Kołobrzeg ( ; csb, Kòlbrzég; german: Kolberg, ), ; csb, Kòlbrzég , is a port city in the
West Pomeranian Voivodeship
The West Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as the West Pomerania Province, is a voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals 22 892.48 km² (8,838.84 sq mi), and in 2021, it was i ...
in north-western
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
with about 47,000 inhabitants (). Kołobrzeg is located on the
Parsęta
Parsęta (; german: Persante ) is a river in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship (''Zachodniopomorskie'') of north-western Poland, with a length of and a basin area of .Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
(in the middle of the section divided by the
Oder
The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows thr ...
and
Vistula
The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland.
The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...
Rivers). It is the capital of
Kołobrzeg County
__NOTOC__
Kołobrzeg County ( pl, powiat kołobrzeski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-western Poland, on the Baltic coast. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a resu ...
.
During the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...
, the
Pomeranian tribes established a settlement at the site of modern-day
Budzistowo
Budzistowo (german: Altstadt) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kołobrzeg, within Kołobrzeg County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Kołobrzeg and north-east of the ...
.
Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar (also Dietmar or Dithmar; 25 July 9751 December 1018), Prince-Bishop of Merseburg from 1009 until his death, was an important chronicler recording the reigns of German kings and Holy Roman Emperors of the Ottonian (Saxon) dynasty. Two ...
first mentioned the site as ''Salsa Cholbergiensis''. Around the year 1000, when the city was part of Poland, it became the seat of the
Diocese of Kołobrzeg
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
, one of five oldest Polish dioceses. During the
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1300. The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and were followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended ...
, the town was expanded with an additional settlement inhabited by German settlers a few kilometers north of the stronghold and chartered with
Lübeck law
The Lübeck law (german: Lübisches (Stadt)Recht) was the family of codified municipal law developed at Lübeck, which became a free imperial city in 1226 and is located in present day Schleswig-Holstein. It was the second most prevalent form of ...
, which settlement eventually superseded the original Pomeranian settlement. The city later joined the
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
. Within the
Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania (german: Herzogtum Pommern; pl, Księstwo Pomorskie; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country ha ...
the town was the urban center of the secular reign of the prince-bishops of
Cammin and their residence throughout the High and
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the Periodization, period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Eur ...
. When it was part of
Brandenburgian Pomerania during the
Early Modern Age, it withstood Polish and
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's troops in the
siege of Kolberg. From 1815, it was part of the
Prussian province of Pomerania.
In the late 19th century Kolberg became a popular spa town at the Baltic Sea. In 1945, Polish and Soviet troops captured the town, while the remaining German population which had not fled the advancing
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
was
expelled in accordance to the
Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Agreement (german: Potsdamer Abkommen) was the agreement between three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union on 1 August 1945. A product of the Potsdam Conference, it concerned th ...
. Kołobrzeg, now part of post-war Poland and devastated in the preceding
Battle of Kolberg, was rebuilt, but lost its status as the regional center to the nearby city of
Koszalin.
Etymology
"Kołobrzeg" means "by the shore" in Polish; "koło" translates as "by" and "brzeg" means "coast" or "shore". csb, Kòłobrzeg has a similar etymology. The original name of Cholberg was taken by Polish and Kashubian linguists in the 19th and 20th centuries to reconstruct the name. After German settlement, the original name of ''Cholberg'' evolved into german: link=no, Kolberg ().
History
Pomeranian stronghold at modern Budzistowo
According to Piskorski (1999) and Kempke (2001), Slavic and Lechitic immigration reached
Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania, Hinder Pomerania, Rear Pomerania or Eastern Pomerania (german: Hinterpommern, Ostpommern), is the part of Pomerania which comprised the eastern part of the Duchy and later Province of Pomerania. It stretched roughly from the Od ...
in the 7th century. First Slavic settlements in the vicinity of Kołobrzeg were centered around nearby deposits of salt and date to 6th and 7th century.
[Tadeusz Gasztold, Hieronim Kroczyński, Hieronim Rybicki, Kołobrzeg: zarys dziejów, Wydaw. Poznańskie, 1979, , p.8]
Historic calendar of the city's Official webpage
In the late 9th century, the
Pomeranian tribes erected a
Grad (Slavic settlement), fortified settlement at the site of modern part of Kołobrzeg county called
Budzistowo
Budzistowo (german: Altstadt) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kołobrzeg, within Kołobrzeg County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Kołobrzeg and north-east of the ...
[Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft: Gesammelte Beiträge 1977 bis 1999 zur Geschichte der Zisterzienser und der "]Germania Slavica
''Germania Slavica'' is a historiographic term used since the 1950s to denote the landscape of the medieval language border (roughly east of the Elbe-Saale line) zone between Germans and Slavs in Central Europe on the one hand and a 20th-century s ...
", BWV Verlag, 2007, p.280, near modern Kołobrzeg,
[Gerhard Köbler, ''Historisches Lexikon der Deutschen Länder: die deutschen Territorien vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart'', 7th edition, C.H.Beck, 2007, p.341, ] replacing nearby
Bardy-Świelubie Bardy-Świelubie or Bartin-Zwillipp near modern Kolobrzeg (West Pomeranian Voivodship) was a Viking Age Slavic- Scandinavian settlement on the southern Baltic coast.Christian Lübke, Das östliche Europa, Siedler, 2004, p.99Ole Harck, Christian L ...
, a multi-ethnic emporium, as the center of the region.
[Ole Harck, Christian Lübke, Zwischen Reric und Bornhöved: Die Beziehungen zwischen den Dänen und ihren slawischen Nachbarn vom 9. Bis ins 13. Jahrhundert: Beiträge einer internationalen Konferenz, Leipzig, 4.-6. Dezember 1997, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2001, pp.15,16, ] The
Parseta valley, where both the emporium and the stronghold were located, was one of the
Pomeranians' core settlement areas. The stronghold consisted of a fortified
burgh
A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland and Northern England, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burg ...
with a suburbium.
[Eckhard Müller-Mertens, Heidelore Böcker, ''Konzeptionelle Ansätze der Hanse-Historiographie'', Porta Alba, 2003, p.133, ]
The
Pomeranians mined salt
[ in salt pans located in two downstream hills.][Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der ]Germania Slavica
''Germania Slavica'' is a historiographic term used since the 1950s to denote the landscape of the medieval language border (roughly east of the Elbe-Saale line) zone between Germans and Slavs in Central Europe on the one hand and a 20th-century s ...
'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.278,
'Historical eras' Official webpage of the city: The local Slavic population engaged in fishery, salt trade and various crafts. They also engaged in fishing, and used the salt to conserve foodstuffs, primarily herring
Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae.
Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...
, for trade.[Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der ]Germania Slavica
''Germania Slavica'' is a historiographic term used since the 1950s to denote the landscape of the medieval language border (roughly east of the Elbe-Saale line) zone between Germans and Slavs in Central Europe on the one hand and a 20th-century s ...
'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.274, Other important occupations were metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the sc ...
and smithery
A metalsmith or simply smith is a craftsperson fashioning useful items (for example, tools, kitchenware, tableware, jewelry, armor and weapons) out of various metals. Smithing is one of the oldest metalworking occupations. Shaping metal with a ...
, based on local iron ore reserves, other crafts like the production of combs from horn, and in the surrounding areas, agriculture.[Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der ]Germania Slavica
''Germania Slavica'' is a historiographic term used since the 1950s to denote the landscape of the medieval language border (roughly east of the Elbe-Saale line) zone between Germans and Slavs in Central Europe on the one hand and a 20th-century s ...
'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.289, Important sites in the settlement were a place for periodical markets and a tavern, mentioned as ''forum et taberna'' in 1140.[
In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Budzistowo stronghold was the largest of several smaller ones in the Persante area, and as such is thought to have functioned as the center of the local Pomeranian subtribe.][ By the turn from the 10th to the 11th century, the smaller burghs in the Parseta area were given up.][ With the area coming under the control of the Polish Duke ]Mieszko I
Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was the first ruler of Poland and the founder of the first independent Polish state, the Duchy of Poland. His reign stretched from 960 to his death and he was a member of the Piast dynasty, a son of Siemomysł and ...
