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West Prussia (German: Westpreußen (help·info); Polish: Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773-1824 and 1878-1918. Regierungsbezirk Danzig was a Regierungsbezirk, or administrative region within the Prussian Province of West Prussia from 1815-1920 Regierungsbezirk Marienwerder was a Regierungsbezirk, or administrative region of Prussia from 1815-1945 The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. The Provinces of Prussia constituted the main administrative divisions of Prussia. The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising After 1918, its central parts became the Polish Corridor and the Free City of Danzig, while the parts remaining with the German Weimar Republic became the new Posen-West Prussia or were joined to the Province of East Prussia as Regierungsbezirk West Prussia. Background Giving Poland access to the sea was one of the guarantees proposed by the United States President Woodrow Wilson in his Fourteen The Free City of Danzig ( German: Freie Stadt Danzig; Polish: Wolne Miasto Gdańsk) was an autonomous Baltic Sea port and The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 The border province of Posen-West Prussia (Grenzmark Posen-Westpreußen was a province of the Free State of Prussia. The Province of East Prussia (Provinz Ostpreußen) was a province of Prussia from 1773-1829 and 1878-1945 Regierungsbezirk Marienwerder was a Regierungsbezirk, or administrative region of Prussia from 1815-1945
Apart from the two periods it was a political entity, West Prussia is also used as general name for the region in historical context from the 13th century to 1945, when it was inhabited by a Prussian population, who over centuries of immigrations were mixed with Germans, Slovincians, Kashubians, Hugenots, Poles, Mennonites, Scots, etc. There are many historical Regions of Central Europe. For the purpose of this list Central Europe is defined as the area contained roughly within the south coast of The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as Slovincian is an extinct dialect of the Pomeranian language, spoken between the lakes Gardno (Gardersee and Łebsko (Lebasee in Pomerania Kashubians/Kashubs/Kaszubians (Kaszëbi Kaszubi also called Kassubians or Cassubians, are a West Slavic Ethnic group of north-central The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland. The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after Menno Simons (1496&ndash1561 though his teachings were a relatively The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland.
Contents |
History
In the Thirteen Years' War (1454-1466), the towns of Pomerelia and western Prussia rebelled against the Teutonic Knights and sought the assistance of King Casimir IV Jagiellon of Poland. The Thirteen Years' War was also the name of an Austrian-Ottoman War Thirteen Years War in Hungary The Thirteen Years' War (Dreizehnjähriger Krieg Wojna trzynastoletnia Pomerelia (Pommerellen is a historical region in northern Poland. Prussia is a historical region in Central Europe extending from the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea to the Masurian Lake District. The Teutonic Order is a German Roman Catholic religious order. Casimir IV Jagiellon (Kazimierz IV Jagiellończyk; Kazimieras Jogailaitis Kazimir Jahajłavič 30 November 1427 &ndash By the Second Peace of Thorn (1466), Pomerelia and western Prussia became the Polish province of Royal Prussia, which received several special rights, especially in Danzig (Gdańsk). The Second Peace of Thorn of 1466 (Zweiter Friede von Thorn Drugi Pokój Toruński was a Peace treaty signed in the Hanseatic city of Thorn (Toruń on Royal Prussia ( Prusy Królewskie was a province of the Kingdom of Poland from 1466 and then the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1772 Gdańsk ( Polish pronunciation; 'Danzig', Gduńsk Gedania Dantiscum is the City at the centre of the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in Poland Royal Prussia became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569 and retained self-government by Prussian natives. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic Eastern Prussia, on the other hand, remained with the Teutonic Knights, who were reduced to vassals of Poland by the Peace of Thorn. This territory became the Duchy of Prussia in 1525 and removed the Polish suzerainty in 1657 Treaty of Wehlau. The Duchy of Prussia or Ducal Prussia (Herzogtum Preußen Prūsijos kunigaikštystė Prusy Książęce was a Duchy in the eastern part of Prussia from The Treaty of Wehlau (Vertrag von Wehlau Traktat Welawski was a Treaty signed in the eastern Prussian town of Wehlau ( Welawa, now Znamensk)
