Szczecin
Oder River in Szczecin Oder River in Szczecin
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Szczecin jest otwarty" ("Szczecin is open")
Szczecin (Poland) Szczecin
Coordinates:
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	West Pomeranian
Powiat	city county
Gmina	Szczecin
Established	8th century
City Rights	1243
Government
- Mayor	Piotr Krzystek
Area
- City	300.83 km  (0 sq mi)
Population (2006)
- City	409,068
- Density	1291.6/km (0/sq mi)
- Metro	850,000
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	70-018 to 71-871
Area code(s)	+48 91
Car Plates	ZS
Website: www.szczecin.pl

Szczecin (/span>]]^?·i, German: Stettin, /span>]]^?·i; Kashubian: Sztetëno; Latin: Stetinum) is the capital city of West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of the 2005 census the city had a total population of 420,638.

Szczecin is located on the Oder River, south of the Lagoon of Szczecin and the Bay of Pomerania. The city is situated along the southwestern shore of Dąbie Lake, on both sides of Oder and on several large islands between western and eastern branch of the river.

Szczecin borders with Police - a district town situated at Oder River.

Origins of the name

Early medieval sources show: Stetin 1133, Stetyn 1188, Priznoborus vir nobilis in Stetin, Symon nobilis Stettinensis 1234, in vico Stetin 1240, Barnim Dei gratia dux Pomeranorum... civitati nostri Stetin 1243, Stityn 1251, Sigillum Burgoncium de Stitin municipal seal of the 13th century, which reflects the modern Polish spelling of Szczecin. The name is almost certainly of the same origin as others Polish names such as Szczytno, Szczytna, and Szczuczyn. In Latin, the city was known as Stetinum.

There are several possible etymologies of the city name:

1. Szczecin comes from the word szczyt which means peak, hill top in modern Polish, but also a long shield in Old Polish. So Szczecin means a town located on a hill top, or a town fortified as a stronghold.
2. Szczecin comes from a personal name Szczuka and means Szczuka's town
3. Szczecin comes from a personal name Szczeta/Szczota and means Szczota's town
4. Szczecin comes from a word szczecina or szczeć which means bristle and was the old name for a stiff grass growing in the mudflats of this area, often used for manufacturing brushes.

Because Duke Warcislaw IV of Pomerania founded "New Szczecin" (Polish: Szczecinek; German: Neustettin) in 1310, the original Szczecin was sometimes called "Old Szczecin" (Polish: Stary Szczecin; German: Altes Stettin).

In the 16th century Polish literature used two alternative spellings: Szczecin (seems to be the exact pronunciation of the city name, used by its Slavonic inhabitants; spelled in Latin as Stetin, since the 12th century) and Sztetyn (seems to be a copy of the German pronunciation). The first form of Szczecin appeared in the following years and was officially confirmed in the 19th century, long before the city became part of Poland in 1945 after WW II.

History

Main article: History of Szczecin

The location was a stronghold of the Lusatian culture in the early Iron Age period. An East Germanic tribe, the Rugians, inhabited the area until about 500 AD. Another stronghold was built in the 8th century at the ford of the Oder River by the Slavic Pomeranians.

Later, the place was the main centre of a small Western Slavic tribe living in the fork of the Oder between the main branch and the Randow River. It is not certain if this tribe belonged to the Pomeranians who lived on the right bank of the Oder, or to the Polabians or Veleti who lived on the left bank of the Oder. It is also possible that Stetinum was controlled in some manner by both tribes. It is very likely that Mieszko I of Poland, who conquered Pomerania in the years 967–972, also took control of Stetinum and Wolin. Piast rule in Stetinum was overthrown by a pagan rebellion around 1005. For most of this time, the Pomeranians kept their pagan Baltic faith. Several Triglav temples existed nearby.