, only two strongholds remained and underwent an enlargement, the one at Budzistowo and a predecessor of later Białogard
Białogard (pronounced , german: Belgard, ; Pomeranian: ''Biôłogard'') is a historic town in Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland, with 23,614 inhabitants as of December 2021. The capital of Białogard County in the West Pomeranian Voivodes ...
.[ These developments were most likely associated with the establishment of Polish power over this part of the Baltic coast. In the 10th century, the trade of salt and fish led to the development of the settlement into a town.]
Piast Poland and conversion
During Polish rule of the area in the late 10th century, the chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar (also Dietmar or Dithmar; 25 July 9751 December 1018), Prince-Bishop of Merseburg from 1009 until his death, was an important chronicler recording the reigns of German kings and Holy Roman Emperors of the Ottonian (Saxon) dynasty. Two ...
(975–1018) mentions ''salsa Cholbergiensis'' as the see of the Bishopric of Kołobrzeg
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
, set up during the Congress of Gniezno
The Congress of Gniezno ( pl, Zjazd gnieźnieński, german: Akt von Gnesen or ''Gnesener Übereinkunft'') was an amicable meeting between the Polish Duke Bolesław I the Brave and Emperor Otto III, which took place at Gniezno in Poland on 11 Ma ...
in 1000 and placed under the Archdiocese of Gniezno.[ The congress was organized by ]Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
duke Bolesław Chrobry Boleslav or Bolesław may refer to:
In people:
* Boleslaw (given name)
In geography:
* Bolesław, Dąbrowa County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland
* Bolesław, Silesian Voivodeship, ...
and Holy Roman Emperor Otto III
Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu.
Otto III was crowned as King of ...
, and also led to the establishment of bishoprics in Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
and Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
, connecting the territories of the Polish state. It was an important event not only in religious, but also political dimension in the history of the early Polish state, as it unified and organized medieval Polish territories.
The missionary efforts of bishop Reinbern Reinbern (-1013/15) was the only bishop of the short-lived Diocese of Kołobrzeg (1000-~1007).
Reinbern was born in the Hassegau area of the medieval Duchy of Saxony.David Warner, ''Ottonian Germany: The Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseburg'', Manche ...
were not successful, the Pomeranians revolted in 1005 and regained political and spiritual independence.[Nora Berend, ''Christianization and the Rise of Christian Monarchy: Scandinavia, Central Europe and Rus' C. 900–1200'', Cambridge University Press, 2007, p.293, , ][David Warner, ''Ottonian Germany: The Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseburg'', Manchester University Press, 2001, p.358, , ][Michael Borgolte, Benjamin Scheller, ''Polen und Deutschland vor 1000 Jahren: Die Berliner Tagung über den"akt von Gnesen"'', Akademie Verlag, 2002, p.282, , ][Michael Müller-Wille, ''Rom und Byzanz im Norden: Mission und Glaubenswechsel im Ostseeraum während des 8.-14. Jahrhunderts: internationale Fachkonferenz der deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft in Verbindung mit der Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur, Mainz: Kiel, 18.-25. 9. 1994'', 1997, p.105, , ] In 1013 Bolesław Chrobry removed his troops from Pomerania in face of war with Holy Roman Emperor Henry III. The Polish–German war ended with Polish victory, which was confirmed by the 1018 Peace of Bautzen
The Peace of Bautzen (; ; ) was a treaty concluded on 30 January 1018, between Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and Bolesław I of Poland which ended a series of Polish-German wars over the control of Lusatia and Upper Lusatia (''Milzenerland'' or ' ...
.
During his campaigns in the early 12th century, Bolesław III Wrymouth reacquired Pomerania for Poland, and made the local "Griffin" dynasty his vassals. The stronghold was captured by the Polish army in the winter of 1107/08, when the inhabitants (''cives et oppidani'') including a duke (''dux Pomeranorum'') surrendered without resistance.[Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der ]Germania Slavica
''Germania Slavica'' is a historiographic term used since the 1950s to denote the landscape of the medieval language border (roughly east of the Elbe-Saale line) zone between Germans and Slavs in Central Europe on the one hand and a 20th-century s ...
'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.275, A previous Polish siege of the burgh had been unsuccessful; although the duke had fled the burgh, the Polish army was unable to break through the fortifications and the two gates.[Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der ]Germania Slavica
''Germania Slavica'' is a historiographic term used since the 1950s to denote the landscape of the medieval language border (roughly east of the Elbe-Saale line) zone between Germans and Slavs in Central Europe on the one hand and a 20th-century s ...
