Szczecin Made by: Desislava Georgieva and Ralica Ducheva VIId class

Szczecin 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. Szczecin is located on the Oder River, south of the Lagoon of Szczecin and the Bay of Pomerania. Oder river Szczecin’s Location Szczecin region

The city evolved from an early medieval Pomeranian stronghold, which in 1243 was merged with two adjacent German settlements, creating the present-day Old Town. At the site of the former stronghold, a castle was built as a residence of the Griffin dukes, who ruled the Duchy of Pomerania until In addition to the castle, the Brick Gothic churches were built in the medieval era. These landmarks still dominate the skyline and can be assessed via the European Route of Brick Gothic. History Old Szczecin city

The history of Szczecin began in the 8th century, when West Slavs settled Pomerania and erected a stronghold on the site of the modern castle. Since the 9th century, the stronghold was fortified and expanded toward the Oder bank. After the decline of neighboring regional center Wolin in the 12th century, the settlement became one of the more important and powerful seaports of the Baltic Sea south coasts. In a campaign in the winter of 1121–1122 Bolesław III Wrymouth, the Duke of Poland, gained control of the region and the stronghold. The inhabitants were converted to Christianity in 1124 and At this time, the first Christian church of St. Peter and Paul was erected. Polish minted coins were commonly used in trade in this period. Christian church of St. Peter and Paul

Polish superiority ended with Boleslaw's death in In 1173, Stettin castellan Wartislaw II could not resist a Danish attack and became vassal of Denmark. In 1181, duke Bogislaw I of Stettin became a vassal of the Holy Roman Empire. Stettin joined the Hanseatic League in The anti-Slavic policies of German merchants and craftsmen intensified in this period, resulting in bans on people of Slavic descent joining craft guilds, or even bans against public usage of native Slavic language. In Szczecin, richer Slavic citizens were forcefully stripped of their possessions which were awarded to Germans. Old Szczecin seaport

Because of the returnees, the German population of the town swelled to 84,000 again. The Oder river was handed over to Polish administration in September 1946, and the port was subsequently handed over between February 1946 and May The Soviet Red Army captured the city on 26 April Many of the city's inhabitants fled before its capture and then Polish authorities took the control. In the following month the Polish administration was forced to leave again twice. In the meantime part of the German population had returned, believing it might become part of the Soviet occupation zone of Germany. World War II

Many remaining Germans were forced to work in Soviet military camps that were outside of Polish jurisdiction. In 1945 the Polish community in Stettin consisted of forced labourers from the General government. Contemporary to the expulsion of the German population, Stettin was resettled with Poles. This settlement process was coordinated by the city of Poznań, and Stettin's name was restored to the Polish name 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 Polish industrial centre and an important seaport (particularly for Silesian coal) for both Poland, 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. Soviet military camp

National Museum in Szczecin collects arts, old jewelry, military equipment. It has three branches: >Museum of the City of Szczecin. >Maritime Museum. >Gallery of Contemporary Arts. National Museum in Szczecin Museum of the Szczecin Archidiocese Museums Museum of the Szczecin Archidiocese collects sacral arts and historical documents. >EUREKA - the miracles of science. EUREKA Culture

Arts and entertainment >Kana Theatre >Modern Theatre >Opera in the Castle >Polish Theatre >The Castle Cinema >The Cellar by the Vault Cabaret Kana Theare Opera in the castle

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