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87-546: Historically, the Mezen Bay was the fishing area. The pomors who populated the coast fished along it. A sudden change of the weather could drive them off-shore. In this case, Morzhovets island was the last land before they got driven off to the Barents Sea and perish, and thus was considered to be the last resort. Another traditional occupation of the pomors in the Mezen Bay was seal hunting . The south-western coast of

174-751: A euroregion since 1995. The Pomerania euroregion comprises Hither Pomerania and Uckermark in Germany, West Pomerania in Poland, and Scania in Sweden. In Lechitic languages the prefix "po-" means along ; unlike the word "po", which means after . Pomorze , therefore, means Along the Sea . This construction is similar to toponyms Pogórze ( Along the Mountains ), Polesie ( Along the Forest ), Porzecze ( Along

261-419: A Western or European construct. The culture of neighboring peoples had a significant influence on the fairy tale (bylina) tradition of Pomorye. The most popular ones here are long fairy tales about adventures, in which the action is often connected with the sea. Usually the main character of such tales is a poor man. Fairy tales with a female protagonist are no less common. They share all the trials equally with

348-664: A consequence, the term "West Pomerania" is ambiguous, since it may refer to either Hither Pomerania (in German usage and historical usage based on German terminology ), or to combined Hither and Farther Pomerania (in Polish usage and historical usage based on German terminology). In parallel, the term "East Pomerania" may similarly carry different meanings, referring either to Farther Pomerania (in German usage and historical usage based on German terminology ), or to Pomerelia (in Polish usage and historical usage based on German terminology). As

435-702: A free, fluid and diverse conception of religion and may celebrate traditional holidays like the Pomor New Year in September or the Roe Deer Festival, partake in Orthodox pilgrimages or meditate in places of power where they may also leave ribbons and coins. These traditions are however often combined into a single syncretic worldview with a topographical basis that includes local locus cults and hierotopic practices without clear boundaries between

522-417: A further complication, the borders of the eponymous administrative units have been drawn disregarding mostly the historical ones. The Polish unit called województwo zachodniopomorskie ( West Pomeranian Voivodeship ) includes the whole Polish part of Hither Pomerania, but only the western two-thirds of Farther Pomerania, with the remaining easternmost one-third ( Słupsk , Ustka , and Miastko ) has been part of

609-450: A further regional unit, in this case bearing a name accurately reflecting historical heterogeneity of its territory. Similarity but to lesser extent, borders of the combined German districts Vorpommern-Rügen and Vorpommern-Greifswald deviate significantly in numerous locations from the historical ones with Mecklenburg and Brandenburg . As a consequence, the common understanding of the terms has started to be used more and more frequently in

696-511: A key role in Pomor mythology as it is also represented by the Bird of Happiness in Pomor households. One of the critical aspects of the Pomor spiritual world was the sacred status of the bathhouse, which was viewed as an archaic sanctuary-temple. The bathhouse played a central role in initiatory and medical rituals that symbolized the "second birth" of a person, just like the festivals connected to

783-400: A large role in daily life, as it is a part of the "Pomor fate" to actively engage in this battle, which is not only shaped by actions but also the words of the shaman or starinshchik, the person who has knowledge of the ritual turns of speech and sacred formulas. The winter is considered a dreamtime , which is ended by localized celebrations of symbolic rebirth that greet the sun, which plays

870-618: A result of the Teutonic rule, in German terminology the name of Prussia was also extended to conquered Polish lands like Gdańsk Pomerania , although it was not inhabited by Baltic Prussians but Lechitic Poles. Meanwhile, the Ostsiedlung started to turn Slavic narrow Pomerania into an increasingly German-settled area; the remaining Wends and Polish people, often known as Kashubians , continued to settle within Pomerelia. In 1325

957-501: A significant mythopoetic meaning as a threshold between the world of the living and the world of the dead. This view of the sea as a boundary endowed navigation with profound religious significance. The Pomors regarded the northeast wind, or "polunoshnik," as a sacred force, connecting the mundane world to the mystical realms of the North, where contact with the otherworldly was inevitable. The sea, with its destructive and creative powers,