'', BWV Verlag, 2007, pp.273–274, The army had however looted and burned the suburbium, which was not or only lightly fortified.[ The descriptions given by the contemporary chroniclers make it possible that a second, purely militarily used castle existed near the settlement, yet neither is this certain nor have archaeological efforts been able to locate traces thereof.][Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der ]Germania Slavica
''Germania Slavica'' is a historiographic term used since the 1950s to denote the landscape of the medieval language border (roughly east of the Elbe-Saale line) zone between Germans and Slavs in Central Europe on the one hand and a 20th-century s ...
'', BWV Verlag, 2007, pp.274 ff, In the 12th-century Polish chronicle ''Gesta principum Polonorum
The ''Gesta principum Polonorum'' (; "''Deeds of the Princes of the Poles''") is the oldest known medieval chronicle documenting the history of Poland from the legendary times until 1113. Written in Latin by an anonymous author, it was most lik ...
'' Kołobrzeg was named a significant and ''famous city''.
During the subsequent Christianization of the area by Otto of Bamberg
Otto of Bamberg (1060 or 1061 – 30 June 1139) was a German missionary and papal legate who converted much of medieval Pomerania to Christianity. He was the bishop of Bamberg from 1102 until his death. He was canonized in 1189.
Early life
Th ...
at the behest of Bolesław, a St. Mary's church was built.[ This marked the first beginnings of German influence in the area.] After Bolesław's death, as a result of the fragmentation of Poland, the Duchy of Pomerania
The Duchy of Pomerania (german: Herzogtum Pommern; pl, Księstwo Pomorskie; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country ha ...
became independent, before the dukes became vassals of Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
and the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
in the late 12th century.
Besides St. Mary's, a St. John's church and a St. Petri's chapel were built.[Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der ]Germania Slavica
''Germania Slavica'' is a historiographic term used since the 1950s to denote the landscape of the medieval language border (roughly east of the Elbe-Saale line) zone between Germans and Slavs in Central Europe on the one hand and a 20th-century s ...
'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.282,
A painting of the town of Kołobrzeg from the 13th century is located in the Museum of Polish Arms in the city.
From the late Middle Ages to the Thirty Years' War
During the Ostsiedlung
(, literally "East-settling") is the term for the Early Medieval and High Medieval migration-period when ethnic Germans moved into the territories in the eastern part of Francia, East Francia, and the Holy Roman Empire (that Germans had al ...
, a settlement was founded by German settlers some kilometres off the site of the Slavic/Lechitic one.[Werner Buchholz, ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, p.75, ][ It was located within the boundaries of today's downtown of Kołobrzeg and some of the inhabitants of the Polish town moved to the new settlement.] On 23 May 1255 it was chartered under Lübeck law
The Lübeck law (german: Lübisches (Stadt)Recht) was the family of codified municipal law developed at Lübeck, which became a free imperial city in 1226 and is located in present day Schleswig-Holstein. It was the second most prevalent form of ...
by Duke Wartislaw III Wartislaw III (c. 1210 – 17 May 1264) was a Griffin duke of Pomerania-Demmin. Son of Casimir II of Pomerania-Demmin and Ingardis of Denmark, he was married to a Sophia of an unknown house. As he did not have any children, Pomerania-Demmin cease ...
of Pomerania
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
,[Gerhard Köbler, ''Historisches Lexikon der Deutschen Länder: die deutschen Territorien vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart'', 7th edition, C.H.Beck, 2007, p.341, :"1255 erhielt die deutsche Siedlung nördlich der slawischen Siedlung Stadtrect von Lübeck."] and more settlers arrived, attracted by the duke.[Sebastian Brather, ''Archäologie der westlichen Slawen: Siedlung, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft im früh- und hochmittelalterlichen Ostmitteleuropa'', Walter de Gruyter, 2001, p.156, ] Hermann von Gleichen, German bishop of Kammin also supported the German colonisation of the region. The settlers received several privileges such as exemption from certain taxes and several benefits, making it difficult for the indigenous Pomeranian population to compete with Germans.
