Farther Pomerania

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Farther Pomerania
Pomorze Tylne
Achter-Pommeren.png
CountryFlag of Poland.svg  Poland
Historical region Pomerania
Largest city Koszalin
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Highways S3-PL.svg S6-PL.svg S10-PL.svg S11-PL.svg

Farther Pomerania, Hinder Pomerania, Rear Pomerania or Eastern Pomerania (Polish : Pomorze Tylne; German : Hinterpommern, Ostpommern), is a subregion of the historic region of Pomerania in north-western Poland, mostly within the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, while its easternmost parts are within the Pomeranian Voivodeship.

Contents

It is the part of Pomerania which comprised the eastern part of the Duchy and later Province of Pomerania. It stretched roughly from the Oder River in the West to Pomerelia in the East. The Polish term Pomorze Zachodnie ("Western Pomerania") is colloquially used in contemporary Poland as a synonym for the West Pomeranian Voivodship whose borders do not match the historical ones; in Polish historical usage, it applied to all areas west of Pomerelia (i.e. to the entire narrow Pomerania).

Map of Farther Pomerania of 1801, on the r. h. s. the Lauenburg and Butow Lands (identified as Lordship of Lauenburg and Lordship of Buto, respectively, western border marked in red). Prussian-Polish border in the 18th century.png
Map of Farther Pomerania of 1801, on the r. h. s. the Lauenburg and Bütow Lands (identified as Lordship of Lauenburg and Lordship of Buto, respectively, western border marked in red).

Farther Pomerania emerged as a subdivision of the Duchy of Pomerania in the partition of 1532, then known as Pomerania-Stettin (Szczecin) and already including the historical regions Principality of Cammin (Kamień), County of Naugard (Nowogard), Land of Słupsk-Sławno, and with ties to the Lębork and Bytów Land. After the Brandenburg-Swedish partition of Pomerania, Farther Pomerania became the Brandenburg-Prussian Province of Pomerania (1653–1815). After the reorganization of the Prussian Province of Pomerania in 1815, Farther Pomerania was administered as Regierungsbezirk Köslin (Koszalin). In 1938, northern part of the dissolved Grenzmark Posen-West Prussia was merged in.

After Germany’s defeat in World War II the region was returned to the Polish state as a result of the border decisions confirmed at the Potsdam Conference (July–August 1945). The implementation of the Potsdam decisions led to the transfer of the former German administration and to large demographic changes: German civilians left or were removed from the territories east of the Oder–Neisse line, while new Polish civil authorities, municipal services and legal institutions were established in their place. [1] [2]

The postwar period was dominated by reconstruction and the organisation of public life under Polish administration. Debris clearance, restoration of roads and public buildings, reopening of schools and cultural institutions, and the reestablishment of local government bodies were carried out amid shortages of housing and resources. Polish state authorities and local administrations also launched programmes to integrate the recovered territories into the national economy and to re-establish land and property registration under Polish law. [3]

Many of the new inhabitants came from central Poland and from the eastern borderlands that had been incorporated into the Soviet Union. These population movements were part of the broader transfers and resettlements taking place across Central and Eastern Europe between 1944 and 1947. [4]

Administratively, the late 20th century saw several reforms. Before the 1999 reform, the area corresponding largely to historic Farther Pomerania was administered as the Szczecin Voivodeship and its subsequent divisions, such as Koszalin Voivodeship and Słupsk Voivodeship. Under the 1998 reform (effective 1 January 1999) these units were reorganised: the former Szczecin and Koszalin territories were largely incorporated into the newly created West Pomeranian Voivodeship, while much of the former Słupsk Voivodeship became part of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. [5] [6]


Origin and use of the term

Terminology

The German prefix Hinter- (cf. hinterland) denotes a location more distant from the speaker, and is the equivalent of "Hinder"/"Rear"/"Farther" in English and Posterior/Ulterior/Trans- in Latin (with the corresponding antonyms in German, English and Latin being Vor- , "Fore"/"Front"/"Hither" and Anterior/Citerior/Cis-, respectively).

