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Greater Poland Wielkopolska | |
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 Coat of arms | |
 The proper Greater Poland | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Seat | Gniezno,Poznań,Kalisz |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Primary airport | Poznań–Ławica Airport |
| Highways |      |
Greater Poland, often known by its Polish nameWielkopolska (pronounced[vjɛlkɔˈpɔlska]ⓘ;Latin:Polonia Maior), is a Polish historical region of west-centralPoland. Its chief and largest city isPoznań followed byKalisz, the oldest city in Poland.
The boundaries of Greater Poland have varied somewhat throughout history. Since theLate Middle Ages, Wielkopolska proper has been split into thePoznań andKaliszvoivodeships. In the wider sense, it also encompassedSieradz,Łęczyca,Brześć Kujawski andInowrocław voivodeships, which were situated further east, and theSantok Land, located to the northwest.[1] The region in the proper sense roughly coincides with the present-dayGreater Poland Voivodeship (Polish:województwo wielkopolskie).
Like all the historical regions of Poland, i.ePomerania,Warmia,Silesia,Mazovia orLesser Poland and others, the Greater Poland region possesses its own folk costumes, architecture, cuisine, that make the region touristically and culturally interesting.
Due to the fact that Greater Poland was the settlement area of thePolans and the core of theearly Polish state, the region was at times simply called "Poland" (LatinPolonia). The more specific name is first recorded in the Latin formPolonia Maior in 1257 and in Polishw Wielkej Polszcze in 1449. Its original meaning wasthe Older Poland to contrast withLesser Poland (PolishMałopolska, LatinPolonia Minor), a region in south-eastern Poland with its capital atKraków that later became the main centre of the state.
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Greater Poland comprises much of the area drained by theWarta River and its tributaries, including theNoteć River. The region is distinguished fromLesser Poland with the lowland landscape, and from both Lesser Poland andMazovia with its numerous lakes. In the strict meaning, it covers an area of about 33,000 square kilometres (13,000 sq mi), and has a population of 3.5 million. In the wider sense, it has almost 60,000 square kilometres (23,000 sq mi), and 7 million inhabitants.
The region's main metropolis isPoznań, near the centre of the region, on the Warta. Other cities areKalisz to the south-east,Konin to the east,Piła to the north,Ostrów Wielkopolski to the south-east,Gniezno (the earliest capital of Poland) to the north-east, andLeszno to the south-west.
An area of 75.84 square kilometres (29.28 sq mi) of forest and lakeland south of Poznań is designated theWielkopolska National Park (Wielkopolski Park Narodowy), established in 1957. The region also contains part ofDrawa National Park, and several designatedLandscape Parks. For example, theRogalin Landscape Park is famous for about 2000 monumentaloak trees growing on the flood plain of the riverWarta, among numerousox-bow lakes.
 | It has been suggested that this section besplit out into another article titledHistory of Greater Poland. (Discuss)(November 2023) |
Greater Poland formed the heart of the 10th-centuryearly Polish state, sometimes being called the "cradle of Poland".Poznań andGniezno were early centres of royal power and the seats of Poland's first Catholic diocese, est. inPoznań in 968, and the first archdiocese, est. inGniezno in 1000, but following devastation of the region bypagan rebellion in the 1030s, and the invasion ofBretislaus I of Bohemia in 1038, the capital was moved byCasimir I the Restorer from Gniezno toKraków.
In theTestament of Bolesław III Wrymouth, which initiated the period of fragmentation of Poland (1138–1320), the western part of Greater Poland (including Poznań) was granted toMieszko III the Old. The eastern part, with Gniezno andKalisz, was part of theSeniorate Province centered inKraków, granted toWładysław II. However, for most of the period the two parts were under a single ruler, and were known as theDuchy of Greater Poland (although at times there were separately ruled duchies of Poznań, Gniezno,Kalisz andUjście). It was one of the leading and fastest developing regions of Poland, withmunicipal rights modeled after Poznań and Kalisz becoming the basis of municipal form of government for several towns in the region, as two of five local Polish variants of medieval town rights. The region came under the control ofWładysław I the Elbow-high in 1314, and thus became part of the reunited Poland of which Władyslaw was crowned king in 1320.
In 1264, DukeBolesław the Pious issued theStatute of Kalisz in the region. It was a unique protective privilege for Jews during their persecution inWestern Europe, which in the following centuries made Poland the destination of Jewish migration from other countries.
