Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship or Warmia-Masuria Province or Warmia-Mazury Province (in pl, Województwo warmińsko-mazurskie, is a
voivodeship (
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
) in northeastern
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. Its capital and largest city is
Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini''
* Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...
. The voivodeship has an area of and a population of 1,425,967 (as of 2019).
The Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999, from the entire
Olsztyn Voivodeship
Olsztyn Voivodeship () was an administrative division and unit of local government in Poland in the years 1945–75, and a new territorial division between 1975–1998, superseded by Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Its capital city was Olsztyn.
...
, the western half of
Suwałki Voivodeship and part of
Elbląg Voivodeship
Elbląg Voivodeship () was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland from 1975 to 1998, superseded by the Pomeranian Voivodeship and the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. Its capital city was Elbląg.
Major cities and towns (p ...
, pursuant to the
Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. The province's name derives from two historic regions,
Warmia and
Masuria.
The province borders the
Podlaskie Voivodeship to the east, the
Masovian Voivodeship to the south, the
Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship to the south-west, the
Pomeranian Voivodeship to the west, the
Vistula Lagoon
The Vistula Lagoon ( pl, Zalew Wiślany; russian: Калининградский залив, transliterated: ''Kaliningradskiy Zaliv''; german: Frisches Haff; lt, Aistmarės) is a brackish water lagoon on the Baltic Sea roughly 56 miles (90  ...
to the northwest, and the
Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast (russian: Калинингра́дская о́бласть, translit=Kaliningradskaya oblast') is the westernmost federal subject of Russia. It is a semi-exclave situated on the Baltic Sea. The largest city and admin ...
(an
exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
of Russia) to the north. Its borders largely overlap with the southern two-thirds of former
East Prussia
East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label= Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
, which was assigned to Poland after
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
History
The region was originally inhabited by the
Old Prussian clan of the
Warmians from whom the name Warmia originated. During the northern Crusade, the
Old Prussians were conquered by the
Teutonic Order
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
and their land was granted to the order by the pope and the region became part of the
State of the Teutonic Order. The Order encouraged the colonization by German settlers in Warmia (
Ostsiedlung) and
Polish colonists from the region of
Masovia, called
Masurians (''Mazurzy''), hence the name
Masuria. The Old Prussians became assimilated into the newcomers and thus became extinct.
During the Teutonic rule, the region experienced a process of urbanization and economic boost due to the expansion of the
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label= Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
into the region. The Order later attacked their former ally
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and conquered the region of
Pomerelia, thus entered a long-lasting conflict with Poland, which subsequently entered an alliance with
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
. In Masuria, the Poles and Lithuanians defeated the Order at the
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...
. The wars finally resulted in a rebellion of the urban population of Pomerelia and Warmia, who were affected by the Teuton's numerous wars; upon their request the region was incorporated to Poland by King
Casimir IV Jagiellon, and after the
Thirteen Years' War it remained under Polish suzerainty, but was divided into two parts:
Elbląg and
Warmia were incorporated directly into the Kingdom of Poland,
Masuria became a Polish
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...
under the control of the Teutonic Order.
The state of the Teutonic Order ceased to exist in 1525 when Grandmaster
Albert Hohenzollern introduced secularisation, proclaimed the
Duchy of Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia (german: Herzogtum Preußen, pl, Księstwo Pruskie, lt, Prūsijos kunigaikštystė) or Ducal Prussia (german: Herzogliches Preußen, link=no; pl, Prusy Książęce, link=no) was a duchy in the region of Prussia establish ...
and became a vassal of
Sigismund I of Poland. The Prussian line of Hohenzollern was extinct by 1618 with the death of Albert Frederick and the Duchy was inherited by the Brandenburgian line; Prussia simultaneously entered a
personal union
A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interli ...
with the electorate of Brandenburg known as
Brandenburg-Prussia, remaining under Polish suzerainty until the
Treaty of Oliva in 1660. The throne was inherited by Frederick I of Prussia who wanted to unite the Duchy with Brandenburg and also wanted to proclaim himself king of Prussia and therefore participated in the Russian-initiated
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...
in which Warmia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and henceforth became part of the newly established province of
East Prussia
East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label= Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
until 1945. Together with the rest of the Kingdom, the region became part of the North German Confederation, the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
, the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a Constitutional republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in ...