After the decline of Wolin in the 12th century, Stetinum became one of the most important and powerful cities of the Baltic Sea south coasts, having some 5,000 inhabitants. In a winter campaign of 1121–1122, Stetinum was subjugated by Bolesław III of Poland, who invited the Catholic bishop Otto of Bamberg to baptize the citizens (1124). In the following years it was subjugated by Wartislaw I, Duke of Pomerania, who organized the second visit of Otto in 1128. At this time the first Christian church of St. Peter and Paul was erected.

In the second half of the 12th century, a group of German tradesmen (from various parts of the Holy Roman Empire) settled in the city around St. Jacob's Church, which was founded by Beringer, a trader from Bamberg, and consecrated in 1187. For centuries the dukes, oriented towards the west, invited West and Central German settlers to colonize Pomeranian wastelands and to found villages. Duke Barnim of Pomerania granted a local government charter to this community in 1237, separating the Germans from the Slavic majority community settled around the St. Nicholas Church (in the neighborhoods of Chyzin, Uber-Wiken, and Unter-Wiken). Barnim granted Stettin Magdeburg rights in 1243. Around that time the major ethnic group of the city had become German, while the Slavic population decreased.

Stettin joined the Hanseatic League in 1278. From 1309 until the 1630s, Stettin was the capital of the Duchy of Pomerania, ruled by the Griffin dynasty of Slavic origins. Already in the 1300s the city had been German, while the countryside remained partly West Slavic. By the 1630s the city and surrounding area that hadn't been already German had become completely Germanized.

After the extinction of the Griffin dynasty, Stettin, along with the rest of Western Pomerania, was granted to Sweden at the Peace of Westphalia (1648), despite the protests of Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg, who had a legal claim to inherit all of Pomerania. In 1720 after the Great Northern War, the Swedes were forced to cede the city to King Frederick William I of Prussia. Stettin developed into a major Prussian city and became part of the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871. In 1939 Stettin had about 400,000 inhabitants. It was Germany's third-biggest seaport (after Hamburg and Bremen) and was of great importance for the supply and trade of Berlin.

In 1935 the German Wehrmacht made Stettin the headquarters for Wehrkreis II, which controlled the military units in all of Mecklenburg and Pomerania. It was also the Area Headquarters for units stationed at Stettin I and II; Swinemünde; Greifswald; and Stralsund. During the invasion of Poland, which started World War II in 1939, Stettin was the base for the German 2nd Motorized Infantry Division, which cut across the Polish Corridor. Allied air raids in 1944 and heavy fighting between the German and Soviet armies destroyed 65% of Stettin's buildings and almost all of the city centre, seaport and industries.

Stettin remained German until May 1945, when the Soviet Red Army seized the city. Many of the city's inhabitants fled and it was virtually deserted after its capture by the Soviet army on April 26, 1945. In the following month the city was handed over to Polish administration three times, eventually permanently on July 5, 1945. In the mean time part of the German population had returned, as it was unclear if the city would be awarded to Poland, or be in the Soviet occupation zone in Germany. Stettin is located mostly west of the Oder-Neisse line, which was to be Poland's new border according to the Potsdam Conference. However, most of Pomerania, including all of Stettin and the mouth of the Oder River, was eventually given to Poland.

The Polish authorities were led by Piotr Zaremba. Many of the remaining Germans were forced to work in Soviet military camps that were outside of Polish jurisdiction. In the early 1950s, most of Stettin's Germans were expelled from the city, although there was a significant German minority for the next 10 years.

In 1945 the Polish community in Stettin consisted of a few of citizens from the pre-war population as well as forced laborers from the General government. Stettin was resettled with Poles, most of whom came from around Poznań, where their homes had been destroyed during the German occupation and during fighting on the Eastern Front. The citys population was expelled and then resettled with Poles from Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union. This settlement process was coordinated by the city of Poznan, and Stettin's name was changed to a Polish name of Szczecin.

