Szczecin (German: Stettin, Latin: Sedinum or Stetinum) - a city with
county rights in north-western Poland, the capital and largest city of
the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, located on the Szczecin coast, on the
Odra River and Dąbie Lake. The historical capital of the Duchy of
Pomerania; later within the borders of Sweden, Brandenburg, Prussia and
Germany, since 1945 it has been part of Poland (thus part of the
Recovered Territories). Szczecin is the third largest city in terms of
occupied area (300.55 km², of which almost 24% is covered by water) and
the seventh largest city in Poland in terms of population. It is located
in the center of the Szczecin agglomeration (one of the 8 Polish
metropolises according to ESPON). According to the data of the Central
Statistical Office of December 31, 2021, Szczecin had 394,482
inhabitants.
Due to its border location and proximity (approx.
100 km) to the Baltic Sea, accessible via the navigable Oder River and
the Szczecin Lagoon, Szczecin has become the economic center of the
region. There are: a sea port, repair, yacht and shipping yards. The
city is a tourist center with a large number of historical monuments. It
is an academic and cultural center (opera and operetta, numerous
theatres, museums and cultural centres), it is also the seat of the
Catholic metropolis and the nominal co-seat of the Orthodox diocese.
Szczecin also affects the German border areas: the eastern part of
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Uckermark district of Brandenburg. The
city is surrounded by three large forest complexes, forests: Wkrzańska
from the north, Bukowa from the south and Goleniowska from the east.
Szczecin is located in north-western Poland, in the western part of
the province. Zachodniopomorskie on the Polish-German border. The city
is located on the Odra River and Dąbie Lake, covering part of
Międzyodrze.
Szczecin is the most distant provincial capital in
Poland from Warsaw.
The city is the center of the Szczecin
agglomeration.
Szczecin is located in the area of four
geographical mesoregions - the Lower Oder Valley, the Szczecin Hills,
the Beech Hills and the Goleniów Plain, which are part of the Szczecin
Coast.
The distance from the city center to the Baltic Sea - if
you do not count the Szczecin Lagoon, which is a sea lagoon - in a
straight line is 65 km. The distance by water through the Lagoon is
similar, while by land it is about 94 km (to Międzyzdroje). Szczecin
borders on the city and commune of Police (from the north) and the
communes of Dobra, Kołbaskowo from the west, Gryfino and Stare Czarnowo
from the south, and Kobylanka and Goleniów from the east. The
Polish-German border is 5 km from the city border.
The village of
Pilchowo and the Pilchowo estate are divided by an administrative border
between the city of Szczecin and the rural part of the Police commune,
Bezrzecze - between Szczecin and the Dobra commune as a housing estate
and village of the same name, Załom - between Szczecin and the Goleniów
commune as a housing estate and village.
Szczecin is considered
the historical capital of Western Pomerania.
The most architecturally interesting buildings in Szczecin can be
found in Wały Chrobrego. The buildings, which were erected here after
1901, in the style of historicism, refer to the Baroque and North German
Mannerism. Others, such as the Maritime Museum and the Contemporary
Theater, were built in the style of Art Nouveau and Modernism. The
buildings of the Embankments are complemented by observation decks with
stairs, as well as a fountain and sculptures referring to the culture of
ancient Egypt or Rome, made by German masters
The center of
Szczecin is characterized by large roundabouts and streets lined with
multi-storey, eclectic tenement houses. This star-shaped urban layout is
often compared to the most famous realization of this type in Europe -
Paris. Most of Śródmieście was built on a star-shaped layout with
squares in the form of roundabouts and wide avenues planted with trees.
The vast majority of tram routes run along separate lanes or in the
middle of the avenue.
A characteristic element of Szczecin's
streets are cast-iron pumps from the second half of the 19th century.
They were produced in the local company of F. Poepcke. They served as a
backup source of water for the city's inhabitants. They turned out to be
very useful during World War II and in the first years after the war,
when the water supply network was not fully operational. About 30 pumps
(out of 70) have survived to this day. The pumps are richly decorated (a
fluted column, the city's coats of arms, a crown on top), and the water
is poured out of a stylized dragon's mouth.
In Szczecin, there are about 270 immovable monuments under legal
protection, and the city itself is on the European Route of Brick
Gothic.
The representative part of Szczecin is the Chrobry
Embankment, which forms 500 m long viewing terraces along the Oder
river. They are adjacent to public utility buildings with monumental
architecture, such as the Main Building of the National Museum in
Szczecin, the building of the Maritime University of Szczecin and the
building of the Provincial Office.
Szczecin was the duke's seat,
thanks to which the Pomeranian Dukes' Castle was built in the city. The
city's past is also evidenced by the remains of city fortifications,
such as the Tower of Seven Coats or the richly decorated Port Gate and
the Royal Gate.
One of the outstanding buildings in Szczecin is
the Basilica of St. Jakuba, which is the dominant feature of Wyszyński
Street. Other churches to look out for are dedicated to: St. John the
Evangelist, St. Peter and St. Paul and St. John the Baptist. Small
churches of medieval origin, located in the peripheral settlements of
the city: in Stołczyn, Krzeków and Pomorzany, also have a great
historical value.
There are many former residences in Szczecin,
such as: the Palace Under the Heads, the Classicist Palace, the Palace
under the Globe, the Ionian Palace, the Palace of the Pomeranian
Estates, the Palace of the Pomeranian Land and tenement houses: the
Loitz House, Professors' Houses.
In Szczecin, which was one of
the most important urban republics, the Old Town Hall was built in the
Middle Ages (currently the seat of the Szczecin History Museum, a branch
of the National Museum in Szczecin) with the Hay Market, and then the
city as the seat of the province and district was enriched with other
impressive public administration buildings, such as: Red The Town Hall,
the Szczecin City Hall and the post office buildings at al.
Niepodległości and at ul. Dworcowa.
In Szczecin, there are large clusters of urban greenery in the form
of urban forests, parks, cemeteries, green areas, squares and street
greenery. The City Forests of the city of Szczecin occupy a total of
2,780 ha. The remaining area of urban green areas (with cemeteries,
without city forests) is 605.3 ha, which is 2% of the area of Szczecin.
The largest area is occupied by walking and leisure parks, of which
there were 16 in 2006 and occupied a total area of 161.5 ha.
The
largest and most popular park is Park Kasprowicz (with an area of 49 ha)
located on a hill and slope of the Niemierzyńska Valley with an
artificially created lake called Rusałka. The second largest park is the
Żeromski Park (with an area of 24 ha), established on the grounds of
liquidated cemeteries at the beginning of the 20th century.
Other
parks include: the Dendrological Garden. prof. Stefan Kownas, Park
Brodowski, Park Andersa, Park Pomorzański im. General Józefa
Dowbór-Muśnickiego, Arkoński Forest Park, Noakowskiego Park, Jasna
Błonia, Park at ul. Niemierzyńska, Park at ul. Goleniowska, Park at ul.
Jasna, Park at ul. Neighbourhood, Park at ul. Roman Dmowski, Park im.
Stanisława Nadratowskiego, Chess Park (Szczecin-West), Rose Garden, Park
at ul. Wapienna (Warszewo).
Cemeteries with a total area of 182.6
ha are a large concentration of greenery. The largest of them (and the
largest in terms of area in Poland) is the Central Cemetery located in
the eastern part of Gumieniec (163 ha). There are 93 green spaces in the
city with a total area of 48.5 ha.
The largest tree in the city
is the St. Ottona - a natural monument and one of the most impressive
lime trees in Poland.
According to data from August 31, 2009, Szczecin had 19 hotel
facilities with a total of 3,608 beds. Throughout 2009, 289.0 thous.
people, of which 44.0% were foreign tourists. The city had 42 collective
tourist accommodation facilities with a total of 5,431 beds. In 2009,
they were used by 354.2 thousand. tourists, of which 39.5% were foreign
tourists. In 2013, most foreign tourists staying overnight came from
Germany and Denmark.