Most of Royal Prussia was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the First Partition of Poland in 1772, and became the Province of West Prussia the following year, with the exception of Warmia which is located inside eastern Prussia and was joined to form the Province of East Prussia. The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Warmia (Warmia Latin: Varmia) or Erm(eland ( is a region between Pomerania and Masuria in northeastern Poland East Prussia (Ostpreußen; Rytų Prūsija or Rytprūsiai; Prusy Wschodnie Восточная Пруссия or Vostochnaya Prussiya) refers to the main part In the Second Partition of Poland in 1793, the Hanseatic city of Danzig, no longer able to rely on its own strength, opted together with the Hanse city of Thorn to join the Kingdom of Prussia and thus West Prussia. The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the The Hanseatic League (also known as the Hansa) was an alliance of trading cities and their Guilds that established and maintained trade The Hanseatic League (also known as the Hansa) was an alliance of trading cities and their Guilds that established and maintained trade Some of the areas of Greater Poland annexed in 1772 that formed the Netze District were added to West Prussia in 1793 as well. Greater Poland or Great Poland, Polish Wielkopolska (Großpolen Latin: Polonia Maior) is a historical region of west-central Poland The Netze District or District of the Netze (Netzedistrikt or Netze-Distrikt Obwód Nadnotecki was a territory in the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772
During the Napoleonic Wars in 1806, southern parts of West Prussia were moved to the Duchy of Warsaw. The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 involved Napoleon's French Empire and a shifting set of European allies and opposing coalitions The Duchy of Warsaw (Księstwo Warszawskie Duché de Varsovie Herzogtum Warschau Варшавское герцогство was a Polish state established by Napoleon From 1824-1878 West Prussia was combined with East Prussia to form the Province of Prussia, after which they were reestablished as separate provinces. The Province of Prussia (Provinz Preußen was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1829-1878 created out of the provinces of East Prussia and The region became part of the German Empire in 1871. The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification
After the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, most of West Prussia was granted to the Second Polish Republic, while small parts in the West and East of the former province remained in Weimar Germany. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. The Second Polish Republic or interwar Poland is the Republic of Poland between World War I and World War II. The term Weimar Republic ( ˈvaɪmarɐ repuˈbliːk is used by historians to signify the democratic and Republican period of Germany from 1919 to 1933 The western remainder formed Posen-West Prussia in 1922, while the eastern remainder became part of Regierungsbezirk West Prussia within East Prussia. The border province of Posen-West Prussia (Grenzmark Posen-Westpreußen was a province of the Free State of Prussia. Regierungsbezirk Marienwerder was a Regierungsbezirk, or administrative region of Prussia from 1815-1945
Due to the Potsdam Conference of 1945 after World War II, the population of West Prussia was deported, due to an Allied decision by Joseph Stalin with full consent by Winston Churchill and Franklin D. The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, Germany, from July 16, World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 Roosevelt. After this ethnic cleansing had been carried out, all of West Prussia was placed under the administration of Poland and the few remaining Germans forced to become Polish Citizens. Ethnic cleansing is a Euphemism referring to the persecution through imprisonment expulsion or killing of members of an ethnic minority by a majority to achieve ethnic homogeneity The vast majority of the original German population of the region was either deported westward or had flown themselves before the deportation was carried out. The expulsion of Germans after World War II was the Forced migration and Ethnic cleansing of German nationals ( Reichsdeutsche) and ethnic All of their property, including their homes, was looted and stolen; the emptied region was replaced with Poles. The Polish people, or Poles, (Polacy) are a Western Slavic Ethnic group of Central Europe, living predominantly in Poland.
