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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship

Kuyavian–Pomeranian Voivodeship (Polish: województwo kujawsko-pomorskie [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ kuˈjafskɔ pɔˈmɔrskʲɛ] ) is one of Poland's 16 voivodeships (provinces).

It was created on 1 January 1999 and is situated in mid-northern Poland, on the boundary between the two historic regions, from which it takes its name: Kuyavia (Polish: Kujawy) and Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze).

Its two chief cities, serving as the province's joint capitals, are Bydgoszcz and Toruń.

History

Historical regions in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and in Poland

The Kuyavian–Pomeranian Voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. It consisted of territory from the former Bydgoszcz, Toruń and Włocławek Voivodeships.

The area now known as Kuyavia-Pomerania was previously divided between the region of Kuyavia, Dobrzyń Land, Pomerania (including Chełmno Land and Kociewie), and Greater Poland (including Pałuki and Krajna). Of the two principal cities of today's Kuyavian–Pomeranian voivodeship, one (Bydgoszcz) was historically located in Kuyavia, while the other (Toruń) was an important town of Chełmno Land.

Administration and territory

The functions of regional capital are split between Bydgoszcz and Toruń. Bydgoszcz serves as the seat of the centrally appointed governor or voivode (Polish: wojewoda), while Toruń is the seat of the elected Regional Assembly (sejmik), and of the executive elected by that assembly, headed by the voivodeship marshal (marszałek województwa).

The Kuyavian–Pomeranian Voivodeship is bordered by five other voivodeships. These are Pomeranian Voivodeship to the north, Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship to the north-east, Masovian Voivodeship to the east, Łódź Voivodeship across a short boundary to the south, and Greater Poland Voivodeship to the south and west.

Cities and towns

Bydgoszcz is the Voivodeship's largest city and the seat of its governor (Voivode)
The medieval city of Toruń, birthplace of Nicholas Copernicus, is today the seat of the provincial assembly
Włocławek Cathedral, an example of Polish Gothic architecture
The medieval city of Grudziądz, with its intact granaries along the Vistula River
Inowrocław is famous for its large salt spa and resort centre
Brodnica – market square
Historical population
YearPop.±%
19882,044,049—    
20022,069,321+1.2%
20112,097,635+1.4%
20212,027,261−3.4%
Source:

The voivodeship contains 5 cities and 47 towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2019):

Cities (governed by a city mayor or prezydent miasta):
  1. Bydgoszcz (349,021)
  2. Toruń (201,798)
  3. Włocławek (110,287)
  4. Grudziądz (94,732)
  5. Inowrocław (72,786)

Towns:

  1. Brodnica (28,788)
  2. Świecie (25,723)
  3. Chełmno (19,605)
  4. Nakło nad Notecią (18,281)
  5. Rypin (16,227)
  6. Solec Kujawski (15,652)
  7. Chełmża (14,503)
  8. Lipno (14,399)
  9. Żnin (13,864)
  10. Tuchola (13,621)
  11. Wąbrzeźno (13,570)
  12. Golub-Dobrzyń (12,563)
  13. Aleksandrów Kujawski (12,147)
  14. Mogilno (11,836)
  15. Koronowo (11,162)
  16. Ciechocinek (10,590)
  17. Szubin (9,556)
  18. Sępólno Krajeńskie (9,091)
  19. Kruszwica (8,809)
  20. Janikowo (8,745)
  21. Barcin (7,408)
  22. Gniewkowo (7,110)
  23. Więcbork (5,950)
  24. Nowe (5,827)
  25. Pakość (5,706)
  26. Strzelno (5,631)
  27. Radziejów (5,578)
  28. Kcynia (4,657)
  29. Brześć Kujawski (4,642)
  30. Łabiszyn (4,472)
  31. Piotrków Kujawski (4,456)
  32. Mrocza (4,350)
  33. Kowalewo Pomorskie (4,130)
  34. Janowiec Wielkopolski (3,953)
  35. Jabłonowo Pomorskie (3,754)
  36. Skępe (3,620)
  37. Kowal (3,484)
  38. Łasin (3,254)
  39. Lubraniec (2,999)
  40. Izbica Kujawska (2,609)
  41. Kamień Krajeński (2,390)
  42. Dobrzyń nad Wisłą (2,127)
  43. Chodecz (1,894)
  44. Nieszawa (1,853)
  45. Radzyń Chełmiński (1,847)
  46. Lubień Kujawski (1,391)
  47. Górzno
  48. Kikół
  49. Pruszcz
  50. Gąsawa
  51. Bobrowniki

Economy

The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 21.8 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 4.4% of Polish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 17,300 euros or 57% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 64% of the EU average.

