Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to the German states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg, while the eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian, Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeships of Poland. Its historical border in the west is the Mecklenburg-Western Pomeranian border '' Urstromtal'' which now constitutes the border between the Mecklenburgian and Pomeranian part of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while it is bounded by the Vistula River in the east. The easternmost part of Pomerania is alternatively known as Pomerelia, consisting of four sub-regions:

Kashubia pl, Kaszuby , native_name_lang = csb, de, csb , settlement_type = Historical region , anthem = Zemia Rodnô , image_map = Kashubians in Poland.png , image_flag ...

inhabited by ethnic

Kashubians The Kashubians ( csb, Kaszëbi; pl, Kaszubi; german: Kaschuben), also known as Cassubians or Kashubs, are a Lechitic ( West Slavic) ethnic group native to the historical region of Pomerania, including its eastern part called Pomerelia, in nor ...

Kociewie Kociewie is an ethnocultural region in the eastern part of Tuchola Forest, in northern Poland, Pomerania, south of Gdańsk. Its cultural capital is Starogard Gdański, the biggest town is Tczew, while other major towns include Świecie, Pelpl ...

Tuchola Forest The Tuchola Forest, also known as Tuchola Pinewoods or Tuchola Conifer Woods, (the latter a literal translation of pl, Bory Tucholskie; csb, Tëchòlsczé Bòrë; german: Tuchler or Tucheler Heide) is a large forest complex near the town of Tuch ...

and

Chełmno Land Chełmno land ( pl, ziemia chełmińska, or Kulmerland, Old Prussian: ''Kulma'', lt, Kulmo žemė) is a part of the historical region of Pomerelia, located in central-northern Poland. Chełmno land is named after the city of Chełmno (hist ...

. Pomerania has a relatively low population density, with its largest cities being Gdańsk and Szczecin. Outside its urban areas, it is characterized by farmland, dotted with numerous lakes, forests, and small towns. In the west of Pomerania lie several islands, the largest of which are Rügen, the largest island in Germany, Usedom/Uznam, and Wolin, the largest island in Poland. The region has a rich and complicated political and demographic history at the intersection of several cultures.

Geography

Borders

Pomerania is the area along the

Bay of Pomerania The Bay of Pomerania ( pl, Zatoka Pomorska; german: Pommersche Bucht; csb, Pòmòrskô Hôwinga) is a basin in the southwestern Baltic Sea, off the Pomeranian shores of Poland and Germany. It stretches between the northernmost tip of the island ...

of the

between the rivers

Recknitz The Recknitz (historically known as ''Raxa'') is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northeastern Germany. The Recknitz's glacial valley stretches as far south as the heights at Glasewitz near Güstrow. The river has no definite source, but rath ...

Trebel Trebel is a municipality in the district Lüchow-Dannenberg, in Lower Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russ ...

, Tollense and Augraben in the west and Vistula in the east.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000, Pomerani

/ref> It formerly reached perhaps as far south as the

Noteć Noteć (; , ) is a river in central Poland with a length of (7th longest) and a basin area of .Central European Plain, but its southern, hilly parts belong to the

Baltic Ridge Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

, a belt of terminal moraines formed during the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

. Within this ridge, a chain of

moraine-dammed lake A moraine-dammed lake occurs when the terminal moraine has prevented some meltwater from leaving the valley. Its most common shape is that of a long ribbon (ribbon lake). Example of moraine dammed lakes include: *Argentina/Chile: General Carre ...

s constitutes the

Pomeranian Lake District The Pomeranian Lakeland or Pomeranian Lake District ( pl, Pojezierze Pomorskie) is a lakeland in Farther Pomerania. It lies today in the east of the Polish Voivodeship of West Pomerania in northwest Poland. The lakeland is located in the extrem ...

. The soil is generally rather poor, sometimes sandy or marshy. The western coastline is jagged, with many peninsulas (such as

Darß The Darß or Darss is the middle part of the peninsula of Fischland-Darß-Zingst on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The peninsula's name is of Slavic origin. There is a large forest in the ...

–

Zingst Zingst ( Polabian ''Sgoni'') is the easternmost portion of the three-part Fischland-Darß-Zingst Peninsula, located in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, between the cities of Rostock and Stralsund on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea. T ...

) and islands (including Rügen, Usedom, and Wolin) enclosing numerous bays (

Bodden Bodden are briny bodies of water often forming lagoons, along the southwestern shores of the Baltic Sea, primarily in Germany's state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. These lagoons can be found especially around the island of Rügen, Usedom an ...

) and lagoons (the biggest being the Lagoon of Szczecin). The eastern coastline is smooth. Łebsko and several other lakes were formerly bays, but have been cut off from the sea. The easternmost coastline along the

Gdańsk Bay Gdańsk Bay or the Gulf of Gdańsk ( pl, Zatoka Gdańska; csb, Gduńskô Hôwinga; russian: Гданьская бухта, Gdan'skaja bukhta, and german: Danziger Bucht) is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the adjacent por ...

