Greater Poland (including Poznań) was granted to
Mieszko III the Old
Mieszko III the Old (c. 1126/27 – 13 March 1202), of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland from 1138 and High Duke of Poland, with interruptions, from 1173 until his death.
He was the fourth and second surviving son of Duke Bolesław ...
. The eastern part, with Gniezno and
Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
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, was part of the
Duchy of Kraków
Duchy of Kraków; Latin: ''Ducatus Cracoviensis'' was a duchy in Lesser Poland that existed from 1227 until 1300. Its capital was Kraków. It was formed in 1227 from the Seniorate Province, following the abolishment of the Duchy of Poland. It r ...
, granted to
Władysław II. However, for most of the period the two parts were under a single ruler, and were known as the
Duchy of Greater Poland (although at times there were separately ruled duchies of Poznań, Gniezno,
Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
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and
Ujście). The region came under the control of
Władysław I the Elbow-high Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to:
Famous people Mononym
*W ...
in 1314, and thus became part of the reunited Poland of which Władyslaw was crowned king in 1320.
In the reunited kingdom, and later in the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ...
, the country came to be divided into administrative units called
voivodeship
A voivodeship is the area administered by a voivode (Governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in western medieval ...
s. In the case of the Greater Poland region these were
Poznań Voivodeship and
Kalisz Voivodeship. The Commonwealth also had larger subdivisions known as , one of which was named Greater Poland. However, this covered a larger area than the Greater Poland region itself, also taking in
Masovia and
Royal Prussia. (This division of
Crown Poland into two entities called Greater and
Lesser Poland
Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a ...
had its roots in the
Statutes of Casimir the Great
Statutes of Casimir the Great or Piotrków-Wiślica Statutes ( pl, Statuty wiślicko-piotrkowskie) - a collection of laws issued by Casimir III the Great, the king of Poland, in the years 1346-1362 during congresses in Piotrków and Wiślica. It ...
of 1346–1362, where the laws of "Greater Poland" – the northern part of the country – were codified in the
Piotrków statute, with those of "Lesser Poland" in the separate
Wiślica statute.)
In 1768 a new
Gniezno Voivodeship was formed out of the northern part of Kalisz Voivodeship. However more far-reaching changes would come with the
Partitions of Poland. In the first partition (1772), northern parts of Greater Poland along the
Noteć (German ) were taken over by
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
, becoming the
Netze District. In the second partition (1793) the whole of Greater Poland was absorbed by Prussia, becoming part of the province of
South Prussia. It remained so in spite of the first
Greater Poland uprising (1794), part of the unsuccessful
Kościuszko Uprising directed chiefly against
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
.
More successful was the
Greater Poland Uprising of 1806
Greater Poland uprising of 1806 was a Polish military insurrection which occurred in the region of Wielkopolska, also known as Greater Poland, against the occupying"In 1772, before the Prussian occupation, only four Jewish families had lived t ...
, which led to the region's becoming part of the Napoleonic
Duchy of Warsaw (forming the
Poznań Department
Poznań Department (Polish: ''Departament Poznański'') was a unit of administrative division and local government in Polish Duchy of Warsaw in years 1806-1815.
Capital city: Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central ...
and parts of the
Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
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and
Bydgoszcz
Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
Departments). However, following the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...
in 1815, Greater Poland was again partitioned, with the western part (including Poznań) going to Prussia. The eastern part (including Kalisz) joined the Russian-controlled
Kingdom of Poland, where it formed the
Kalisz Voivodeship until 1837, then the
Kalisz Governorate (merged into the
Warsaw Governorate between 1844 and 1867).
Within the Prussian empire, western Greater Poland became the
Grand Duchy of Posen
The Grand Duchy of Posen (german: Großherzogtum Posen; pl, Wielkie Księstwo Poznańskie) was part of the Kingdom of Prussia, created from territories annexed by Prussia after the Partitions of Poland, and formally established following th ...
(Poznań), which theoretically held some autonomy. Following an unrealized
uprising in 1846, and the more substantial but still unsuccessful
uprising of 1848 (during the
Spring of Nations
The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europ ...