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1044-442: A small part of Pomerelia ( Biały Bór ); in turn the other one comprises only approximately northern two-thirds of Pomerelia but also parts of historical Malbork Land and Upper Prussia known under the ethnographic designation of Powiśle and constituting the westernmost strip of historical Prussia ; and finally, the remaining one third of Pomerelia forms part of województwo kujawsko-pomorskie ( Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship ),

1131-432: Is alternatively known as Pomerelia , consisting of four sub-regions: Kashubia inhabited by ethnic Kashubians , Kociewie , Tuchola Forest and Chełmno Land . Pomerania has a relatively low population density , with its largest cities being Gdańsk and Szczecin . Outside its urban areas, it is characterized by farmland, dotted with numerous lakes, forests, and small towns. In the west of Pomerania lie several islands,

1218-419: Is pivotal to Pomor philosophy , reminiscent of concepts like Yin and Yang . This highlights the importance of liminal spaces and thresholds. Even the sacred always has a dark side which is in this case represented by the "guardians of the threshold" while the "axis of the world" or "northern mountain" which was believed to exist behind the sea was recognized as a paradise . However, it is not possible to enter

1305-462: The Lebensraum policy. The Stutthof concentration camp with numerous subcamps was located in the region. There were also numerous Nazi prisons, forced labour camps, and multiple prisoner-of-war camps , including the large Stalag II-B and Stalag II-D , for Polish, French , Belgian, Dutch, Serbian, Italian , American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander and other Allied POWs. Połczyn-Zdrój

1392-410: The 2018–2020 Shies protests under the motto “Pomorye is not a trash heap” with more than 30,000 participants that successfully blocked the creation of a landfill at Shiyes station and led to the resignation of Governor of Arkhangelsk Oblast Igor Orlov and Komi Republic Governor Sergei Gaplikov. The movement was influenced by Pomor separatists that seek an independent Pomorye or Biarmia One of

1479-456: The Communist regimes implemented during the post-war era; since then, Pomerania is democratically governed . Pomeranian dialect and traditions still live in the country of Brazil in a colony where the language is still spoken. The arrival of Pomerania immigrants with Germans and Italians helped form the state of Espírito Santo since the early 1930s. Their importance and respect are one of

1566-675: The Gestapo carried out arrests of Polish leaders, activists, entrepreneurs, and even some staff of the Consulate of Poland in Szczecin. In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland starting World War II . The first battle of the war, at Westerplatte , was fought in the region. Afterwards the Polish part of Pomerania was annexed by Germany, and made part of the Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia . The Nazis deported

1653-646: The Kashubians in Pomerelia . In the German part of Pomerania, Standard German dominates. The historical German dialects of Pomerania are, however, Low German . The Pomeranian dialects were all part of the East Low German subgroup: Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch in the west, Central Pomeranian (Mittelpommersch) in Central Pomerania around Szczecin (then Stettin), and East Pomeranian in

1740-560: The Little Kashubian Tricity with a population of 120,158 people (2012), formed by the City of Wejherowo (population 50,310 in 2012) and the towns (urban gminas) of Rumia (population 49,230 in 2020) and Reda (population 26,011 in 2019). The area also includes two smaller towns of Żukowo and Pruszcz Gdański belonging to the eponymous urban-rural gminas, and a number of rural gminas. Altogether, there are 16 cities in

1827-1035: The National Museum in Szczecin , the Museum of the Puck Region , and the Museum of Maritime Fisheries in Świnoujście. Other notable museums include the Museum of the National Anthem ( Muzeum Hymnu Narodowego ) in Będomin at the birthplace of Józef Wybicki , author of the lyrics of the national anthem of Poland , and the Copernicus House in Toruń , birthplace of famed astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus . The Diocesan Museum in Pelplin contains one of

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1914-763: The Northern Dvina , Mezen , Pechora and Onega estuaries and founded settlements along the sea coasts of Bjarmaland . Kholmogory served as their chief town until the rise of Arkhangelsk in the late 16th century. From their base at Kola , they explored the Barents Region and the Kola peninsula and Novaya Zemlya . Later the Pomors discovered and maintained the Northern Sea Route between Arkhangelsk and Siberia . With their ships ( koches ),