(with the

Bay of Puck The Bay of Puck or Puck Bay (; ; german: Putziger Wiek), is a shallow western branch of the Bay of Gdańsk in the southern Baltic Sea, off the shores of Gdańsk Pomerania, Poland. It is separated from the open sea by the Hel Peninsula. The bay ha ...

) and Vistula Lagoon, has the Hel Peninsula and the Vistula peninsula jutting out into the Baltic.

Subregions

The Pomeranian region has the following administrative divisions: * Western Pomerania (''Vorpommern'') in northeastern Germany, stretching from the Recknitz river to the

Oder–Neisse line The Oder–Neisse line (german: Oder-Neiße-Grenze, pl, granica na Odrze i Nysie Łużyckiej) is the basis of most of the international border between Germany and Poland from 1990. It runs mainly along the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers a ...

. This region is part of the federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The southernmost part of historical Western Pomerania (the Gartz area) is now in Brandenburg, while its historical eastern parts (the Oder estuary) are now in Poland. Western Pomerania comprises the historical regions inhabited by Western Slavic tribes Rugians and Volinians, otherwise the

Principality of Rügen The Principality of Rügen; da, Fyrstendømmet Rygien; pl, Księstwo rugijskie; la, Rugia was a Danish principality, formerly a duchy, consisting of the island of Rügen and the adjacent mainland from 1168 until 1325. It was governed by a loc ...

and the County of Gützkow. * The West Pomeranian Voivodeship (''Zachodniopomorskie'') in Poland, stretching from the Oder–Neisse line to the

Wieprza Wieprza (german: Wipper) is a river in north-western Poland in the region of Pomerania, a tributary of the Baltic Sea, with a length of and a basin area of . Towns * Kępice * Sławno * Darłowo See also *Rivers of Poland *List of rivers of Eur ...

river, encompassing most of historical Pomerania in the narrow sense (as well as small parts of historic Greater Poland and

Lubusz Land Lubusz Land ( pl, Ziemia lubuska; german: Land Lebus) is a historical region and cultural landscape in Poland and Germany on both sides of the Oder river. Originally the settlement area of the Lechites, the swampy area was located east of Branden ...

). * The Pomeranian Voivodeship, with similar borders to Pomerelia, stretching from the Wieprza river to the Vistula delta in the vicinity of Gdańsk. * The northern half of the

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as Cuiavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship or simply Kujawsko-Pomorskie, or Kujawy-Pomerania Province ( pl, województwo kujawsko-pomorskie ) is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divide ...

, comprising most of

and

. The bulk of Farther Pomerania is included within the modern West Pomeranian Voivodeship, but its easternmost parts (the

Słupsk Słupsk (; , ; formerly german: Stolp, ; also known by several alternative names) is a city with powiat rights located on the Słupia River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, in the historical region of Pomerania or more specific ...

area) now constitute the northwest of Pomeranian Voivodeship. Farther Pomerania in turn comprises several other historical subregions, most notably the

Principality of Cammin The Bishopric of Cammin (also Kammin, Kamień Pomorski) was both a former Roman Catholic diocese in the Duchy of Pomerania from 1140 to 1544, and a secular territory of the Holy Roman Empire ( Prince-Bishopric) in the Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) area f ...

, the County of Naugard, and the Lands of Schlawe and Stolp, The Lauenburg and Bütow Land is considered a part of Pomerelia (

Kashubia pl, Kaszuby , native_name_lang = csb, de, csb , settlement_type = Historical region , anthem = Zemia Rodnô , image_map = Kashubians in Poland.png , image_flag ...

) by the Polish historiography, and of Farther Pomerania by the German historiography. Parts of Pomerania and surrounding regions have constituted a euroregion since 1995. The Pomerania euroregion comprises Hither Pomerania and

Uckermark The Uckermark () is a historical region in northeastern Germany, straddles the Uckermark District of Brandenburg and the Vorpommern-Greifswald District of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Its traditional capital is Prenzlau. Geography The region is nam ...

in Germany, West Pomerania in Poland, and Scania in Sweden. File:Niechorze Widok z latarni 3 (Piotr Kuczynski).jpg, Typical Pomeranian beach ( West Pomeranian Voivodeship) File:Małe regaty na jeziorze Wdzydze.jpg,

Wdzydze Lake Wdzydze ( Kashubian ''Jezoro Wdzydzczé''), also known as the ''Kashubian Sea'', ''Big Water'' and ''Szerzawa'', is a lake in the Tuchola Forest in the Kościerzyna County (Pomeranian Voivodeship), in the region of South Kashubia. The lake is ...

( Pomeranian Voivodeship) File:Poland Turkusowe Lake.jpg, Wolin National Park ( West Pomeranian Voivodeship) File:2 SPN 01.jpg, Słowiński National Park ( Pomeranian Voivodeship) File:Usedomer Strand.jpg, Usedom/Uznam ( Western Pomerania) File:Kap Arkona2.jpg,

Cape Arkona Cape Arkona () is a 45-metre (150-foot) high cape on the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It forms the tip of the Wittow peninsula, just a few kilometres north of the Jasmund National Park. The protected landscape of Cape Arko ...