Transportation

Transportation infrastructure is of critical importance to the voivodeship's economy. Kuyavia-Pomerania is a major node in the Polish transportation system. Railway lines from the South and East pass through Bydgoszcz to connect to the major ports on the Baltic Sea. In addition to this, Bydgoszcz is home to the rolling stock manufacturer PESA SA, Poland's largest and most modern producer of railway and tram products. The province's sole international airport, Ignacy Jan Paderewski Airport, is located in Bydgoszcz and has connections to a number of European destinations as well as Warsaw, which are all operated by either Irish carrier Ryanair or LOT Polish Airlines.

The main railway stations of the province are Bydgoszcz main station and Toruń main station; both stations are served by fast PKP Intercity trains which connect them with the capital Warsaw, as well as other major Polish cities. In addition to these fast express services, inter-regional trains are operated by the firm Przewozy Regionalne, while domestic rail transportation within the voivodeship is provided by Arriva RP, a private firm to which the provincial government subcontracted the provision of rail transport.

The A1 and S5 highways pass through the province, with the S10 also under construction.

All major towns of the province have municipal transportation companies operating buses, while Bydgoszcz, Toruń and Grudziądz also have extensive tram systems.

Politics

The Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeship's government is headed by the province's voivode (governor) who is appointed by the Polish Prime Minister. The voivode is then assisted in performing his duties by the voivodeship's marshal, who is the appointed speaker for the voivodeship's executive and is elected by the sejmik (provincial assembly). The current voivode of Kuyavia-Pomerania is Ewa Monika Mes, and the present marshal is Piotr Całbecki.

The Sejmik of Kuyavia-Pomerania consists of 33 members.

Kuyavian-Pomeranian Regional Assembly elections on 21 November 2010
Party Votes % Total seats held
Civic Platform (PO) 218,004 33.81 16
Law and Justice (PiS) 114,557 17.77 6
Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) 111,885 17.35 6
Polish People's Party (PSL) 93,445 14.49 5
Others 106,877 16.58 0
Total 644,768 100.00 33
  • Votes counted: 741,828
  • Valid votes: 644,768
  • Turnout: 44.96%

Governors

Name Period
Józef Rogacki 1 January 1999 – 21 October 2001
Romuald Kosieniak 21 October 2001 – 26 January 2006
Józef Ramlau 26 January 2006 – 24 July 2006
Marzenna Drab (acting) 24 July 2006 – 7 November 2006
Zbigniew Hoffmann 7 November 2006 – 29 November 2007
Rafał Bruski 29 November 2007 – 13 December 2010
Ewa Mes 14 December 2010–present

Administrative division

The Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship is divided into 23 counties (powiats): 4 city counties and 19 land counties. These are further divided into 144 gminas.

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

English and
Polish names
Area
(km)
Population
(2019)
Seat Other towns Total
gminas
City counties
Bydgoszcz 175 349,021 1
Toruń 116 201,798 1
Włocławek 84 110,287 1
Grudziądz 58 94,732 1
Land counties
Inowrocław County
powiat inowrocławski
1,225 160,216 Inowrocław Kruszwica, Janikowo, Gniewkowo, Pakość 9
Bydgoszcz County
powiat bydgoski
1,395 118,041 Bydgoszcz * Solec Kujawski, Koronowo 8
Toruń County
powiat toruński
1,230 107,641 Toruń * Chełmża 9
Świecie County
powiat świecki
1,473 99,154 Świecie Nowe, Pruszcz 11
Nakło County
powiat nakielski
1,120 86,449 Nakło nad Notecią Szubin, Kcynia, Mrocza 5
Włocławek County
powiat włocławski
1,472 86,131 Włocławek * Brześć Kujawski, Kowal, Lubraniec, Izbica Kujawska, Chodecz, Lubień Kujawski 13
Brodnica County
powiat brodnicki
1,039 78,935 Brodnica Jabłonowo Pomorskie, Górzno 10
Żnin County
powiat żniński
985 70,234 Żnin Barcin, Łabiszyn, Janowiec Wielkopolski, Gąsawa 6
Lipno County
powiat lipnowski
1,016 65,869 Lipno Skępe, Dobrzyń nad Wisłą, Kikół, Bobrowniki 9
Aleksandrów County
powiat aleksandrowski
476 55,150 Aleksandrów Kujawski Ciechocinek, Nieszawa 9
Chełmno County
powiat chełmiński
528 52,018 Chełmno 7
Tuchola County
powiat tucholski
1,075 48,329 Tuchola 6
Mogilno County
powiat mogileński
676 45,756 Mogilno Strzelno 4
Golub-Dobrzyń County
powiat golubsko-dobrzyński
613 45,059 Golub-Dobrzyń Kowalewo Pomorskie 6
Rypin County
powiat rypiński
587 43,618 Rypin 6
Sępólno County
powiat sępoleński
791 41,055 Sępólno Krajeńskie Więcbork, Kamień Krajeński 4
Radziejów County
powiat radziejowski
607 40,546 Radziejów Piotrków Kujawski 7
Grudziądz County
powiat grudziądzki
728 40,181 Grudziądz * Łasin, Radzyń Chełmiński 6
Wąbrzeźno County
powiat wąbrzeski
501 34,297 Wąbrzeźno 5
* seat not part of the county