The toponym Pomerania comes from Slavic po more, which means Land at the Sea. [7] Initially, Farther Pomerania referred to the areas beyond (i.e. lying east of) Pomerania-Wolgast, and the name eventually became adopted for areas east of Szczecin by the 16th century. When the 1648 Peace of Westphalia and the Treaty of Stettin (1653) divided the Duchy of Pomerania into its Western, Swedish and Eastern Brandenburgian parts, Farther Pomerania was used for the latter - in opposition to Swedish Hither Pomerania (Vorpommern) including Stettin (Szczecin), Wollin (Wolin) and a strip of land east of the Oder River, ultimately limited to include two suburbs of Szczecin, namely the towns of Gollnow (Goleniów) and Damm/Alt-Damm/Altdamm (Dąbie). To the East, Farther Pomerania stretches to the border with Pomerelia, considered by the Polish historiography to be located on the river Łeba.

In the post-1945 era, Farther Pomerania was affected by the Polish-German border shift. Before, it happened to be the Eastern part of German Pomerania (Pommern, consisting of Hither and Farther Pomerania), yet thereafter it became the Western part of Polish Pomerania (Pomorze, consisting of Pomerania and Pomerelia). As Polish Pomorze has also been in use for Pomerelia, while Hither and Farther Pomerania are jointly referred to as West Pomerania (Pomorze Zachodnie) in Poland, located predominantly in today's West Pomeranian Voivodeship, including Szczecin and Wolin. However, this term is not being adopted by the Germans, as only Hither Pomerania is considered to be Western Pomerania, so Farther Pomerania is still in use.

Cities and towns

Victory Square with the statue of Jozef Pilsudski and the former Koszalin Voivodeship Office in Koszalin, the largest city of the region Koszalin plac Zwyciestwa.jpg
Victory Square with the statue of Józef Piłsudski and the former Koszalin Voivodeship Office in Koszalin, the largest city of the region
County office in Slupsk, the second largest city of the region Slupsk starostwo.jpg
County office in Słupsk, the second largest city of the region

There are four cities in Farther Pomerania, namely:

Towns of Farther Pomerania include:

In addition, the following towns are located in the historical Lębork and Bytów Land, thus being treated as part of Pomerelia/Gdańsk Pomerania by the Polish historiography, and as part of Farther Pomerania by the German historiography:

Historical languages and dialects

History (timeline)

Brandenburgian Farther Pomerania after the Treaty of Stettin (1653) shown in orange Pomerania 1653.PNG
Brandenburgian Farther Pomerania after the Treaty of Stettin (1653) shown in orange
Stalag II-D prisoner-of-war camp in Stargard during World War II Stalag II D Stargard.jpg
Stalag II-D prisoner-of-war camp in Stargard during World War II
Slupsk market square in 1945 Slupsk, rynek 1945 (66046638).jpg
Słupsk market square in 1945

Museums

Medieval Darlowo Castle, now a museum Darlowo, Zamek Ksiazat Pomorskich (HB13).jpg
Medieval Darłowo Castle, now a museum

Main regional museums are the Museum of Central Pomerania (Muzeum Pomorza Środkowego) in Słupsk, the Archaeological and Historical Museum (Muzeum Archeologiczno-Historyczne) in Stargard, the Koszalin Museum (Muzeum w Koszalinie) and the Darłowo Museum (Muzeum w Darłowie). [21] [22] The Museum of Central Pomerania in Słupsk is located at the Ducal Castle and holds the world's biggest collection of paintings by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz. [23]

Perhaps more unusual museums include the Museum of Polish Arms (Muzeum Oręża Polskiego) in Kołobrzeg, which contains a collection of militaria related to the military of Poland from the Early Middle Ages to the present, and the Amber Museum (Muzeum Bursztynu) in Jarosławiec.