, and
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 ...
. After the end of
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, both the German as well as the Slavic Masurian population were expelled by the Polish government. In 1914, the province turned into a battlefield, seeing notable battles such as the
Battle of Tannenberg as part of the
Eastern Front 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, ...
.
Amongst the most visited sights is the
Masurian Lake District, which contains more than 2,000 lakes, including the largest lakes of Poland,
Śniardwy and
Mamry. Other recognizable landmarks are the Warmian castles (
Lidzbark Warmiński Castle, Pieniężno Castle,
Olsztyn Castle) and the
Cathedral Hill in
Frombork, where Polish astronomer
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulat ...
lived and worked. The Lidzbark Warmiński Castle was later the residence of
Ignacy Krasicki, nicknamed ''the Prince of Polish Poets''. The
Grunwald battlefield in Masuria is site of the annual reenactment of one of the largest battles of Medieval Europe.
Święta Lipka
Święta Lipka (; german: Heiligelinde; "Holy Linden") is a small village in the administrative district of Gmina Reszel, within Kętrzyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northeastern Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Reszel, s ...
in Masuria and
Gietrzwałd in Warmia are popular pilgrimage sites.
The Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship has the largest number of ethnic
Ukrainians living in Poland due to forced relocations (such as
Operation Vistula) carried out by the Soviet and
Polish Communist
Communism in Poland can trace its origins to the late 19th century: the Marxist First Proletariat party was founded in 1882. Rosa Luxemburg (1871–1919) of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (''Socjaldemokracja Króles ...
authorities.
Ethnic and religious structure
In year 1824, shortly before its
merger with
West Prussia, the population of East Prussia was 1,080,000 people. Of that number, according to
Karl Andree
Karl Andree (20 October 1808 – 10 August 1875) was a German geographer.
Biography
Andree was born in Braunschweig. He was educated at Jena, Göttingen, and Berlin. After having been implicated in a students' political agitation he became a ...
, Germans were slightly more than half, while 280,000 (~26%) were
ethnically Polish and 200,000 (~19%) were
ethnically Lithuanian.
As of year 1819 there were also 20,000 strong ethnic
Kursenieki and Latvian minorities as well as 2,400 Jews, according to Georg Hassel. Similar numbers are given by
August von Haxthausen in his 1839 book, with a breakdown by county.
However, the majority of East Prussian Polish and Lithuanian inhabitants were
Lutherans, not
Roman Catholics
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 ...
like their ethnic kinsmen across the border in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
. Only in Southern
Warmia (German: Ermland)
Catholic Poles – so called
Warmiaks (not to be confused with predominantly
Protestant Masurians) – comprised the majority of population, numbering 26,067 people (~81%) in
county Allenstein (Polish:
Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini''
* Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...
) in 1837.
Another minority in 19th-century East Prussia, were ethnically Russian Old Believers, also known as
Philipponnen – their main town was Eckersdorf (
Wojnowo).
In year 1817, East Prussia had 796,204
Evangelical Christians
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...
, 120,123
Roman Catholics
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 ...
, 864
Mennonites and 2,389 Jews.
Cities and towns
The Voivodeship contains 3 cities and 47 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2019):
Administrative division
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship is divided into 21 counties (
powiat
A ''powiat'' (pronounced ; Polish plural: ''powiaty'') is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture ( LAU-1, formerly NUTS-4) in other countries. The term "''powiat ...
y): 2 city counties and 19 land counties. These are further divided into 116
gmina
The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' , from German ''Gemeinde'' meaning ''commune'') is the principal unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,477 gminas throughout the country, encompassing over 4 ...
s.
The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).
Tourism
Palaces and
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
castles, former seats of the
Teutonic Order
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
, seats of
Chapter houses and bishops provide a number of attractions for tourists. Gothic churches such as the
Archcathedral of Frombork and the collegiate church in
Dobre Miasto, as well as churches in
Orneta and
Kętrzyn delight visitors with the uniqueness of their architectonic details. In collections of the Warmia and Mazury Museum in
Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini''
* Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...
, visitors can find numerous tokens from the time when
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulat ...
lived in Warmia.
Protected areas
Protected areas in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship include eight areas designated as
Landscape Parks, as listed below:
*
Brodnica Landscape Park
Brodnica Landscape Park (''Brodnicki Park Krajobrazowy'') is a protected area ( Landscape Park) in north-central Poland, established in 1985, covering an area of .