( Western Pomerania)

Etymology

In Lechitic languages the prefix "po-" means ''along''; unlike the word "po", which means ''after''. Pomorze, therefore, means ''Along the Sea''. This construction is similar to toponyms Pogórze (''Along the Mountains''), Polesie (''Along the Forest''), Porzecze (''Along the River''), etc. Pomerania was first mentioned in an imperial document of 1046, referring to a ''Zemuzil dux Bomeranorum'' ( Zemuzil, Duke of the Pomeranians). Pomerania is mentioned repeatedly in the chronicles of Adam of Bremen (c. 1070) and Gallus Anonymous (ca. 1113).

Terminology

The term "West Pomerania" is ambiguous, since it may refer to either Hither Pomerania (in German usage and historical usage based on German terminology) or to combined Hither and Farther Pomerania or the West Pomeranian Voivodeship (in Polish usage). The term "East Pomerania" may similarly carry different meanings, referring either to Farther Pomerania (in German usage and historical usage based on German terminologye.g. here (Sheperd Atlas), or i
old Enc Britannica
/ref>), or to Pomerelia or the Pomeranian Voivodeship (in Polish usage). }
pl, Ziemia lęborsko-bytowska) ,

Człuchów Człuchów (, ''Człochòwo'', or ''Człëchòwò''; formerly ) is a town in the region of Gdańsk Pomerania, northwestern Poland, with 13,350 inhabitants as of December 2021. Człuchów has been the capital of Człuchów County in the Pomerani ...

Chojnice Chojnice (; , or ''Chòjnice''; german: Konitz or ''Conitz'') is a town in northern Poland with 39,423 inhabitants as of December 2021, near the Tuchola Forest. It is the capital of the Chojnice County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. History Pias ...

,
Kościerzyna,
Kartuzy,
Żukowo,
Puck,
Władysławowo,
Jastarnia,
Hel ,

Wejherowo Wejherowo ( csb, Wejrowò; german: Neustadt in Westpreußen, formerly Weyhersfrey) is a city in Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 48,735 inhabitants (2021). It has been the capital of Wejherowo County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 19 ...

,
Reda,

Rumia Rumia (; Kashubian: ''Rëmiô''; German until 1945: ''Rahmel'') is a town in northern Poland, in the Wejherowo County in Pomeranian Voivodeship, with some 45,000 inhabitants. It is a part of the Kashubian Tricity (Rumia, Reda, Wejherowo) and ...

,
(so-called Little Kashubian Tricity)

Gdynia Gdynia ( ; ; german: Gdingen (currently), (1939–1945); csb, Gdiniô, , , ) is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With a population of 243,918, it is the 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in th ...

Sopot Sopot is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, and has the status of the county, being the smallest ci ...

,
Gdańsk
( Tricity)

Pruszcz Gdański Pruszcz Gdański (; former pl, Pruszcz; german: Praust) is a town in Pomerania, northern Poland with 26,834 inhabitants (2010). Pruszcz Gdański is an industrial town neighbouring Gdańsk, part of the Tricity agglomeration. The Tricity Bypass ...

Nowy Staw Nowy Staw (german: Neuteich; csb, Nowi Stôw, Nytëch) is a small town in northern Poland on the Tuja (river), Święta river in the Żuławy region, with 3 896 inhabitants (2004). Situated in Malbork County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship since ...

Starogard Gdański Starogard Gdański (; until 1950: ''Starogard''; csb, Starogarda; formerly german: Preußisch Stargard) is a city in Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland with 48,328 inhabitants (2004). Starogard is the capital of Starogard County. It is ...

,
Skarszewy,

Pelplin Pelplin (; csb, Pôłplëno; formerly German also: ''Pelplin'') is a town in northern Poland, in the Tczew County, Pomeranian Voivodship. Population: 8,320 (2009). Pelplin is located in the ethnocultural region of Kociewie in Pomerania. It is h ...

Tczew Tczew (, csb, Dërszewò; formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). The city is known for its Old Town and the Vistula Bridge, or Bridge of Tczew, which pl ...

Gniew Gniew (pronounced ; csb, Gméw, or ''Gniéw''; formerly german: Mewe) is a historic town situated on the left bank of the Vistula River, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It has 6,870 inhabitants (2016). It is one of the ol ...

Świecie Świecie (; german: Schwetz) is a town in northern Poland with 25,968 inhabitants (2006), situated in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999); it was in Bydgoszcz Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998. It is the capital of Świecie County. Locati ...

,
Nowe , Tuchola,
Pruszcz , Toruń,
Grudziądz,

Chełmno Chełmno (; older en, Culm; formerly ) is a town in northern Poland near the Vistula river with 18,915 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the seat of the Chełmno County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. Due to its regional impor ...

,
Chełmża,
Wąbrzeźno,
Kowalewo Pomorskie,
Jabłonowo Pomorskie,
Radzyń Chełmiński,
Łasin,

Brodnica Brodnica (german: Strasburg in Westpreußen or Strasburg an der Drewenz) is a town in northern Poland with 28,574 inhabitants . It is the seat of Brodnica County in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. The nearby Brodnica Landscape Park, a pro ...