Protected areas

Krajna Landscape Park

Protected areas in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship include the nine Landscape Parks listed below.

Sights and tourism

Medieval Town of Toruń, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

There are eight Historic Monuments of Poland and one World Heritage Site in the voivodeship:

The region is rich in historic architecture ranging from Romanesque and Gothic architecture to Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau. Other preserved historic old towns include Bydgoszcz, Grudziądz and Brodnica. There are also numerous castles, including Dybów, Golub, Radzyń Chełmiński, Świecie, Zamek Bierzgłowski, preserved castle towers, including Brodnica and Kruszwica, and palaces, including Jabłonowo Pomorskie, Ostromecko, Wąpielsk, Żołędowo. The Dybów Castle was the place where in 1454 King Casimir IV Jagiellon issued the famous Statutes of Nieszawa, covering a set of privileges for the Polish nobility; an event that is regarded as the birth of the noble democracy in Poland, which lasted until the late-18th-century Partitions of Poland. The manor in Szafarnia was a place of stay for Fryderyk Chopin during his 1824 and 1825 summer vacations, and contains a museum dedicated to the composer.

Włocławek, Toruń and Bydgoszcz contain preserved Gothic cathedrals. Locations of historic monastaries include Chełmno, Grudziądz, Mogilno, Rywałd and Skępe. In Gąsawa, there is the 17th-century Saint Nicolas Church with a unique collection of multi-layered mural paintings, dating back several centuries.

Graduation towers in Ciechocinek

There are three spa towns: Ciechocinek, Inowrocław and Wieniec-Zdrój.

Major museums and art galleries are located in Bydgoszcz, Toruń and Włocławek, including the Leon Wyczółkowski Regional Museum in Bydgoszcz, District Museum in Toruń and Museum of Kuyavia and Dobrzyń Land in Włocławek. The more unique museums include:

Monument to the victims of Nazi Germany at the Valley of Death (Bydgoszcz)

There are numerous World War II memorials in the province, including a memorial at the site of the former Potulice concentration camp, memorials at the sites of Nazi massacres of Poles, including the largest massacres at Mniszek, Gniewkowo, Klamry, Łopatki and Fordon, and memorials to Allied prisoners of war held by Nazi Germany in the region at the sites of the former Stalag XX-A, Oflag XXI-B and Oflag 64 POW camps in Toruń and Szubin.

Other notable sights include the Bydgoszcz Canal, connecting Bydgoszcz and Nakło nad Notecią, the Battle of Koronowo (1410) Monument, and monuments do distinguished people from the region, including cryptologist Marian Rejewski (birthplace and monument in Bydgoszcz), writer Jan Kasprowicz (childhood home and monument in Inowrocław), and surgeon Ludwik Rydygier, the first surgeon in the world to carry out a peptic ulcer resection (former clinic and monument in Chełmno).