This massive ethnic cleansing was carried out with utter brutality and was accompanied by rape, murder, child-abuse and massive atrocities by Allied soldiers. Ethnic cleansing is a Euphemism referring to the persecution through imprisonment expulsion or killing of members of an ethnic minority by a majority to achieve ethnic homogeneity In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose Women were either shot after being gang-raped, or raped to death [1]. A large number of German civilians had been deported to Allied Concentrations camps like Workuta in the Soviet Union, where a large number of them perished or were later on reported missing. In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose Vorkuta (Воркута́ Вӧркута Vörkuta; Nenets for Place teems with bears) is a Coal Mining town in the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 These crimes of Allied soldiers remain almost unknown in Allied countries [2]
In 1949, the refugees established the non-profit Territorial Association of West Prussia to represent West Prussians in the Federal Republic of Germany. In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose In general allies are people groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose The Landsmannschaft Westpreußen ("Territorial Association of West Prussia" is an Organization of Heimatvertriebene &mdash Germans born in Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.
Historical population
| Inhabitants | foreigners | |
|---|---|---|
| West Prussia | 1,433,681 | 1,976 |
From 1885 to 1890 West Prussia's population decreased by 1%. Gdańsk Bay or the Bay of Gdańsk (Zatoka Gdańska Gduńskô Hôwinga Гданьская бухта also known as Danzig Bay (Danziger Bucht is a southeastern Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year
- 1875 - 1,343,057
- 1880 - 1,405,898
- 1890 - 1,433,681 (717,532 Catholics, 681,195 Protestants, 21,750 Jews, others)
- 1900 - 1,563,658 (800,395 Catholics, 730,685 Protestants, 18,226 Jews, others)
Subdivisions
Note: Prussian provinces were subdivided into districts called "Kreise" (singular "Kreis", abbreviated "Kr. Prussian districts were administrative units in the former German state of Prussia. "). Cities would have their own "Stadtkreis" (urban district) and the surrounding rural area would be named for the city, but referred to as a "Landkreis" (rural district). German districts (de ''Kreise'' or de ''Landkreise'' in the states of Nordrhein-Westfalen and Schleswig-Holstein, singular de ''Kreis'' and de ''Landreis'' Germany is divided into 413 administrative districts; these consist of 301 rural districts ( Landkreise) listed fully here and 112 urban districts (
Population according to the census 1905:
| Kreis (County) | Polish Name | Population 1905 | Polish, Kashubian | in Percent | German | in Percent |
| Regierungsbezirk Danzig | ||||||
| Elbing-Stadt | Elbląg | 55,627 | 175 | 0. Regierungsbezirk Danzig was a Regierungsbezirk, or administrative region within the Prussian Province of West Prussia from 1815-1920 Elbląg (Elbing Elbinga is a City in northern Poland with 127892 inhabitants (2006 31 | 55,328 | 99. 46 |
| Elbing-Land | Elbląg | 38,871 | 105 | 0. Elbląg (Elbing Elbinga is a City in northern Poland with 127892 inhabitants (2006 27 | 38,737 | 99. 66 |
| Marienburg | Malbork | 63,110 | 1,705 | 2. Malbork (Marienburg in Westpreußen Civitas Beatae Virginis is a Town in northern Poland in the Żuławy region with 41000 inhabitants (2001 70 | 61,044 | 96. 73 |
| Danzig-Stadt (City) | Gdańsk | 160,090 | 3,065 | 1. Gdańsk ( Polish pronunciation; 'Danzig', Gduńsk Gedania Dantiscum is the City at the centre of the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in Poland Gdańsk ( Polish pronunciation; 'Danzig', Gduńsk Gedania Dantiscum is the City at the centre of the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in Poland 91 | 154,629 | 96. 59 |