Henceforth, the nearby former stronghold was turned into a village and renamed "Old Town" ( la, antiqua civitatae Colbergensis, german: link=no, Altstadt, pl, Stare Miasto), first documented in 1277 and used until 1945 when it was renamed "Budzistowo
Budzistowo (german: Altstadt) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Kołobrzeg, within Kołobrzeg County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Kołobrzeg and north-east of the ...
".[ A new St. Mary's church was built within the new town before the 1260s, while St. Mary's in the former Pomeranian stronghold was turned into a nuns' abbey.][ In 1277 St. Benedict's monastery for nuns was founded, which in the framework of the Pomeranian ]Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
in 1545 was then changed into an educational institution for noble Protestant ladies.
Already in 1248, the Kammin bishops and the Pomeranian dukes had interchanged the ''terrae'' Stargard
Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; formerly German language, German: ''Stargard in Pommern'', or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; csb, Stôrgard) is a city in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian V ...
and Kolberg, leaving the bishops in charge of the latter.[ When in 1276 they became the souvereign of the town also, they moved their residence there, while the administration of the diocese was done from nearby Köslin ( Koszalin).][Gerhard Köbler, ''Historisches Lexikon der Deutschen Länder: die deutschen Territorien vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart'', 7th edition, C.H.Beck, 2007, p.113, ] In 1345, the bishops became Imperial immediate dukes in their secular reign.[
In 1361, the city joined the ]Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German to ...
. In 1446 it fought a battle against the nearby rival city of Koszalin.
When the property of the Bishopric of Kammin
The Bishopric of Cammin (also Kammin, Kamień Pomorski) was both a former Roman Catholic diocese in the Duchy of Pomerania from 1140 to 1544, and a secular territory of the Holy Roman Empire ( Prince-Bishopric) in the Kolberg (Kołobrzeg) area f ...
was secularized during the Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
in 1534, their secular reign including the Kolberg area became intermediately ruled by a Lutheran titular bishop, before it was turned into a ''Sekundogenitur'' of the House of Pomerania
The House of Griffin or Griffin dynasty (german: Greifen; pl, Gryfici, da, Grif) was a dynasty ruling the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name "Griffins" was used by the dynasty after the 15th century and had been take ...
.[
In the 15th century the city traded with ]Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, Amsterdam and Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
. Beer, salt, honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...
, wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
and flour were exported, while merchants imported textiles from England, southern fruits, and cod liver oil
Cod liver oil is a dietary supplement derived from liver of cod fish (Gadidae). As with most fish oils, it contains the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and also vitamin A and vitamin D. Historic ...
. In the 16th century, the city reached 5,000 inhabitants. The indigenous Slavs in the city were discriminated, and their rights in trade and crafts were limited, with bans on performing certain types of professions and taking certain positions in the city, for instance in 1564 it was forbidden to admit native Slavs to the blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
s' guild.
During the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
, Kolberg was occupied by imperial forces from 1627 to 1630, and thereafter by Swedish forces.
Modern era: In Prussia
Kolberg, with most of Farther Pomerania
Farther Pomerania, Hinder Pomerania, Rear Pomerania or Eastern Pomerania (german: Hinterpommern, Ostpommern), is the part of Pomerania which comprised the eastern part of the Duchy and later Province of Pomerania. It stretched roughly from the Od ...
, was granted to Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia (german: Brandenburg-Preußen; ) is the historiographic denomination for the early modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenz ...
in 1648 by the Treaty of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peac ...
and, after the signing of the Treaty of Stettin (1653), and in accordance with the Treaty of Grimnitz, was part of the Province of Pomerania. It became part of the Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...
in 1701. In the 18th century, trade with Poland declined, while the production of textiles was developed. In 1761, during the Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
, the town was captured after three subsequent sieges by the Russian commander Peter Rumyantsev. At the end of the war, however, Kolberg was returned to Prussia.
During Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's invasion of Prussia during the War of the Fourth Coalition
The Fourth Coalition fought against Napoleon's French Empire and were defeated in a war spanning 1806–1807. The main coalition partners were Prussia and Russia with Saxony, Sweden, and Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, s ...
