Kościerzyna (Kashubian/Pomeranian: Kòscérzëna, former German: Berent ) is a town in Kashubia in Gdańsk Pomerania region, northern Poland, with some 24,000 inhabitants. It has been the capital of Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999; previously it was in Gdańsk Voivodeship from 1975 to 1998. It is around 50 km south-west of Gdańsk and Tricity.