Province of Pomerania Provinz Pommern |
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Province of Prussia | ||||||
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Pomerania (red), within the Kingdom of Prussia, within the German Empire | ||||||
Capital |
Stettin 53°26′N 14°32′E / 53.433°N 14.533°ECoordinates: 53°26′N 14°32′E / 53.433°N 14.533°E |
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History | ||||||
• | Established | 1815 | ||||
• | Disestablished | 1945 | ||||
Area | ||||||
• | 1905 | 30,120 km2(11,629 sq mi) | ||||
• | after October 1938 | 38,400 km2(14,826 sq mi) | ||||
Population | ||||||
• | 1905 | 1,684,125 | ||||
Density | 55.9 /km2 (144.8 /sq mi) | |||||
Political subdivisions |
Köslin Stettin Stralsund |
The Province of Pomerania (German: Provinz Pommern) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 until 1945. Afterwards, its territory became part of Allied-occupied Germany and Poland.
The name Pomerania comes from Slavic po more, which means "Land at the Sea".
The province was created from the former Prussian Province of Pomerania, which consisted of Farther Pomerania and the southern Western Pomerania, and former Swedish Pomerania. It resembled the territory of the former Duchy of Pomerania, which after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 had been split between Brandenburg-Prussia and Sweden. Also, the districts of Schivelbein and Dramburg, formerly belonging to the Neumark, were merged into the new province.
While in the Kingdom of Prussia, the province was heavily influenced by the reforms of Karl August von Hardenberg and Otto von Bismarck. The Industrial Revolution primarily affected the Stettin area and the infrastructure, while most of the province retained a rural and agricultural character. From 1850, the net migration rate was negative; Pomeranians emigrated primarily to Berlin, the West German industrial regions and overseas.