2001-567: The Pomeranian Lake District . The soil is generally rather poor, sometimes sandy or marshy. The western coastline is jagged, with many peninsulas (such as Darß – Zingst ) and islands (including Rügen , Usedom , and Wolin ) enclosing numerous bays ( Bodden ) and lagoons (the biggest being the Lagoon of Szczecin ). The eastern coastline is smooth. Łebsko and several other lakes were formerly bays, but have been cut off from

2088-475: The Pomorian Church still has around 400 thousand members. Pomor Christianity has traditionally coexisted and been infused with an animism , which is based on sacral geography, in a syncretic manner, resulting in a strong environmental ethic . This led to the classification of certain animals like the beluga whale as holy and resistance to modern fishing techniques in the 20th century. As part of

2175-582: The Province of West Prussia . With Prussia, both provinces joined the newly constituted German Empire in 1871. Under German rule, the Polish minority suffered discrimination and oppressive measures aimed at eradicating its culture. Following the German Empire's defeat in World War I, however, eastern Pomerania/ Pomerelia was returned to the rebuilt Polish state, while German-majority Gdańsk/Danzig

2262-957: The University of Szczecin , the University of Gdańsk and the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń , the oldest of which, the University of Greifswald , was founded when Greifswald belonged to Duchy of Pomerania , thus being one of the oldest universities in the world . The technical universities are the Gdańsk University of Technology , West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, and Koszalin University of Technology . The Stralsund University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Stralsund) in Stralsund has around 2,400 students. Agriculture primarily consists of raising livestock, forestry, fishery, and

2349-525: The White Sea coasts and the territory whose southern border lies on a watershed which separates the White Sea river basin from the basins of rivers that flow south. Genetically, though, they are more closely related to indigenous Uralic ethnicities of the area and show no affiliations to Novgorod populations. As early as the 12th century, explorers from Novgorod entered the White Sea through

2436-570: The former eastern territories of Germany and Poles of German ethnicity from Pomerelia were expelled . Between 1945 and 1948, millions of ethnic Germans (Volksdeutsche) and German citizens (Reichsdeutsche), were removed from former German territory now governed by Poland and other Eastern European countries. Many German civilians were sent to internment and labor camps where they were used as forced labor as part of German reparations to countries in Eastern Europe. The death toll attributable to

2523-500: The sacred and the profane. Affiliation with the Russian Orthodox Church is low. In Pomorye traditionally exists the social role of "raspetushya", persons of indeterminate sex, who can be either born intersex or a biological male with appearance, behavior, lifestyle and occupations that are closer to a woman. According to society, these people did not have a certain gender and therefore had to wander around

2610-483: The województwo pomorskie ([East-] Pomeranian Voivodeship ). The former regional unit stretches however far more south than the historical region, to include the northern part of the historical Neumark ( Dębno , Chojna , Trzcińsko-Zdrój , Myślibórz , Nowogródek Pomorski , Lipiany , Barlinek , Pełczyce , Suchań , Choszczno , Recz , and Drawno ), as well as a strip the historical Greater Poland ( Tuczno , Człopa , Mirosławiec , Wałcz , and Czaplinek ), or even

2697-470: The 10th century, early Polish rulers subdued the region, successfully integrating the eastern part with Poland, while the western part fell under the suzerainty of Denmark and the Holy Roman Empire in the late 12th century. Gdańsk , established during the reign of Mieszko I of Poland has since become Poland's main port (apart from periods of Poland losing control over the region). In

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2784-805: The 12th century, the Duchy of Pomerania (western part), as a vassal state of Poland, became Christian under saint Otto of Bamberg ( the Apostle of the Pomeranians ); at the same time Pomerelia (eastern part) became a part of diocese of Włocławek within Poland. Since the late 12th-early 13th century, the Griffin Duchy of Pomerania stayed with the Holy Roman Empire and the Principality of Rugia with Denmark, while Pomerelia, under

2871-493: The 12–15th centuries, Pomor'e was considered an extensive colony of the state of Veliky Novgorod . By the early 16th century the annexation of Pomor'e by Moscow was completed. In the 17th century, in 22 Pomor'e districts, the great bulk of the population consisted of free peasants. A portion of the land belonged to monasteries and to the Stroganov merchants. There were no landlords in Pomor'e. The population of Pomor'e districts