The city is located on the route of the
Berlin - Szczecin - Baltic water route and the European Route of Brick
Gothic.
The capital of Western Pomerania is one of the most important Polish
cultural centers. The most important cultural institutions include the
National Museum in Szczecin, the Pomeranian Dukes' Castle, the
Pomeranian Library and the Filharmonia im. Mieczysław Karłowicz.
Maritime, regional and urban traditions are cultivated, as well as the
memory of the culture of the regions from which the inhabitants of
Szczecin came in the first years after World War II. The seats here
include The Song and Dance Ensemble of the Szczecin Land Krąg and
university choirs, e.g. Choir of the Maritime University of Szczecin.
The calendar of cyclical events includes, among others: Kaziuki's
Kresowy Week, Small Form Theater Review "Kontrapunkt" and Sea Days.
Szczecin was a candidate for the title of European Capital of
Culture in 2016. The logo of the project entitled "Szczecin is the
European Capital of Culture 2016" presents a sign whose prototype was
the Grunwaldzki Square in Szczecin. The author of the logo is Ireneusz
Kuriata.
According to data from 2007, there were 37 libraries in the city,
which were used by 80,250 readers. The largest library is the Pomeranian
Library. The size of the KP collection is about 1,500,000. The library
organizes many meetings and exhibitions devoted to general and regional
topics. In 1995, the Municipal Public Library was established, which
took over 51 branches from the Pomeranian Library, then the provincial
library. Currently, there are 35 MBP branches located in all parts of
the city.
Examples of university libraries include the Main
Library of the University of Szczecin with 10 branches, the Main Library
of the West Pomeranian University of Technology, the Main Library of the
Pomeranian Medical University and the Main Library of the Maritime
University.
The largest museum in the city is the National Museum in Szczecin. It
is a multi-department museum, gathering collections of archaeology,
ancient and contemporary art, history, numismatics, nautics and
ethnography. The museum is located in six buildings (one contemporary
and four historical buildings in the city center and one exhibition in
Gryfice):
National Museum in Szczecin, ul. Waly Chrobrego 3.
National Museum in Szczecin - Museum of Regional Traditions, ul.
Staromłyńska 27 – Palace of the Pomeranian Estates Parliament.
National Museum in Szczecin - Museum of Contemporary Art, ul.
Staromłyńska 1 – Palace under the Heads in Szczecin,
National Museum
in Szczecin - Szczecin History Museum, ul. Ksią Mściwoja II 8, Old Town
Hall in Szczecin,
National Museum in Szczecin - Upheaval Dialogue
Center, pl. Solidarity 1.
National Museum in Szczecin - Exhibition of
the Seaside Narrow-Gauge Railway, ul. Błonie 2, Gryfice.
In
addition, they operate:
Museum of Technology and Communication - Art
Depot Museum of Technology and Communication in Szczecin
Museum of
Literature in the Pomeranian Library
Castle Museum in the Pomeranian
Dukes' Castle
Geological Museum of the Institute of Marine Sciences
of the University of Szczecin
Archdiocesan Museum in Szczecin, at the
Archcathedral Basilica of St. Jacob
Theaters operating in Szczecin:
Polish Theatre
modern theater
Kana Theatre
Krypta Theater (in the Pomeranian Dukes' Castle)
Puppet Theater "Pleciuga"
There is no theater
small private
theaters (including the Chamber Theater of the Szczecin Society of
Friends of Art[70], Broadway Theatre)
and:
Szczecin
Philharmonic
Opera at the Castle
and the amphitheater in
Kasprowicz Park (Summer Theatre).
Art Gallery
Model Gallery -
STiPS - Wielkopolska 27
Zona Gallery - Academy of Art pl. White Eagle
2
Presidential Gallery - Pl. Home Army 1
Captain's Gallery -
Calbud - ul. Captain's
Gallery 111 - Pl. Soldier 11/1
Cinemas
There are 6 cinemas in Szczecin, which in 2007 were visited by 1.14
million viewers. The oldest cinema in the world, Pionier 1907, is
located here, operating continuously in the same place since 1907. The
other 3 cinemas are: Helios Film Center (4 screens), Multikino (9
screens), and Cinema Zamek. In autumn 2012, the Helios Film Center (7
screens) was opened. Multikino is planning to open its next cinema in
Szczecin, this time in Aleja Slonca Shopping Centre
The Festival of Street Artists and Days of the Sea are held in
Szczecin. In April, the Magnolia Rally takes place, the most prestigious
automotive event in the province. Zachodniopomorskie, which is the third
round of the Polish Cup of Automobile Clubs and Clubs.
List of
cyclical events taking place in Szczecin (by month):
Kaziuki's
Kresowy Week - beginning of March
Brain Week in Szczecin (Szczecin
Branch of the Copernicus Polish Society of Naturalists), March, from
2013.
inSPIRACJE International Visual Art Festival - March, since
2005
Week & Mody - March, since 2002, with the final of the Gryf
Fashion Show Models competition for fashion designers
Review of Small
Form Theaters "Kontrapunkt" - nationwide, April, since 1966.
Magnolia
Rally – April, since 1980
Picnic on the Oder - early May, since 2005
Days of Ukrainian Culture - May, since 1996
School Tourist Exchange
"Przygoda" - May, since 1999
Musica Genera Festival - May, since 2002
Sea Days in Szczecin - June
Emerica Wild In The Streets -
International Skateboarding Day - June
International Festival of
Street Artists "Spoiwa Kultury" - July, since 1999
Odra Days –
beginning of July
Boogie Brain - International Music Festival
Szczecin - July, since 2008
Jacob's Fair - July, since 2009
Dąbskie Film Evenings - the last weekend of July, film review on the
beach at Lake Dabie, since 2007
Pyromagic International Fireworks
Festival, in August
Days of Zbożowa Street, in August, from 2015
International Ballet Competition "Złote Pointy" - in the years 1994-2007
National Ballet Competition "Best Graduate of Ballet Schools in Poland"
West Pomeranian Science Festival - initiated by the Szczecin Scientific
Society in 2000, takes place in September
Grammy Young Talents
Festival – September, since 2007
Pekao Open tennis tournament -
September, since 1996
Szczecin European Film Festival – October
Szczecin Tattoo Festival - November, since 1998
Pro-Contra
Independent Theater Festival
Szczecin Early Music Festival
Szczecin Music Fest – since 2004
Song Contest about Szczecin
organized every year since 2008
Festival of Polish Contemporary
Painting in Szczecin - usually every two years
The following local holidays are established in Szczecin:
April 26
Anniversary of the events April 26, 1945, in the years 2000-2015, the
Celebration of the Capture of Szczecin, in the years 1945-1999, the
Liberation Day of Szczecin,
July 5, Establishment Day of the Polish
Administration in Szczecin - since 1945,
5 July Pioneers Day of the
City of Szczecin - since 2013
December 17 Anniversary of the Events
of December 1970
Szczecin is an important transport hub in northern Poland.
By
plane
Szczecin-Goleniów Airport (Port lotniczy Szczecin-Goleniów,
IATA: SZZ) . Szczecin-Goleniów Airport is located 40km northeast of
Szczecin, near the small town of Goleniów. He will i.a. operated by LOT,
Ryanair, Norwegian and Wizz Air with destinations in the UK, Norway and
domestic Poland. Despite rapid growth, the airport is still small with
only a few flight movements per day. A train station with direct
connections to Stettin and Kołobrzeg is integrated into the airport;
other cities can be reached by changing trains in Goleniow, Dabie or
Stettin Glowny
Poznań-Ławica Airport (IATA: POZ) and Berlin
Brandenburg Airport (IATA: BER) are about 3 hours away by train; the
travel time to Gdansk is significantly longer. There are also transfer
buses from Szczecin to Berlin Airport.