The new citizens of Szczecin rebuilt and extended the city's industry and industrial areas, as well as its cultural heritage, although efforts were hampered by the authorities of Communist Poland. Szczecin became a major industrial centre for Poland, as well as an important seaport for Poland (especially for Silesian coal), Czechoslovakia, and East Germany. The city witnessed anti-communist revolts in 1970 and 1980 and participated in the growth of the Solidarity movement during the 1980s. Since 1999 Szczecin has been the capital of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.

Dukes of Stettin

• 1121-1147 Wartislaw I
• 1147-1158
• 1158-1187
• 1187-1220
• 1220-1278 Barnim the Good, Wartislaw III
• 1278-1295 Barnim II, Otto I, Boguslaw IV
• 1295-1344 Otto I
• 1344-1368 Barnim III
• 1368-1372 Casimir III
• 1372-1404 Swantibor I, Boguslaw VII
• 1404-1413 Swantibor I
• 1413-1428 Otto II, Casimir V
• 1428-1435 Casimir V
• 1435-1451 Joachim I
• 1451-1464 Otto III
• 1464-1474 Erick II
• 1474-1523 Boguslaw X
• 1523-1531 George I, Barnim IX
• 1531-1569 Barnim XI
• 1569-1600
• 1600-1603 Barnim X
• 1603-1606 Boguslaw XIII
• 1606-1618
• 1618-1620 Frank I
• 1620-1625 Boguslaw XIV

Famous residents

Before 1945

• Alfred Döblin (1878-1957), writer
• Heinrich George (1893-1946), actor born in Stettin on October 9, 1893
• Catherine the Great (1729-1796), empress of Russia
• Friedrich Gilly (1772-1800), architect
• Carl Gustav Friedrich Hasselbach (1809-1882), mayor of Magdeburg
• Franz San Galli (1824-1908), inventor of radiator (central heating system)
• Hermann Günther Grassmann (1809-1877) mathematician, physicist, linguist, scholar, and neohumanist.
• Sophie Marie Dorothea Auguste Louise of Württemberg (1759-1828), the second wife of Tsar Paul I of Russia
• Traugott Konstantin Oesterreich (1880-1949), religious parapsychologist and philosopher
• Wolfhart Pannenberg (born 1928), Christian theologian
• Carl Ludwig Schleich (1859-1922), author
• Manfred Stolpe (born 1936), Prime Minister of Brandenburg and Federal Minister in the government of Gerhard Schröder (2002-2005)
• Christian Tomuschat (born 1936), expert in international law, professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin
• Friedrich Graf von Wrangel (1784-1877), Prussian Field Marshal

After 1945

• Piotr Andrejew (*1947), Polish screenwriter and film director, born in Szczecin
• Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński (1905-1953)
• Janusz Kijowski, (* 1947) film director, born in Szczecin
• Grzegorz Mroz (* December 18, 1983)
• Kasia Nosowska (*1971), singer of Szczecin-based rock band Hey
• Jerzy Zielinski (* 1950) Polish cinematographer active in Hollywood, born on January 8, 1950 in Szczecin
• Wojciech Kulikowski artist (1954)

Historical population

• 12th century: 5,000 inhabitants
• 1720: 6,000 inhabitants
• 1740: 12,300 inhabitants
• 1816: 21,500 inhabitants
• 1843: 37,100 inhabitants
• 1861: 58,500 inhabitants
• 1872: 76,000 inhabitants
• 1890: 116,228 inhabitants
• 1900: 210,680 inhavitants (including annexed suburbs)
• 1910: 236,113 inhabitants
• 1939: 382,000 inhabitants
• 1945: 260,000 inhabitants (German population largely expelled, plus war losses.)
• 1950: 180,000 inhabitants (drop due to continuing expulsions of Germans)
• 1960: 269,400 inhabitants (resettling of Poles)
• 1970: 338,000 inhabitants
• 1975: 369,700 inhabitants
• 1980: 388,300 inhabitants
• 1990: 412.600 inhabitants
• 1995: 418.156 inhabitants
• 2000: 415,748 inhabitants
• 2002: 415,117 inhabitants
• 2003: 414,032 inhabitants
• 2004: 411,900 inhabitants
• 2005: 411,119 inhabitants

Architecture and urban planning

Szczecin's architectural style is mainly influenced by those of the last half of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century: Academic art and Art Nouveau. In many areas built after 1945, social realism is prevalent.

