Greater Poland Voivodeship

Infobox Settlement
name = Greater Poland Voivodeship
native_name=Województwo wielkopolskie
settlement_type=

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image_shield = POL województwo wielkopolskie COA.svg


map_caption = Location within Poland

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map_caption1 = Division into counties
subdivision_type=Country
subdivision_name=POL
seat_type=Capital
seat = Poznań
parts_type = Counties
parts=4 cities, 31 land counties *
p1=Kalisz|p2=Konin|p3=Leszno|p4=Poznań|p5=Chodzież County|p6=Czarnków-Trzcianka County|p7=Gniezno County|p8=Gostyń County|p9=Grodzisk Wielkopolski County|p10=Jarocin County|p11=Kalisz County|p12=Kępno County|p13=Koło County|p14=Konin County|p15=Kościan County|p16=Krotoszyn County|p17=Leszno County|p18=Międzychód County|p19=Nowy Tomyśl County|p20=Oborniki County|p21=Ostrów Wielkopolski County|p22=Ostrzeszów County|p23=Piła County|p24=Pleszew County|p25=Poznań County|p26=Rawicz County|p27=Słupca County|p28=Szamotuły County|p29=Środa Wielkopolska County|p30=Śrem County|p31=Turek County|p32=Wągrowiec County|p33=Wolsztyn County|p34=Września County|p35=Złotów County|coor_pinpoint=Poznań|latd=52|latm=17|lats=34|latNS=N|longd=16|longm=44|longs=8|longEW=E
area_total_km2 = 29826
total_type=Total
population_total = 3374653
population_as_of = 2006
population_density_km2 = auto
population_urban=1923582
population_blank1_title=Rural
population_blank1=1451071
blank_name=Car plates
blank_info=P
website=http://www.en.poznan.uw.gov.pl/
footnotes = * further divided into 226 gminas

Greater Poland Voivodeship (also known as Wielkopolska Province, or by its Polish name of "województwo wielkopolskie" IPA-pl| [|w|o|j|e|'|w|u|c|t|f|o|-|w|j|e|l|k|oIPA-pl|'|p|o|l|s|k|j|e| or simply "Wielkopolskie") is a voivodeship, or province, in west-central Poland. It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Poznań, Kalisz, Konin, Piła and Leszno Voivodeships, pursuant to the 1998 Local Government Reorganization Act. The province is named after the region called Greater Poland or "Wielkopolska" Audio-IPA-pl|Wielkopolska.ogg|w|j|e|l|k|o|'|p|o|l|s|k|a. The modern province includes most of this historic region, except for some south-western parts.

Greater Poland Voivodeship is second in area and third in population among Poland's sixteen voivodeships, with an area of convert|29826|km2|sqmi and a population of close to 3.4 million. Its capital city is Poznań; other important cities include Kalisz, Konin, Piła, Ostrów Wielkopolski and Gniezno (an early capital of Poland). It is bordered by seven other voivodeships: West Pomeranian to the north-west, Pomeranian to the north, Kuyavian-Pomeranian to the north-east, Łódź to the south-east, Opole to the south, Lower Silesian to the south-west and Lubusz to the west.

Greater Poland Voivodeship and the city of Poznań have international twinning arrangements with the English county of Nottinghamshire. [http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/your_council/howweprovideyourservices/partnerships/internationalandtwinning/transnationalpartnerships.htm]

