Wielkopolskie has historically been known as Greater Poland and its boundaries have changed over many years. It was created on January 1, 1999 out of the former Poznań, Kalisz, Konin, Piła and Leszno Voivodeships, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. The area of Poznań is located within the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship (Province), which is in west-central Poland along the Warta River.

The Wielkopolskie Voivodeship is bordered by the Voivodeships of Zachodniopomorskie to the northwest, Pomorskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie to the northeast, Łódzkie to the east, Opolskie and Dolnośląskie to the south, and Lubuskie to the west.

The area of Wielkopolskie is about 13,000 square miles and the population in 2011 was 3,447,441. It is Poland’s second largest province in terms of area. More than half of the population in the Voivodeship lives in urban areas (in the cities of Poznań, Kalisz, Konin, Pila, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Gnieszno and Leszno).

The Wielkopolskie Voivodeship has 31 Powiats or Counties. There are 7 cities and 106 towns in the Voivodeship.

Powiats of the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship
Details of Poznań Powiat (County) with map
Business Aspect of the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship

Gminas in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship

There are 226 Gminas in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship

Geography

In contrast to other parts of Poland, Wielkopolskie is quite flat. It has many lakes and rivers, and pine forests cover about 25% of the province. This area of Poland has less rainfall than other parts of Poland and the soil is not ideal. Wielkopolskie has well-established industries in sugar beet, cereal, pork and milk production.

The area has its own distinctive folk costumes, architecture, cuisine, dialect and other traditions that differ from other parts of Poland.

Poznań is the capital of the Voivodeship and main metro area, located on the Warta River. Gnieszno once served as the earliest capital of Poland.

All photos below taken by Jay Biedny