Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Województwo wielkopolskie | |
---|---|
Brandmark | |
Coordinates (Poznań): 52°17′34″N 16°44′8″E / 52.29278°N 16.73556°E | |
Country | Poland |
Capital | Poznań |
Counties | 4 cities, 31 land counties *
|
Government | |
• Body | P |
HDI (2019) | 0.888[2] very high · 5th |
Website | https://www.poznan.uw.gov.pl/ |
|
Greater Poland Voivodeship (
Greater Poland Voivodeship is second in area and third in population among Poland's sixteen voivodeships, with an area of 29,826 square kilometres (11,516 sq mi) and a population of close to 3.5 million. Its capital city is
History
Greater Poland, sometimes called the "cradle of Poland," formed the heart of the 10th-century
In the
In the reunited kingdom, and later in the
In 1768, a new
More successful was the
Within the Prussian empire, western Greater Poland became the
Following the end of World War I, the
Following the
After the war, Greater Poland was fully within the Polish People's Republic, as Poznań Voivodeship. With the reforms of 1975 this was divided into smaller provinces (the voivodeships of Kalisz, Konin, Leszno and Piła, and a smaller Poznań Voivodeship). The present-day Greater Poland Voivodeship, again with Poznań as its capital, was created in 1999.[4]
Cities and towns
The voivodeship contains 7 cities and 106 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2019[5] ):
- Poznań (535,802)
- Kalisz (100,482)
- Piła (71,846)
- Konin (71,427)
- Ostrów Wielkopolski (71,947)
- Gniezno (68,323)
- Leszno (63,774)
Towns:
- Luboń (31,891)
- Września (30,688)
- Swarzędz (30,343)
- Śrem (29,566)
- Krotoszyn (28,845)
- Turek (26,955)
- Jarocin (26,155)
- Wągrowiec (25,675)
- Kościan (23,880)
- Środa Wielkopolska (23,368)
- Koło (21,838)
- Gostyń (20,235)
- Rawicz (20,225)
- Szamotuły (18,752)
- Chodzież (18,602)
- Złotów (18,498)
- Oborniki (18,104)
- Pleszew (17,297)
- Trzcianka (17,159)
- Grodzisk Wielkopolski (14,644)
- Nowy Tomyśl (14,574)
- Ostrzeszów (14,137)
- Kępno (14,101)
- Mosina (14,060)
- Słupca (13,712)
- Wolsztyn (13,107)
- Wronki (11,173)
- Rogoźno (11,128)
- Czarnków (10,675)
- Międzychód (10,574)
- Murowana Goślina (10,387)
- Puszczykowo (9,695)
- Kostrzyn (9,674)
- Opalenica (9,587)
- Pobiedziska (9,259)
- Jastrowie (8,597)
- Pniewy (8,047)
- Kórnik (7,894)
- Witkowo (7,828)
- Trzemeszno (7,661)
- Zbąszyń (7,264)
- Koźmin Wielkopolski (6,499)
- Kłodawa (6,446)
- Krzyż Wielkopolski (6,220)
- Buk (6,036)
- Sieraków (6,031)
- Stęszew (5,946)
- Wieleń (5,870)
- Śmigiel (5,688)
- Czempiń (5,297)
- Wyrzysk (5,146)
- Odolanów (5,135)
- Nowe Skalmierzyce (4,751)
- Zduny (4,512)
- Golina (4,495)
- Skoki (4,407)
- Krobia (4,325)
- Szamocin (4,223)
- Kleczew (4,159)
- Okonek (3,869)
- Nekla (3,791)
- Ujście (3,695)
- Opatówek (3,673)
- Krajenka (3,647)
- Rakoniewice (3,594)
- Miłosław (3,576)
- Sompolno (3,539)
- Gołańcz (3,310)
- Tuliszków (3,266)
- Kobylin (3,249)
- Miejska Górka (3,232)
- Ślesin (3,153)
- Dobrzyca (3,130)
- Pyzdry (3,127)
- Margonin (2,988)
- Zagórów (2,985)
- Lwówek (2,964)
- Łobżenica (2,951)
- Bojanowo (2,906)
- Rydzyna (2,895)
- Sulmierzyce (2,880)
- Poniec (2,859)
- Książ Wielkopolski (2,715)
- Czerniejewo (2,666)
- Kłecko (2,632)
- Wysoka (2,628)
- Borek Wielkopolski (2,508)
- Obrzycko (2,382)
- Rychwał (2,372)
- Osieczna (2,352)
- Żerków (2,121)
- Raszków (2,108)
- Pogorzela(2,095)
- Dąbie (1,999)
- Jutrosin (1,984)
- Grabów nad Prosną (1,939)
- Ostroróg (1,908)
- Mikstat (1,837)
- Chocz (1,790)
- Wielichowo (1,755)
- Krzywiń (1,706)
- Przedecz (1,667)
- Dolsk (1,558)
- Stawiszyn (1,520)
- Jaraczewo (1,412)
- Dobra (1,390)
.