Urban planning of Szczecin is unusual. The first thing observed by a newcomer is abundance of green areas: parks and avenues – wide streets with trees planted in the island separating opposite traffic (where often tram tracks are laid); and roundabouts. This makes Szczecin's city project quite similar to that of Paris. The reason is, Szczecin (like Paris) was rebuilt in the 1880s using a design by Georges-Eugène Haussmann.

This course of designing streets in Szczecin is still used, as many recently built (or modified) city areas include roundabouts and avenues.

Municipal administration

The city is administratively divided into boroughs (dzielnica), which are further divided into smaller neighbourhoods. The governing bodies of the latter serve the role of auxiliary local government bodies called Neighborhood Councils (Polish: Rady Osiedla). Elections for Neighborhood Councils are held up to six months after each City Council elections. Attendance is rather low (on May 20 2007 it ranged from 1.03% to 27.75% and was 3.78% on average). Councillors are responsible mostly for small infrastructure like trees, park benches, playgrounds, etc. Other functions are mostly advisory. Official list of districts

Dzielnica Śródmieście (City Centre)

Centrum, Drzetowo-Grabowo, Łękno, Międzyodrze-Wyspa Pucka, Niebuszewo-Bolinko, Nowe Miasto, Stare Miasto, Śródmieście Północ, Śródmieście-Zachód, Turzyn.

Dzielnica Północ (North)

Bukowo, Golęcino-Gocław, Niebuszewo, Skolwin, Stołczyn, Warszewo, Żelechowa.

Dzielnica Zachód (West)

Głębokie-Pilchowo, Gumieńce, Krzekowo-Bezrzecze, os.Arkońskie-Niemierzyn, Osów, Pogodno, Pomorzany, Świerczewo, os.Zawadzkiego-Klonowica.

Dzielnica Prawobrzeże (Right-Bank)

Bukowe-Klęskowo, Dąbie, Majowe-Kijewo, Płonia-Śmierdnica-Jezierzyce, Podjuchy, os.Słoneczne, Wielgowo-Sławociesze, Załom, Zdroje, Żydowce-Klucz.

Other historical neigbourhoods

Babin, Barnucin, Basen Górniczy,Błędów, Boleszyce, Bystrzyk, Cieszyce, Cieśnik, Dolina, Drzetowo, Dunikowo, Glinki, Grabowo, Jezierzyce, Kaliny, Kępa Barnicka, Kijewko, Kluczewko, Kłobucko, Kniewo, Kraśnica, Krzekoszów, Lotnisko, Łasztownia, Niemierzyn, Odolany, Oleszna, Podbórz, Port, os.Przyjaźni, Rogatka, Rudnik, Sienna, Skoki, Słowieńsko, Sosnówko, Starków, Stoki, Struga, Śmierdnica, os.Świerczewskie, Trzebusz, Urok, Widok, Zdunowo.

Members of European Parliament (MEPs) from Szczecin

• Zdzislaw Chmielewski, PO, historian, rector of University of Szczecin.
• Boguslaw Liberadzki, SLD-UP, economist, minister of transport.
• Sylwester Chruszcz, LPR, architect and politician, elected in Silesian constituency, but lives in Szczecin.

Economy

Szczecin has the biggest shipyard in Poland, which recently went bankrupt and was successfully reinstated. It has a fishing industry and a steel mill. It is served by Szczecin-Goleniów "Solidarność" Airport and by the Port of Szczecin, third biggest port of Poland. It is also home to several major companies. Among them is the major food producer Drobimex, Polish Steamship Company, producer of construction materials Komfort, Bosman brewery and Cefarm drug factory. It also houses several of the new business firms of the IT branch.

