Kaszuby

Kaszuby, known in English as Kashubia, is an ethnographic region in northern Poland. It lies largely within the present-day Pomeranian Voivodeship and encompasses parts of the historic Pomerania, including coastal and inland areas around towns such as Kościerzyna and Kartuzy. The landscape combines Baltic coastal zones with lakes and forests, including areas associated with the Kashubian Lake District and protected landscapes such as the Kashubian Landscape Park.

The region is inhabited by the Kashubians, a West Slavic ethnic group with their own language, Kashubian. The language is recognized as a regional language in Poland and is used in education, media, cultural institutions, and daily life in many communities. Kashubian encompasses several dialects, and the culture emphasizes traditional crafts, music, folklore, and regional cuisine.

Historically, Kaszuby developed within the broader contexts of medieval Pomerania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and later under Prussian and German rule. This history contributed to a distinctive cultural identity that persists in folk costumes, festivals, dialect literature, and local museums dedicated to Kashubian heritage. The region maintains a strong sense of community and continued efforts to preserve language, customs, and historical memory.

Administratively, Kaszuby is not an official unit; it is an ethnographic and cultural region. Local governance operates within Poland’s standard divisions—voivodeships, counties, and communes. In recent decades, Kashubian culture has received institutional support, and Kashubian-language signage, education, and media appear in many communities, reflecting its ongoing cultural presence in northern Poland.