Regierungsbezirk Allenstein was a Regierungsbezirk, or government region, of the Prussian province of East Prussia from 1905 until 1945. The regional capital was Allenstein (present-day Olsztyn). The territory today is part of the Polish Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.

East Prussian Regierungsbezirk Allenstein (red), established in 1905

History

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The government region was created on 1 November 1905 as the third East Prussian Regierungsbezirk out of the southern districts of the two original administrative regions Gumbinnen and Königsberg, which had been established in 1815. It comprised the south of the former Duchy of Prussia; the lands of the Allenstein and Rößel districts had belonged to the Prince-Bishopric of Warmia, annexed by Prussia in 1772. In the 1920 East Prussian plebiscite all the Allenstein Region plus the District of Oletzko [de] was part of the Allenstein Plebiscite precinct, with the electorate voting for remaining with Germany by more than 97%.

In 1945 following World War II, Regierungsbezirk Allenstein was dissolved when East Prussia was partitioned between the Republic of Poland and the Soviet Union (Kaliningrad Oblast) according to the resolutions at the Potsdam Conference.

Demographics

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The Allenstein region was ethnically mixed in 1910, with German, Polish and Masurian speakers.

Ethnolinguistic structure in Regierungsbezirk Allenstein (1910 census)[1]
1910 census Population German Masurian Polish Bilingual
Allenstein Region 543,469 274,320 50.48% 175,016 32.20% 73,154 13.46% 19,532 3.59%
Allenstein Urban 33,077 29,344 88.71% 99 0.30% 2,249 6.80% 1,325 4.01%
Allenstein Rural 57,919 22,825 39.41% 520 0.90% 32,766 56.57% 1,782 3.08%
Johannisburg 51,399 16,379 31.87% 29,141 56.70% 4,203 8.18% 1,620 3.15%
Lötzen 41,209 26,352 63.95% 11,412 27.69% 1,595 3.87% 1,802 4.37%
Lyck 55,579 27,138 48.83% 19,407 34.92% 6,348 11.42% 2,590 4.66%
Neidenburg 59,416 20,871 35.13% 25,150 42.33% 10,462 17.61% 2,645 4.45%
Ortelsburg 69,935 20,218 28.91% 43,513 62.22% 3,390 4.85% 2,463 3.52%
Osterode 74,666 43,508 58.27% 26,695 35.75% 2,130 2.85% 2,279 3.05%
Rössel 50,472 43,189 85.57% 48 0.10% 6,512 12.90% 723 1.42%
Sensburg 50,097 24,496 48.90% 19,031 37.99% 3,499 6.98% 2,310 4.61%

Districts

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District office in Allenstein

As of 31 December 1937:

District Capital (present name) Area Population
Allenstein, urban district (Olsztyn) 52 km2 (20 sq mi) 46,513 (1939)
Allenstein, rural district [de] Allenstein (Olsztyn) 1,302.58 km2 (502.93 sq mi) 57,077 (1939)
Johannisburg [de] Johannisburg in East Prussia (Pisz)[2] 1,684 km2 (650 sq mi) 52,672 (1939)
Lötzen [de] Lötzen (Giżycko)[3] 898.8 km2 (347.0 sq mi) 47,681 (1939)
Lyck [de] Lyck (Ełk) 1,114 km2 (430 sq mi) 56,129 (1939)
Neidenburg [de] Neidenburg (Nidzica)[4] 1,157 km2 (447 sq mi) 39,486 (1939)
Ortelsburg [de] Ortelsburg (Szczytno) 1,703 km2 (658 sq mi) 72,146 (1939)
Osterode in East Prussia [de] Osterode in East Prussia (Ostróda) 1,551 km2 (599 sq mi) 75,879 (1939)
Rößel [de] Bischofsburg (Biskupiec) 853 km2 (329 sq mi) 51,086 (1939)
Sensburg [de] Sensburg (Mrągowo)[5] 1,234 km2 (476 sq mi) 52,746 (1939)
total Allenstein 11,547 km2 (4,458 sq mi) 568,024

Notes

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  1. ^ Spett, Jakob (1910). "Nationalitätenkarte der östlichen Provinzen des Deutschen Reiches nach dem Ergebnissen der amtlichen Volkszählung vom Jahre 1910 entworfen von Ing. Jakob Spett". 1781-Iv.c. Justus Perthes.
  2. ^ Jańsbork between 1945-1946.
  3. ^ Lec between 1945-1946.
  4. ^ Nibork between 1945-1946.
  5. ^ Żądźbork between 1945-1947.

53°45′N 20°30′E / 53.75°N 20.5°E / 53.75; 20.5