Polish historical regions

Polish historical regions

Polish historical regions describes regions that were related to a former Polish state, or are within present day Poland without being identified in its administrative division.

There are several historic and cultural regions in Poland called ethnographic regions. Their exact borders cannot be drawn as the regions are not official political or administrative units. They are delimited by culture, such as country traditions, traditional lifestyle, songs, tales, etc. To some extent regions correspond to the zones of Polish language dialects. This correspondence however is by no means strict.

Modern regions of the current Polish state

Within the modern borders of Poland, there are the following historical regions:

*Greater Poland ( _pl. Wielkopolska, _la. Polonia Maior)
*Lesser Poland ( _pl. Małopolska, _la. Polonia Minor)
*Masovia ( _pl. Mazowsze, _la. Mazovia)
*Kuyavia ( _pl. Kujawy, _la. Cuiavia)
*Polesia ( _pl. Polesie, _la. Polesia)
*Red Ruthenia ( _pl. Ruś Czerwona, _la. Ruthenia Rubra, only partially in modern Poland)
*Silesia ( _pl. Śląsk, _de. Schlesien, _la. Silesia, also a German historical region)

Historical regions of former Polish states outside current Polish borders

Outside Poland there are several important historical regions, which were once part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, confederal part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth or the Second Polish Republic. While those regions are important for Polish history, calling them Polish is controversial, as they were never dominated by ethnic Poles and now lie beyond the borders of Poland. They are:
*Volhynia ("Wołyń", lat. "Volynia")
*Podolia ("Podole", lat. "Podolia")
*Samogitia ("Żmudź", lat. "Samigitia")
*Aukštaitija ("Auksztota")
*White Ruthenia ("Ruś Biała", lat. "Ruthenia Alba")
*Black Ruthenia ("Ruś Czarna", lat. "Ruthenia Nigra")
*Livonia, Inflants ("Inflanty", lat. "Livonia")

Historical regions inside the borders of the current Polish state

The area of modern Poland is rich in history, including major border shifts and population drafts. Thus, it comprises a lot of historical regions:

*Chelmno Land ( _de. Culmerland, also a German historical region)
*East Prussia ( _de. Ostpreußen, also a German historical region, only partially in modern Poland)
*East Brandenburg ( _de. Ostbrandenburg, also a German historical region, only partially in modern Poland)
*Farther Pomerania ( _de. Hinterpommern, also a German historical region)
*Greater Poland ( _pl. Wielkopolska, _la. Polonia Maior)
*Lesser Poland ( _pl. Małopolska, _la. Polonia Minor)
*Lower Silesia ( _de. Niederschlesien, also a German historical region)
*Lusatia ( _pl. Łużyce, _de. Lausitz, _la. Lusatia, also a German historical region, only partially in modern Poland)
*Masovia ( _pl. Mazowsze, _la. Mazovia)
*Neumark (also a German historical region)
*Kuyavia ( _pl. Kujawy, _la. Cuiavia)
*Polesia ( _pl. Polesie, _la. Polesia)
*Pomerelia ( _pl. Pomorze, _la. Pomerelia, also a German historical region)
*Prussia ( _pl. Prusy, _la. Borussia, also a German historical region)
*Red Ruthenia ( _pl. Ruś Czerwona, _la. Ruthenia Rubra, only partially in modern Poland)
*Silesia ( _pl. Śląsk, _de. Schlesien, _la. Silesia, also a German historical region)
*Upper Silesia ( _de. Oberschlesien, also a German historical region)
*Warmia ( _de. Ermland, also a German historical region)
*West Prussia ( _de. Westpreußen, also a German historical region)
*Western Pomerania ( _de. Vorpommern, also a German historical region, only partially in modern Poland)

References

* Norman Davies, 1981: "God's Playground. A History of Poland. Vol. 1: The Origins to 1795", "Vol. 2: 1795 to the Present". Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-925339-0 / ISBN 0-19-925340-4. [http://books.google.com/books?id=b912JnKpYTkC&printsec=frontcover#PPA26,M1] p. 23-52 (chapter "The Polish Lands (Historical Geography)")

ee also

*Administrative division of Poland
*Historical regions of Central Europe
*Territorial changes of Poland
*Voivodeships of Poland


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