Geography
Topography
The relief of Greater Poland, geological conditions and soil have been shaped by two glaciations:
- The Baltic glaciation in the lowlands of northern and central Europe where there are now numerous lakes of the Pomeranian Lake District, a feature especially common in and around Poznań and Gniezno.
- The Mid-glaciation in the southern part of the province, where there is less terrain diversity and a lack of major lakes.
The highest elevation is Greater Kobyla Mountain (284 m) in the Ostrzeszowski Hills, the lowest area is located in the valley of the Warta River at the mouth of its tributary the Noteć (21 m) in the north-western part of the region. Agriculturally fertile soils account for around 60% of the province's area, while 20%, the rest of the non-forested or urban areas, is mostly wetland soil (muck-peat and alluvial soils).[6]
An area of approximately 800,000 hectares (2,000,000 acres) is covered by forests, this represents around 25.8% of the total surface area of the region. In the lake districts of the northern and central parts of the province there are about 800 lakes; 58% of which cover an area of at least 10 hectares (25 acres) and 8%, with an area exceeding 100 hectares (250 acres). The largest reservoir is the natural Greater Powidzkie Lake (1,036 ha (2,560 acres)) in the Gniezno Lake District.
Wielkopolska Region lies within the basin of the
Geology
The main mineral energy resources in Greater Poland are lignite, natural gas, oil and peat.[7]
Brown coal deposits are currently mined in the Konin area, and form the basis for the province's power industry (the Pątnów-Adams-Konin coal-fired power stations account for more than 10% of the national electricity production). The region also has significant quantities of peat deposits; it is calculated that there are ca. 886,000 hectares (2,190,000 acres) of land covered with an average thickness of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) of peat. An abundance of raw materials used in the production of numerous medicines was recently discovered in the muds of
Throughout the province there are significant deposits of aggregates, gypsum, ceramic materials, and lacustrine chalk. In Kościan the largest and most modern, a natural gas production site is in operation. It supplies raw material for Kościańska Zieme, and Zielona Gora CHP. It is estimated that at the rate local gas reserves are being exploited, the reserves in Kościan will be enough for about 20 years of operation, thus practically allowing for local independence against the effects of gas crises.
Climate
Wielkopolska is influenced by oceanic air masses that affect the mildness of the climate. The farther east one travels the more distinctly continental the climate becomes. The area is situated in the Silesian Greater Poland agro-climatic region where the average annual temperature is about 8.2 °C, and in the north drops to around 7.6 °C. It is slightly warmer in the south and west where the average temperature is usually about 8.5 °C. The number of days with snow can reach up to 57 days in and around the Kalisz district.
The growing season is one of the longest in Poland. On the province's southern plains this season constitutes around 228 days, while north of Gniezno and Szamotuły this gradually declines to 216 days.
Precipitation ranges from 500 to 550 mm. Despite this the region is still faced with a deficit in rainfall, particularly in the eastern part of the province (around Słupcy, Kazimierz Biskupi, Kleczew) where sometimes experience only 450 mm of rainfall per year, this threatens steppization of the region. Throughout the province there is typically a prevailing westerly wind.
Transportation
Greater Poland is a major transport hub within
The main railway hubs located in Greater Poland are Poznań, Piła and Ostrów Wielkopolski. PKP Intercity operate a number of trains a day between Warsaw and Berlin which provide a fast connection for the two cities also to Poznań. This route was the first in Poland, adapted for use by the European high-speed transportation system. In the near future[when?] the government expects to construct a high-speed rail line in the shape of a Y connecting Kalisz and Poznań from Łódź, Warsaw and Wrocław.