By train
Szczecin
Główny (main train station), 70-035 Szczecin, ul. Columbus 2 . The train
station is in the center and can be reached from Germany by local trains
from Angermünde (some trains go through to Berlin; otherwise change in
Angermünde) or Pasewalk (the trains come from Lübeck via
Neubrandenburg). Since only local trains run, Szczecin is a travel
destination that is easy to reach if you use the state tickets
(Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania ticket and Quer durchs
Land). There is some confusion about the Polish section of the route:
while the Brandenburg-Berlin ticket and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania
ticket are valid there (also in Szczecin city traffic),
Schleswig-Holstein tickets are only valid in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania
up to the border, as is the transverse land ticket. A single ticket from
the border costs €2.70 and can be purchased from the conductor
For
single travelers there is a special Berlin-Stettin tariff of the
Berlin-Brandenburg transport association for €12.70, reduced €9.40
(single journey) or €25.00/€18.60 for a day ticket. The BahnCard
entitles you to a discount. The ticket is also valid for Szczecin city
traffic and can also be purchased in Szczecin for the return journey.
There are direct connections within Poland to Poznań (2 1/4 hours),
Warsaw (5 hours), Białystok (12 hours) via Gdansk.
The
Szczecin-Dąbie railway station, address: ul. Stacyjna 3, is also an
important railway junction, but most trains also go to Szczecin Główny.
Next stop on the DB network is Grambow, 10km from the city centre. More
connections exist in Pasewalk, 40km west of Szczecin.
By bus
From Berlin, the city can be reached by long-distance buses from various
bus companies (e.g. tickets available from Flixbus). The central bus
station (ZOB) is located in the city center at pl. Grodnicki 1. He is
managed by the PKS Szczecin.
In the street
Arrival from
Germany is possible via Berlin on the A11 E28 motorway and A6 in Poland.
By boat
The passenger port is on the Oder at ul. Jana z Kolna 7.
There are ship connections (excursion traffic) on the Oder and to
Świnoujście. Ferry company to Swinoujscie
Ferry port with
connections to Scandinavia is Świnoujście.
On foot and by bike
The Hanseatenweg connects Hamburg with Stettin via Lübeck. Szczecin is
also on the path of the Cistercians.
Local public transport
In Szczecin there is a network of 12 tram
lines and an additional bus network (homepage). There is also an express
tram line. Trams and buses can be used with the same ticket.
The
trams run mainly on the left side of the Oder. Located on the Szczecin
Lagoon, Police is part of the Szczecin local transport network.
The tourist tram is number 0 and the tourist buses are number 50 and
100. A ticket here costs 3 PLN (approx. EUR 0.67). Attention, the
regular tickets are not valid here!
The regular bus routes are
numbered from 51 to 111. Express buses are identified by the letters A,
B, C, D, E, F and G and night buses are numbered from 521 to 534.
Buses with numbers starting with 7 are free but only go to the
shopping malls. Buses with numbers starting with 8 are replacement
buses.
A short trip (valid for 15 minutes) normally costs PLN 2
(approx. EUR 0.45) and reduced PLN 1 (approx. EUR 0.22). A day ticket
(24 hours) normally costs PLN 10 (approx. EUR 2.10) and reduced PLN 6
(approx. EUR 1.35). A family weekend ticket is available for PLN 14
(approx. EUR 3.13) and a five-day ticket for PLN 30 (approx. EUR 6.40).
Students up to the age of 26 with an "International Student Identity
Card" (ISIC) are entitled to a discount. Persons aged 67 and over are
also entitled to discounts. Persons aged 70 and over ride for free.
Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania tickets are also valid in
city traffic.
If you want to explore the harbor basin, the Oder
section in Szczecin and the Dammsche See, you can book a boat trip on
the homepage.
By train
Some suburbs, especially Dąbie am
Dammschen See, can be reached faster by train than by tram or bus, which
must stop at all stops. A train ticket costs PLN 6 (approx. EUR 1.35).
On foot
The old town can be explored on foot. A red line on the
ground connects about 40 interesting buildings in the Old Town and its
surroundings. The red circular route begins and ends at the main train
station, where there is also a map of the route. A leaflet with the map
is also available at the tourist information at the train station and at
the castle. There are multilingual information boards at the sights.
Bicycle
Szczecin has a dense network of bicycles, with which you
can also reach the suburbs. You can use city rental bikes for a fee
(homepage of the provider). A bicycle rally is held on the last Friday
of every month, starting at Plac Lotników at 6:00 p.m.
Car
Driving in Szczecin is relatively easy due to the wide streets and many
open and green spaces. You can also park for free in the multi-storey
car parks of the shopping centres. Otherwise there are parking machines
in the center. The parking fees here depend on the zone and the length
of the parking period.
Taxi
It is advisable to only use
licensed taxi companies that charge per kilometer driven. A trip within
the center should not cost more than PLN 12-15 (approx. EUR 3). Some
taxi companies in Szczecin:
Car Taxi: +48 91 4535555
CityTaxi: +48
91 4335335
Express Taxi: +48 91 4261038
EuroTaxi: +48 91 4343434
Gold Taxi: +48 91 8122222
Granada Taxi: +48 91 4554554
Szczecin
Taxi: +48 91 4835835
Within the borders of Szczecin, landscape types of 4 geographical
mesoregions meet, i.e.: the Lower Oder Valley, the Szczecin Hills, the
Beech Hills and the Goleniów Plain. The average ordinate of the area of
Szczecin is 25 m above sea level. The lowest surface of the land falls
between the arms of the Odra River, where there are depression areas
reaching 0.1 m below sea level. By the borders of Szczecin, there is
Wielecka Góra (131 m above sea level) lying on the Warszewskie Hills,
and south of the city, in the Szczecin Landscape Park, there is Bukowiec
(148.3 m above sea level) on the Bukowe Hills.
According to data
from 2011, the area of the city covers 300.55 km².
Within the administrative borders of Szczecin, there are small fragments of the Szczecin Landscape Park "Puszcza Bukowa" (among others with Lake Szmaragdowe and the nature reserve "Zdroje") and the northern part of the Natura 2000 special protection area for birds "The Lower Oder Valley" (PLB 320003), while in the south, the city borders the Lower Oder Valley Landscape Park and is surrounded by 3 primeval forests: Wkrzańska, Bukowa and Goleniowska.
The following flow through the city: the Odra River, its side arm Regalica flowing into Lake Dąbie lying entirely within the city limits, connecting both Parnica rivers and many smaller canals that are part of Międzyodrze. There are islands in Międzyodrze (Żurawi Ostrów, Mewia Wyspa, Dębina, Czarnołęka, Radolin, Gryfia, Ostrów Grabowski, Wielka Kępa, Ostrów Mieleński, W. Milenia, W. Robinia, Czapla Ostrów, Wyspa Grodzka, Łasztownia, Mieleńska Łąka, Zaleskie Łęgi, Siedlińska Kępa, Klucki Ostrów, Sadlińskie Łąki, Czapla Ostrów, Swallow Island, Kępa Parnicka, Zielona Island, Puck Island, W. Krainka, Ustowskie Wetlands).
The most frequently affecting polar sea air masses from above the
North Atlantic are characterized by high humidity, which in summer
increases cloud cover and the amount of precipitation; in winter it is
associated with warming and high cloudiness. These masses are most often
deposited in summer and autumn.
Polar continental air from
Eastern Europe and Asia arrives less frequently. The presence of this
air is most often observed in winter and spring. It has a low water
vapor content. During its retention in spring there are numerous frosts,
winters are frosty and sunny. Arctic air flows much less often - it
brings very changeable weather, with significant changes in temperature
and spring frosts. The presence of tropical air, which brings periods of
rapid warming, sometimes appearing in winter and sporadically in summer,
is recorded the least often.