2958-624: The 2002 census , respondents had the option to identify as "Pomors", this group being tabulated by the census as a subgroup of the Russian ethnicity. However, only 6,571 persons did so, almost all of them in Arkhangelsk Oblast (6,295) and Murmansk Oblast (127). Pomors are mostly Orthodox Christians in faith. Prior to the Revolution of 1917 a large percentage of Russians from Pomorje (or Pomors) were practicing Old Believers ,

3045-540: The Amber Museums in Gdańsk and Jarosławiec , and the Museum of Gingerbread in Toruń. There are around 40 museums in the district of Vorpommern-Rügen , the most notable of which are: In the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald are located around 30 museums, among which: There are four traditional (non-profiled and multi-faculty, public research ) universities in the region, namely the University of Greifswald ,

3132-1116: The Guardhouse no. 1 at Westerplatte (a branch of the Museum of Gdańsk), the Museum of Coastal Defence in Hel , the Stutthof Museum in Sztutowo with the branch Piaśnica Museum in Wejherowo , the Museum of the Pomeranian Wall and World War II in Szczecinek , and the Armory Museum in Kłanino . There are also aquaria: the Gdynia Aquarium and the Seal Sanctuary in Hel . Perhaps more unusual museums include

3219-1138: The Museum of Sopot, the Emigration Museum in Gdynia, the Museum of Polish Navy in Gdynia, the Museum of Kociewie in Starogard Gdański, the Museum of Kashubian and Pomeranian Literature and Music in Wejherowo, the Kashubian Museum in Kartuzy, the Central Pomerania Museum in Słupsk , the Darłowo Museum, the Koszalin Museum, the Museum of Polish Arms in Kołobrzeg, the Museum of Archeology and History in Stargard,

3306-675: The Polish (along with Kashubian ) population remained with the Roman Catholic Church . The Thirty Years' War severely ravaged and depopulated narrow Pomerania; few years later this same happened to Pomerelia ( the Deluge ). With the extinction of the Griffin house during the same period, the Duchy of Pomerania was divided between the Swedish Empire and Brandenburg-Prussia in 1648 , while Pomerelia remained in with

3393-411: The Polish Crown. Prussia gained the southern parts of Swedish Pomerania in 1720, invaded and annexed Pomerelia from Poland in 1772 and 1793, and gained the remainder of Swedish Pomerania in 1815 , after the Napoleonic Wars . The former Brandenburg-Prussian Pomerania and the former Swedish parts were reorganized into the Prussian Province of Pomerania , while Pomerelia was made part of

3480-523: The Pomeranian Jews to a reservation near Lublin . The Polish population suffered heavily during the Nazi oppression ; more than 40,000 died in executions, death camps, prisons and forced labour , primarily those who were teachers, businessmen, priests, politicians, former army officers, and civil servants. Thousands of Poles and Kashubians suffered expulsion , their homes taken over by the German military and civil servants, as well as some Baltic Germans resettled there between 1940 and 1943 in accordance with

3567-503: The Pomeranian universities. Since the late 19th century, tourism has been an important sector of the economy, primarily in the numerous seaside resorts along the coast. The Polish Świnoujście LNG terminal is located in Pomerania. Sports enjoying either great popularity or success in Pomerania are football , basketball , speedway , handball , volleyball and rugby union . Most popular and accomplished football teams are Arka Gdynia , Lechia Gdańsk and Pogoń Szczecin , based in

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3654-454: The Pomor Krai. Pomerania Pomerania ( Polish : Pomorze [pɔˈmɔʐɛ] ; German : Pommern [ˈpɔmɐn] ; Pòmòrskô ; Swedish : Pommern ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe , split between Poland and Germany . The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian , Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeships of Poland, while

3741-426: The Pomor based on the sea included animal hunting, whaling and fishing; in tundra regions they practiced reindeer herding. The Pomor traded by sea in corn and fish with Northern Norway , which became important to both sides. This trade was so intensive that a kind of Russian-Norwegian pidgin language Moja på tvoja (or Russenorsk ) developed on the North Norwegian coast that was used from 1750 to 1920. In

