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Regions of Poland
Past and Present
See also Maps and Bookstores for general maps of Poland. Many contain names of regions.
Below is a list of regions that have formed part of Poland during its history. All names are listed alphabetically.
| B C G H K L M P R S U V W Z |
Bukovina (Bukowina)
Bukovina was part of the Polish Commonwealth from 1350 to 1500. It is located in the northwest part of Moldavia.
- Bukovina -- from Wikipedia
- BUKOVINA CHRONOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN HISTORY -- timeline of history of this area
- Bukovina Society of America -- provides maps, researcher info, villages/families info, and other resources for researching in Bukowina.
- Bukowina -- from German Genealogy; history, links to maps, genealogy societies, and lots of resources.
Byelorussia (Bialorus -- Belarus)
This was one of the earliest areas settled by the Slavs. Byelorussia is situated between Livonia, Lithuania, Poland, the Ukraine, and Russia. Variant spellings of this region are Belarus, Bielorussia and Belorussia. After the 1200s, the area fell under Lithuanian control. During the First Partition of Poland in 1772, Russia took control of eastern Byelorussia. The central area was taken during the Second Partition in 1793, and the remaining section was taken during the Third Partition in 1795. This area also is referred to as White Ruthenia or White Russia.
- History of Belarus (Great Litwa) -- history, maps, heraldry, and other resources
- White Russia -- history, town information, and more
- BelarusGenWeb -- from the WorldGenWeb project; info on how to research your family tree in Belarus
- Belarus Research List
- A Belarus Miscellany -- lots of links to a variety of topics about Belarus
- The Virtual Guide to Belarus -- comprehensive site about Belarus; everything you want to know and more!
Courland (Kurlandia)
The Kur and Lett tribes occupied the area of the Venta and Lielude Rivers and the mouth of the Dvina River by the 9th century. Courland was part of Livonia until 1561, when it became an independent duchy of Poland. During the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, the region was annexed by the Russian Empire.
- Courland -- a history of the former region of Poland; also has a link to genealogical info
- WHKMLA: History of Courland -- a short history of this region, broken into three time frames; click on the arrow buttons beside the page header to move to the next time frame
- The Courland Research Group
- Courland -- from the Columbia Encyclopedia
Galicia (Halicz)
Galicia was the term the Austrians used to refer to the entire region they annexed during the partitioning of Poland. It is the Latin word for Halicz, a principality on the Dniestr River. East Galicia was the area east of the San River. It was inhabited mainly by Ukrainians. West Galicia was the region west of the San River. It was populated mostly by Poles and was better known as Little Poland.
- Galizien German Descendants -- dedicated to family history research of German settlers in Galicia and their descendants; site includes maps, tips for research, and more
- Halychyna and Eastern Galicia -- lots of information and research help on Halychyna/Eastern Galicia
- Galicja -- a history of the area, including a nice map
- Halicz -- history of the area
- Austrian Genealogy -- Galicia -- from AustriaGenWeb
- Galicia -- history and heraldry
- Galicia -- from PGSA; an excellent reference
- Galizien-Online Homepage -- databases searchable by surname; also cites many sources of records in the database
- Gesher Galicia -- special interest group for those with Jewish roots in the former Austrian Province of Galicia; brief history of the region
Great Poland (Wielkopolska)
The Warta River basin (the area from the Notec River to the Barycz River) is known as Great Poland. It contains the oldest towns in Poland. Great Poland was the home of the Polanie, an ancient Slavic tribe that dwelled in the heart of Poland. Gniezno, an ancient castle town built in the eighth century, was the ancestral seat of the Polish people and the first Polish capital.
When the First Patition of Poland occurred in 1772, Prussia claimed both sides of the Notec River, including western Kuyavia, as well as Gdansk and Chelmno. During the Second Partition in 1793, Torun and Plock and most of the remaining areas of Great Poland were taken by Prussia. In 1807 the Grand Duchy of Warsaw was formed. It was a French protectorate under Napoleon Bonaparte and included Bydgoszcz, Kalisz, Lomza, Plock, Poznan, and Warszawa. In 1809 Krakow, Lublin, Radom, and Siedlce were added. The Congress of Vienna gave control of most of this area to Russia in 1815, and the area was renamed the Congress Kingdom of Poland. The area surrounding Poznan (Poznania) and Torun and Chelmno were returned to Prussia.