The average wind speed is approx.
3.3 m/s. The prevailing winds are west (W) and south-west (SW).
The presence of large water reservoirs, such as the Szczecin Lagoon, the
Miedwie lake and the Oder valley, causes an increase in air humidity in
these areas. The average relative air humidity is 80%, the highest -
88%, which occurs in November, December and January, and the lowest
about 72% in April and May.
The average air temperature in
Szczecin ranges from 8 to 8.4 °C. The hottest month is July with the
temperature from 15.8 °C to 20.3 °C, the coldest is January from -4.1 °C
to 2.6 °C. Air temperature below 0 °C occurs on average during 86 days a
year, most often in January and February.
The average annual
precipitation is 537 mm, the average precipitation in the cold half-year
is 225 mm, and in the warm half-year 350 mm. On average, there are 167
days with precipitation per year.
A characteristic feature of
Szczecin's climate is a large number of cloudy days, which results from
its location on the route of cyclonic systems moving from the Atlantic.
In the years 1956–1998, the number of cloudy days was twice as high as
that of clear days. The months of November, December and January are
characterized by the highest average cloud cover, when layer clouds
prevail, and the lowest cloud cover – May and August.
In the 7th–6th centuries B.C.E. there was a settlement from the
period of the Lusatian culture in this area. Castle Hill has been
inhabited continuously since about 700 CE, but it is possible that
the continuity of the history of settlement of this place documented
in sources dates back to nearly 1850 years. In ancient times, there
was a town called Susudata near Szczecin. The oldest settlement in
Szczecin has a tribal record dating back to the end of the 8th
century. In the 9th century, a hillfort surrounded by a moat was
built by the Slavic princes, at the foot of which a trading and
fishing settlement developed.
In 967, Mieszko I annexed
Pomerania together with Szczecin to Poland. The then Szczecin
consisted of three parts: the stronghold, the outer borough and the
port. Until around 1007, Szczecin was under the authority of
Bolesław Chrobry. The military involvement of the Polish ruler in
the Czech Republic and the conflict with Germany activated the
Pomeranian magnates to secede. The anti-Christian revolt combined
with the rebellion of the local magnates resulted in the
independence of Szczecin and other Pomeranian towns.
At the
end of 1121, Duke Bolesław Wrymouth rejoined Szczecin to Poland, and
Duke Warcisław I recognized Polish suzerainty and paid homage to
Krzywousty, founding the Griffin dynasty, which ruled Szczecin for
over 500 years.
In 1185, the city, together with Western
Pomerania, became a fief of Denmark, and then in 1235 it became a
fief of the emperor and became part of the Holy Roman Empire. In
1243, Prince Barnim I granted Szczecin city rights. In the following
years, the city acquired further areas: in 1283 Dąbie Lake, and in
1321 Police. In the 13th century, Szczecin became a Hanseatic city.
In the place of a Slavic stronghold in the 14th century, Prince
Barnim III the Great built his seat, the so-called "Stone House" and
the chapel of St. Otto. The completion of the stone and brick city
walls around the city also dates from this period. In 1474 in
Szczecin, after the line of the Szczecin and Wallachian dukes
expired, the Słupsk prince Bogusław X took power, who 4 years later
united Western Pomerania, and in 1491 moved its capital to Szczecin.
However, already in 1532 the duchy was divided again and the city
became the capital of the Duchy of Szczecin. In 1514, it was
forbidden to admit people of Wendish origin to the tailors' guild.
In 1534, the town's inhabitants converted to Protestantism
(Lutheranism).
In 1570, the "Peace of Szczecin" was signed
ending the First Northern War.
In 1630 the city was occupied
by the Swedes.
On March 10, 1637, during the Thirty Years'
War, Bogusław XIV, the last Pomeranian prince from the Griffin
dynasty, died in Szczecin. The extinction of the dynasty meant the
fall of the independent Duchy of Pomerania. According to the
dynastic agreement concluded in 1529, Pomerania was to be inherited
by the Hohenzollerns. However, the real masters were the Swedes,
whose army occupied Western Pomerania during the war. In 1654, in a
treaty concluded after the end of the Thirty Years' War, Western
Pomerania was divided between Brandenburg and Sweden - part of
Pomerania with Szczecin (including the islands of Uznam and Wolin)
fell to Sweden, which enabled Sweden to make the so-called Swedish
Deluge - invasion of Poland. Military activities during the Swedish
Deluge contributed to the economic decline of the town.
In
1713, the city was occupied by Prussia, which was confirmed by the
Peace of Stockholm, when on January 21, 1720, the Queen of Sweden,
Ulrika Eleonora Wittelsbach, just before her abdication, sold
Szczecin with the eastern part of the Swedish part of Pomerania for
2 million thalers to Frederick William I, King of Prussia. In
1724–1740, new city fortifications were erected around the city, the
plan of which was to demolish the medieval fortifications.
During the Seven Years' War, the Russians besieged Szczecin. In the
years 1806–1813, Szczecin was under French occupation. From February
21 to July 29, 1809, the staff of the 4th Cavalry Regiment of the
Army of the Duchy of Warsaw was stationed, fighting the Prussian
insurgent troops of Major Schill in Swedish Pomerania. From January
to December 5, 1813, the fortress was heroically defended by the
French General Barbanègre.
From 1818, it was a municipal
district and at the same time the seat of the Szczecin regency.
In 1843, the city received a railway connection with Berlin,
giving rise to the railway in Pomerania, soon after that, the
industry began to develop more intensively. In 1873, the then mayor
of the city, Hermann Haken, decided to demolish the fortifications
and expand the city.
On October 15, 1939, the so-called The Great
City of Szczecin, existing until the end of the war. There were
about 100 forced labor camps in this area. As a result of Allied
bombing raids, the damage to the buildings amounted to approx.
60-70%, the port and its vicinity - 70-80%, and the industrial
buildings were destroyed in 90%.
In February 1945, the German
authorities began the evacuation of the city's inhabitants, the
equipment of factories and archives, and the erection of barricades,
anti-tank ditches and minefields. From 14 to 20 March, heavy
fighting for the eastern districts of Szczecin took place. They were
attended, among others, by units of the 47th and 61st armies and the
2nd Guards Tank Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, as well as the
2nd artillery division and the 1st Independent Mortar Brigade of the
1st Army of the Polish Army. On March 20, the city was declared a
fortress, and after the right-bank settlements were occupied by the
Soviet army, the port was mined and the bridges on the Oder were
destroyed. The units of the 65th army of the 2nd Belorussian Front
took part in further battles, forcing the Regalica and Odra rivers
and taking over the left-bank Szczecin from April 15 to 26 ).
The official transfer of the city to the Polish authorities took
place late, on July 5. The German population that remained in the
city was resettled to Germany and in 1947 only 4,000 people lived in
Szczecin. the Germans.
In 1948, it was unveiled on pl.
Grunwaldzki, funded by the "dąbrowszczacy" community, a
commemorative plaque in honor of General Świerczewski on the first
anniversary of his death in the fight against UPA units. In 1950, it
was erected on pl. Polish Soldier Monument of Gratitude
commemorating the Soviet soldiers who fell in the battles for the
city in 1945.
In 1959, there were rumors that the USSR, as
part of detente in relations with the West, might agree to a
correction of the Polish border in the area of Szczecin. The first
secretary of the PZPR, Władysław Gomułka, irritated by the silence
of the Soviet press, which did not deny these rumors, addressed a
sharp letter to the Soviet leader Khrushchev. At the same time, the
Polish side decided to include Szczecin in the program of visits by
foreign delegations. This also happened during Khrushchev's visit to
Poland. During the ceremony of granting him honorary citizenship of
the city of Khrushchev, dispelling the concerns of the Polish side,
he said.
