In this article the author undertakes to answer the question on how the idea of territorial self-government in Poland as well as of Pomeranian Voivodeship evolved and how it has been implemented. In the first part of the text the author presents the aspirations of various social circles in the region, including representatives of democratic opposition, for reconstructing the state so as to establish local and regional self-government. This part covers the period before the administrative reform, that is turn of 1980s and 1990s. The second part serves to identify the problems which arose after the territorial self-government was introduced in 1990. It also presents the attempts at solving them via interregional cooperation and further reforms. The third part presents Pomeranian Voivodeship established as the result of the self-government reform of 1998 as well as problems related to anchoring it in the administrative system of the Republic of Poland. The article concludes with a set of research questions on the future status of the regional self-government in Pomerania.