- Past and Present Regions of Poland - Wielkopolska -- lots of info about this region
- Wielkopolska, Great Poland - Cradle of the Polish Nation
- Castles, palaces and manors of the Great Poland
Halich Ruthenia (Halicz)
Halicz was a principality on the Dniestr River in the 12th century. In 1199 this principality was united with that of Volhynia. This united area became part of the Kingdom of Poland in 1349 and was known as the Principalities of Galicia and Lodomeria. Halicz is the Polish term for the Latin Galicia, and the Austrians applied the term Galicia to the entire area they annexed during the partitions. The Ukrainian term for this region is Halych.
Halicz - see Galicia
Kashubia (Kaszuby)
The area just southwest of Gdansk was populated by the Kashubs, or Cassoubs, hence the naming of this region Kashubia. These people were descended from Slavic Pomeranians.
Kurlandia - see Courland
Kuyavia (Kujawy)
By the 9th century, the area around the Notec River and southeast toward Plock was inhabited by the Kuyavian tribe. This area was known as Kuyavia.
Lithuania (Litwa)
The land northwest of Byelorussia (between Courland and Prussia) was known as Samogitia or "ethnic Lithuania." Eventually the region spread eastward and southward to the Dniepr River, almost reaching the Black Sea in the 14th century. This expansion was called "historic Lithuania." In 1569 Lithuania united with Poland to form the Rzeczpospolita (the First Polish Republic). The Russians annexed most of historic Lithuania during the First and Second Partitions of Poland. During the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, Samogitia became part of Russia, minus the western area of Suwalki. The Suwalki region from the Niemen River to the the Bug River was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia, becoming part of the Duchy of Warsaw. In 1815 Suwalki was taken by Russia and made part of the Congress Kingdom of Poland. The Lithuanian term for the area is Lietuva.
- Lithuania/Wilno -- lots of information, including history and town descriptions
- Lithuanian Global Genealogical Society
- Destination Lithuanian -- History -- from Lonely Planet; good history source
Little Poland (Malopolska)
The Vistulans, a Slavic tribe, lived along the upper Vistula River basin near Krakow. This area, along with the areas of the San and Wisloka Rivers, made up Little Poland. During the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, Austria seized almost all of Little Poland including Krakow. The area was renamed Galicia. Most inhabitants of the area west of the San River were Poles, and this area became known as West Galicia. Those inhabitants dwelling to the east of the San River were Ukrainians, and this area became known as East Galicia. Today only the western section of Little Poland remains in Poland.
- Malopolska (Little Poland) -- brief history
Livonia
The Livs, a Baltic tribe, made their home in the Gauja River and Baltic coast area. Northern Livonia was incorporated into Poland and was renamed Inflanty Polskie in 1561. Southern Livonia was divided into the Duchy of Courland (under Polish rule) and Semigalia. In 1629 the Swedes conquered the area north of the West Dvina River and held it until 1721, when the Russian Empire seized control of the area.
- WHKMLA: History of Livonia -- a short history of this region
- Livonia -- history, town information, and more
- The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire - The Livonians -- history of the people and region
Lusatia (Luzyce)
Situated between the Elbe and the Bobr Rivers (between Berlin and Meissen in Germany), this area was the home of the Lusatian tribe. In the eleventh century, Poland held Lusatia and Milzenland (the southern part of Lusatia). The German term for this area is Lausitz.
- Lusatia -- a short history of this region
Malopolska (Ma³opolskie) - see Little Poland
Mazovia (Mazowsze)
In 1529 the Duchy of Mazovia was incorporated into Poland, and Warszawa became the capital of Poland in 1596. During the Second Partition of Poland in 1793 the western part of Mazovia was seized by Prussia. Three years later, the rest of Mazovia, Mazuria, Lurpie, and the city of Warszawa was obtained. In 1807 the Duchy of Warsaw was formed and encompassed Mazovia, Kuyavia, western Ruthenia, and Great Poland. In 1815 a great deal of this area became known as the Congress Kingdom of Poland under Russian rule.
Mazuria
Moldavia (Moldawia)
Podhale
Podolia (Podole)
This is the name for the southern part of Belarus. It was annexed by Russia during the Partitions of Poland. The Prypec River runs through this region.
Pomerania (Pomorze)
Prussia (Prusy)
Ruthenia (Ukraine)
Silesia (Slask)
Silesia was part of the Kingdom of Poland from the 900s until 1339, when King Casimir the Great recognized Bohemian control of the area. Bohemia was overtaken by the Austrian Holy Roman Empire in 1526, and Silesia was taken with it. In 1740 Silesia was seized by the German Prussians. Poland regained Upper Silesia in 1920 to 1922.
Polish Silesia is made up of the former provinces of Jelenia Gora, Katowice, Legnica, Opole, Walbrzych, Wroclaw, and the southern part of Zielona Gora. The German name for the area was Schlesien, and the Czech term was Sleszko.