In 1973, the Pedagogical University of Szczecin was
established. In 1979 at ul. Piotr Skarga, the monument to Deed of
Poles was unveiled; three eagles symbolize three generations of
Poles struggling with the Germanic element.
In December 1970
and August 1980, workers' strikes and demonstrations took place in
Szczecin, and the so-called August agreements. In 1979, the city was
awarded the Order of the Banner of Labor, 1st class. In 1984, the
Pedagogical University of Szczecin and the Faculty of Engineering
and Economics of Transport of the Szczecin University of Technology
were merged and the University of Szczecin was established. On June
11, 1987, the city was visited by Pope John Paul II.
In the
years 1946-1975, the city was the capital of the so-called of the
large Szczecin Voivodeship, in the years 1975–1998 in the so-called
of the small Szczecin Voivodeship, and since 1999 it has been the
capital of the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship. Since 1999, Szczecin
has been the headquarters of the Multinational Corps Northeast of
NATO forces.
In the 21st century, Szczecin became the city
most often chosen for the finish line of the international regatta
of large sailing ships The Tall Ships' Races. The first final took
place in Szczecin on August 4-7, 2007 (regatta route: Aarhus - Kotka
- Stockholm - Szczecin). The organizers claim that the rally area
was visited by 2 million people. The Norwegian sailing ship
Christian Radich won the regatta in the general classification. At
that time, the city became one of the organizers and sponsors of the
event, and therefore on August 3-6, 2013, the next final of the
regatta was held there, on the route Aarhus - Helsinki - Riga -
Szczecin. It was even more important than the previous one, because
in 2007 the event was divided into two parts (Baltic and
Mediterranean), and in 2013 the whole event took place on the Baltic
Sea. More than 100 sailing ships came to Szczecin, more than before,
and the winner in the general classification of the regatta was
s/yDar Szczecina, a yacht owned by the city, and at the same time
the smallest sailing ship that has ever won this regatta (weak winds
during the race favored smaller vessels). For the third time, the
final of the regatta, equally great, took place in Szczecin on
August 4-7, 2017 (route Halmstad - Kotka - Turku - Klaipeda -
Szczecin), and the British sailing ship Royalist won the regatta.
Shortly after this final, a decision was made to award Szczecin the
fourth final, which is to be held on July 31 - August 3, 2021
(regatta route: Klaipeda - St. Petersburg - Tallinn - Mariehamn -
Szczecin).
The name Szczecin is of Slavic origin. Medieval written historical
sources are relatively scarce and it is difficult to draw specific
conclusions from them. In the past, it was believed that the name of the
city comes from Szczecin. Others derived it from the word sewage
(because the Oder waters in this area very slowly "spill" towards the
Baltic Sea). More recent research put forward a more probable thesis
that Szczecin took its name from the word "summit", which meant a
shield, and the suffix "-in" (Szczycin).
Old chronicles mention
that the town was situated on three hills. These peaks would give rise
to the first name of Szczytno. Marian Gumowski, on the basis of research
carried out on old city seals, believed that the original name of the
city was Szczycin. There is also a thesis that the name comes from the
Old German word stette, which means "fortress".
Other hypotheses
about the origin of the name have also been put forward: "settlement on
a river arm, dam or ford" (brush), from the brush as swamp grass, from
the type of thistle, from the name/nickname, from the Sidin tribe.
Over the centuries, Szczecin changed its name many times. The oldest
mention of the name Stetin comes from 1133, in 1188 Stetyn, in 1251
Stitin, as well as Stitinum, Stitin, Stetina and Stittin.
In the
past, the name "Old Szczecin" (Alten Stettin) was also used to
distinguish it from Nowe Szczecin, i.e. Szczecinek.
The Polish
pre-war exonym was Szczecin (1890, 1938). The name Szczecin was
officially established in 1946.
Szczecin is a center of maritime economy; it employs 13,279
people[48]. The seaport serves shipowners from all over the world and is
the home port of two shipping companies: Polska Żegluga Morska and
Euroafrica. In addition, other companies related to the maritime economy
have their headquarters here. Within the port area, on the island of
Ostrów Grabowski, there is Spółka Wodna Międzyodrze, which deals with
sewage treatment. The shipbuilding industry, traditional for the city,
declined - the Szczecin Shipyard Nowa (continuation of the Porta Holding
S.A. Szczecin Shipyard, which was established on the basis of the Adolf
Warski Shipyard) was liquidated; Parnica Shipyard collapsed. There are
repair shipyards in operation: Szczecin Shiprepair Shipyard "Gryfia",
Stocznia Pomerania Sp. z o.o., Grupa Stoczni Odra Sp. z o. o. and
Stocznia Wulkan.
Within the city, a subzone of Szczecin was
established - the Euro-Park Mielec Special Economic Zone, which includes
8 complexes with a total area of 93.84 ha. Within the subzone, there are
plants producing e.g. load-bearing elements, sun visors and electrical
installation accessories. In 2013, a subzone of Szczecin was established
- the Kostrzyn-Słubice Special Economic Zone, which includes 1 complex.
Entrepreneurs undertaking business activity in economic subzones may
take advantage of the exemption from part of the CIT income tax or part
of the two-year labor costs.
Huta Szczecin was the only ironworks
on the Polish coast. Szczecinskie Zakłady Nawozów Fosforowych
Superfosfat, currently under the name Fosfan S.A., located near the
steelworks, produce mineral fertilizers for agriculture and gardening.
The State Fisheries Farm Szczecin operated in the village.
In
September 2016, the number of registered unemployed in Szczecin was
approx. 8.4 thousand. inhabitants, which is an unemployment rate of 5.0%
for the professionally active.
The average employee remuneration
in October 2012 amounted to PLN 3,807.73, with the number of employees
employed in Szczecin - 90,754 people. The average salary in the public
sector was PLN 4,169.51, and in the private sector, PLN 3,434.77.
In 2009, the average gross monthly salary in the enterprise sector
in Szczecin was PLN 3,439.94.
Szczecin's GDP is PLN 20.255
billion, which is 1/3 of the GDP of the entire voivodeship. There is PLN
49,497 per inhabitant, which is about 40% more than the result for the
voivodship.
The largest shopping centers in Szczecin are CHR Galaxy, which has
170 shops of various industries, a cinema and a hypermarket, and CH
Kaskada. There are many other shopping centers in Szczecin. Since
February 2020, Ikea is also being built here.
In 2006, there were
16 markets in the city, of which 14 were mostly small retail. The
largest bazaars in Szczecin are: Pogodno (ul. Reymonta), Plac
Kilińskiego, Manhattan (ul. Staszica), as well as the marketplace at ul.
of Journalism in Szczecin-Dąbie. In Szczecin, two car fairs are held
every Sunday, the first one near Polmopozyt at ul. Białowieska, the
other at ul. Sugar.
Szczecin is famous for several products. The
first one is paprykarz Szczeciński, which is a typical addition to
sandwiches. It consists of fish meat, rice, onion, tomato paste,
vegetable oil, the addition of various spices and salt. Another famous
Szczecin delicacy are the Szczecin pastries, made of yeast dough and
stuffed with cheese, meat or cabbage with mushrooms. Another regional
product was the Starka vodka from Szczecin, currently produced from rye
only in the local vodka factory, its taste is due to long aging in oak
barrels with small additions of linden or apple leaves.
In 2008, Szczecin developed and adopted the Long-Term Szczecin Brand Strategy, which summarizes the image of the city and defines its greatest assets. Szczecin is promoted as a Floating Garden, a term meaning a city filled with greenery and water in its downtown.
Road transport
Szczecin is a transport hub on the route of the
trans-European north-south transport corridor connecting southern
Scandinavia, the Czech Republic and Austria with the ports of the
Mediterranean Sea. Within the city, 43 percent. trips are made by car
(the highest indicator in Poland), and 37 percent. by bus or tram.