From the late 13th century, the region experienced first German invasions and occupations. In the late 13th century, the northwestern part of Greater Poland was occupied by theMargraviate of Brandenburg.[2] In 1331, during thePolish–Teutonic War of 1326–1332, theTeutonic Knights invaded central and eastern Greater Poland, however, the Poles defeated the invaders atKalisz and an indecisive battle was fought atKonin. The Teutonic Knights soon retreated. KingCasimir III the Great regained parts of northwestern Greater Poland, includingDrezdenko in 1365 andWałcz,Czaplinek andCzłopa in 1368. Poland still attempted to recover the remainder of Brandenburg-annexed northwestern Greater Poland, which in 1373 became part of theBohemian (Czech) Crown, ruled by theHouse of Luxembourg. In 1402, Poland and the Luxembourgs reached an agreement, according to which Poland was to buy and re-incorporate the afforementioned territory,[3] but eventually the Luxembourgs sold it to the Teutonic Order. Allied Poles and CzechHussites captured several towns of Teutonic-held northwestern Greater Poland, includingDobiegniew andStrzelce Krajeńskie, during thePolish–Teutonic War of 1431–1435.
In the reunited kingdom, and later in thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the country came to be divided into administrative units calledvoivodeships. In the case of the Greater Poland region these werePoznań Voivodeship andKalisz Voivodeship. The Commonwealth also had larger subdivisions known asprowincja, one of which was namedGreater Poland. However, thisprowincja covered a larger area than the Greater Poland region itself, also taking inMasovia andRoyal Prussia. (This division ofCrown Poland into two entities called Greater andLesser Poland had its roots in theStatutes of Casimir the Great of 1346–1362, where the laws of "Greater Poland" – the northern part of the country – were codified in thePiotrków statute, with those of "Lesser Poland" in the separateWiślica statute.)
In 1655, Greater Poland wasinvaded by Sweden, and several battles were fought in the region, including atUjście,Kłecko andKcynia.
In the 18th century kingsAugustus II the Strong andAugustus III of Poland often resided inWschowa, and sessions of the Senate of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were held there, thus the town being dubbed the "unofficial capital of Poland".[4] In 1768 a newGniezno Voivodeship was formed out of the northern part of Kalisz Voivodeship. However more far-reaching changes would come with thePartitions of Poland. In the first partition (1772), northern parts of Greater Poland along theNoteć (GermanNetze) were taken over byPrussia, becoming theNetze District. In the second partition (1793) the whole of Greater Poland was absorbed by Prussia, becoming part of the province ofSouth Prussia. It remained so in spite of the firstGreater Poland uprising (1794), part of the unsuccessfulKościuszko Uprising directed chiefly againstRussia.
More successful was theGreater Poland Uprising of 1806, which led to the bulk of Greater Poland becoming part of the NapoleonicDuchy of Warsaw (forming thePoznań Department and parts of theKalisz andBydgoszcz Departments), whereas the northwestern and northern outskirts remained part of Prussia. However, following theCongress of Vienna in 1815, Greater Poland was again partitioned, with the western part (including Poznań) going to Prussia. The eastern part (including Kalisz) joined the Russian-controlledKingdom of Poland, where it formed theKalisz Voivodeship until 1837, then theKalisz Governorate (merged into theWarsaw Governorate between 1844 and 1867).
Within the Prussian Partition, western Greater Poland became theGrand Duchy of Posen (Poznań), which theoretically held some autonomy. Following an unrealiseduprising in 1846, and the more substantial but still unsuccessfuluprising of 1848 (during theSpring of Nations), the Grand Duchy was replaced by theProvince of Posen. The authorities made efforts toGermanize the region, particularly after the founding ofGermany in 1871, and from 1886 onwards thePrussian Settlement Commission was active in increasing German land ownership in formerly Polish areas. The Germans imposedGermanisation andKulturkampf policies, and the Poles organizedresistance. In the early 20th century, theWrześnia children strike against Germanisation started, which quickly spread to other places in Greater Poland and beyond, whereasMichał Drzymała with theDrzymała's wagon became a regionalfolk hero.
In the Russian Partition,Russification policies were enacted, and Polish resistance was also active. The largest uprisings in Russian-controlled eastern Greater Poland were theNovember Uprising of 1830–31 andJanuary Uprising of 1863–64.