Poznań is the port of arrival for most international travellers as it plays host to
Economy
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 40.4 billion € in 2018, accounting for 8.1% of Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 19,700 € or 65% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 72% of the EU average.[8]
Politics
The Greater Poland voivodeship's government is headed by the province's voivode (governor) who is appointed by the
The Sejmik of Greater Poland consists of 39 members.
2018 local elections
Party[9] | Mandates | |
---|---|---|
Koalicja Obywatelska
|
15 | |
Prawo i Sprawiedliwość
|
13 | |
Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe
|
7 | |
SLD Lewica Razem | 3 | |
Independent | 1 | |
Total | 39 |
Governors
Name | Period |
---|---|
Maciej Musial | 1 January 1999 – 20 June 2000 |
Stanislaw Tamm | 20 June 2000 – 22 October 2001 |
Andrzej Nowakowski | 22 October 2001 – 28 December 2005 |
Tadeusz Dziuba | 28 December 2005 – 29 November 2007 |
Piotr Florek | 29 November 2007 - 10 November 2015 |
Zbigniew Hoffmann | 8 December 2015 - 11 November 2019 |
Łukasz Mikołajczyk | 25 November 2019 - current |
Administrative division
Greater Poland Voivodeship is divided into 35 counties (powiats): 4 city counties and 31 land counties. These are further divided into 226 gminas.
The counties are listed in the following table (ordering within categories is by decreasing population).
English and Polish names |
Area | Population (2019) |
Seat | Other towns | Total gminas | |
(km2) | (sq mi) | |||||
City counties | ||||||
Poznań | 262 | 101 | 535,802 | 1 | ||
Kalisz | 70 | 27 | 100,482 | 1 | ||
Konin | 82 | 32 | 73,742 | 1 | ||
Leszno | 32 | 12 | 63,774 | 1 | ||
Land counties | ||||||
Poznań County powiat poznański |
1,900 | 734 | 394,541 | Poznań * | Swarzędz, Luboń, Mosina, Murowana Goślina, Puszczykowo, Kostrzyn, Pobiedziska, Kórnik, Buk, Stęszew | 17 |
Ostrów Wielkopolski County powiat ostrowski |
1,161 | 448 | 161,526 | Ostrów Wielkopolski | Nowe Skalmierzyce, Odolanów, Raszków | 8 |
Gniezno County powiat gnieźnieński |
1,254 | 484 | 145,198 | Gniezno | Witkowo, Trzemeszno, Kłecko, Czerniejewo | 10 |
Piła County powiat pilski |
1,267 | 489 | 136,261 | Piła | Wyrzysk, Ujście, Łobżenica, Wysoka | 9 |
Konin County powiat koniński |
1,579 | 610 | 130,026 | Konin * | Golina, Kleczew, Sompolno, Ślesin, Rychwał | 14 |
Szamotuły County powiat szamotulski |
1,120 | 432 | 91,303 | Szamotuły | Wronki, Pniewy, Obrzycko, Ostroróg | 8 |
Czarnków-Trzcianka County powiat czarnkowsko-trzcianecki |
1,808 | 698 | 87,231 | Czarnków | Trzcianka, Krzyż Wielkopolski, Wieleń | 8 |
Koło County powiat kolski |
1,011 | 390 | 86,925 | Koło | Kłodawa, Dąbie, Przedecz | 11 |
Turek County powiat turecki |
929 | 359 | 83,998 | Turek | Tuliszków, Dobra | 9 |
Kalisz County powiat kaliski |
1,160 | 448 | 83,008 | Kalisz * | Stawiszyn | 11 |
Kościan County powiat kościański |
723 | 279 | 79,171 | Kościan | Śmigiel, Czempiń, Krzywiń | 5 |
Krotoszyn County powiat krotoszyński |
714 | 276 | 77,304 | Krotoszyn | Koźmin Wielkopolski, Zduny, Kobylin, Sulmierzyce | 6 |
Września County powiat wrzesiński |
704 | 272 | 77,820 | Września | Miłosław, Nekla, Pyzdry | 5 |
Gostyń County powiat gostyński |
810 | 313 | 75,917 | Gostyń | Pogorzela
|
7 |
Nowy Tomyśl County powiat nowotomyski |
