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West Prussia (; Polish: Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773-1824 and 1878-1918.
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 Kazimierz IV Jagiellon of Poland. In the Peace of Toruń in 1466, Pomerellia and western Prussia became the Polish province of Royal Prussia, while eastern Prussia remained with the Teutonic Knights, who were reduced to vassals of Poland. Royal Prussia became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569.
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 joined with Ducal Prussia to form the Province of East Prussia. In 1793, during the Second Partition of Poland, the Hanseatic city of Danzig (Gdańsk), no longer able to rely on its own strength, was also annexed into the Kingdom of Prussia.
In 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars, southern parts of West Prussia were moved to the Duchy of Warsaw. From 1824-1878 West Prussia was combined with East Prussia to form the Province of Prussia, after which they were reestablished as separate provinces.
After the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, most of West Prussia was granted to the Second Polish Republic, while small parts of the west and east of the former province remained in Germany. The western remainder formed Posen-West Prussia in 1922, while the eastern remainder became part of the District of West Prussia within East Prussia. In the Potsdam Conference of 1945 after World War II, all of former West Prussia was placed under the administration of Poland and was later recognized as part of Poland by East and West Germany in ensuing decades.
Historical population
| Inhabitants | non-German citizens | |
|---|---|---|
| West Prussia | 1,433,681 | 1,976 |
- 1875 - 1,343,057
- 1880 - 1,405,898
- 1890 - 1,433,681 (681,195 Protestants, 717,532 Catholics, 21,750 Jews, others)
- 1900 - 1,563,658 (730,685 Protestants, 800,395 Catholics, 18,226 Jews, others)
Subdivisions
Note: Prussian provinces were subdivided into units called "Kreise" (singular "Kreis", abbreviated "Kr.", English circle), which were similar to large counties in Anglo-American terms. Cities would have their own "Stadtkreis" (English: municipal county) and the surrounding rural area would be named for the city, but referred to as a "Landkreis" (English: rural county).
| Kreis ("County") | Polish spelling | 1905 Pop | Poles | Germans | Jewish | Origin |
| Kreis Danzig (northern) | ||||||
| Danzig Stadtkreis | Gdańsk | |||||
| Elbing Stadtkreis | Elbląg | |||||
| Berent | Kościerzyna | 49.4% | ||||
| Danziger-Höhe | Gdańsk-Wyżyny | 9.7% | ||||
| Danziger-Niederung | Gdańsk-Niziny | |||||
| Dirschau | Tczew | 39.9% | ||||
| Elbing | Elbląg | |||||
| Karthaus | Kartuzy | 68.7% | ||||
| Marienburg | Malbork | |||||
| Neustadt | Wejherowo | 52.2% | ||||
| Preußisch Stargard | Starogard Gdański | 72.6% | ||||
| Putzig | Puck | 68.6% | ||||
| Kreis Marienwerder (southern) | ||||||
| Graudenz Stadtkreis | Grudziądz | 10.9% | ||||
| Thorn, Stadtkreis | Toruń | 22.7% | ||||
| Briesen | Wąbrzeźno | 57.4% | ||||
| Culm (Kulm) | Chełmno | 53.0% | ||||
| Deutsch Krone | Wałcz | |||||
| Flatow | Złotów | 25.4% | ||||
| Graudenz, Landkreis | Grudziądz | 40.5% | ||||
| Konitz | Chojnice | 53.7% | ||||
| Löbau | Lubawa | 80.1% | ||||
| Marienwerder | Kwidzyn | 35.7% | ||||
| Rosenberg | Susz | 6.9% | ||||
| Schlochau | Człuchów | 11.2% | ||||
| Schwetz | Świecie | 53.6% | ||||
| Strasburg | Brodnica | 65.2% | ||||
| Stuhm | Sztum | 36.4% | ||||
| Thorn, Landkreis | Toruń | 51.6% | ||||
| Tuchel | Tuchola | 63.8% |
Office Holders
See also
External links
- www.westpreussen-online.de
- Administrative subdivision of the province in 1910
- Westpreussenlied (midi)
Westpreußen | Prusse occidentale | 서프로이센 | West-Pruisen | Vestpreussen | Prusy Zachodnie | Västpreussen
"West Prussia"