DuringWorld War I, Germany also occupied eastern Greater Poland, and in August 1914, the German Army carried out thedestruction of Kalisz. Germany planned the annexation of eastern Greater Poland as part of the so-called "Polish Border Strip" and expulsion of its Polish inhabitants to make room for German colonization in accordance with theLebensraum policy.
Following the end ofWorld War I, theGreater Poland uprising (1918–19) ensured that most of the region became part of the newly independent Polish state, forming most ofPoznań Voivodeship (1921–1939). Northern and some western parts of Greater Poland remained in Germany, where they formed much of the province ofPosen-West Prussia (1922–1938), whose capital was Schneidemühl (Piła). To maintain contact with the Poles of German-controlled northern and western Greater Poland, Poland opened a consulate in Piła in 1922.[5] From 1933, the PolishGłos Pogranicza i Kaszub newspaper was issued inZłotów.[6] Under theNazi government, repressions of Poles intensified. In January 1939, Germany resumedexpulsions of Poles and many were also forced to flee.[6] TheSturmabteilung,Schutzstaffel,Hitler Youth andBund Deutscher Osten launched attacks on Polish institutions, schools and activists.[7] In mid-1939 theGestapo carried out arrests of Polish activists, teachers and entrepreneurs, closed various Polish organizations and enterprises and seized their funds.[8] The Poles tried to resist German persecution, but some were forced to escape German arrest and thus fled to Poland.[9]
In September 1939, Germanyinvaded Poland startingWorld War II. During the attack the German army,Einsatzgruppen andSelbstschutz perpetrated variouscrimes against the Polish people in the occupied areas,[10] whereas the persecution of Poles of northern and western Greater Poland reached its climax with mass arrests of Polish activists, who were detained in temporary camps in Piła andLipka, and then deported toconcentration camps, expulsions and closure of Polish schools and enterprises.[11] The invading troops committed multiple massacres of Polish civilians andprisoners of war, including atKłecko,Zdziechowa,Mogilno,Trzemeszno,Niewolno,Winiary,Wągrowiec,Mielno,Jankowo Dolne,Podlesie Kościelne andObora.[12]
Afterwards, the occupiers launched theIntelligenzaktion genocidal campaign against the Polish population, and annexed the entire region intoNazi Germany. Administratively, most of Greater Poland was included within theReichsgau Posen, later renamedReichsgau Wartheland (Warthe being the German name for theWarta river), whereas northern and western parts were located in the provinces ofReichsgau Danzig-West Prussia,Pomerania andBrandenburg. On 20–23 October 1939, the German police andEinsatzgruppe VI carried out mass public executions of some 300 Poles in various towns in the region, i.e.Gostyń,Kostrzyn,Kościan,Kórnik,Krobia,Książ Wielkopolski,Leszno,Mosina,Osieczna,Poniec,Śmigiel,Śrem,Środa andWłoszakowice, to terrorize and pacify the Poles.[13][14][15] The Polish and Jewish population was classified by Nazis as subhuman and subjected to organized genocide,[16] involving mass murder and ethnic cleansing, with many former officials and others considered potential enemies by the Nazis being imprisoned or executed, including at the notoriousFort VII concentration camp in Poznań.[17] Major sites of massacres of Poles in the region includedDopiewiec,Dębienko,Winiary,Mędzisko,Paterek,Łobżenica,Górka Klasztorna,Kobylniki andBukowiec.[18] DuringAktion T4, theSS-Sonderkommandos gassed over 2,700 mentally ill people from the psychiatric hospitals inOwińska,Dziekanka andKościan.[19]
The Germans continued theexpulsion of Poles, now also in pre-war Polish territory, with the Special Staff for the Resettlement of Poles and Jews (Sonderstab für die Aussiedlung von Polen und Juden) established in Poznań in November 1939, soon renamed to Office for the Resettlement of Poles and Jews (Amt für Umsiedlung der Polen und Juden), and eventually to Central Bureau for Resettlement (UWZ,Umwandererzentralstelle).[20] The place of the Poles was taken by German colonists in accordance with theLebensraum policy. Many Poles were also enslaved asforced labour and either sent to forced labour camps or German colonists in the region or deported to Germany and other German-occupied countries.[21] Over 270,000 Polish children aged 10–18 were subjected to forced labour in Greater Poland, which, in addition to German profits of 500 millionmarks, was aimed at the children's biological destruction.[22] The Germans also operatedGermanisation camps forPolish children taken away from their parents in Kalisz, Poznań,Puszczykowo andZaniemyśl.[23] The children were given new German names and surnames, and were punished for any use of the Polish language, even with death.[23] After their stay in the camp, the children were deported to Germany; only some returned to Poland after the war, while the fate of many remains unknown to this day.[23]
