Where Is Tuchel, West Prussia Today? Modern Borders Explained

Tuchel (Polish: Tuchola) and the surrounding region of West Prussia (Westpreußen) are today located primarily in Poland, with a small portion in Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast).

Historical Context

• 1772–1920: West Prussia was a province of Prussia/German Empire after the First Partition of Poland.
• 1920: Treaty of Versailles — most of West Prussia ceded to the Second Polish Republic (creating the "Polish Corridor"); Danzig (Gdańsk) became a Free City; small areas remained in Germany (East Prussia).
• 1939–1945: Annexed by Nazi Germany (Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreußen).
• 1945: Potsdam Agreement — region placed under Polish administration; German population expelled; Polish settlers arrived.
• 1945–present: Part of Poland (Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship); northern fringe (Vistula Spit) to Soviet Union → now Russia (Kaliningrad).

Tuchel (Tuchola) Today

• Country: Poland
• Voivodeship: Kuyavian-Pomeranian (Kujawsko-Pomorskie)
• County: Tuchola County (Powiat Tucholski)
• Population: ~13,000 (town), ~45,000 (gmina)
• Known for: Tuchola Forest (Bory Tucholskie) — UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, national park, lakes, kayaking

West Prussia's Modern Division

Genealogy Note

If researching ancestors from "Tuchel, West Prussia":

• Search Polish archives: szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl
• Church records: Often in Archiwum Diecezjalne w Pelplinie (Diocesan Archive in Pelplin) or Archiwum Państwowe w Bydgoszczy
• German records (pre-1920): Archion (Protestant), Matricula (Catholic)
• Town name in records: Tuchel (German), Tuchola (Polish)

Tuchel is Tuchola, Poland—in the heart of the Tuchola Forest, a region of lakes and pines that looks very different from its Prussian past.