The Park is shared between two voivodeships: Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and W ...
(partly in
Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship)
*
Dylewo Hills Landscape Park
*
Elbląg Upland Landscape Park
Elbląg Upland Landscape Park (''Park Krajobrazowy Wysoczyzny Elbląskiej'') is a protected area ( Landscape Park) in northern Poland, established in 1985, covering an area of .
The Park lies within Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship: in Braniewo Co ...
*
Górzno-Lidzbark Landscape Park (partly in Kuyavian-Pomeranian and
Masovian Voivodeships)
*
Iława Lake District Landscape Park
Iława Lake District Landscape Park or Iława Lakeland Scenic Park ( pl, Park Krajobrazowy Pojezierza Iławskiego) is a protected area ( landscape park) in northern Poland. Established in 1993, the park is part of the geographic region called Poje ...
(partly in
Pomeranian Voivodeship)
*
Masurian Landscape Park
Masurian Landscape Park ( pl, Mazurski Park Krajobrazowy) is a designated Polish Landscape Park protected area within Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is one of the largest landscape parks in Poland.
It was established in 1977 ...
*
Puszcza Romincka Landscape Park
Puszcza Romincka Landscape Park (''Park Krajobrazowy Puszczy Rominckiej'') is a protected area ( Landscape Park) in northern Poland, established in 1998, covering an area of . It takes its name from the Puszcza Romincka or Romincka Forest.
The Pa ...
*
Wel Landscape Park
The
Łuknajno Lake nature reserve (part of Masurian Landscape Park) is a protected wetland site under the
Ramsar convention
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It ...
, as well as being designated by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
as a
biosphere reserve.
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
The Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship is
twinned with:
*
Podolsk
Podolsk ( rus, Подольск, p=pɐˈdolʲsk) is an industrial city, center of Podolsk Urban Okrug, Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Pakhra River (a tributary of the Moskva River).
History
The first mentions of the village of Podol, ...
, Russia
Gallery
Image:647372 Olsztyn zespół zamku 05.JPG, Olsztyn Castle
Image:Frombork 019a.jpg, Brick Gothic
Brick Gothic (german: Backsteingotik, pl, Gotyk ceglany, nl, Baksteengotiek) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resourc ...
fortified cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
in Frombork, burial place of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulat ...
Image:Olsztyn Katedra noc.jpg, St. James' Cathedral in Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini''
* Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...
Image:Reszel. 018.JPG, Reszel historic city center
Image:Święta Lipka Kościół Pielgrzymkowy 072.jpg, Sanctuary of Saint Mary in Święta Lipka
Święta Lipka (; german: Heiligelinde; "Holy Linden") is a small village in the administrative district of Gmina Reszel, within Kętrzyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northeastern Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Reszel, s ...
Image:Smolajny4.JPG, Palace in Smolajny, former summer residence of Ignacy Krasicki
Image:Oberländischer Kanal2.jpg, Elbląg Canal
Image:Barczewo muzeum Feliksa Nowowiejskiego.jpg, Birthplace of composer Feliks Nowowiejski in Barczewo
Barczewo (until 1946 ''Wartembork''; german: Wartenburg in Ostpreußen) is a town in Olsztyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland. It is situated 20 km northeast of Olsztyn, in the historic region of Warmia. As of December 2021, the ...
Image:Kanal Giżycki i most obrotowy.jpg, Łuczański Canal and the swing bridge in Giżycko
Image:Grunwald - pomnik.JPG, Grunwald battlefield
Emoji flag
Unicode consortium defined a way for software vendors to encode regional flags in their
Emoji 5.0 standard in 2017. Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship flag would be represented as
U+1F3F4,
U+E0070,
U+E006C,
U+E0032,
U+E0038,
U+E007F, i.e. 🏴, somewhat based on the PL-28
ISO 3166-2:PL code. Between the standard publication in 2017 and ISO 3166-2:PL update in 2018 the code was PL-WN, therefore the corresponding flag sequence would be
U+1F3F4,
U+E0070,
U+E006C,
U+E0077,
U+E006E,
U+E007F, i.e. 🏴.
See also
*
Masurian dialect
References
External links
Official website of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
{{Authority control
States and territories established in 1999