Jews from the region were also expelled and deported to other locations, including toNazi ghettos, concentration camps and forced labour camps. From 1940, the occupiers also operated several forced labour camps for Jews in the region.[21] Due to poor feeding and sanitary conditions, epidemics spread in those camps, which, combined with frequent executions, led to a high mortality rate.[21] On the order ofHeinrich Himmler, most of the camps were dissolved in 1943, and its surviving prisoners were sent to ghettos and death camps.[21]
Germany operated severalprisoner-of-war camps, including Stalag XXI-B,Stalag XXI-C,Stalag XXI-D, Stalag XXI-E, Stalag 302,Oflag II-C, Oflag XXI-A,Oflag XXI-B, Oflag XXI-C andOflag 64, for Polish,French, British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, Belgian, Dutch, Serbian, American,Italian, South African and otherAllied POWs in the region. There were also multiple forced labour subcamps of theStalag II-B,Stalag II-D andStalag XX-A POW camps in the region,[24][25][26] asubcamp of theGross-Rosen concentration camp in Owińska,[27] a subcamp of theStutthof concentration camp inObrzycko, a subcamp of theRavensbrück concentration camp inKalisz Pomorski,[28] and a camp forSinti andRomani people in Piła.[29] A particularly notorious prison camp was operated inŻabikowo, where mostly Poles were imprisoned, but also Luxembourgers, Dutch, Hungarians, Slovaks, Americans, Russians and deserters from theWehrmacht, and many were tortured and executed.[30]
ThePolish resistance movement was active in the region, including theUnion of Armed Struggle,Bataliony Chłopskie,Gray Ranks andHome Army.[31] ThePolish Underground State was organized, and in July 1940, even an underground Polish parliament was established in Poznań.[32] Activities includedsecret Polish schooling, secret Catholic services, printing and distribution ofPolish underground press, sabotage actions, espionage of German activity, military trainings, production of false documents, preparations for a planned uprising, and even secretfootball games.[33] The Polish resistance provided aid to people in need, including prisoners, escapees from camps and ghettos and deserters from the German army, rescued Polish children kidnapped by the Germans,[23] and facilitated escapes of Allied prisoners of war from German POW camps.[34][35][36] The Germans cracked down on the resistance several times,[37] and evenkidnapped children of the resistance members and sent them to a camp for Polish children inŁódź, nicknamed "littleAuschwitz" due to its conditions, where many died.[38]
From August 1944 to January 1945, the Germans used hundreds of thousands of Poles as forced labour to build fortifications in the region ahead of the advancingEastern Front.[21] In January 1945, before and during their retreat, the Germans committed several further massacres of Polish civilians, prisoners and Polish and other Allied POWs, including atPleszew,Marchwacz, Żabikowo,Łomnica andKuźnica Żelichowska and perpetrated severaldeath marches.[39][40][41][42] Poznań was declared afortress in the closing stages of the war, being taken by theRed Army in theBattle of Poznań, which ended on 22 February 1945.
After the war, Greater Poland was fully reintegrated with Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which stayed in power until the 1980s. The region experienced several waves of anti-communist protests and strikes, including the1956 Poznań protests and the 1980 strikes in various cities and towns,[43] which led to the foundation of theSolidarity organization, which played a central role in the end of communist rule in Poland.
With the reforms of 1975 it was divided into seven provinces, partially or wholly located in Greater Poland (the voivodeships ofBydgoszcz,Gorzów,Kalisz,Konin,Leszno,Piła andPoznań). The present-dayGreater Poland Voivodeship, again with Poznań as its capital, was created in 1999, however, parts of Greater Poland are located in theKuyavian-Pomeranian,Lubusz,Łódź andWest Pomeranian voivodeships.
The region is rich in historical architecture of various styles fromRomanesque andGothic throughRenaissance andBaroque toNeoclassical andArt Nouveau.
Greater Poland boasts 15Historic Monuments of Poland:
Major museums include the Museum of Polish State Origins in Gniezno, and theNational Museum andWielkopolska Museum of Independence in Poznań. Several castles and palaces house museums, such as those in Dobrzyca,Gołuchów,Jarocin,Kołaczkowo,Koźmin Wielkopolski, Kórnik,Międzyrzecz,Poznań, Rogalin andŚmiełów.