Culture

Major cultural events in Szczecin are:

• Days of the Sea (Polish Dni Morza) held every June.
• Street Artists' Festival (Polish Festiwal Artystów Ulicy) held every July.
• Days of The Ukrainian Culture (Polish Dni Kultury Ukraińskiej) held every May.
• Air show on Dabie airport held every May.

Museums

• National Museum in Szczecin (Polish Muzeum Narodowe w Szczecinie) collects arts, old jewelry, military equipment. It has three branches:
• Museum of the City of Szczecin (Polish Muzeum Miasta Szczecina).
• Maritime Museum (Polish Muzeum Morskie).
• Gallery of Contemporary Arts (Polish Galeria Sztuki Współczesnej).
• Museum of the Szczecin Archidiocese (Polish Muzeum Archidiecezjalne w Szczecinie) collects sacral arts and historical documents.
• EUREKA - the miracles of science. EUREKA

Arts and Entertainment

• Bismarck tower Szczecin
• Kana Theatre (Polish Teatr Kana)
• Modern Theatre (Polish Teatr Współczesny)
• Opera in the Castle (Polish Opera na Zamku)
• Polish Theatre (Polish Teatr Polski)
• (ruins of) The Quistorp's Tower (Polish Wieża Quistorpa, German Quistorpturm)
• The Pomeranian Dukes' Castle in Szczecin (Polish Zamek Książąt Pomorskich w Szczecinie)
• The Castle Cinema (Polish Kino Zamek)
• The Cellar by the Vault Cabaret (Polish Kabaret Piwnica przy Krypcie)
• The Crypt Theatre (Polish Teatr Krypta)

Education and science

• University of Szczecin (Polish Uniwersytet Szczeciński) with 35.000 students, rector Zdzislaw Chmielewski
• Technical University of Szczecin (Polish Politechnika Szczecińska)
• Pomeranian Medical University (Polish Pomorska Akademia Medyczna)
• University of Agriculture in Szczecin (Polish Akademia Rolnicza w Szczecinie)
• Branch of Academy of Music in Poznan (Polish Akademia Muzyczna w Poznaniu)
• Maritime University of Szczecin (Polish Akademia Morska w Szczecinie)
• The West Pomeranian Business School (Polish Zachodniopomorska Szkoła Biznesu)
• Higher School of Public Administration in Szczecin (Polish Wyższa Szkoła Administracji Publicznej w Szczecinie)
• High Theological Seminary in Szczecin (Polish Arcybiskupie Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne w Szczecinie)
• Higher School of Applied Arts (Polish Wyższa Szkoła Sztuki Użytkowej)
• Academy of European Integration (Polish Wyższa Szkoła Integracji Europejskiej)
• Wyższa Szkoła Ekonomiczno-Turystyczna
• Wyższa Szkoła Humanistyczna TWP
• Wyższa Szkoła Języków Obcych
• Wyższa Szkoła Techniczno-Ekonomiczna
• Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa- Collegium Balticum
• Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa "OECONOMICUS" PTE
• Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania

Scientific and regional organizations

• Western Pomeranian Institute (Polish Instytut Zachodnio-Pomorski)
• Szczecin Scientific Society (Polish Szczecińskie Towarzystwo Naukowe)

Sports

There are many popular professional sports team in Szczecin area. The most popular sport today is probably football (thanks to Pogon Szczecin just promoted to play in the 1st league in season 2004/2005). Amateur sports are played by thousands of Szczecin citizens and also in schools of all levels (elementary, secondary, university).

