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West Pomeranian Voivodeship

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West Pomeranian Voivodeship
Województwo zachodniopomorskie
Location within Poland
Location within Poland
Division into counties
Division into counties
Country Poland
CapitalSzczecin
Counties
Area
 • Total
22,896 km2 (8,840 sq mi)
Population
 (2006)
 • Total
1,693,533
 • Density74/km2 (190/sq mi)
 • Urban
1,170,105
 • Rural
523,428
Car platesZ
Websitehttp://www.szczecin.uw.gov.pl
  • further divided into 114 gminas
Church of Virgin Mary, Queen of the World in Stargard Szczeciński

West Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known as West Pomeranian Province or by its Polish name of województwo zachodniopomorskie Polish pronunciation: [[] Audio file "o" not foundPolish pronunciation: [o] Audio file "p" not found or simply Zachodniopomorskie) is a voivodeship, or province, in north-western Poland. It borders on Pomeranian Voivodeship to the east, Greater Poland Voivodeship to the south-east, Lubusz Voivodeship to the south, the German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania to the west, and the Baltic Sea to the north.

It was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former Szczecin and Koszalin Voivodeships and parts of other neighbouring voivodeships, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. It is named for the historical region of Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze). In spite of the name ("West Pomeranian"), the voivoideship does not include the most westerly parts of historical Pomerania, which lie instead in Germany (see Vorpommern).

Geography and tourism

Oder in Police

West Pomeranian Voivodeship is the fifth largest voivodeship of Poland in terms of area. Among the largest cities, of the region, are the capital Szczecin, as well as Koszalin, Stargard Szczeciński, and Świnoujście.

This is a picturesque region of the Baltic Sea coast, with many beaches, lakes and woodlands. Szczecin, Świnoujście and Police are important ports. Other major seaside towns include Międzyzdroje, Dziwnów, Kołobrzeg, and Mielno.

West Pomerania is considered one of the greenest regions of Poland, and one of the most attractive for tourists. It is characterized by incredible diversity of the landscape: beaches, hundreds of lakes, and forests full of wild life (e.g. Wkrzanska Forest), spreading mainly up the hills of the glacial lakes areas. West Pomerania is also rich in various forms and styles of architecture that were built during the Middle Ages as well as the Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance periods. There is a diverse repertoire of theaters, festivals, museums and galleries. During a few-day long annual Sea Festival in Szczecin, a number of free open air concerts take place. In Świnoujście during the summer, the FAMA Academic Youth Arts Festival takes place – an event with several years of tradition, which attracts not only young people but also older alumni. In Międzyzdroje, there is a Festival Of The Stars, which draws many popular actors. In Wolin, a Viking Festival takes place, which draws "Vikings" from all across Europe.

Another draw to the area is a wide array of health resorts. Brine and peloid, discovered in the 19th century, together with geothermal water resources, are popular attractions in Świnoujście, Kamień Pomorski and Połczyn Zdrój.

Cities and towns

The voivodeship contains 62 cities and towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2006 [1]):

Administrative division

West Pomeranian Voivodeship is divided into 21 counties (powiats): 3 city counties and 18 land counties. These are further divided into 114 gminas.

The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).

English and
Polish names
Area
(km²)
Population
(2006)
Seat Other towns Total
gminas
City counties
Szczecin 301 410,809   1
Koszalin 84 107,783   1
Świnoujście 197 40,899   1
Land counties
Stargard County
powiat stargardzki
1,520 119,402 Stargard Szczeciński Chociwel, Dobrzany, Ińsko, Suchań 10
Gryfino County
powiat gryfiński
1,870 82,813 Gryfino Chojna, Mieszkowice, Trzcińsko-Zdrój, Cedynia, Moryń 9
Goleniów County
powiat goleniowski
1,617 78,738 Goleniów Nowogard, Maszewo 6
Szczecinek County
powiat szczecinecki
1,765 77,232 Szczecinek Borne Sulinowo, Barwice, Biały Bór 6
Kołobrzeg County
powiat kołobrzeski
726 76,089 Kołobrzeg   7
Myślibórz County
powiat myśliborski
1,182 67,412 Myślibórz Barlinek, Dębno 5
Police County
powiat policki
664 64,147 Police Nowe Warpno 4
Koszalin County
powiat koszaliński
1,669 64,087 Koszalin * Sianów, Bobolice, Polanów 8
Gryfice County
powiat gryficki
1,018 60,773 Gryfice Trzebiatów, Płoty 6
Drawsko County
powiat drawski
1,764 58,073 Drawsko Pomorskie Złocieniec, Czaplinek, Kalisz Pomorski 6
Sławno County
powiat sławieński
1,044 57,643 Sławno Darłowo 6
Wałcz County
powiat wałecki
1,415 54,639 Wałcz Mirosławiec, Człopa, Tuczno 5
Choszczno County
powiat choszczeński
1,328 50,066 Choszczno Recz, Pełczyce, Drawno 6
Świdwin County
powiat świdwiński
1,093 48,920 Świdwin Połczyn-Zdrój 6
Białogard County
powiat białogardzki
845 48,241 Białogard Karlino 4
Kamień County
powiat kamieński
1,007 47,604 Kamień Pomorski Międzyzdroje, Wolin, Dziwnów, Golczewo 6
Pyrzyce County
powiat pyrzycki
726 39,931 Pyrzyce Lipiany 6
Łobez County
powiat łobeski
1,066 38,232 Łobez Resko, Węgorzyno, Dobra 5
   NOTE: * seat not part of the county

Protected areas

Wolin National Park

Protected areas in West Pomeranian Voivodeship include two National Parks and seven Landscape Parks. These are listed below.

  1. Nowak: 7,444
  2. Kowalski: 6,345
  3. Wiśniewski: 6,284

Education and science

Pomeranian Medical University, the hospital in Police, Poland

Industrial, science and technology parks

Airport

The only domestic and international airport in West Pomeranian Voivodeship is Szczecin-Goleniów "Solidarność" Airport.

See also