), the Grand Duchy was replaced by the
Province of Posen. The authorities made efforts to
Germanize the region, particularly after the founding of
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
in 1871, and from 1886 onwards the
Prussian Settlement Commission The Prussian Settlement Commission, officially known as the Royal Prussian Settlement Commission in the Provinces West Prussia and Posen (german: Königlich Preußische Ansiedlungskommission in den Provinzen Westpreußen und Posen; pl, Królewska K ...
was active in increasing German land ownership in formerly Polish areas.
Following the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, the
Greater Poland uprising (1918–19) ensured that most of the region became part of the newly independent Polish state, forming most of
Poznań Voivodeship (1921–1939)
Poznań Voivodeship was the name of several former administrative regions (''województwo'', rendered as ''voivodeship'' and usually translated as "province") in Poland, centered on the city of Poznań, although the exact boundaries changed over t ...
. Northern and some western parts of Greater Poland remained in Germany, where they formed much of the province of
Posen-West Prussia (1922–1938), whose capital was Schneidemühl (
Piła). The Polish state enacted anti-German policies, copying the past Germanization policies of Prussia to undermine the region's German minority.
Following the
German invasion German invasion may refer to:
Pre-1900s
* German invasion of Hungary (1063)
World War I
* German invasion of Belgium (1914)
* German invasion of Luxembourg (1914)
World War II
* Invasion of Poland
* German invasion of Belgium (1940)
...
of 1939, Greater Poland was incorporated into
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, becoming the province called , later Reichsgau Wartheland ( being the German name for the
Warta river). The Polish and Jewish population was classified by Nazis as subhuman and subjected to organized genocide, involving mass murder and ethnic cleansing, with many former officials and others considered potential enemies by the Nazis being imprisoned or executed, including at the notorious
Fort VII
Fort VII, officially ''Konzentrationslager Posen'' (renamed later), was a Nazi German death camp set up in Poznań in German-occupied Poland during World War II, located in one of the 19th-century forts circling the city. According to different e ...
concentration camp in Poznań.
["Kraj Warty" 1934-1945: studium historyczno-gospodarcze okupacji hitlerowskiej
Czesław Łuczak Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, 1972] Poznań was declared a stronghold city () in the closing stages of the war, being taken by the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
in the
Battle of Poznań, which ended on 22 February 1945.
After the war, Greater Poland was fully within the
Polish People's Republic
The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...
, as
Poznań Voivodeship. With the reforms of 1975 this was divided into smaller provinces (the voivodeships of
Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
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,
Konin,
Leszno and
Piła, and a smaller Poznań Voivodeship). The present-day
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo wielkopolskie; ), also known as Wielkopolska Voivodeship, Wielkopolska Province, or Greater Poland Province, is a voivodeship, or province
A province is almost always an administrative division ...
, again with Poznań as its capital, was created in 1999.
Main cities
The following table lists the cities in proper Greater Poland with a population greater than 25,000 (2015):
File:Poznan 10-2013 img10 Town hall.jpg, Poznań Town Hall
File:Pałac w Rogalinie (4).jpg, Palace of the Raczyński family in Rogalin, within the Rogalin Landscape Park
File:Catedral de Gniezno, Gniezno, Polonia, 2014-09-20, DD 45-47 HDR.jpg, Gniezno
Gniezno (; german: Gnesen; la, Gnesna) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. One of the Piast dynasty's chief cities, ...
cathedral
File:Kalisz ratusz 2018.jpg, Kalisz
(The oldest city of Poland)
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Town Hall
File:Ratusz w Lesznie (2).jpg, Leszno town hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually house ...
File:Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Licheń, Stary Licheń, Polonia, 2016-12-21, DD 33-35 HDR.jpg, Marian sanctuary in Licheń near Konin
See also
*
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo wielkopolskie; ), also known as Wielkopolska Voivodeship, Wielkopolska Province, or Greater Poland Province, is a voivodeship, or province
A province is almost always an administrative division ...
References
Further reading
External links
Information on Wielkopolska (Greater Poland)at the
University at Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1 ...
,
State University of New York
The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by ...
Information about Greater PolandDatabase of business, culture, sport, motorization, tourism, and medicine, by CyberWielkopolska
{{Authority control
Historical regions in Poland
Holocaust locations in Poland