(part north of

Drwęca The Drwęca ('; german: Drewenz; lt, Druvinčia) is a river in northern Poland and a tributary of the Vistula river near Toruń (German: ''Thorn''), forming a part of the city's administrative boundary. It has a length of 231 km and a basin ...

with historic center),
Golub , - style="text-align:center;" , style="background:#c2e6ff; text-align:left;", Current countries , colspan="6", Germany , colspan="12", Poland , - style="text-align:center;" , rowspan="2" style="background:#c2e6ff; text-align:left;", Current administrative regions , colspan="5" rowspan="1", Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
(State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) , colspan="1" rowspan="1", Land Brandenburg
(State of Brandenburg) , colspan="4" rowspan="2", województwo zachodniopomorskie
( West Pomeranian Voivodeship) , colspan="5" rowspan="2", województwo pomorskie
( Pomeranian Voivodeship) , colspan="3" rowspan="2", województwo kujawsko-pomorskie
(

) , - style="text-align:center;" , colspan="1" rowspan="1",

Vorpommern-Rügen Vorpommern-Rügen is a district in the north of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) the Baltic Sea and the districts Vorpommern-Greifswald, Mecklenburgische Seenplatte and Rostock. The district seat is ...

District , colspan="1" rowspan="1", Vorpommern-Greifswald District , colspan="1" rowspan="1",

Mecklenburgische Seenplatte The Mecklenburg Lake Plateau or Mecklenburg Lakeland
- Federal Ministry of Economics ...

District , colspan="2" rowspan="1", Vorpommern-Greifswald District , colspan="1" rowspan="1",

District , - style="text-align:center;" , rowspan="5" style="background:#c2e6ff; text-align:left;", German terminology
(corresponding English term) , colspan="12", PommernThe Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001–07

(Pomerania) , colspan="6", Pomerellen, Pommerellen
( Pomerelia)
After Partitions of Poland, part of the wider Westpreussen
( West Prussia)
before Partitions of Poland, part of the wider Königlich-Preußen or Preußen Königlichen Anteils
(

Royal Prussia Royal Prussia ( pl, Prusy Królewskie; german: Königlich-Preußen or , csb, Królewsczé Prësë) or Polish PrussiaAnton Friedrich Büsching, Patrick Murdoch. ''A New System of Geography'', London 1762p. 588/ref> (Polish: ; German: ) was a ...

) , - style="text-align:center;" , colspan="7", Vorpommern
in modern usage the part located in Germany only
(Hither Pomerania, Fore Pomerania)
, colspan="5" rowspan="2", Hinterpommern
(Farther/Further Pomerania, Rear Pomerania) , colspan="2" rowspan="4", Kaschubei
(

Kashubia pl, Kaszuby , native_name_lang = csb, de, csb , settlement_type = Historical region , anthem = Zemia Rodnô , image_map = Kashubians in Poland.png , image_flag ...

)
areas south-east of Könitz ( Schwarzwasser,

Czersk Czersk (; ; formerly german: Czersk, (1942-5): ) is a town in northern Poland in Chojnice County, Pomeranian Voivodeship. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 9,844. Today the center of the city of Czersk in is the Village Square. ...

): Tucheler Heide
(

),
Koschneiderei , colspan="2" rowspan="4", Kociewie , rowspan="4", Tucheler Heide
(

),
Koschneiderei , rowspan="4", Kulmerland
(

) , - style="text-align:center;" , colspan="2", Neuvorpommern
(New Hither Pomerania) , colspan="5", Altvorpommern
(Old Hither Pomerania) , - style="text-align:center;" , colspan="3" rowspan="2", Westpommern
(Western Pomerania) , style='border-style: solid solid none solid;' colspan="6", Mittelpommern
(Middle Pomerania) , colspan="3" rowspan="2", Ostpommern
(Eastern Pomerania) , - style="text-align:center;" , style='border-style: none dotted solid solid;' colspan="1", , style='border-style: dotted dotted solid dotted;' colspan="4", Mittelpommerscher Keil
(Middle Pomeranian Wedge)
excluding Świnoujście, Międzyzdroje, Wolin and Dziwnów , style='border-style: none solid solid dotted;' colspan="1", , - style="text-align:center;" , rowspan="3" style="background:#c2e6ff; text-align:left;", Polish terminology
(corresponding English term) , colspan="11", Pomorze Zachodnie
(Western Pomerania)
Pomorze Nadodrzańskie
( Oder Pomerania)
, colspan="7", Pomorze Wschodnie
(Eastern Pomerania)
Pomorze Nadwiślańskie
( Vistula Pomerania)
before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

simply Pomorze
(Pomerelia, literally Pomerania)
before Partitions of Poland, part of the wider Prusy Królewskie
(Royal Prussia) , - style="text-align:center;" , colspan="6", Pomorze Zaodrzańskie
(Trans-Oder Pomerania)
Pomorze Wołogoskie
(Wołogoszcz or german: Wolgast Pomerania) , colspan="3", Pomorze Szczecińskie
(Szczecin Pomerania)
Pomorze Zachodnie w węższym znaczeniu
(Western Pomerania in narrower sense)
, colspan="2", Pomorze Środkowe
(Middle Pomerania)
Pomorze Koszalińsko-Słupskie
(Koszalin and Słupsk Pomerania) , colspan="6", Pomorze Gdańskie
(Gdańsk Pomerania)
, rowspan="2", Ziemia chełmińska
(