Volhynia (Wolyn)
Warmia
Western Pomerania
Wielkopolska - see Great Poland; also the present-day name of a province in Poland
Wolyn - see Volhynia
Zaporozhye (Zaporoze)
Maintained by PolandGenWeb
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Mazovia lies in the center of present-day Poland in the great central plain between the Warta and the Vistula Rivers. This land was originally inhabited by two Western Slavic tribes, the Mazovians and the Kuyavians. The Mazovians occupied the land between the Bug and Vistula Rivers. During the 15th and 16th centuries this tribe migrated to the forests of western Lithuania, particularly to Podlaskie, and some others settled in the Duchy of Prussia, which was the Mazurian Lakes district, located to the north of Mazovia.
Once populated by the Sudovians (a Balto-Slavic tribe exterminated by the Teutonic Knights), Mazuria was an area of ancient forests of which some still exist today. It is called the "Land of a Thousand Lakes," despite that there are actually 3000 lakes in the area. It was located to the north of Kurpie and included the city of Suwalki.
This Roman Catholic diocese was formed in 1369 and was a Polish fief from 1387 to 1478. It included Bukovina. The capital was Suczawa. It was located between the Dniestr and Dunaj (Danube) Rivers. Moldavia became part of the Ottoman Empire after 1478. It was part of the USSR during the twentieth century. Now, it is an independent republic and is situated between Romania and the Ukraine.
Along the southern border of modern Poland lies the Carpathian Mountains. The high mountainous region as well as the fertile sub-Carpathian foothills makes up this region. Podhale was a part of Poland for many centuries. In 1769 to 1770, Austria occupied parts of it, and the rest was taken during the First Partition of Poland.
Podolia was temporarily lost to the Turks from 1672 to 1699. It is situated between the Boh River (to the north) and the Dniestr River (to the south). Its capital city was Kamieniec Podolskie.
Pomerania was the home of the Western Slavic tribe called the Pomeranians. They dwelled in the coastal area from the Vistula to the Odra Rivers near the Baltic Sea. Eastern Pomerania was lost to the Teutonic Knights in 1308, cutting off access to the Baltic Sea. In 1466 Eastern Pomerania was reunited with the rest of Poland by the Treaty of Torun. This unified area was renamed Royal Prussia. During the Partitions of Poland, Prussia annexed the area and called it West Prussia. After World War I, Eastern Pomerania was returned to Poland, minus Gdansk. Gdansk was granted the status of a free city in 1919 and kept this status until the Nazi occupation during World War II.
Prussia was originally located in the Baltic coastal region. However, the term became synonymous with "German," and often the term was used to indicate that a person came from any region under German (Prussian) rule. These regions all became ruled by Prussia during the partitions of Poland: East Prussia, West Prussia, Silesia, Poznania, Pomerania, and Warmia. Borussia is the Latin term for Prussia.
Ruthenia is the old Latin term for Ukraine. The Ukraine was partitioned in 1667 by the Treaty of Andruszow. The region southwest of the Dniepr River was given to Poland, and the region to the northeast were given to Russia. During the First Partition of Poland in 1772 Austria absorbed part of Ruthenia into Galicia. During the Second and Third Partitions, the rest of the Ukraine was taken by Russia. The region is also known as Red Ruthenia.
The name Silesia comes from the Slezanie tribe, who built a fortified Slavic settlement on Mount Sleza 2500 years ago. From the 5th century, Polish Slavs inhabited Silesia. Sometime before the 10th century, the Bobran, the Oploanie, and the Lusatian tribes settled in the area. During the Middle Ages, Silesia was inhabited by a mixture of these Poles and Germans, along with some Czechs.
The Volhynians were an ancient Slavic tribe. They occupied the area north of Halich Ruthenia, between the Bug and the Sluch Rivers. Wlodzimierz was the capital of the province.
This area, called Ermland in German, was under Prussian rule (along with Mazovia and Mazuria) until the defeat of the Teutonic Knights in 1466. It was almost completely surrounded by the Duchy of Prussia. During the First Patition of Poland it was annexed by the Prussians.
This area was inhabited by ancient pagan Slavs (the Polabians), who lived along the Elbe River. The Germans eventually converted this people to Christianity, and in the process destroyed the Polebian state and deleted their Slavic identity. In 972 the Poles conquered this area and held it until 1025. It was then under Swedish or Prussian rule. The majority of this region still lies in the Mecklenburg district of Germany. Part of the area was returned to Poland after World War II.
In the 16th and 17th centuries more and more peasants, discontented with doing forced labor, fled to the lower Dniepr River area. The fugitive laborer was called a kozak (outlaw) or Cossack. The area they fled to became known as Zaporozhye.
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