Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship
Województwo warmińsko-mazurskie
Voivodeship
Flag of Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship
Flag
Coat of arms of Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship
Coat of arms
Official logo of Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship
Brandmark
Location within Poland
Location within Poland
Division into counties
Division into counties
Coordinates (Olsztyn): 53°47′N 20°30′E / 53.783°N 20.500°E / 53.783; 20.500
CountryPoland
CapitalOlsztyn
Counties
2 cities, 19 land counties *
Government
 • BodyExecutive board
 • VoivodeArtur Chojecki (PiS)
 • MarshalGustaw Brzezin (PSL)
 • EPPodlaskie and Warmian–Masurian
Area
 • Total24,191.8 km2 (9,340.5 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total1,425,967
 • Density59/km2 (150/sq mi)
 • Urban
844,177
 • Rural
581,790
GDP
[1]
 • Total€14.744 billion
 • Per capita€10,400
ISO 3166 codePL-28
Vehicle registrationN
HDI (2019)0.848[2]
very high · 16th
Websitewww.olsztyn.uw.gov.pl

Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship,[lower-alpha 1] also known as Warmia–Masuria Province[3] and Warmia–Mazury Province, is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn. The voivodeship has an area of 24,192 km2 (9,341 sq mi) and in 2019 had a population of 1,425,967.

Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 from the entire Olsztyn Voivodeship, the western half of Suwałki Voivodeship, and part of Elbląg Voivodeship, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. The province's name derives from two historic regions, Warmia and Mazury.

The province borders Podlaskie Voivodeship to the east, Masovian Voivodeship to the south, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship to the southwest, Pomeranian Voivodeship to the west, the Vistula Lagoon to the northwest, and the Kaliningrad Oblast (an exclave of Russia) to the north. Its borders largely overlap the southern two-thirds of former East Prussia, which was assigned to Poland after World War II.

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; 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 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 were heavily decimated during the crusade and the following revolt. What remained of them became assimilated into the newcomers and thus became extinct.

Battle of Grunwald, painting by Jan Matejko (1878)

During the Teutonic rule, the region experienced a process of urbanization and economic boost due to the expansion of the Hanseatic League into the region. The Order later attacked their former ally Poland and conquered the region of Pomerelia, beginning a long-lasting conflict with Poland, which subsequently entered into an alliance with Lithuania. In Masuria, the Poles and Lithuanians defeated the Order at the Battle of Grunwald. The wars eventuated in a rebellion by the urban populations of Pomerelia and Warmia, who were affected by the Teutons' numerous wars; upon the urban populations' request, the region was incorporated into 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, while Masuria became a Polish fief under the control of the Teutonic Order.

Elbląg was one of the main port cities of the Kingdom of Poland and one of the largest and most influential cities in the entire Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The state of the Teutonic Order ceased to exist in 1525 when Grandmaster Albert Hohenzollern introduced secularisation, proclaimed the Duchy of Prussia, and became a vassal of Sigismund I of Poland. The Prussian Hohenzollern line became extinct in 1618 with the death of Albert Frederick, and the Duchy was inherited by the Brandenburgian line; Prussia simultaneously entered into a personal union 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 in which Warmia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, and henceforth became part of the newly established province of East Prussia until 1945. Together with the rest of the Kingdom, the region became part of the North German Confederation, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, and Nazi Germany. After the end of World War II, 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.

The Lidzbark Warmiński Castle is considered to be a great artistic and historical value in the world

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 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 in Masuria and Gietrzwałd in Warmia are popular pilgrimage sites.

The Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship has the largest number of ethnic Ukrainians living in Poland[4] due to forced relocations (such as Operation Vistula) carried out by the Soviet and Polish Communist 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.[5] Of that number, according to Karl Andree, Germans were slightly more than half, while 280,000 (~26%) were ethnically Polish and 200,000 (~19%) were ethnically Lithuanian.[6] 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.[7] Similar numbers are given by August von Haxthausen in his 1839 book, with a breakdown by county.[8] But the majority of East Prussian Polish and Lithuanian inhabitants were Lutherans, not Roman Catholics like their ethnic kinsmen across the border in the Russian Empire. 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) in 1837.[8] Another minority in 19th-century East Prussia, were ethnically Russian Old Believers, also known as Philipponnen – their main town was Eckersdorf (Wojnowo).[9][10][11]