Sports

Łuczniczka, home venue of BKS Visła Bydgoszcz and Pałac Bydgoszcz volleyball teams
Arena Toruń, home venue of Twarde Pierniki Toruń and Katarzynki Toruń basketball teams
Józef Piłsudski Stadium, home venue of Polonia Bydgoszcz speedway and football teams

Motorcycle speedway, basketball and volleyball enjoy the largest following in the province. The KS Toruń and Polonia Bydgoszcz clubs are among the most accomplished speedway clubs in the country and contest the Pomeranian-Kuyavian Derby, one of the fiercest speedway rivalries.

Professional sports teams
Club Sport League Trophies
Polonia Bydgoszcz Speedway 1 Liga 7 Polish Championships
KS Toruń Speedway Ekstraliga 4 Polish Championships
GKM Grudziądz Speedway Ekstraliga 0
Anwil Włocławek Basketball (men's) Polish Basketball League 3 Polish Championships (2003, 2018, 2019)
4 Polish Cups (1995, 1996, 2007, 2020)
1 FIBA Europe Cup (2023)
Twarde Pierniki Toruń Basketball (men's) Polish Basketball League 1 Polish Cup (2018)
Astoria Bydgoszcz Basketball (men's) I Liga 0
Noteć Inowrocław Basketball (men's) I Liga 0
Basket 25 Bydgoszcz Basketball (women's) Basket Liga Kobiet 1 Polish Cup (2018)
Katarzynki Toruń Basketball (women's) Basket Liga Kobiet 0
KS Toruń HSA Ice hockey Polska Hokej Liga 1 Polish Cup (2005)
BKS Visła Bydgoszcz Volleyball (men's) I liga 0
Anioły Toruń Volleyball (men's) I liga 0
Pałac Bydgoszcz Volleyball (women's) Tauron Liga 1 Polish Championship (1993)
3 Polish Cups (1992, 2001, 2005)
Sokół Mogilno Volleyball (women's) I liga 0
Zawisza Bydgoszcz Football (men's) III liga 1 Polish Cup (2014)
Olimpia Grudziądz Football (men's) II liga 0
Elana Toruń Football (men's) III liga 0
KKP Bydgoszcz Football (women's) I liga 0
FC Toruń Futsal (men's) Ekstraklasa 0
Pomorzanin Toruń Field hockey (men's) Superliga 3 Polish Championships (1990, 2014, 2023)
Bydgoszcz Archers American football Polish Football League 1 Polish Championship (2021)

Since the establishment of the province, several major international sports competitions were co-hosted by the province, including the EuroBasket 2009, 2009 Women's European Volleyball Championship, 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, EuroBasket Women 2011, 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, and 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Curiosities

See also

Notes

  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 2021-12-13.
  3. ^ "Statistics Poland - National Censuses".
  4. ^ GUS. "Population. Size and structure and vital statistics in Poland by territorial division in 2019. As of 30th June". stat.gov.pl. Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  5. ^ "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat.
  6. ^ "Kuyavian-Pomeranian Regional Assembly elections". State Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
  7. ^ Zarządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 8 września 1994 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii., M.P., 1994, vol. 50, No. 422
  8. ^ Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 13 kwietnia 2005 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii, Dz. U., 2005, vol. 64, No. 568
  9. ^ Zarządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 8 września 1994 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii., M.P., 1994, vol. 50, No. 412
  10. ^ Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 22 listopada 2017 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Ciechocinek - zespół tężni i warzelni soli wraz z parkami Tężniowym i Zdrojowym", Dz. U., 2017, No. 2276
  11. ^ Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 22 listopada 2017 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Grudziądz - zespół zabytkowych spichlerzy wraz z panoramą od strony Wisły", Dz. U., 2017, No. 2271
  12. ^ Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 15 listopada 2023 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Lubostroń - zespół pałacowo-parkowy", Dz. U., 2023, No. 2507
  13. ^ Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 20 kwietnia 2018 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Strzelno - zespół dawnego klasztoru Norbertanek", Dz. U., 2018, No. 981
  14. ^ Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 10 grudnia 2018 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Włocławek - katedra pod wezwaniem Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny", Dz. U., 2018, No. 2421
  15. ^ Konopczyński, Władysław (1948). Chronologia sejmów polskich 1493–1793 (in Polish). Kraków: Polska Akademia Umiejętności. pp. 135, 142, 148.
  16. ^ "Toruń stolicą Polski? Przez trzy tygodnie". Interia Nowa Historia (in Polish). Retrieved 27 May 2024.

53°04′42″N 18°29′37″E / 53.07833°N 18.49361°E / 53.07833; 18.49361