Poland's largest church, theBasilica of Our Lady of Licheń, is located in the region.
One of the two principal and five total cemeteries of theCommonwealth War Graves Commission in Poland is located in Poznań, with more than 400 burials from both world wars.[49]
The oldest preserved European signpost beyond the boundaries of the formerRoman Empire is located inKonin.
In addition to traditional nationwidePolish cuisine, Greater Poland is known for its variety of regional and localtraditional foods and drinks, which include especially various meat products (incl. various types ofkiełbasa),cheeses,honeys, beverages and various dishes and meals, officially protected by theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland. Among the most known localsnacks are theSt. Martin's croissant fromPoznań andKalisz andruts.
Notable centers of traditional meat production includeGrodzisk Wielkopolski,Krotoszyn,Kruszewnia,Nowy Tomyśl,Rawicz,Trzcianka andZłotniki, whereas centers of traditional cheese andquark production includeWągrowiec,Gniezno,Oborniki,Witkowo,Witoldzin andWrześnia.
A plethora of traditional Polish honey is produced in various places, especially in theNoteć andWarta river valleys in the north and west. Notable centers of honey production includePszczew,Wałcz,Tuczno,Lubiszyn andStare Drawsko in northern and western Greater Poland andKopaszewo andWitosław in southern Greater Poland. The Saint Michael's Honey Fair is held annually inGorzów Wielkopolski.
Grodzisk Wielkopolski is the place of origin of theGrodziskie beer style. Other traditionalPolish beers, officially protected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland, are produced inBojanowo,Czarnków,Miłosław,Nakło nad Notecią andWschowa.
Football andspeedway enjoy the largest following in Greater Poland. The most accomplished football teams areLech Poznań andWarta Poznań. 18-timesTeam Polish Champions (as of 2023),Unia Leszno, is the most accomplished speedway team in Poland, and other accomplished teams in the region areStal Gorzów Wielkopolski andPolonia Piła.
Mainhandball clubs areMKS Kalisz,KPR Ostrovia Ostrów Wielkopolski,Nielba Wągrowiec,Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski,Grunwald Poznań andKPR Wolsztyniak Wolsztyn.
Field hockey enjoys less popularity, however, the region is dominant in the sport in Poland, with 80 of the 86 men's Polish Championships won by local teams (as of October 2023).
The following table lists the cities in proper Greater Poland with a population greater than 25,000 (2015):
| City | Population (2015)[50] | Voivodeship in 1750 | Voivodeship in 2016 | Additional information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Poznań | 548,028 |  Poznań |  Greater Poland | Former capital of Poland, medievalprovincial ducal capital in Poland, formervoivodeship andprovince capital, historical capital of Greater Poland, formerroyal city of Poland. |
| 2. |  Kalisz | 103,997 | Kalisz | Greater Poland | Medievalprovincial ducal capital in Poland, formervoivodeship capital, historical capital of Greater Poland, former royal city of Poland. |
| 3. |  Konin | 77,224 | Kalisz | Greater Poland | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 4. |  Piła | 74,609 | Poznań | Greater Poland | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 5. |  Ostrów Wielkopolski | 72,890 | Kalisz | Greater Poland | Formerprivate town of the Przebendowski family. |
| 6. |  Gniezno | 69,883 | Kalisz | Greater Poland | Former capital of Poland, medievalprovincial ducal capital in Poland, formervoivodeship capital, former royal city of Poland, ecclesiastical capital of Poland. |
| 7. |  Leszno | 64,589 | Poznań | Greater Poland | Former private town of theLeszczyński family. |
| 8. |  Swarzędz | 31,084 | Poznań | Greater Poland | Former private town of the Grudziński family, part of the Poznań metropolitan area. |
| 9. |  Luboń | 30,676 | Poznań | Greater Poland | Part of the Poznań metropolitan area. |
| 10. |  Śrem | 30,152 | Poznań | Greater Poland | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 11. |  Września | 29,552 | Kalisz | Greater Poland | Former private town. |
| 12. |  Krotoszyn | 29,397 | Kalisz | Greater Poland | Former private town. |
| 13. |  Jarocin | 26,311 | Kalisz | Greater Poland | Former private town. |
| 14. |  Wałcz | 26,231 | Poznań |  West Pomeranian | Former royal city of Poland. |
| 15. |  Wągrowiec | 25,178 | Kalisz | Greater Poland |
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