)
ethnocultural region
, - style="text-align:center;" , colspan="7", Pomorze Przednie
(Hither Pomerania, Fore Pomerania) in modern usage the part located in Germany only , colspan="4", Pomorze Tylne
(Farther/Further Pomerania, Rear Pomerania) usage limited mainly to translations of German texts , colspan="3", Kaszuby
(Kashubia)
ethnocultural region
areas south-east of Chojnice ( Czarna Woda,

): Bory Tucholskie
(

)
ethnocultural region,
Kosznajderia
former ethnocultural region , colspan="2",

ethnocultural region , Bory Tucholskie
(

)
ethnocultural region,
Kosznajderia
former ethnocultural region , - style="text-align:center;" , rowspan="2" style="background:#c2e6ff; text-align:left;", Kashubian terminology
(corresponding English term) , colspan="11" rowspan="2", Zôpadnô Pòmòrskô
(Western Pomerania) , colspan="1" rowspan="1", Lãbòrskò-bëtowskô Zemia
( Lauenburg and Bütow Land)
, colspan="6" rowspan="1", Pòrénkòwô Pòmòrskô
(Eastern Pomerania) , - style="text-align:center;" , colspan="3" rowspan="1" , Kaszëbë
(Kashubia
ethnocultural region) , colspan="2" rowspan="1", Kòcéwskô (

)
ethnocultural region , colspan="1" rowspan="1", Tëchòlsczé Bòrë (

)
ethnocultural region,
Kòsznajderiô (Kosznajderia)
former ethnocultural region , colspan="1" rowspan="1", Chełmińskô Zemia (

)
ethnocultural region

History

Prehistory to the Middle Ages (circa 400 A.D. – 1400 A.D.)

Settlement in the area called Pomerania for the last 1,000 years started by the end of the Vistula Glacial Stage, some 13,000 years ago. Archeological traces have been found of various cultures during the

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

, Baltic peoples,

Germanic peoples The Germanic peoples were historical groups of people that once occupied Central Europe and Scandinavia during antiquity and into the early Middle Ages. Since the 19th century, they have traditionally been defined by the use of ancient and e ...

and Veneti during the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

and, in the Dark Ages,

West Slavic tribes West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

and Vikings.Jan M Piskorski, ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten'', 1999, pp.18ff, Horst Wernicke, ''Greifswald, Geschichte der Stadt'', Helms, 2000, pp.16ff, Johannes Hoops, Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde, Walter de Gruyter, p.422, Werner Buchholz, ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, pp.22,23, Joachim Herrmann, ''Die Slawen in Deutschland'', Akademie-Verlag Berlin, 1985, pp.pp.237ff,244ff Starting in the 10th century, early Polish rulers subdued the region, successfully integrating the eastern part with Poland, while the western part fell under the suzerainty of Denmark and the Holy Roman Empire in the late 12th century.Joachim Herrmann, ''Die Slawen in Deutschland'', Akademie-Verlag Berlin, 1985, pp.261,345ffNora Berend, ''Christianization and the Rise of Christian Monarchy: Scandinavia, Central Europe and Rus' C. 900–1200'', Cambridge University Press, 2007, p.293, , David Warner, ''Ottonian Germany: The Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseburg'', Manchester University Press, 2001, p.358, , Michael Borgolte, Benjamin Scheller, ''Polen und Deutschland vor 1000 Jahren: Die Berliner Tagung über den "Akt von Gnesen"'', Akademie Verlag, 2002, p.282, , Gdańsk, established during the reign of Mieszko I of Poland has since become Poland's main port (apart from periods of Poland losing control over the region). In the 12th century, the

Duchy of Pomerania The Duchy of Pomerania (german: Herzogtum Pommern; pl, Księstwo Pomorskie; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country ha ...

(western part), as a vassal state of Poland, became Christian under saint Otto of Bamberg (''the Apostle of the Pomeranians''); at the same time Pomerelia (eastern part) became a part of diocese of Włocławek within Poland. Since the late 12th-early 13th century, the Griffin

stayed with the Holy Roman Empire and the Principality of Rugia with Denmark, while Pomerelia, under the ruling of

Samborides The Samborides () or House of Sobiesław () were a ruling dynasty in the historic region of Pomerelia. They were first documented about 1155 as governors (''princeps'') in the Eastern Pomeranian lands serving the royal Piast dynasty of Poland ...

