West Pomeranian Voivodeship

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Województwo zachodniopomorskie

Image:Zach-pomorskie flag.svg	Image:POL województwo zachodniopomorskie COA.svg
Flag	Coat of arms

Capital city

Szczecin

Area

22,896 km²

Population (2004)
- Density

1,694,865
74/km²

Powiats
- Urban counties
- Land counties

3
18

Communes

114

<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">Administrative divisions:

Image:ZP Powiaty.png</td></tr>

West Pomeranian Voivodeship (Polish: województwo zachodniopomorskie) is an administrative region or voivodeship in northwestern Poland. It borders on the Lubusz, Greater Poland and Pomeranian voivodeships, with the Baltic Sea to the north.

It was established January 1, 1999, out of the former Szczecin, Koszalin, and parts of other, neighboring, voivodeships pursuant to the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998. The voivodeship's name recalls the region's traditional name, Pomorze Zachodnie.

1 Geography
2 Administrative divisions
3 Major cities and towns
4 Major corporations
5 Most popular surnames in the region
6 Historic region
7 See also
8 External links and references

[edit] Geography

This is a picturesque region of the Baltic Sea coast, with lakes and woodlands. Major coastal towns include Koszalin, Świnoujście, Międzyzdroje, Dziwnów, Kołobrzeg, and Mielno.

Its proximity to various borders demonstrates that the district is situated on the crossroad of significant trade routes of international importance: from Scandinavia south to southern Europe; from Western Europe (Italy, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia to the Baltic countries takes place, since the province constitutes an important connection point of the trade network that exists on the Baltic Sea.

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

West Pomerania is considered one of the greenest regions of Poland, and one of the most attractive ones when it comes to tourism. It is characterized by incredible diversity of the landscape: beaches, hundreds of lakes, and forests full of wild life, 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 worth 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 dicsovered in the 19th century, together with geothermal water resources, are popular attractions in Świnoujście, Kamień Pomorski and Połczyn Zdrój.

[edit] Administrative divisions

[edit] Major cities and towns

Szczecin (411.119)
Koszalin (113.400)
Stargard Szczeciński (66.300)
Kołobrzeg (46.200)
Świnoujście (45.700)
Szczecinek (38.700)
Police (34.800)
Wałcz (27.000)
Białogard (26.000)

[edit] Major corporations

[edit] Most popular surnames in the region

Nowak : 7,444
Kowalski : 6,345
Wiśniewski : 6,284

[edit] Historic region

Western Pomerania (also West Pomerania, Zachodnie Pomorze, Szczecin Pomerania, Odra Pomerania) is a geographic and historic region in northern Poland's western Pomerania. In a wider sense, the term also includes Middle Pomerania and Germany's Vorpommern.

[edit] See also

Dukes of Pomerania

[edit] External links and references

Zrot : Official Tourism Site (Polish, English, German)
Zart : Good Tourism Site (Polish, English, German)
Regional Tourist Board Vorpommern (German Neighbour) (English, German, Swedish, Polish)
Ost|See|Land - German Polish- Tourism Overview site (English, German, Swedish, Polish)

Counties of West Pomeranian Voivodeship <td style="vertical-align: middle; width: 1px" rowspan="2"> Image:POL województwo zachodniopomorskie COA.svg </td>
City counties: Koszalin • Szczecin • Świnoujście Land counties: Białogard • Choszczno • Drawsko • Goleniów • Gryfice • Gryfino • Kamień • Kołobrzeg • Koszalin • Łobez • Myślibórz • Police • Pyrzyce • Sławno • Stargard • Szczecinek • Świdwin • Wałcz