Vorpommern, in English sometimes also called West Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze Przednie), is a region in Pomerania, being the part of Western Pomerania west of the Oder river in north-eastern Germany, including the island Rügen, but not including the city of Szczecin (formerly Stettin). West Pomerania is that part of Pomerania which was not annexed by Poland in 1945. Today it is part of the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
West Pomerania was in the middle ages populated by Slavic nations of Obodrits that were similar to Pomeranians. In XII century it was first conquered by Danes, then by Pomeranians. From that time it shared history of Pomerania, with the exception in XVII century when it was called Swedish Pomerania.
Towns in West Pomerania are Stralsund, Greifswald, Wolgast and Barth