In the
High Middle Ages, groups of people migrated to Pomerania during the . These migrants, consisting of Germans from what is now Northwestern Germany,
Danes,
Dutch and
Flemings, gradually outnumbered and assimilated the
West Slavic tribes of the
Rani,
Liutizians and
Slavic Pomeranians. The evolving society () was speaking the
East Pomeranian,
Central Pomeranian and
Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialects of
Low German. Mostly German immigration continued until the 20th century. The
Thirty Years' War caused a severe population drop: only one-third of the pre-war Pomeranian population survived. In the late 19th and early 20th century, many Pomeranians emigrated to prospering West German industrial centers or overseas during the
Ostflucht. Low German was gradually replaced by
Standard German, though spoken with an accent. After
World War II, most of the former
Province of Pomerania became Polish, and nearly all Pomeranians living east of the
Oder-Neisse line fled or were expelled to post-war Germany. Therefore, Pomeranians today live not only in
Western Pomerania but are dispersed all over
Germany and other countries. ==References==