Cities and towns

The voivodeship contains 109 cities and towns. These are listed below in descending order of population (according to official figures for 2006 [http://www.stat.gov.pl/gus/45_655_PLK_HTML.htm] ):1. Poznań (566,546)
2. Kalisz (108,575)
3. Konin (80,618)
4. Piła (75,044)
5. Ostrów Wielkopolski (72,577)
6. Gniezno (70,080)
7. Leszno (64,079)
8. Śrem (30,227)
9. Swarzędz (29,894)
10. Krotoszyn (29,421)
11. Turek (29,302)
12. Września (28,617)
13. Luboń (26,935)
14. Jarocin (25,834)
15. Wągrowiec (24,681)
16. Kościan (24,102)
17. Koło (23,034)
18. Środa Wielkopolska (21,635)
19. Rawicz (21,301)
20. Gostyń (20,588)
21. Chodzież (19,652)
22. Szamotuły (18,760)
23. Złotów (18,468)
24. Oborniki (17,850)
25. Pleszew (17,787)
26. Trzcianka (16,756)
27. Nowy Tomyśl (15,225)
28. Kępno (14,710)
29. Ostrzeszów (14,536)
30. Słupca (14,363)
31. Grodzisk Wielkopolski (13,703)
32. Wolsztyn (13,557)
33. Mosina (12,150)
34. Wronki (11,551)
35. Czarnków (11,356)
36. Międzychód (10,920)
37. Rogoźno (10,905)
38. Murowana Goślina (10,140)
39. Puszczykowo (9,311)
40. Opalenica (9,104)
41. Kostrzyn (8,539)
42. Jastrowie (8,403)
43. Pobiedziska (8,329)
44. Witkowo (7,855)
45. Trzemeszno (7,789)
46. Pniewy (7,464)
47. Zbąszyń (7,300)
48. Kórnik (6,981)
49. Kłodawa (6,829)
50. Koźmin Wielkopolski (6,707)
51. Krzyż Wielkopolski (6,283)
52. Buk (6,181)
53. Sieraków (5,994)
54. Wieleń (5,940)
55. Śmigiel (5,452)
56. Stęszew (5,339)
57. Wyrzysk (5,234)
58. Czempiń (5,135)
59. Nowe Skalmierzyce (5,080)
60. Odolanów (4,960)
61. Zduny (4,498)
62. Golina (4,330)
63. Szamocin (4,267)
64. Kleczew (4,173)
65. Krobia (4,022)
66. Ujście (3,899)
67. Skoki (3,866)
68. Okonek (3,827)
69. Sompolno (3,695)
70. Krajenka (3,651)
71. Miłosław (3,589)
72. Tuliszków (3,393)
73. Gołańcz (3,342)
74. Rakoniewice (3,253)
75. Nekla (3,203)
76. Pyzdry (3,188)
77. Łobżenica (3,172)
78. Miejska Górka (3,128)
79. Ślesin (3,102)
80. Kobylin (3,084)
81. Bojanowo (3,014)
82. Margonin (2,956)
83. Zagórów (2,932)
84. Lwówek (2,909)
85. Poniec (2,875)
86. Sulmierzyce (2,772)
87. Wysoka (2,750)
88. Książ Wielkopolski (2,724)
89. Kłecko (2,677)
90. Czerniejewo (2,556)
91. Rydzyna (2,539)
92. Borek Wielkopolski (2,486)
93. Rychwał (2,377)
94. Obrzycko (2,170)
95. Dąbie (2,087)
96. Żerków (2,058)
97. Raszków (2,037)
98. Osieczna (2,018)
99. Ostroróg (1,995)
100. Pogorzela (1,974)
101. Grabów nad Prosną (1,967)
102. Jutrosin (1,872)
103. Mikstat (1,840)
104. Przedecz (1,771)
105. Wielichowo (1,765)
106. Stawiszyn (1,554)
107. Krzywiń (1,547)
108. Dobra (1,511)
109. Dolsk (1,479)

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).

Protected areas

Protected areas in Greater Poland Voivodeship include two National Parks and 12 Landscape Parks. These are listed below.
*Drawno National Park (partly in Lubusz and West Pomeranian Voivodeships)
*Wielkopolska 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

Most popular surnames in the region

# Nowak: 35,011
# Kaczmarek: 24,185
# Wojciechowski: 12,928

See also

* Prussia’s Province of Posen (1818-1919)
* Second Polish Republic’s Poznań Voivodeship (1921-1939)

Further reading

* Zygmunt Boras, "Książęta Piastowscy Wielkopolski" (Piast Princes of Wielkopolska), Poznań, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, 1983.

External links

* [http://www.en.poznan.uw.gov.pl/439-4486d38e1b044.htm Voivodeship Office in Poznan]
* [http://www.wielkopolska.mw.gov.pl/ Greater Poland Local Government Office]
* [http://chefmoz.org/Poland/WP/ ChefMoz Dining Guide Greater Poland]
* [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/Poland/Voivodships/Wielkopolska/ Open Directory Project Greater Poland]