| Danzig-Niederung (lowland) | Gdańsk | 36,519 | 178 | 0. Gdańsk ( Polish pronunciation; 'Danzig', Gduńsk Gedania Dantiscum is the City at the centre of the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in Poland Gdańsk ( Polish pronunciation; 'Danzig', Gduńsk Gedania Dantiscum is the City at the centre of the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in Poland 49 | 36,286 | 99. 36 |
| Danziger Höhe (highland) | Gdańsk | 50,148 | 5,703 | 11. Landkreis Danziger Höhe was a district of Regierungsbezirk Danzig, West Prussia, within the Kingdom of Prussia. Gdańsk ( Polish pronunciation; 'Danzig', Gduńsk Gedania Dantiscum is the City at the centre of the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in Poland 73 | 44,113 | 87. 97 |
| Dirschau | Tczew | 40,856 | 15,144 | 37. Tczew ( Dërszewò is a Town on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 60128 inhabitants ( Tczew ( Dërszewò is a Town on the Vistula River in Eastern Pomerania, Kociewie, northern Poland with 60128 inhabitants ( 07 | 25,466 | 62. 33 |
| Preußisch Stargard | Starogard Gdański | 62,465 | 44,809 | 71. Starogard Gdański (meaning approximately "Old Town of Gdańsk" Kashubian / Pomeranian: Starogarda; Preußisch Stargard is a Town Starogard Gdański (meaning approximately "Old Town of Gdańsk" Kashubian / Pomeranian: Starogarda; Preußisch Stargard is a Town 73 | 17,425 | 27. 90 |
| Berent | Kościerzyna | 53,726 | 29,898 | 55. Kościerzyna ( Kashubian / Pomeranian: Kòscérzëna, former) is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region northern Poland Kościerzyna ( Kashubian / Pomeranian: Kòscérzëna, former) is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region northern Poland 65 | 23,515 | 43. 77 |
| Karthaus | Kartuzy | 66,612 | 46,281 | 69. Kartuzy ( Kashubian / Pomeranian: Kartuzë; Karthaus is a town in the Kashubia region in Eastern Pomerania region in northwestern 48 | 20,203 | 30. 33 |
| Neustadt | Wejherowo | 55,587 | 27,358 | 49. Wejherowo (Neustadt in Westpreußen Wejrowò is a Town in Gdańsk Pomerania, northern Poland, with 47000 inhabitants ( 1 October 2006 22 | 27,048 | 48. 66 |
| Putzig | Puck | 25,701 | 17,906 | 69. Puck (Pùck Putzig Pucka is a Town in northwestern Poland with 11350 inhabitants 67 | 7,629 | 29. 68 |
| Regierungsbezirk Marienwerder | ||||||
| Stuhm | Sztum | 36,559 | 13,473 | 36. Regierungsbezirk Marienwerder was a Regierungsbezirk, or administrative region of Prussia from 1815-1945 Sztum (Stuhm is a town in Poland, capital of Sztum County, located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, with some 10141 inhabitants ( 2004) Sztum (Stuhm is a town in Poland, capital of Sztum County, located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, with some 10141 inhabitants ( 2004) 85 | 22,550 | 61. 68 |
| Marienwerder | Kwidzyń | 68,096 | 24,541 | 36. Kwidzyn (Marienwerder is a Town in northern Poland on the Liwa River, with 40008 inhabitants (2004 Kwidzyn (Marienwerder is a Town in northern Poland on the Liwa River, with 40008 inhabitants (2004 04 | 42,699 | 62. 70 |
| Rosenberg | Susz | 53,293 | 3,465 | 6. Susz (Rosenberg in Westpreußen is a town in Iława County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, with 5600 inhabitants (2004 50 | 49,304 | 92. 51 |
| Löbau | Lubawa | 57,285 | 45,510 | 79. Löbau ( Upper Sorbian: Lubij) is a city in the east of Saxony, Germany, in the traditional region of Upper Lusatia. Note: Lubawa Poland the formerly Löbau in Westpreußen Germany, is sometimes confused with Löbau in Lusatia, Saxony, Germany 44 | 11,368 | 19. 84 |
| Strasburg | Brodnica | 59,927 | 38,507 | 64. Brodnica (Strasburg is a town in northern Poland with 27400 inhabitants as of 1995 26 | 21,008 | 35. 06 |