, was a part of Poland.Jan M Piskorski, Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten, 1999, pp.35ff, Gerhard Krause, Horst Robert Balz, Gerhard Müller, ''Theologische Realenzyklopädie'', Walter de Gruyter, 1997, pp.40ff, Jan M. Piskorski, Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten, 1999, p.43, Pomerania, during its alliance in the Holy Roman Empire, shared borders with West Slavic state Oldenburg, as well as Poland and the expanding Margraviate of Brandenburg. In the early 14th century the Teutonic Knights invaded and annexed Pomerelia from Poland into their monastic state, which already included historical

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 a result of the Teutonic rule, in German terminology the name of Prussia was also extended to conquered Polish lands like

Gdańsk Pomerania Gdańsk Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze Gdańskie), csb, Gduńsczim Pòmòrzã, german: Danziger Pommern) is a geographical region within Pomerelia in northern and northwestern Poland, covering the bulk of Pomeranian Voivodeship. It forms a part and ...

, although it was not inhabited by Baltic Prussians but Lechitic Poles. Meanwhile, the Ostsiedlung started to turn Slavic narrow Pomerania into an increasingly German-settled area; the remaining

Wends Wends ( ang, Winedas ; non, Vindar; german: Wenden , ; da, vendere; sv, vender; pl, Wendowie, cz, Wendové) is a historical name for Slavs living near Germanic settlement areas. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various people ...

and Polish people, often known as

, continued to settle within Pomerelia.Jan M Piskorski, Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten, 1999, pp.77ff, In 1325 the line of the princes of Rügen died out, and the principality was inherited by the Griffins.

Renaissance (circa 1400–1700) to Early Modern Age

In 1466, with the Teutonic Order's defeat in the Thirteen Years' War, Pomerelia became again subject to the

Polish Crown The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland ( pl, Korona Królestwa Polskiego; Latin: ''Corona Regni Poloniae''), known also as the Polish Crown, is the common name for the historic Late Middle Ages territorial possessions of the King of Poland, incl ...

and formed the Pomeranian Voivodeship within the province of

. While the German population in the Duchy of Pomerania adopted the

Protestant reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...

in 1534,Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, pp.205–212, Gerhard Krause, Horst Robert Balz, Gerhard Müller, ''Theologische Realenzyklopädie'', Walter de Gruyter, 1997, pp.43ff, the Polish (along with Kashubian) population remained with the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. The Thirty Years' War severely ravaged and depopulated narrow Pomerania; few years later this same happened to Pomerelia (''the

Deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the Biblical book of Genesis. Deluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Com ...

''). With the extinction of the Griffin house during the same period, the Duchy of Pomerania was divided between the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...

and Brandenburg-Prussia in 1648, while Pomerelia remained in with the Polish Crown.

Modern Age

German Empire - Prussia - Pomerania (1871)

gained the southern parts of

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania ( sv, Svenska Pommern; german: Schwedisch-Pommern) was a dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held ...

in 1720,Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, invaded and annexed Pomerelia from Poland in 1772 and 1793, and gained the remainder of Swedish Pomerania in 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars. The former Brandenburg-Prussian Pomerania and the former Swedish parts were reorganized into the Prussian Province of Pomerania, while Pomerelia was made part of the

Province of West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (german: Provinz Westpreußen; csb, Zôpadné Prësë; pl, Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and 1878 to 1920. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 177 ...

. With Prussia, both provinces joined the newly constituted German Empire in 1871. Under German rule, the Polish minority suffered discrimination and oppressive measures aimed at eradicating its culture. Following the German Empire's defeat in World War I, however, Pomorze Gdańskie/ Pomerelia was returned to the rebuilt Polish state as part of the so-called

Polish Corridor The Polish Corridor (german: Polnischer Korridor; pl, Pomorze, Polski Korytarz), also known as the Danzig Corridor, Corridor to the Sea or Gdańsk Corridor, was a territory located in the region of Pomerelia (Pomeranian Voivodeship, easter ...

), while German-majority Gdansk/Danzig was transformed into the independent Free City of Danzig. In 1938 Germany's Province of Pomerania was expanded to include northern parts of the former Province of Posen–West Prussia, and in late 1939 the annexed Pomorze Gdańskie/Polish Corridor became part of the wartime Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia. The Nazis deported the Pomeranian Jews to a reservation near Lublin in Pomerelia. The Polish population suffered heavily during the Nazi oppression; more than 40,000 died in executions, death camps, prisons and forced labour, primarily those who were teachers, businessmen, priests, politicians, former army officers, and civil servants. Thousands of Poles and Kashubians suffered deportation, their homes taken over by the German military and civil servants, as well as some Baltic Germans resettled there between 1940 and 1943. After

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 ...

's defeat in World War II, the German–Polish border was shifted west to the

, and all of Pomerania was in the Soviet Occupation Zone.Jan M Piskorski, Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten, The German inhabitants of the

former eastern territories of Germany The former eastern territories of Germany (german: Ehemalige deutsche Ostgebiete) refer in present-day Germany to those territories east of the current eastern border of Germany i.e. Oder–Neisse line which historically had been considered Ger ...

and Poles of German ethnicity from Pomerelia were expelled. Between 1945 and 1948, millions of ethnic Germans (Volksdeutsche) and German citizens (Reichsdeutsche), were removed from former German territory now governed by Poland and other Eastern European countries. Many German civilians were sent to internment and labor camps where they were used as forced labor as part of German reparations to countries in Eastern Europe. The death toll attributable to the flight and expulsions is disputed, with low-range estimates in the hundreds of thousands (see:

Flight and Expulsion of Germans 1944-1950 Flight or flying is the process by which an object (physics), object motion (physics), moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space ...