Sports

Home game of Spojnia Stargard with Start Lublin in the 2018-19 PLK season Spojnia-Start Lublin, 03.01.2019.jpg
Home game of Spójnia Stargard with Start Lublin in the 2018–19 PLK season

Basketball is a particularly popular sport in Farther Pomerania, with several notable teams, i.e. Czarni Słupsk, Spójnia Stargard, AZS Koszalin and SKK Kotwica Kołobrzeg.

See also

References

Notes

  1. Part of Greater Poland in the Middle Ages. Part of Pomerania since 1477.
  2. Part of Greater Poland in the 12th century. Part of Pomerania in the 10th–11th centuries and since 1469.
  3. 1 2 Part of Greater Poland in the Middle Ages. Part of Pomerania since 1816.

Citations

  1. Davies, Norman (2005). God's Playground: A History of Poland, Volume II: 1795 to the Present. Oxford University Press.
  2. Eberhardt, Piotr (2006). Political Migrations in Poland 1939–1948. Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN.
  3. Kaczmarek, Ryszard (2010). Reconstruction and Social Change in Postwar Poland. Wydawnictwo Naukowe.
  4. Ther, Philipp (2014). The Dark Side of Nation-States: Ethnic Cleansing in Modern Europe. Berghahn Books.
  5. Ustawa z dnia 24 lipca 1998 r. o wprowadzeniu zasadniczego trójstopniowego podziału terytorialnego państwa (96). Dziennik Ustaw Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. 1998.{{cite report}}: Unknown parameter |position= ignored (help)
  6. Regulski, Jerzy (2003). Local Government Reform in Poland: An Insider's Story. IGA.
  7. Der Name Pommern (po more) ist slawischer Herkunft und bedeutet so viel wie „Land am Meer“. Archived 2020-08-19 at the Wayback Machine (Pommersches Landesmuseum, German)
  8. Labuda, Gerard (1993). "Chrystianizacja Pomorza (X–XIII stulecie)". Studia Gdańskie (in Polish). Vol. IX. Gdańsk-Oliwa. p. 47.
  9. Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, p.105, ISBN   3-88680-272-8
  10. Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, p.186, ISBN   3-88680-272-8
  11. Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, pp.205–220, ISBN   3-88680-272-8
  12. Gerhard Krause, Horst Robert Balz, Gerhard Müller, Theologische Realenzyklopädie , De Gruyter, 1997, p.40ff, ISBN   3-11-015435-8
  13. Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, p. 233, ISBN   3-88680-272-8
  14. Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, p. 366, ISBN   3-88680-272-8
  15. 1 2 "Lebensborn". Połczyn-Zdrój (in Polish). Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  16. Aniszewska, Jolanta (2011). "W obowiązku pamięci... Stalag II D i formy upamiętnienia jeńców wojennych w Stargardzie Szczecińskim". Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny (in Polish). 34. Opole: 9, 14, 20.
  17. 1 2 Megargee, Geoffrey P.; Overmans, Rüdiger; Vogt, Wolfgang (2022). The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 510. ISBN   978-0-253-06089-1.
  18. Gliński, Mirosław. "Ewakuacja i wyzwolenie obozu Stutthof (25 stycznia–9 maja 1945)". Stutthof. Zeszyty Muzeum (in Polish). 3: 189. ISSN   0137-5377.
  19. Kaszuba, Sylwia. "Marsz 1945". In Grudziecka, Beata (ed.). Stalag XX B: historia nieopowiedziana (in Polish). Malbork: Muzeum Miasta Malborka. pp. 108–109. ISBN   978-83-950992-2-9.
  20. "Stalag Luft IV. Marsz Śmierci". Miasto Białogard (in Polish). Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  21. "Muzeum Archeologiczno-Historyczne w Stargardzie" (in Polish). Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  22. "Zamek Książąt Pomorskich Muzeum w Darłowie" (in Polish). Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  23. Beata Zgodzińska. "Witkacy w zbiorach muzeum". Muzeum Pomroza Środkowego w Słupsku (in Polish). Retrieved 12 April 2025.