1,012 | 391 | 75,457 | Nowy Tomyśl | Opalenica, Zbąszyń, Lwówek | 6 |
Jarocin County powiat jarociński |
588 | 227 | 71,595 | Jarocin | Żerków | 4 |
Wągrowiec County powiat wągrowiecki |
1,041 | 402 | 70,301 | Wągrowiec | Skoki, Gołańcz | 7 |
Złotów County powiat złotowski |
1,661 | 641 | 69,505 | Złotów | Jastrowie, Okonek, Krajenka | 8 |
Pleszew County powiat pleszewski |
712 | 275 | 63,121 | Pleszew | 6 | |
Śrem County powiat śremski |
574 | 222 | 61,303 | Śrem | Książ Wielkopolski, Dolsk | 4 |
Rawicz County powiat rawicki |
553 | 214 | 60,344 | Rawicz | Miejska Górka, Bojanowo, Jutrosin | 5 |
Oborniki County powiat obornicki |
713 | 275 | 59,819 | Oborniki | Rogoźno | 3 |
Słupca County powiat słupecki |
838 | 324 | 59,246 | Słupca | Zagórów | 8 |
Środa Wielkopolska County powiat średzki |
623 | 241 | 58,664 | Środa Wielkopolska | 5 | |
Wolsztyn County powiat wolsztyński |
680 | 263 | 57,350 | Wolsztyn | 3 | |
Kępno County powiat kępiński |
608 | 235 | 56,494 | Kępno | 7 | |
Leszno County powiat leszczyński |
805 | 311 | 56,799 | Leszno * | Rydzyna, Osieczna | 7 |
Ostrzeszów County powiat ostrzeszowski |
772 | 298 | 55,404 | Ostrzeszów | Grabów nad Prosną, Mikstat | 7 |
Grodzisk Wielkopolski County powiat grodziski |
644 | 249 | 51,988 | Grodzisk Wielkopolski | Rakoniewice, Wielichowo | 5 |
Chodzież County powiat chodzieski |
681 | 263 | 47,168 | Chodzież | Szamocin, Margonin | 5 |
Międzychód County powiat międzychodzki |
737 | 285 | 36,883 | Międzychód | Sieraków | 4 |
* seat not part of the county |
Protected areas
- Drawno National Park (partly in Lubusz and West Pomeranian Voivodeships)
- Greater Poland National Park
- Barycz Valley Landscape Park (partly in Lower Silesian Voivodeship)
- Chłapowski Landscape Park
- Lednica Landscape Park
- Powidz Landscape Park
- Promno Landscape Park
- Przemęt Landscape Park (partly in Lubusz Voivodeship)
- Pszczew Landscape Park (partly in Lubusz Voivodeship)
- Puszcza Zielonka Landscape Park
- Rogalin Landscape Park
- Sieraków Landscape Park
- Warta Landscape Park
- Żerków-Czeszewo Landscape Park
See also
- Prussia's Province of Posen (1818–1919)
- Poznań Voivodeship (1921–1939)
References
- ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
- ISBN 1-74059-522-X. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ Marek Kępa (30 May 2019). "All Over the Map: A Quick Tour of Poland's Voivodeships". culture.pl. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Greater Poland Voivodeship topographic map". en-ie.topographic-map.com. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ "Greater Poland Voivodeship: Deep Dive into the Cradle of Poland". polskakultura.com. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Wybory samorządowe 2018". wybory2018.pkw.gov.pl.
Further reading
- Zygmunt Boras, Książęta Piastowscy Wielkopolski (Piast Princes of Wielkopolska), Poznań, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, 1983.
External links
- wielkopolska-region.pl Information about Great Poland; Multilingual.
- greatpoland.eu Archived 23 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Data base about: Business, Culture, Sport, Motorization, Tourism, Agrotourism, Medicine, Health by CyberWielkopolska
- Greater Poland Local Government Office
- ChefMoz Dining Guide Greater Poland
- Wielkopolska at Curlie