Professional teams:

• Pogon Szczecin - football team (1st league since 2004/2005 - earlier one year in 2nd league and much more earlier again 1st league)
• Arkonia Szczecin - football team (4th league in season 2003/2004)
• Pogon II Szczecin - 2nd Pogon football team (regional 4th league in season 2003/2004)
• Pogon Nowa Szczecin - regional league "B klasa" - a fans answer for bad politics of 1st league team - it is based on players from Szczecin, not on Brazilians like the Pogon team
• KS Piast Szczecin - women's volleyball team, (Seria A in season 2003/2004 and 2004/2005)
• Łącznościowiec Szczecin - women's handball team playing in Polish Ekstraklasa Women's Handball League: 9th place in 2003/2004 season
• Wicher Warszewo - futsal team playing in Środowiskowa Liga Futsalu (Futsal League) - 2 regional Futsal League: 2th place in 2006/2007 season - promotion in the first regional Futsal League

Amateur leagues

• Halowa Amatorska Liga Pilkarska - Hall Amateur Football League http://www.halp.com.pl
• Halowa Liga Pilki Noznej- Hall Football League
• Szczecinska Liga Amatorskiej Koszykowki - Szczecin Amateur Basketball League http://www.infoludek.pl/slak
• Szczecinska Amatorska Liga Pilki Siatkowej - Szczecin Amateur Volleyball League http://www.salps.home.pl - women league, 1st, 2nd and 3rd men league
• Elita Professional Sport - Elita Hall Football League http://www.futsal.szczecina.pl - 1st and 2nd league, futsal cup
• Kaskada Szczecin Rugby Club - club rugby http://www.kaskada.szczecin.pl - 7 and 15 league, rugby cup

Twinning cities

The sister cities of Szczecin are:

• Bremerhaven, Germany
• Dalian, China
• Kingston upon Hull, UK
• Malmö, Sweden
• Murmansk, Russia
• St. Louis, USA

Publications

• W. H. Meyer, Stettin in alter und neuer Zeit (Stettin, 1887)

References

External links

• Szczecin City Official Website (in Polish, some material available in English, German and Danish)

Internet guides

• Page about the city of Szczecin. (pl, en languages)
• Szczecin at the Open Directory Project
• ChefMoz Dining Guide - Szczecin
• Wirtualna Polska - Szczecin
• Ogólnolnopolski Katalog Onetu OKO - Szczecin

Regional media

• Głos Szczeciński, regional daily newspaper
• Kurier Szczeciński, regional daily newspaper
• Radio Eska Szczecin, regional radio station
• Polskie Radio Szczecin, regional radio station
• Regional TV station
• local edition of Gazeta Wyborcza
• Wizjer Szczeciński, local web informant
• Wirtualny Szczecin
• Forum dyskusyjne miasta Szczecin
• wSzczecinie.pl - local website
• TV Gryf

History and culture

• Pomeranian Dukes Castle in Szczecin (Polish, German, English)
• Opera in the Castle
• Polish Theatre
• Modern Theatre
• Kana Theatre
• Bismarck tower Szczecin
• Official website of the Bismarcktowers (Stettin)

Economy and transportation

• Szczecin-Świnoujscie Seaport
• Polferries - Polska Żegluga Bałtycka
• UnityLine
• Szczecin-Goleniów Airport

Education and Science

• University of Szczecin
• Technical University of Szczecin
• Pomeranian Medical University
• Maritime University of Szczecin
• University of Agriculture in Szczecin
• Academy of European Integration
• The West Pomeranian Business School in Szczecin
• Higher School of Public Administration in Szczecin

Sports

• Pogoń Szczecin 1st league football team

Local Businesses

• Local companies in Szczecin & Szczecin Area

Private

• The photographs of Szczecin-Pogodno

•  • [ e] Voivodeships of Poland
Principal cities: Warsaw | Łdź | Krakw | Wrocław | Poznań | Gdańsk | Szczecin | Bydgoszcz | Lublin | Katowice | Białystok | Częstochowa | Gdynia | Toruń | Olsztyn | Radom | Kielce | Rzeszw | Opole | Gorzw Wielkopolski

Coordinates: