The Pomorskie Voivodship OurOur PocketPocket 1. Basic Information ofof EuropeEurope 1.1 Introduction a Location e Pomorskie is one of 16 voivodships in Poland, a country in Central-Eastern Europe, which since 1st May 2004 has been a European Union member state. The Pomorskie S The Pomorskie Voivodship is situated in the northern part of the country on the Voivodship is 18.3 thou- Baltic Sea coast. Its present shape results from the administrative reforms of sand square kilometres large. The population totals 1st January 1999. The thus established Pomorskie is made up of the whole of North c 2.2 million, out of which the former Gdaƒskie Voivodship as well as significant parts of three other i 1.5 million live in 42 cities voivodships. Due to these changes, a strong centre has been established on 18 and towns. Gdaƒsk, with its 293 square km, i.e. 5.9 percent of Poland’s territory. Almost 60 percent of t 461 thousand inhabitants, Poland’s coastline, i.e. 316 km is within Pomorskie. l Sea is the capital of the region. From the port of Ustka in west, through ¸eba, W∏adys∏awowo, the Hel peninsula, a Gdynia, Gdaƒsk, Krynica Morska on the Vistula Bar up to the border with the B Russian Federation, or more specifically, with the Kaliningrad Oblast. It borders on four other voivodships: Zachodnio-Pomorskie, Wielkopolskie, Kujawsko- The Pomorskie Pomorskie and Warmiƒsko-Mazurskie. From the voivodship’s capital city, Gdaƒsk, Voivodship is divided into it is 1893 km to Barcelona in Spain, 1403 km to Nice in France, 981 km to 20 poviats. Other major Rotterdam in the Netherlands, 420 km to Helsingor in Denmark, 666 km to towns here, apart from Bremen in Germany, 295 km to Kalmar in Sweden, 127 km to Kaliningrad in the Tricity, are: S∏upsk, Tczew, Starogard Gdaƒski, Poland Russia, 433 km to Vilnius in Lithuania and 1223 km to Odessa in the Ukraine. Wejherowo, Rumia, However, the initiatives of the regional self-government bring the countries and Chojnice, Kwidzyn, Malbork, cities of Europe closer and make distances irrelevant. Last year the Regional L´bork, KoÊcierzyna, Pomorskie Office was opened in Brussels, in the Scottish House, located very Pruszcz Gdaƒski, Reda, close to the European Commission building. Ustka, Kartuzy, Bytów. Population Pomorskie’s population is close to 2.2 million, which is about 5.7 percent of Gdaƒsk, Sopot, Gdynia – three Poland’s total. A significant majority – 1.5 million - lives in cities. Pomorskie is a towns on the Bay of Gdaƒsk form region of comparatively dense population. Statistics as of the end of 2003 the Tricity – a Polish metropolis indicated that there were 120 people per 1 square km. The average for Poland was 122 people. For every 100 people of working age there are 57.7 people of non-productive age. This is less than Poland’s average, which is 58.9 percent. This means that the population of Pomerania is comparatively young. It is also on the positive side of the population growth curve. The country’s average is –0.4 per 1000 inhabitants. In Pomorskie the population growth in 2003 was 2.0 per 1000 inhabitants. Cities There are 42 cities in the voivodship. The biggest are Gdaƒsk, Gdynia and Sopot, which, due to their proximity to each other, form the so-called Tricity conurbation, Basic Information 1 Investor’s Guide The Pomorskie Voivodship with a population of 755,700, and S∏upsk with 99,500 people. Wejherowo, Reda, 1.2 Administrative System Rumia, the so-called little Tricity, has a population of 106,200. Some other large cities are: Tczew (59,900), Starogard Gdaƒski (48,900), Chojnice (39,400), The Polish administrative system operates on three self-government tiers: Kwidzyn (37,400), Kartuzy (30,200), Bytów (23,300), KoÊcierzyna (23,200) and voivodship1, poviat2 and gmina3. The representatives are elected every four years. Pruszcz Gdaƒski (22,800). The Pomorskie voivodship is divided into 16 rural poviats, 4 urban poviats (poviat cities) and 123 gminas (including 81 rural gminas, 25 urban gminas and 17 mixed Climate gminas). Within the voivodship there are 42 cities and 2993 villages. The climate in Poland is temperate, shifting between maritime and continental.This means that the weather can be very changeable and the seasons may also vary. Voivodship Pomerania is situated mainly in the maritime climate zone, which in comparison to This is the highest self-government tier. The law-making body is a regional parliament inland areas has smaller daily temperature ranges, lower temperatures during (sejmik) with 33 elected members, including one chairperson. The executive body, The summer, higher temperatures during winter, and a higher incidence of windy and Voivodship Board, is elected by the regional parliament. The Voivodship Marshall stormy weather, with