3828-461: The Pomors derives from the Pomorsky (literally, "maritime") coast of the White Sea (between Onega and Kem ), having the root of more ( море , meaning "sea"; derived from an Indo-European root ). The same root appears in the toponym Pomerania ( Polish : Pomorze ) and Armorica ( Gaulish : Aremorica ) and also in the Gaulish ethnonym Morini . The term Pomor, which in the 10th–12th centuries meant "a person who lived near sea", gradually

3915-401: The Pomors penetrated to the trans- Ural areas of Northern Siberia, where they founded the settlement of Mangazeya east of the Yamal Peninsula in the early 16th century. Tatyana Bratkova has reported that some historians speculate that in the early 17th century, Pomors settled the isolated village of Russkoye Ustye in the delta of the Indigirka , in north-eastern Yakutia . The name of

4002-596: The River ), etc. Pomerania was first mentioned in an imperial document of 1046, referring to a Zemuzil dux Bomeranorum ( Zemuzil , Duke of the Pomeranians). Pomerania is mentioned repeatedly in the chronicles of Adam of Bremen (c. 1070) and Gallus Anonymous (ca. 1113). The territorial designation "Pomerania" lacks a universally accepted definition, since it may refer either to combined Hither and Farther Pomerania only (in German contemporary and historical usage ) or to Hither and Farther Pomerania combined with Pomerelia (in Polish contemporary and historical usage). As

4089-461: The ancestors, ensuring the stability of the ethnic group’s sacred traditions. In Pomor belief, these island-topos served as symbolic models of the universe, where the three co-temporal and co-spatial domains of the dead, the living, and the descendants intersected, creating a space where the past, present, and future were fused into a single continuum. Ritual remembrance, particularly through the act of memorial rites conducted on these islands, reinforced

4176-427: The bay is known as Abramovsky Bereg , and the eastern coast is known as Konushinsky Bereg . The principal villages on the Abramovsky coast are Koyda and Dolgoshhelye, both of the Mezensky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast. On the Konushinsky Coast, the main villages are Yazhma and Chizha, both in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The entire coast of the Mezen Bay is included into a border security zone , intended to protect

4263-759: The borders of Russian Federation from unwanted activity. In order to visit the zone, a permit issued by the local FSB department is required. There was a project to construct a tidal power station , Mezenskaya Tidal Power Plant , in the Mezen bay which would exploit the great height of the tides. The project has not been realized. 66°45′N 43°30′E  /  66.750°N 43.500°E  / 66.750; 43.500 Pomors Pomors or Pomory ( Russian : помо́ры , lit.   'seasiders', Russian pronunciation: [pɐˈmorɨ] ) are an ethnographic group thought to be descended from Russian settlers (primarily from Veliky Novgorod ) according to traditional Russian historiography, living on

4350-432: The broad-sense Pomerania, understood as comprising also Pomerelia . Their list is presented below and includes the 14 municipalities in Poland electing a city mayor ( Polish : prezydent miasta ) instead of a town mayor ( Polish : burmistrz ), with 9 of them holding the status of a city with powiat rights ( Polish : miasto na prawach powiatu , an independent city ), as well as the 2 municipalities in Germany holding

4437-474: The broader category of "cold societies" that are based around the concept of eternal return like the neighboring Sami , Nenets or Komi the Pomor worldview reflects a complex interaction between ancient piety, shamanism , and ritualistic practices aimed at maintaining homeostasis within their communities. This homeostasis however, is an active and fluid concept called dynamic constancy and does not represent absolute standstill. The Pomors believed that preserving

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4524-556: The cultivation of cereals , sugar beets , and potatoes. Industrial food processing is increasingly relevant in the region. Key producing industries are shipyards , mechanical engineering facilities (i.e. renewable energy components), and sugar refineries , along with paper and wood fabricators. Service industries today are an important economical factor in Pomerania, most notably with logistics, information technology, life science , biotechnology , health care, and other high-tech branches often clustering around research facilities of

4611-431: The cultural signatures of the area. The Brazilian city of Pomerode (in the state of Santa Catarina ) was founded by Pomeranian Germans in 1861 and is considered the most typically German of all the German towns of southern Brazil. The German part of Western Pomerania is inhabited by German Pomeranians . In other parts, Poles are the dominant ethnic group since the territorial changes of Poland after World War II , and