In year 1817, East Prussia had 796,204 Evangelical Christians, 120,123 Roman Catholics, 864 Mennonites and 2,389 Jews.[12]

Cities and towns

Olsztyn is the capital of the Voivodeship and the largest city of Warmia
The former royal city of Elbląg is the largest city in the western part of the Voivodeship
Ełk is the largest city of Masuria
Ostróda is the largest city in the western part of Masuria
Mikołajki with its well-known marina

The Voivodeship contains 3 cities and 47 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2019):[13]

Cities (governed by a city mayor or prezydent miasta):
  1. Olsztyn (172,194)
  2. Elbląg (119,760)
  3. Ełk (62,006)

Towns:

  1. Iława (33,322)
  2. Ostróda (32,947)
  3. Giżycko (29,335)
  4. Kętrzyn (27,212)
  5. Bartoszyce (23,482)
  6. Szczytno (23,267)
  7. Mrągowo (21,656)
  8. Działdowo (21,279)
  9. Pisz (19,277)
  10. Braniewo (17,040)
  11. Olecko (16,442)
  12. Lidzbark Warmiński (15,728)
  13. Morąg (13,793)
  14. Nidzica (13,762)
  15. Gołdap (13,716)
  16. Pasłęk (12,160)
  17. Węgorzewo (11,328)
  18. Nowe Miasto Lubawskie (10,891)
  19. Biskupiec (10,598)
  20. Lubawa (10,387)
  21. Dobre Miasto (10,208)
  22. Orneta (8,772)
  23. Lidzbark (7,794)
  24. Olsztynek (7,561)
  25. Barczewo (7,513)
  26. Susz (5,560)
  27. Orzysz (5,546)
  28. Reszel (4,532)
  29. Ruciane-Nida (4,454)
  30. Korsze (4,206)
  31. Biała Piska (4,024)
  32. Górowo Iławeckie (3,951)
  33. Mikołajki (3,826)
  34. Jeziorany (3,190)
  35. Wielbark (3,035)
  36. Ryn (2,851)
  37. Pieniężno (2,721)
  38. Tolkmicko (2,689)
  39. Miłakowo (2,548)
  40. Pasym (2,503)
  41. Miłomłyn (2,436)
  42. Bisztynek (2,370)
  43. Frombork (2,332)
  44. Zalewo (2,145)
  45. Kisielice (2,098)
  46. Sępopol (1,958)
  47. Młynary (1,772)

Administrative division

Warmian-Masurian Provincial Assembly building in Olsztyn

Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship is divided into 21 counties (powiaty): 2 city counties and 19 land counties. These are further divided into 116 gminas.

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

English and
Polish names		 Area
(km2)		 Population
(2019)		 Seat Other towns Total
gminas
City counties
Olsztyn 88 172,194 1
Elbląg 80 119,760 1
Land counties
Olsztyn County
powiat olsztyński		 2,840 126,334 Olsztyn * Dobre Miasto, Biskupiec, Olsztynek, Barczewo, Jeziorany 12
Ostróda County
powiat ostródzki		 1,765 104,526 Ostróda Morąg, Miłakowo, Miłomłyn 9
Iława County
powiat iławski		 1,385 92,933 Iława Lubawa, Susz, Kisielice, Zalewo 7
Ełk County
powiat ełcki		 1,112 91,446 Ełk 5
Szczytno County
powiat szczycieński		 1,933 69,678 Szczytno Pasym, Wielbark 8
Kętrzyn County
powiat kętrzyński		 1,213 62,536 Kętrzyn Reszel, Korsze 6
Działdowo County
powiat działdowski		 953 65,288 Działdowo Lidzbark 6
Bartoszyce County
powiat bartoszycki		 1,309 57,642 Bartoszyce Górowo Iławeckie, Bisztynek, Sępopol 6
Pisz County
powiat piski		 1,776 56,328 Pisz Orzysz, Ruciane-Nida, Biała Piska 4
Giżycko County
powiat giżycki		 1,119 56,661 Giżycko Ryn 6
Elbląg County
powiat elbląski		 1,431 57,395 Elbląg * Pasłęk, Tolkmicko, Młynary 9
Mrągowo County
powiat mrągowski		 1,065 49,970 Mrągowo Mikołajki 5
Braniewo County
powiat braniewski		 1,205 41,223 Braniewo Pieniężno, Frombork 7
Nowe Miasto County
powiat nowomiejski		 695 43,900 Nowe Miasto Lubawskie 5
Lidzbark County
powiat lidzbarski		 924 41,311 Lidzbark Warmiński Orneta 5
Olecko County
powiat olecki		 874 34,281 Olecko 4
Nidzica County
powiat nidzicki		 961 32,940 Nidzica 4
Gołdap County
powiat gołdapski		 772 26,825 Gołdap 3
Węgorzewo County
powiat węgorzewski		 693 22,796 Węgorzewo 3
* seat not part of the county

