The Maritime County was a county centered around Gdynia and Wejherowo, that existed from 1927 to 1939 and from 1945 to 1951. From 1927 to 1939, it was located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in the Second Polish Republic. In 1945, it was located in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, and from 1945 to 1951, it was located in the Gdańsk Voivodeship,Dekret z dnia 30 marca 1945 r. o utworzeniu województwa gdańskiego. which, in 1945 were under the administration of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland, from 1945 to 1947, under the administration of the Provisional Government of National Unity, and since 1947, under the administration of the Polish People's Republic. Until 1928, its seat was located in the city of Gdynia, and was then moved to Wejherowo.
History Maritime County was established on 1 January 1927, from then-disestablished Puck County and part of Wejherowo County. Its seat was located in the city of Gdynia. It was one of the counties of the Pomeranian Voivodeship of the Second Polish Republic. Upon its creation it became the only county of Poland to border the Baltic Sea, and thus the country's only sea access.Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 28 grudnia 1926 r. w sprawie oznaczenia granic powiatu morskiego.Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej z dnia 30 października 1926 r. w sprawie utworzenia powiatu morskiego w Gdyni.
On 21 March 1928, Wejherowo County was incorporated into Maritime County, with the exception of the gminas (municipalities) of Linia, Tłuczewo, Niepoczołowice, Zakrzewo, and Kętrzyno, that were incorporated into Kartuzy County. Additionally, the seat of the county was transferred from Gdynia to Wejherowo.Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej z dnia 29 lutego 1928 r. w sprawie zmiany art. 1 rozporządzenia z dnia 30 października 1926 r. o utworzeniu powiatu morskiego w Gdyni.
On 24 January 1929, the city of Gdynia became a separate city county.Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 11 stycznia 1929 r. o wyłączeniu gminy miejskiej Gdynia z powiatu morskiego i utworzeniu z niej odrębnego powiatu miejskiego. In 1931, the Maritime County was inhabited by 79,900 people.Szulc, S. (editor): Drugi Powszechny Spis Ludności z dn. 9 XII 1931 r. Mieszkania i gospodarstwa domowe. Ludność, Central Statistical Office, 1938.
On 15 June 1934, the municipalities of Linia, Tłuczewo, Niepoczołowice, Zakrzewo, and Kętrzyno were transferred from Kartuzy County to Maritime County.Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 9 czerwca 1934 r. o zmianie granic powiatów kartuskiego i morskiego w województwie pomorskiem. On 1 August 1934, the single-village rural municipalities were replaced by multi-village rural municipalities. As such, the county was divided into two cities, Puck and Wejherowo, and 11 municipalities.Rozporządzenie Ministra Spraw Wewnętrznych z dnia 21 lipca 1934 r. o podziale powiatu morskiego w województwie pomorskiem na gminy wiejskie.
On 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, conquering area that included the county. It was then replaced by the Neustadt District, located in the Danzig Region of Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia.Bogdan Chrzanowski: Utworzenie administracji Hitlerowskiej, in: Stutthof: Hitlerowski obóz koncentracyjny. Warsaw: Interpress, 1988, p. 12-13.A. W. Kafemann: Statistischen Landesamt Danzig-Westpreussen (1944): Gemeinde- und Wohnplatzlexikon des Reichsgaus Danzig-Westpreussen, vol. 1. Gdańsk.
The county was reestablished in 1945, following the area being liberated by the Red Army of the Soviet Union, and given under Polish administration of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland. Until 7 April 1945, was located within the Pomeranian Voivodeship, when it was incorporated into then-established Gdańsk Voivodeship. On 28 June 1945 the Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland had been replaced by the Provisional Government of National Unity,Aleksander Gella: Zagłada Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej 1945–1947, Warsaw, 1998. and on the 19 February 1947, the provisional government was replaced by the Polish People's Republic.Andrzej Ajnenkiel: Polskie konstytucje. Warsaw: Wiedza Powszechna. 1983. ISBN 83-214-0256-9. In 1946, the county was inhabited by 85 493 people,Powszechny Sumaryczny Spis Ludności z dn. 14 II 1946 r., Warsaw: Central Statistical Office, 1947, p. 11. and in 1947, it had an area of 1281 km2.Rocznik Statystyczny 1947, Warsaw: Central Statistical Office, 1947, p. 16. It existed until 1 July 1951, when it was replaced by the Wejherowo County.Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 23 czerwca 1951 r. w sprawie zmiany nazwy powiatu morskiego.
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