). The area was resettled primarily with Poles of Polish ethnicity, (some themselves Polish population transfers (1944–1946), expellees from Kresy, former eastern Poland) and some Ukrainian minority in Poland, Poles of Ukrainian ethnicity (resettled under Operation Vistula) and few Jews in Poland, Polish Jews. Most of Hither or Western Pomerania (''Vorpommern'') remained in Germany, and most of the expelled Pomeranians found refuge there, later many moved on to other German regions and abroad. Today German Hither Pomerania forms the eastern part of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, while the Polish part is divided mainly between the West Pomeranian, Pomeranian voivodeships, with their capitals in Szczecin and Gdańsk. During the 1980s, the Solidarity (Polish trade union), Solidarity and ''Die Wende'' ("the change") movements overthrew the Communism, Communist regimes implemented during the post-war era; since then, Pomerania is democracy, democratically governed. Pomeranian dialect and traditions still live in the country of Brazil in a colony where the language is still spoken. The arrival of Pomerania immigrants with Germans and Italians helped form the state of Espírito Santo since the early 1930s. Their importance and respect are one of the cultural signatures of the area. The Brazilian city of Pomerode (in the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina) was founded by Pomeranian Germans in 1861 and is considered the most typically German of all the German towns of southern Brazil.

Demographics

The German part of Western Pomerania is inhabited by German Pomeranians. In other parts, Poles are the dominant ethnic group since the territorial changes of Poland after World War II, and the resulting Polonization.

, descendants of the Pomeranians (Slavic tribe), medieval West Slavic Pomeranians, are numerous in rural Pomerelia. German Hither Pomerania had a population of about 470,000 in 2012 (districts of

and Vorpommern-Greifswald combined) – while the Polish districts of Hither Pomerania had a population of about 580,000 in 2012 ( Szczecin and Świnoujście city with powiat rights, cities with powiat rights, Police County, as well as Gmina Goleniów, Goleniów Gmina Wolin, Wolin and Gmina Międzyzdroje, Międzyzdroje gminas combined). So overall, about 1.15 million people live in the historical region of Hither Pomerania today, while the Szczecin metropolitan area reaches even further. Pomerelia is dominated by the Tricity metropolitan area (Pomeranian Voivodeship) with its population in 2012 estimated at least at 1,035,000 and the area at 1,332,51 km², encompassing the Tricity itself with a population of 748,986 combining the eponymous three cities of Gdańsk (population 460,427),

(population 248,726) and

(population 38,217), as well as the Little Kashubian Tricity with a population of 120,158 people (2012), formed by the City of

(population 50,310 in 2012) and the towns (urban gminas) of

(population 49,230 in 2020) and Reda (population 26,011 in 2019). The area also includes two smaller towns of Żukowo and

belonging to the eponymous urban-rural gminas, and a number of rural gminas.

Cities in Pomerania

Altogether, there are 16 cities in the broad-sense Pomerania, understood as comprising also Pomerelia. Their list is presented below and includes the 14 municipalities in Poland electing a city mayor ( pl, prezydent miasta) instead of a town mayor ( pl, burmistrz), with 9 of them holding the status of a city with powiat rights ( pl, miasto na prawach powiatu, an independent city), as well as the 2 municipalities in Germany holding the status of a district-belonging city (german: link=no, Große kreisangehörige Stadt), as no city of the German part of Pomerania holds currently any higher status, such as a partially of fully independent city (german: link=no, Große selbständige Stadt, ''Kreisfreie Stadt'', or ''Stadtkreis''), or a City-state#Non-sovereign city-states, city-state (german: link=no, Stadtstaat).

Cities in the historical region of Hither Pomerania

* Szczecin (city with powiat rights, West Pomeranian Voivodeship): 408,913; up to 763,321 in the metropolitan area * Stralsund (Vorpommern-Rügen district, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern): 59,418 * Greifswald (Low German: ''Griepswohld''; Vorpommern-Greifswald district, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern): 59,232 * Świnoujście (city with powiat rights, West Pomeranian Voivodeship); 40,864 * In addition, the Brandenburgian city of Schwedt expanded in the contemporary times, so that its neighbourhoods north of Welse are located in historical Hither Pomeraniq File:Szczecin Zamek Ksiazat Pomorskich (od pln-zach).jpg, Szczecin File:Stralsund, Blick von der Marienkirche (2013-07-07-), by Klugschnacker in Wikipedia (7).JPG, Stralsund

Cities in the historical region of Farther Pomerania

* Koszalin (city with powiat rights, West Pomeranian Voivodeship): 109,343 *

(city with powiat rights, Pomeranian Voivodeship): 94,849 * Stargard (Stargard County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship): 69,724 * Kołobrzeg (Kołobrzeg County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship); 46,259