Railway transport
Six different directions of railway lines
converge in Szczecin, which together form the Szczecin railway junction.
Since 2004, there are 8 railway stations and stops operating in
passenger traffic in Szczecin. The city also has 2 freight stations and
several branch posts. Szczecin is connected to the national railway
infrastructure through 7 railway lines. Railway line No. 401 connects
Szczecin with Goleniów and Świnoujście, and line No. 351 - with Stargard
and Poznań, which has lines to Warsaw and Wrocław. Line 273 connects
with Gryfino, Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Zielona Góra and Wrocław. Railway line
No. 409 leads from Szczecin to Berlin and railway line No. 408 to Lübeck
and Hamburg.
On the railway line no. 406, which has been closed
for passenger traffic since 2002, it is planned to launch a branch of
the Szczecin Metropolitan Railway to the city of Police by 2025, with
additional stops on it.
Water transport
Cruise ships sailing
on the Oder River and the waters of the Szczecin port depart from the
Passenger Quay at Wały Chrobrego. In the 2020 season, there were three
shipowners with six vessels: Joanna, Dziewanna, Kapitan Cook, Sedina,
Odra Queen and Peene Queen. Hydrofoils operating on the route to
Świnoujście operated in Szczecin for a long time, with varying degrees
of success - the last time in 2008-2015. The Berlin-Szczecin-Baltic
waterway is regularly visited by hotel river cruisers, mainly of the
German and Swiss flags.
In Szczecin, there are business entities that
rent small vessels.
Air Transport
Air transport is served by
the international Szczecin-Goleniów Airport located approx. 47 km from
the city center. NSZZ "Solidarność", which has regular air connections
with: Warsaw (Okęcie - LOT Polish Airlines, Modlin - Ryanair), London
(Stansted - Ryanair), Lviv (Wizz Air, suspended due to the Russian
invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. ), Copenhagen (SAS and
Norwegian), Liverpool (Ryanair), Dublin (Ryanair) and the Norwegian
cities of Oslo (Gardermoen - Norwegian, Torp - Wizz Air), Bergen (Wizz
Air) and Stavanger (Wizz Air). The offer also includes charter and
seasonal flights (LOT Polish Airlines offer a seasonal connection to
Croatia - in the 2019 season it was Zadar, in the 2020, 2021 and 2022
seasons Rijeka and to Rzeszów). The annual capacity of the air terminal
is 1 million passengers. The terminal is adapted to EU requirements.
The role of the sports airport of the Szczecin Aero Club is played
by the Szczecin-Dąbie grass airport, which until the 1960s served as the
city's airport. The airport has two grass runways.
There are also
three hospital helipads in Szczecin: at ul. Union of Lublin, in Zdroje
and Zdunowo.
Collective public transport
Public transport in
the city is organized by a budgetary entity under the name of the Road
and Urban Transport Authority. Its task is to set a detailed timetable
on all lines, distribute and control tickets and order transport
services. On his order, the tram lines are operated by Tramwaje
Szczecińskie, and the bus lines are operated by the Szczecin Bus Company
"Klonowica", Szczecin Bus Company "Dąbie", Szczecin-Polickie
Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacyjne and PKS Szczecin.
The tram network
is the main means of public transport in the city centre. Radial tram
lines radiating from the center provide a large transport capacity to
and from the districts of left-bank Szczecin. The Szczecin Fast Tram
connected the right-bank part of the city with the centre.
Documenting and nurturing the history of local public transport is the
responsibility of the Szczecin Society of Public Transport Enthusiasts
and the Museum of Technology and Transport - Art Depot in Szczecin.
Border crossings
The sea border crossing Szczecin operates in the
city, and the Szczecin-Goleniów airport is located nearby.
Bicycle transport
On some roads, the reserves for bicycle paths,
resulting from the solutions planned in the pre-war period (e.g. Ku
Słońca, Mickiewicza, Bohaterów Warszawy, Wyspiańskiego Streets), are
used for parking purposes. The current system of bicycle paths covers
only parts of the city, including approx. 27 km in the Zachód district
and approx. 9 km in Śródmieście. Currently, there are more and more
bicycle paths on the Right Bank and part of the North. However, it is
still a rather chaotic system, not creating a coherent system of bicycle
routes.
In the summer of 2014, a system of city bikes "Bike_S"
was created, whose stations were initially located only in the center.
In 2016, the system was extended to include more stations, e.g. on the
Right Bank.
There are two local TV stations in Szczecin (TVP3 Szczecin and
PomeraniaTV) and local radio stations Polskie Radio Szczecin, Radio Plus
Szczecin, Radio Szczecin Extra, Radio Eska Szczecin and Radio Złote
Przeboje, Radio RMF Maxxx and Radio Wawa. The largest local newspapers
are: Kurier Szczeciński and Głos Szczeciński, the regional edition of
Gazeta Wyborcza, and the free weekly MM Moje Miasto. Since 2007, a free
monthly magazine has also been published in Szczecin - Prestiż Magazyn
Szczeciński - a lifestyle magazine describing people, events and places
related to the city.
Once, there were also TV stations in
Szczecin: TV Sea, TV Bryza, TV Gryf, TV7 and radio stations: Radio Vox
FM, Radio Plama, Radio PSR, Radio ABC and Radio As. In the early 1990s
Dziennik Szczeciński was published. The newspaper Hallo Szczecin and the
free Gazeta Szczecińska were published three times a week, later in
German. A free newspaper, i.e. Sprawabrzeże, is also published in
Prawbrzeże. For members of the "Dąb" Housing Cooperative, the newspaper
"Panorama 7" is published, the price of which is included in the rent.
The bi-monthly cultural magazine "Pogranicza" was published in Szczecin.
Since September 2011, the magazine "Szczecin in Progress" has also
been published - a free monthly magazine whose creators focus on showing
the positive sides of the city, its inhabitants and people working for
the development of Szczecin.
The most famous dishes of Szczecin cuisine are the Szczecin pastry
and the Szczeciński paprykarz.
The city is also associated with
herring products; in the Stettiner Kochbuch cookbook you can find, for
example, a recipe for "Szczeciński herring in Pomeranian style" (pieces
of herring served with whipped sour cream and paprika, salt and pepper).
It also translated into the economic plane - Szczecin was the main
German exporter of this fish.
In the 1990s, on the wave of
popularity of fast food, a dish known as Frytburger began to be served
in Szczecin bars. It is a minced cutlet with fries served in a pita or
roll, usually with the addition of sauces. The sandwich, which is a
combination of English chip butty and Greek gyros, is popular mainly in
Szczecin, in other Polish cities the dish is rarely offered by eateries.
In 2007, 20,739 children attended 59 elementary schools in Szczecin,
and 12,504 students attended 51 lower secondary schools. 13,467 people
studied in secondary schools. In 2007, the city had 31 general secondary
schools, 22 technical secondary schools for youth, 10 specialized
secondary schools for youth, 14 basic vocational schools for youth, 5
post-secondary schools, and 11 art schools. One of the two State Ballet
Centers in the country is located in the city.
The idea of
establishing a university in Szczecin appeared already in the 16th
century, but the proper development of higher education began only in
1946. Currently, the following universities are located in Szczecin:
Maritime University of Technology in Szczecin
Archbishop's Higher
Theological Seminary in Szczecin
Pomeranian Medical University in
Szczecin
University of Szczecin
Academy of Art in Szczecin
University of Public Administration in Szczecin
WSB University in
Poznań, Faculty of Economics in Szczecin
University of Economics and
Tourism
Academy of Applied Sciences of the Society of Universal
Knowledge in Szczecin
TWP Pedagogical University
University of
European Integration in Szczecin
College of Foreign Languages
University of Technology and Economics in Szczecin
College of
Theology and Humanities
Szczecin University - Collegium Balticum
Higher Vocational School "Oeconomicus" PTE
Higher School of
Management
West Pomeranian Business School in Szczecin
West
Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin established on the basis
of the Szczecin University of Technology and the Agricultural University
of Szczecin
City government
Szczecin is a city with poviat rights. The
residents elect 31 councilors to the City Council of Szczecin[105]. The
executive body of the authorities is the mayor of the city, who has been
Piotr Krzystek since December 4, 2006. The City Hall of Szczecin is
located on Armii Krajowej Square.