local land and sea breezes. In addition, there are more heads the Board. The voivodship self-government’s remit is to create, co-ordinate cloudy days than in other regions, and there are fewer snowy or frosty days. and provide a good environment for regional development. Daily tasks are the co- In the warmest months (July, August) the average temperature is 19.6 °C (67 ordination of public transport, financing a part of the hospital system and the F), and in the coldest (January, February) –1.4 °C (30 F). The most extreme largest cultural facilities. One of the crucial challenges is co-ordinating activities temperatures are 31.7 °C (89 F) in summer and -16 °C (3.2 F) in winter. The connected with the absorption and implementation of the European Funds for total annual rainfall is between 490 mm (Gdaƒsk) and 746 mm (¸eba). The average regions. wind velocity is 4.4 m/s. The national government is also represented in the regional Voivodship Office. The Voivodship Office is a central government body headed by a Voivod who represents Location - the region’s advantages the national government in the region. The office is a legal watchdog and may veto Pomorskie’s basic advantage is its direct access to the sea. As a result the region the self-government’s decisions if they are in conflict with the law or the state’s has been and still is Poland’s window to the outside world. The location has had a interest. natural impact on development of the port environment; there are large maritime ports as well as smaller fishing and passenger ports. Due to its location in Europe Poviats the voivodship is criss-crossed by international transport routes and this transit Poviats are the second tier of local self-government. There are rural poviats and location ensures the region’s participation in international co-operation and trade. poviat cities. The decision making body is a poviat council and a starosta is an The above-mentioned aspects have had an impact on business diversity and have executive officer. It is a particular self-government tier as it performs some of positively transformed the economy. Yet another advantage is the strong potential its responsibilities on behalf of the state administration. The poviat is in charge for agriculture, mainly in the of construction supervision, veterinarian supervision, and it is at this level that ˚u∏awy area. With its wide local police and fire brigade operational activity is co-ordinated. geographical variety (rivers, 450 lakes, post-glacial hills, Gminas including Wie˝yca 329 m The gminas form the smallest, local self-government tier. Gminas may be rural, above sea level, 36 percent urban or mixed. The Gmina Council is a decision-making body. A gmina’s mayor, of the region being forested) who may be called a president, burmistrz or wójt – depending on the gmina’s size Pomorskie is also a region and character – is an executive officer. Gminas make decisions on how and where with high tourist attraction to invest and what kind of business may be developed at a particular site. Gminas potential. also have tools to create economic policy, such as the introduction of local tax zones. 1voivodship – in other sources also: province, region 2poviat – in other sources also: county 3gmina – in other sources also: commune, municipality 2 Basic Information Basic Information 3 Investor’s Guide The Pomorskie Voivodship 1.3 History 2. Economy With its good location the region became wealthy long ago from the sea, its fertile soil and the amber and trade routes. The gothic castle route is evidence of the presence of the Knight Orders of The Teutonic Order and The Joannit Order, while 2.1 Infrastructure waterworks constructions are the legacy of Mennonite immigrants from the Netherlands. Sea ports Merchants from all over Europe used to come to the region. The thousand years The ports of Gdynia and Gdaƒsk are the biggest facilities of this type in the region. old city of Gdaƒsk has always been the most dynamic centre, and was once the They accommodate almost all types of cargoes and vessels. main Hanza Union port and one of the richest cities in Europe. It was famous for In 2003 the Port of Gdaƒsk exceeded an earlier record (20 million tons) for volume the August Fair organised to commemorate the patron of the Dominican Order, handled in one year thereby becoming (along with ports such as Ventspils, Tallinn, who arrived in Gdaƒsk in 1227. The August Fair used to be a festival of merchants Lubeck, St. Petersburg and Rostock) one of the biggest ports in the Baltic Sea in and craftsmen where some 400 ships would dock in port and deals were made in terms of volume handled. many languages. The fair tradition has survived to this day. The port's warehousing area is 106,300 sq.