Cities in the historical region of Pomerelia

* Tricity (Pomeranian Voivodeship): 748,986; the Tricity metropolitan area (Pomeranian Voivodeship): population in 2012; at least 1,035,000 area 1,332,51 km² ** Gdańsk (city with powiat rights, Pomeranian Voivodeship): 460,427 **

(city with powiat rights, Pomeranian Voivodeship): 248,726 **

(city with powiat rights, Pomeranian Voivodeship): 38,217 * Toruń (city with powiat rights,

): 205,934 * Grudziądz (city with powiat rights, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship): 96,042 *

(Tczew County, Pomeranian Voivodeship): 60,279 *

(Wejherowo County, Pomeranian Voivodeship): 50,375 *

(Starogard County, Pomeranian Voivodeship): 44,470 File:Długie Pobrzeże in Gdańsk (Motława).jpg, Gdańsk

Culture

Languages and dialects

In the German part of Pomerania, Standard German and the East Low German Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch and Central Pomeranian dialect, Central Pomeranian dialects are spoken, though Standard German dominates. Polish language, Polish is the dominating language in the Polish part; Kashubian language, Kashubian dialects are also spoken by the

in Pomerelia. East Pomeranian dialect, East Pomeranian, the East Low German dialect of Farther Pomerania and western Pomerelia, Low Prussian, the East Low German dialect of eastern Pomerelia, and Standard German were dominating in Pomerania east of the Oder-Neisse line before Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II, most of its speakers were expelled after World War II. Slovincian language, Slovincian was spoken at the Farther Pomeranian–Pomerelian frontier, but is now extinct. Kashubian and East Low German are also spoken by the descendants of émigrées, most notably in the Americas (e.g. Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Canada).

Cuisine

: ''For typical food and beverages of the region, see Pomeranian cuisine.''

Museums

Wik 22 Szczecin Pałac Sejmu Stanów Pomorskich

At least 50 museums in Poland cover the history of Pomerania, the most important of them being the District Museum in Toruń, the Museum in Grudziądz, the National Museum in Gdańsk, the National Maritime Museum, Gdańsk, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, the Museum of Sopot, the Emigration Museum in Gdynia, the Museum of Polish Navy in Gdynia, the Museum of Kociewie in Starogard Gdański, the Museum of Kashubian and Pomeranian Literature and Music in Wejherowo, the Kashubian Museum in Kartuzy, the Central Pomerania Museum in

, the Darłowo Museum, the Koszalin Museum, the Museum of Polish Arms in Kołobrzeg, the Museum of Archeology and History in Stargard, the National Museum, Szczecin, National Museum in Szczecin, and the Museum of Maritime Fisheries in Świnoujście, The Pomeranian State Museum in Greifswald, as well as the Stralsund Museum, both have a variety of archeological findings and artefacts dedicated to the history of Pomerania from the different periods covered in this article.

Education

Universities

There are four traditional (non-profiled and multi-faculty, public university, public research university, research) universities in the region, namely the University of Greifswald, the University of Szczecin, the University of Gdańsk and the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, the oldest of which, the University of Greifswald, was founded when Greifswald belonged to

, thus being one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world.

Economy

Agriculture primarily consists of raising livestock, forestry, fishery, and the cultivation of cereals, sugar beets, and potatoes. Industrial food processing is increasingly relevant in the region. Key producing industries are shipyards, mechanical engineering facilities (i.a. renewable energy components), and sugar refineries, along with paper and wood fabricators. Service industries today are an important economical factor in Pomerania, most notably with logistics, information technology, life sciences, life science, biotechnology, health care, and other high tech, high-tech branches often Business cluster, clustering around research facilities of the Pomeranian universities. Since the late 19th century, tourism has been an important sector of the economy, primarily in the numerous seaside resorts along the coast.

Gallery

File:Stralsunder Rathaus mit Schaufassade, dahinter die Nikolaikirche-2630.jpg, Stralsund, one of several Hanseatic League, Hanseatic cities built in typical Brick Gothic style. File:Wik 21 klasztor Police - Jasienica.jpg, Ruins of Augustinians' cloister in Jasienica, Police. File:2010.10.02 PELPLIN (16).jpg, Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Pelplin, Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in

, one of the largest churches in Poland File:Poland Gniew - castle.jpg, Teutonic Knights' castle in

, Pomerelia.

Footnotes

External links

Internet directories

* * * *

Culture and history

Pomeranian dukes castle in Szczecin (Polish, German, English)

*
Collection of historical eBooks about Pomerania (German)
*

Maps of Pomerania

* :de:Bild:Provinz Pommern 1905.png, Map of Pomerania as in 1905, in German Wikipedia
Woiewództwa Pomorskie i Małborskie oraz Pomerania Elektorska, G.B.A.Rizzi-Zannoni 1772

* [http://www.hoeckmann.de/germany/pomerania.htm Pomerania in 1789] {{Authority control Pomerania, Divided regions Historical regions Historical regions in Germany Historical regions in Poland Holocaust locations in Poland