In 2013, the budget
expenditures of the local government of Szczecin amounted to PLN 1,777
million, and budget revenues to PLN 1,775 million. The debt (public
debt) of the local government, according to data for the fourth quarter
of 2013, amounted to PLN 940.8 million, which accounted for 53% of
revenue
Composition of the City Council in 1998–2002
Democratic Left Alliance – 24 seats
Solidarity Electoral Action – 21
seats
Unia Wolności – 8 seats
Marian Jurczyk's Independent Social
Movement - 6 seats
Settlers - 1 mandate
Composition of the
City Council in 2002–2006
Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union – 14
seats
KWW of Teresa Lubińska - 5 seats
Marian Jurczyk's
Independent Committee - 5 seats
POPIS for Szczecin - 5 seats
League of Polish Families – 1 mandate
Total Poland - 1 seat
Composition of the City Council in 2006–2010
Civic Platform – 15
seats
Law and Justice – 10 seats
Left and Democrats - 6 seats
Composition of the City Council in 2010–2014
Civic Platform – 15
seats
Law and Justice – 7 seats
Democratic Left Alliance – 6 seats
Piotr Krzystek Szczecin for Generations - 2 mandates
KWW of
Małgorzata Jacyna-Witt - 1 mandate
Composition of the City
Council in 2014–2018
Civic Platform – 10 seats
Law and Justice –
10 seats
Piotr Krzystek's independent KWW - 8 seats
SLD Lewica
Together – 2 seats
KWW of Małgorzata Jacyna-Witt - 1 mandate
Szczecin is a member of the Union of Polish Metropolises.
Composition of the City Council in 2018–2023
Civic Coalition – 13
seats
Law and Justice – 10 seats
KWW of Piotr Krzystek Nonpartisan
- 8 seats
The basic auxiliary unit of a city is the estate, although other
units such as districts can be created. The city is divided into 37
administrative settlements. In addition, Szczecin is divided into 4
districts: North, Right Bank, Śródmieście, West. The districts do not
perform self-government functions, but group housing estates and are
used by the City of Szczecin for the organization of work, space
management and city management.
The self-government function is
performed by housing estates with legislative and executive bodies. The
legislative body of each is the estate council, which appoints the
executive body - the estate management board.
Such an
administrative division of Szczecin has been in place since 1990, with
minor changes to the boundaries of housing estates and districts and
changes to the statute of housing estates.
The inhabitants of
Szczecin often mistakenly identify a housing estate with an
administrative estate, which means that a housing estate cooperative is
an auxiliary unit of the city. Cooperative housing administrations often
operate within a given housing estate council.
The inhabitants of Szczecin elect councilors to the provincial assembly in constituency I. Deputies to the Sejm are elected from constituency no. 41, senators from constituency no. 97 (together with the police district), and deputies to the European Parliament from constituency no. 13.
Szczecin is the seat of the court of appeal, the district court and the provincial administrative court. There are 2 district courts in Szczecin, dividing the city into 2 areas of jurisdiction. Szczecin is the seat of the regional prosecutor's office and the district prosecutor's office. The area of the city is divided between 4 district prosecutor's offices.
There are 16 honorary consulates in Szczecin
Before 1939,
there were 27 consulates in the then German city of Szczecin, including
the Polish consulate (1925–1939). After World War II, there were also
consulates in Szczecin: Czechoslovakia (1948-1992), Finland (1949-1961),
France (1946-1951), Cuba (1969-1991), GDR/FRG (1974-1990, 1991-2000)
Norway (1991), USSR/Russia (1948-1960, 1971-1991), Sweden (1948-1993),
Great Britain (1947-1951).
international cooperation
Partner
cities of Szczecin:
Germany Rostock since 1957
Denmark Esbjerg
since September 1, 1990
Germany Bremerhaven since October 16, 1990
United Kingdom Kingston upon Hull from 20 September 1991
United
States Saint Louis since 1992
Germany Lübeck since January 15, 1993
Sweden Malmö since March 8, 1994
Dalian since September 29, 1995
Germany Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg (Berlin) since June 14, 1996
Lithuania Klaipėda since March 20, 2002
Germany Greifswald since
August 20, 2010
Italy Bari since November 30, 2010
Jinan since
September 13, 2010
Ukraine Dnieper since November 27, 2010
Szczecin is also a member of the New Hanza and the Union of Polish
Metropolises.
Until 1945, the inhabitants of Szczecin spoke the Middle Pomeranian dialect of the Low German language. In the first years after World War II, Szczecin was settled mainly by people from the former Eastern Borderlands, eastern and central Poland. In the initial period, this population used the Polish language, which was characterized by a large number of dialectal expressions and accretions characteristic of the home areas of the settlers. Over the last half-century (as a result of the so-called "language melting pot"), a huge unification of the language took place in this area. According to research carried out in the 1990s, the present inhabitants of Szczecin (along with the inhabitants of Wrocław) speak the Polish language closest to the literary language among all inhabitants of Poland. A typical urban dialect similar to, for example, the Poznań dialect has not developed in Szczecin. However, the colloquial language of the city's inhabitants is characterized by a small number of words that differ from the standards of colloquial Polish from the rest of the country, in the 1990s the words: many (man), szmula (girl), zinci (elegant shoes, patent leather shoes) were used.
In 2011, the largest among recognized national minorities in Szczecin
were Germans (988 people; 0.2% of the total), followed by Ukrainians
(428; 0.1%). There were also over 100 representatives of minorities:
Belarusian, Roma, Russian and Jewish.
According to a report
prepared for the Union of Polish Metropolises, in April 2022 there were
84,489 Ukrainians in Szczecin. The increase in the number of immigrants
from Ukraine is related to the Russian invasion of this country.
There is an emergency notification center in Szczecin that handles emergency calls to emergency numbers 112, 997, 998 and 999.
The main institution of security and public order in Szczecin is the
Municipal Police Headquarters. It consists of the following departments:
traffic, criminal, economic crimes, forensic techniques, prevention
(including district officers, joint action with local governments and
prevention) and other departments related to logistics. The area of the
city of Szczecin is divided into five areas (Śródmieście, Niebuszewo,
Pogodno, nad Odrą, Dąbie), assigned to five police stations. Each area
of operation of the police station is divided into sectors, and these in
turn into regions to which a district officer is assigned. Each district
officer is on duty at the admission point several times a month. In
Szczecin there are 20 departments of the Provincial Police Headquarters,
a prevention department, a forensic laboratory, and a headquarters of
the West Pomeranian Police.
In 2009, the detection rate of
perpetrators of crimes identified in Szczecin was 55.1% and was the
lowest in the Zachodniopomorskie Voivodship. In 2009, in Szczecin, among
others, 3,653 burglary, 299 car theft, 718 drug crime and 15 homicide.
The city is located in the border zone and the Border Guard unit in Szczecin from the Maritime Division of the Border Guard covers it. The central archive of this formation is also located here.
The city is divided into areas of operation of five rescue and firefighting units that are part of the Municipal Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Szczecin. In 2006, the police station recorded 4,055 events in the city, of which 2,347 involved fires. Szczecin is also the seat of the Provincial Headquarters of the State Fire Service.