| Briesen | Wąbrzeźno | 47,542 | 25,415 | 53. Briesen is the name of several communes and places in Europe In Brandenburg Germany Briesen Spree-Neiße, in the Spree-Neiße district (Sorbian Wąbrzeźno (Briesen is a town in Poland, in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, about 35 km northeast of Toruń. 46 | 21,688 | 45. 62 |
| Thorn-Stadt (City) | Toruń | 43,658 | 13,988 | 32. Toruń Lublin Voivodeship Toruń (Thorn Torń Thorunium see also other names) is a city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River with population 04 | 29,230 | 66. 59 |
| Thorn-Land | Toruń | 58,765 | 30,833 | 52. Toruń Lublin Voivodeship Toruń (Thorn Torń Thorunium see also other names) is a city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River with population 47 | 27,508 | 46. 81 |
| Kulm | Chełmno | 49,521 | 25,659 | 51. For the concentration camp located near a village with a similar name Chełmno nad Nerem see Chełmno extermination camp. 89 | 23,521 | 47. 50 |
| Graudenz-Stadt (City) | Grudziądz | 39,953 | 4,421 | 11. Grudziądz (Graudenz Graudensis Грудзёндз is a City in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 9909 Grudziądz (Graudenz Graudensis Грудзёндз is a City in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 9909 07 | 30,709 | 76. 86 |
| Graudenz-Land | Grudziądz | 46,509 | 19,331 | 41. Grudziądz (Graudenz Graudensis Грудзёндз is a City in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 9909 Grudziądz (Graudenz Graudensis Грудзёндз is a City in northern Poland on the Vistula River, with 9909 56 | 26,888 | 57. 81 |
| Schwetz | Świecie | 87,151 | 47,779 | 54. Świecie (Schwetz is a Town in northern Poland with 25968 inhabitants (2006 situated in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999 it Świecie (Schwetz is a Town in northern Poland with 25968 inhabitants (2006 situated in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999 it 82 | 39,276 | 45. 07 |
| Tuchel | Tuchola | 30,803 | 20,540 | 66. Tuchola (Tuchel is a Town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland. Tuchola (Tuchel is a Town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland. 68 | 9,925 | 32. 22 |
| Konitz | Chojnice | 59,694 | 32,704 | 54. Chojnice ( Kashubian / Pomeranian: Chònice, Konitz is a town in northern Poland with 39 670 inhabitants (2004 near famous Tuchola Chojnice ( Kashubian / Pomeranian: Chònice, Konitz is a town in northern Poland with 39 670 inhabitants (2004 near famous Tuchola 79 | 26,581 | 44. 50 |
| Schlochau | Człuchów | 66,317 | 10,180 | 15. Człuchów ( is a town in the region of Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland, with some 14610 inhabitants (2004 Człuchów ( is a town in the region of Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland, with some 14610 inhabitants (2004 35 | 55,981 | 84. 41 |
| Flatow | Złotów | 67,783 | 18,002 | 26. Złotów is a town in northern Wielkopolska in Poland with a population of 19200 inhabitants (2005 Złotów is a town in northern Wielkopolska in Poland with a population of 19200 inhabitants (2005 56 | 49,167 | 72. 54 |
| Deutsch Krone | Wałcz | 63,706 | 653 | 1. Wałcz ( Kashubian Wôłcz, Deutsch Krone is a County town in Wałcz County of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Wałcz ( Kashubian Wôłcz, Deutsch Krone is a County town in Wałcz County of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern 03 | 62,977 | 98. 86 |
Office Holders
See also
- East Prussia
- Province of East Prussia
- Pomerelia
- Pomerania
- Province of Prussia
- Royal Prussia
- Polish Corridor
- Free City of Danzig
- Second Polish Republic’s Pomeranian Voivodeship (1919-1939)
- Poland’s current Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeships
External links
- www.westpreussen-online.de (German)
- Administrative subdivision of the province in 1910 (German)
- Das Westpreußenlied (Real Audio)
- West Prussia FAQ
- East and West Prussia Gazetteer
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