4698-425: The depopulation of vast areas that are now used for military purposes. By 2012, 50% of all Pomor villages had been destroyed, dubbed a genocide by P. Esipov, the first leader of the Pomor national-cultural autonomy as registered by the Russian Ministry of Justice . Many Pomor villages are only reachable by helicopter and have lacking infrastructure, large parts of Pomorye are now used as garbage dumps. This led to

4785-421: The descendants of émigrées, most notably in the Americas (e.g. Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Canada). Slovincian was spoken at the Farther Pomeranian –Pomerelian frontier, but is now extinct. At least 50 museums in Poland cover the history of Pomerania, the most important of them being the District Museum in Toruń , the Museum in Grudziądz, the National Museum in Gdańsk , the National Maritime Museum, Gdańsk ,

4872-421: The east. It formerly reached perhaps as far south as the Noteć river, but since the 13th century its southern boundary has been placed further north. Most of the region is coastal lowland, being part of the Central European Plain . Its southern, hilly parts belong to the Baltic Ridge, a belt of terminal moraines formed during the Pleistocene . Within this ridge, a chain of moraine-dammed lakes constitutes

4959-399: The east. The regions east of the Piaśnica river are not considered Pomeranian according to German terminology, but either West Prussian or Pomerelian. Danzig German was hence classified as Low Prussian , like the dialects of East Prussia ( Königsberg ). Those parts of Pomerania that remained German after 1945 are almost entirely located in the Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch area. Only

5046-405: The eternal memory of the ancestors and the sacred geometry of the cosmos, thereby preserving the cultural identity of the Pomors. These traditions live on in modern Pomor society where a syncretic belief is widespread next to a number of (new) religious movements, that are based on traditional Pomor worldviews, which emerged after the fall of the atheist Soviet Union . Modern Pomor people have

5133-427: The expelled Pomeranians found refuge there, later many moved on to other German regions and abroad. Today German Hither Pomerania forms the eastern part of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , while the Polish part is divided mainly between the West Pomeranian , Pomeranian voivodeships, with their capitals in Szczecin and Gdańsk . During the 1980s, the Solidarity and Die Wende ("the change") movements overthrew

5220-498: The farewell to sea like a funeral played a key role in the light of these philosophical elements. During the main holiday, the conjunction of Old and New Year, the demiurge defeats the bearer of chaos and death each year anew, emphasizing the concept of cyclical time and eternal return. The total sacrifice and descend into chaos which leads to the poiesis of a new world is all-encompassing and does not only apply to people, but also gods and beasts . These spiritual beliefs also played

5307-420: The finest collections of medieval art in Poland, and the country's sole copy of the Gutenberg Bible . Medieval open-air museums are the Grodzisko in Sopot and Skansen in Wolin . There are also the Dar Pomorza , ORP Błyskawica and SS Sołdek museum ships . Several museums devoted to World War II history are located in Polish Pomerania, including the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk,

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5394-461: The flight and expulsions is disputed, with low-range estimates in the hundreds of thousands (see: Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950) ). The area was resettled primarily with Poles of Polish ethnicity, (some themselves expellees from former eastern Poland ) and some Poles of Ukrainian ethnicity (resettled under Operation Vistula ) and few Polish Jews . Most of Hither or Western Pomerania ( Vorpommern ) remained in Germany, and most of

5481-458: The former Province of Posen–West Prussia (part of historic Greater Poland ). Under the Nazi government , the persecution of Poles in the German-controlled part of Pomerania intensified. In January 1939, Germany resumed expulsions of Poles and many were also forced to flee. The Sturmabteilung , Schutzstaffel , Hitler Youth and Bund Deutscher Osten launched attacks on Polish institutions, schools and activists. From May to August 1939,

5568-500: The historical region of Hither Pomerania today, while the Szczecin metropolitan area reaches even further. Pomerelia is dominated by the Tricity metropolitan area (Pomeranian Voivodeship) with its population in 2012 estimated at least at 1,035,000 and the area at 1,332,51 km , encompassing the Tricity itself with a population of 748,986 combining the eponymous three cities of Gdańsk (population 460,427), Gdynia (population 248,726) and Sopot (population 38,217), as well as