Szczecin has a city guard, which is organized in 4 departments: North, Right Bank, Śródmieście, West. Its primary task is to protect peace and order in public places. Since 2006, her new duty as part of the "Clean Szczecin" campaign is to collect information, also electronically, about particularly neglected places in the city.
The Szczecin garrison was the place where Swedish, Prussian, French,
Duchy of Warsaw, German, Soviet and Polish units were stationed in
succession.
Currently, the headquarters of the Multinational
Corps Northeast, the headquarters of the 12th Mechanized Division, the
12th Mechanized Brigade and the 14th WOT Brigade are located in the
city. The 5th Engineer Regiment and the 12th Command Battalion are
stationed here. There are also a number of garrison institutions of the
military administration here.
Independent Public Provincial Integrated Hospital in Szczecin[b]
Independent Public Clinical Hospital No. 1 for them prof. Tadeusz
Sokołowski in Szczecin along with the airstrip
Independent Public
Clinical Hospital No. 2 in Szczecin
West Pomeranian Cancer Center in
Szczecin - Golęcin
Specialist Hospital "Zdroje"
109 Military
Hospital with Outpatient Clinic in Szczecin
Hospital of the Ministry
of Interior and Administration in Szczecin
Emergency medical
Services
Medical rescue in Szczecin is provided by the Provincial
Ambulance Station. It comprises 11 emergency medical teams (4
specialized S teams and 7 basic P teams) from two facilities (ul. Wojska
Polskiego and Gryfińska). Apart from Szczecin, the teams also cover the
neighboring communes of Kołbaskowo, Dobra Szczecińska and part of the
commune of Goleniów. There are 3 hospital emergency departments in the
city for people in a state of emergency, and there is also 1 hospital
emergency department for children.
The city is the seat of the Szczecin-Kamień Archdiocese of the Roman
Catholic Church. Szczecin has 46 parishes, which are divided among 7
deaneries (Szczecin-Dąbie, Szczecin-Niebuszewo, Szczecin-Pogodno,
Szczecin-Pomorzany, Szczecin-Słoneczne, Szczecin-Śródmieście and
Szczecin-Żelechowo).
The main Roman Catholic church in Szczecin
is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Jacob. In 1988, on the estate
Słoneczne, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima was established, whose
figure was crowned in Jasne Błonia by John Paul II during the third
apostolic trip to Poland. On March 24, 1981, the Archbishop's Higher
Theological Seminary was established here, and the entire archdiocese is
involved in the development and functioning of the Faculty of Theology
of the University of Szczecin. In 1995 at ul. st. Jan Bosko, the
Salesian Organ School was established. Cardinal August Hlond.
In
Szczecin and the Szczecin-Kamień diocese, the percentage of practicing
believers has been the lowest in Poland for a long time.
In
Szczecin there is also a parish church of St. st. Peter and St. Paul of
the Polish Catholic faith. The Polish National Catholic Church in Poland
maintains the parish of St. John the Baptist, and the Catholic National
Church in Poland - the parish of the Holy Spirit.
In the city
there is an Orthodox church dedicated to St. Nicholas (co-cathedral and
at the same time parish) and the Greek Catholic Church of the Protection
of the Mother of God.
There are numerous Protestant churches in
Szczecin - the Evangelical-Augsburg parish of the Holy Trinity in
Łasztownia, the Evangelical-Methodist parish at ul. Stoisława, a church
of the Baptist Christian Church, two churches of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church, two churches of the Pentecostal Church in Poland - at
ul. Wawrzyniak and the "Betezda" congregation, the "Church on the Rock"
congregation (the Church of God in Christ), 2 congregations of the
Evangelical Faith Christian Church and 2 congregations of the
Evangelical Christian Church - the "Bethel" congregation and the second
congregation. There is also the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (Gmina Szczecin) and the Evangelical Reformed Church operating in
the diaspora.
In Szczecin, 19 congregations of Jehovah's
Witnesses conduct preaching activities (including a congregation of sign
language, English, Russian and Ukrainian, and one Vietnamese-speaking
group). They gather in 4 Kingdom Halls in the city and in Police.
Jehovah's Witnesses began their activities in the city around 1910,
organizing a series of lectures. In 1914, the group of followers was
about 30 people. In 1915 and 1916, a congress was organized. At that
time, there were 75 followers here, in 1919 - 105 in the city and 21 in
the newly established church in Altdamm - a total of 126 people. In
1925, a total of 267. A year later, 331 were recorded, and in 1927 - 368
(including 66 in Altdamm).
There is also a congregation of the
Secular Missionary Movement "Epifania" in the city.
There are 4
Buddhist groups operating in Szczecin: the Szczecin Zen Group
representing the tradition of Korean sŏn Buddhism (Jap. Zen), the center
of Diamond Way Buddhism, the Jungdrung Bon Group being the local center
of the Garuda Association in Poland and the Buddhist Mission "Three
Shelters" with its Sanboin temple.
In 1835, the first synagogue
was built in Szczecin. In 1873, it was demolished and a new synagogue
was built, which was burnt down by Nazi militias during Kristallnacht in
1938. Since 1945, the Jewish community has held services in the
synagogue at Juliana Ursyna Niemcewicza Street.
Open:
Central Cemetery (the largest cemetery in Poland and the
third largest in Europe)
Cemetery in Dąbie
Cemetery in Zdroje
Cemetery in Płonia
Cemetery in Wielgowo
Western Cemetery
Closed:
Municipal cemetery at ul. Chopin in Szczecin
Municipal
cemetery at ul. Potulicka in Szczecin
Military Cemetery at Św.
Wojciech in Szczecin
Turin Cemetery
Cemetery of French prisoners
of war in Szczecin
Jewish cemeteries in Szczecin
Golęcin Cemetery
in Szczecin
Cemetery at ul. sad
There is also a cemetery for
animals in the city (at Bielańska Street).
In Szczecin, the largest sports facilities are the Municipal Stadium.
Florian Krygiera and the Municipal Athletics Stadium. Wiesław Maniak, as
well as one of the oldest facilities, the cycling track built before
World War II. Zbysława Zając, located in the Zachód district. These
facilities belong to the city and are administered by MOSRIR Szczecin.
The most famous Szczecin teams are those called Pogoń Szczecin,
playing football, men's handball (the most successful women's handball
section was dissolved in 2019), futsal and sailing, as well as King
Wilki Morskie Szczecin (basketball, formerly part of Pogoń) . In
addition, Arkonia Szczecin is a multi-section team, primarily focused on
training youth in football and successful in water polo.
There is
also the Szczecin Aeroclub in the city, which brings together about 250
members grouped in 6 sections, and also conducts training: airplane,
glider, parachute, paragliding, and occasionally microlight courses.
There are clubs in Szczecin: BKS Olimp Szczecin, AZS Szczecin
(rowing), Wiskord Szczecin (canoeing), Karate Bodaikan Szczecin, Karate
Klub Kamikaze Szczecin, swimming MKP Szczecin, triathlon Ironman
Szczecin and futsal Pogoń '04 Szczecin, cycling BO-GO Szczecin , Gryf
Szczecin, youth basketball Kusy Szczecin, women's football Olimpia
Szczecin, American football Armada Szczecin and the cycling section of
Piast Szczecin. Out of a number of football clubs, apart from Pogoń and
Arkonia (once also playing in the 1st league), Stal Stocznia Szczecin
(2nd league, since 2009 being the 1st league) and Świt Skolwin (3rd
league) played at a higher level.
Representatives of Poland and
other countries train at the Pole Jumping Center (OSoT Szczecin).
Every year in September, the ATP Pekao Szczecin Open men's tennis
tournament is held in Szczecin.
In 2011, the 2011 European Short
Course Swimming Championships were held in the city. In 2017, the city
was one of the organizers of the 2017 Men's European Volleyball
Championships. The matches were played in the Netto Arena. The 2019
European Gymnastics Championships were also held in the same arena.