Tourism

Palaces and Gothic castles, former seats of the Teutonic Order, 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, visitors can find numerous tokens from the time when Nicolaus Copernicus lived in Warmia.[14]

Protected areas

Seksty Lake in the Masurian Landscape Park

Protected areas in Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship include eight areas designated as Landscape Parks, as listed below:

The Łuknajno Lake nature reserve (part of Masurian Landscape Park) is a protected wetland site under the Ramsar convention, as well as being designated by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve.

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

The Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship is twinned with:

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Polish: Województwo warmińsko-mazurskie, pronounced [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ varˈmij̃skɔ maˈzurskʲɛ] ⓘ.

References

  1. ↑ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "Sub-national HDI - Subnational HDI - Global Data Lab". globaldatalab.org. Radboud University Nijmegen. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  3. ↑ Arkadiusz Belczyk,Tłumaczenie polskich nazw geograficznych na język angielski Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine [Translation of Polish Geographical Names into English], 2002–2006.
  4. ↑ (in Polish) Mniejszości narodowe i etniczne w Polsce on the pages of Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration. Retrieved on 9 September 2007
  5. ↑ Plater, Stanisław (1825). Jeografia wschodniéy części Europy czyli Opis krajów przez wielorakie narody słowiańskie zamieszkanych: obejmujący Prussy, Xsięztwo Poznańskie, Szląsk Pruski, Gallicyą, Rzeczpospolitę Krakowską, Krolestwo Polskie i Litwę (in Polish). Wrocław: u Wilhelma Bogumiła Korna. p. 17.
  6. ↑ Andree, Karl (1831). Polen: in geographischer, geschichtlicher und culturhistorischer Hinsicht (in German). Verlag von Ludwig Schumann. p. 218.
  7. ↑ Hassel, Georg (1823). Statistischer Umriß der sämmtlichen europäischen und der vornehmsten außereuropäischen Staaten, in Hinsicht ihrer Entwickelung, Größe, Volksmenge, Finanz- und Militärverfassung, tabellarisch dargestellt; Erster Heft: Welcher die beiden großen Mächte Österreich und Preußen und den Deutschen Staatenbund darstellt (in German). Verlag des Geographischen Instituts Weimar. p. 41.
  8. 1 2 Haxthausen, August (1839). Die Ländliche Verfassung in den Einzelnen Provinzen der Preussischen Monarchie (in German). pp. 75–91.
  9. ↑ "Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Wojnowo (Eckersdorf)". wojnowo.net.
  10. ↑ Tetzner, Franz (1902). Die Slawen in Deutschland: beiträge zur volkskunde der Preussen, Litauer und Letten, der Masuren und Philipponen, der Tschechen, Mährer und Sorben, Polaben und Slowinzen, Kaschuben und Polen. Braunschweig: Verlag von F. Vieweg. pp. 212–248.
  11. ↑ "Old Believers in Poland – historical and cultural information". Poland's Linguistic Heritage.
  12. ↑ Hoffmann, Johann Gottfried (1818). Übersicht der Bodenfläche und Bevölkerung des Preußischen Staates : aus den für das Jahr 1817 mtlich eingezogenen Nachrichten. Berlin: Decker. p. 51.
  13. ↑ GUS. "Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2019. As of 30th June". stat.gov.pl. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  14. ↑ Związek Województw Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Union of the Voivodeships of the Republic of Poland) (2010). Polska — Rozwój Regionów.
  15. ↑ "Podolsk sister cities". Retrieved 29 April 2010.
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