5655-471: The historically Brandenburgian headwaters of the Uecker river ( Prenzlau ). In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , however, the dominating Low German standard version is the Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, and Central Pomeranian texts are often rewritten. East Pomeranian, Low Prussian , and Standard German were dominating east of the Oder-Neisse line before most of its speakers were expelled after World War II . Kashubian and East Low German are also spoken by

5742-405: The largest of which are Rügen , the largest island in Germany; Usedom /Uznam, and Wolin , the largest island in Poland. The region has a rich and complicated political and demographic history at the intersection of several cultures. Pomerania is the area along the Bay of Pomerania of the Baltic Sea between the rivers Recknitz , Trebel , Tollense and Augraben in the west and Vistula in

5829-426: The line of the princes of Rügen died out, and the principality was inherited by the Griffins . In 1466, with the Teutonic Order 's defeat in the Thirteen Years' War , Pomerelia became again part of the Polish Crown and formed the Pomeranian Voivodeship within the provinces of Royal Prussia and Greater Poland . While the German population in the Duchy of Pomerania adopted the Protestant reformation in 1534,

5916-406: The men or turn out to be his wonderful assistant. Though, in a number of tales, girls are also innocent victims of a treacherous enemy. Nowadays the Pomors are a minority in Arkhangelsk Oblast where most people are descendants of non-native Russians but there is still a thriving cultural scene with international outreach. However, the Pomor villages are not protected by the state which has taken

6003-446: The northwest of Pomeranian Voivodeship. Farther Pomerania in turn comprises several other historical subregions, most notably the former Principality of Cammin , the Nowogard County, and the Słupsk and Sławno Land . The Lębork and Bytów Land is considered a part of Pomerelia ( Kashubia ) by the Polish historiography, and of Farther Pomerania by the German historiography. Parts of Pomerania and surrounding regions have constituted

6090-412: The realm of the sacred without experiencing its ambivalence and dark aspects, represented by the guardians. Elements like the "wind rose", which helped Pomor sailors navigate, were also considered to be sacred knowledge. The concept of islands also held a sacred significance in Pomor rituals, particularly in burial and memorial practices. Islands were seen as chthonic spaces that connected the living with

6177-413: The regions between the Zarow river in the west and the Oder river in the east are historically part of the Central Pomeranian dialect region: the southern shores of the Szczecin Lagoon ( Ueckermünde ), the towns along the Uecker and Randow rivers, and those parts of Pomerania that are now in Brandenburg ( Gartz and the northern districts of Schwedt/Oder ). Central Pomeranian is also spoken along

6264-559: The resulting Polonization . Kashubians , descendants of the medieval West Slavic Pomeranians , are numerous in rural Pomerelia . German Hither Pomerania had a population of about 470,000 in 2012 (districts of Vorpommern-Rügen and Vorpommern-Greifswald combined) – while the Polish districts of Hither Pomerania had a population of about 580,000 in 2012 ( Szczecin and Świnoujście cities with powiat rights , Police County , as well as Goleniów Wolin and Międzyzdroje gminas combined). So overall, about 1.15 million people live in

6351-414: The right to fish and hunt animals away from the Pomors, banned the traditional Pomor trade of Greenland seals and expropriates their lands to then auction them to foreign investors, turning traditional houses to firewood and banning the people from entering their ancestral grounds. Russian laws target the indigenous population and even if promised the Pomors do not receive any compensation. This has led to

6438-465: The ruling of Samborides , was a part of Poland. Pomerania, during its alliance in the Holy Roman Empire , shared borders with West Slavic state Oldenburg, as well as Poland and the expanding Margraviate of Brandenburg . In the early 14th century the Teutonic Knights invaded and annexed Pomerelia from Poland into their monastic state , which already included historical Prussia . As

6525-676: The sea. The easternmost coastline along the Gdańsk Bay (with the Bay of Puck ) and Vistula Lagoon , has the Hel Peninsula and the Vistula peninsula jutting out into the Baltic. The Pomeranian region has the following administrative divisions: The bulk of Farther Pomerania is included within the modern West Pomeranian Voivodeship, but its easternmost parts (the Słupsk area) now constitute

6612-669: The sense of the current administrative units. Settlement in the area called Pomerania for the last 1,000 years started by the end of the Vistula Glacial Stage , some 13,000 years ago. Archeological traces have been found of various cultures during the Stone and Bronze Age , Baltic peoples , Germanic peoples and Veneti during the Iron Age and, in the Dark Ages , West Slavic tribes and Vikings . Starting in

6699-412: The static structure of their society was essential for survival in the environment of Pomorye , where the poet-storyteller (starinshchik) as a keeper of "deified memory" played a key role in maintaining this balance through mythopoetic expression. The passage from winter to summer was culturally connected to rebirth and rituals like making a sacrificial vow to the "sea god" Nikola Morsky and celebrating

6786-440: The status of a district-belonging city (German: Große kreisangehörige Stadt ), as no city of the German part of Pomerania holds currently any higher status, such as a partially of fully independent city (German: Große selbständige Stadt , Kreisfreie Stadt , or Stadtkreis ), or a city-state (German: Stadtstaat ). Polish is the dominating language in the Polish part of Pomerania. Kashubian dialects are also spoken by

6873-412: The sun. The connection between the bathhouse and the forge is notable, as both were considered marginal spaces associated with transformation and rebirth, drawing from their symbolic links to fire and water . The sacred geography of the Pomors placed the bathhouse on the periphery of the settlement, reinforcing its chthonic associations with both life and death. The sea, central to Pomor life, held

6960-641: The three universities of Arkhangelsk was named the Pomor State University (now merged into Northern (Arctic) Federal University ). In line with the current Russian trend towards amalgamating the least populated federal subjects into larger entities, a merger of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk Oblasts, the Komi Republic , and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug has been proposed , one of the possible names of this new territory being

7047-456: The villages. However, they were also seen as people with magical knowledge and secret skills like healing. While never being able to be a full part of society outside of intermediate positions, they were able to have social contacts and could for example sing together with the women. Nowadays, the LGBT community of the region embraces the identity instead of the term " third gender " which is seen as

7134-621: The western part belongs to the German states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg . Pomerania's historical border in the west is the Mecklenburg-Western Pomeranian border Urstromtal , which now constitutes the border between the Mecklenburgian and Pomeranian part of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while it is bounded by the Vistula River in the east. The easternmost part of Pomerania

7221-416: Was engaged in fishing, mica and salt production (Sol'-Kamskay, Sol'- Vychegodskay, Tot'ma, etc.) and other enterprises. The Russian Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary , in its 1890–1907 edition, classified Pomors as Great Russians or referred to them as Russian traders and trappers of the North. To date, no encyclopedia or encyclopedic dictionary refers to the Pomor as a separate ethnic group. In

7308-535: Was extended into one to apply to this population living relatively far away from the sea. Finally in the 15th century, the people became disconnected from the sea. The sea was not a major part of economy of this region. At the same time, people began using the term Pomor'e to refer to a territory of practically the whole European Russian North, including the Murmansk , Arkhangelsk and Vologda regions; and Karelia and Komi republics. The traditional livelihoods of

7395-487: Was perceived as both a source of chaos and a pathway to salvation, reflecting the dual nature of the northern lands adjacent to the Polar Mountain, which were simultaneously regions of heaven and hell . As the last two elements show, the combination of destruction and creation, life and death, or even the sacred and the mundane at the same time instead of a clear cut separation of dual forces like good and evil,

7482-645: Was the location of a Germanisation camp for kidnapped Polish children . The Polish resistance movement was active both in the pre-war Polish part and the pre-war German part of Pomerania. After Nazi Germany 's defeat in World War II, the German–Polish border was shifted west to the Oder–Neisse line , and all of Pomerania was in the Soviet Occupation Zone . The German inhabitants of

7569-464: Was transformed into the independent Free City of Danzig . In the interbellum, the border with Poland and the creation of what German propaganda called the " Polish Corridor " were often contested in Germany. Irredentist claims towards Poland were one of the factors contributing to the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany. In 1938 Germany's Province of Pomerania was expanded to include northern parts of

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