, the town was besieged
Besieged may refer to:
* the state of being under siege
* ''Besieged'' (film), a 1998 film by Bernardo Bertolucci
{{disambiguation ...
from mid-March to 2 July 1807 by the Grande Armée
''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empi ...
and by insurgents from Poland against Prussian rule (a street named after General Antoni Paweł Sułkowski
Prince Antoni Paweł Sułkowski (born 31 December 1785 in Leszno,Samuel Orgelbrand, Encyklopedja Powszechna, Volume 14', 1903, pg. 163 died 13 April 1836 in Rydzyna), of the Sułkowski family, was a Polish division general (who also spent time in ...
, who led Polish them, is located within the present-day city). As a result of forced conscription, some Poles were also among Prussian soldiers during the battle. The city's defense, led by then Lieutenant-Colonel August von Gneisenau, held out until the war was ended by the Treaty of Tilsit. Kolberg was returned to the Prussian province of Pomerania in 1815, after the final defeat of Napoleon; until 1872, it was administered within the Fürstenthum District ("Principality District", recalling the area's former special status), then it was within Landkreis Kolberg-Körlin
Kolberg-Körlin (earlier spelling Colberg-Cörlin) was a ''Landkreis'' (county) in the Prussian Province of Pomerania between 1872 and 1945. Its territory roughly corresponds with modern Kołobrzeg County
__NOTOC__
Kołobrzeg County ( pl, pow ...
.
Marcin Dunin
Marcin Dunin Sulgostowski of Łabędź coat of arms (german: Martin von Dunin) (11 November 1774, in Wał – 26 December 1842, in Poznań) was archbishop of Poznań and Gniezno, primate of Poland.
He was the oldest son of common land owner ...
, Archbishop of Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
and Gniezno and Roman Catholic primate of Poland, was imprisoned for sedition by the Prussian authorities for ten months in 1839–1840 in the city and after his release, he tried to organise a chaplaincy for the many Polish soldiers stationed in Kolberg.[Na stolicy prymasowskiej w Gnieźnie i w Poznaniu:
szkice o prymasach Polski w okresie niewoli narodowej i w II Rzeczypospolitej : praca zbiorowa Feliks Lenort Księgarnia Św. Wojciecha, 1984, pages 139–146]
In the 19th century the city had a small but active Polish population that increased during the century to account for 1.5% of the population by 1905. The Polish community funded a Catholic school and the Church of Saint Marcin where masses in Polish were held (initially throughout the season, after about 1890 all the year), were established.[‘'Związki Pomorza Zachodniego z Polską" page 100 Szymon Pałkowski, Wyższa Szkoła Inżynierska w Koszalinie 1996][Peter Jancke: "Kolberg, Führer durch eine untergegangene Stadt", Husum 2008, ] Dating back to 1261 Kolberg's Jewish population amounted to 528 people in 1887, rising to 580 two years later, and although many moved to Berlin after that date they numbered around 500 by the end of the Nineteenth century
Between 1924 and 1935, the American-German painter Lyonel Feininger, a tutor at the Staatliches Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 2009 ...
, visited Kolberg repeatedly and painted the cathedral and environs of the town.
In the May elections of 1933, the Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...
received by far the most votes, 9,842 out of 19,607 cast votes.
When the Nazis took power in Germany in 1933, the Jewish community in Kolberg comprised 200 people, and the antisemitic repression by Germany's ruling party led several of them to flee the country. A Nazi newspaper, the ''Kolberger Beobachter'', listed Jewish shops and business that were to be boycotted. Nazis also engaged in hate propaganda against Jewish lawyers, doctors, and craftsmen.["Kołobrzeg – Historia"Wirtualny Sztetl] At the end of 1935, Jews were banned from working in the city's health spas. During Kristallnacht, the Jewish synagogue and homes were destroyed, and in 1938 the local Jewish cemetery was vandalised, while a cemetery shrine was turned to stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
by German soldiers. In 1938, all Jews in Kolberg, as all over Germany, were renamed in official German documents as "Israel" (for males) or "Sarah" (for females). In the beginning of 1939, Jews were banned from attending German schools and the entire adult population had its driving licenses revoked. After years of discrimination and harassment, local Jews were deported by the German authorities to concentration camps in 1940.
Second World War
During the World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the German state brought in numerous forced laborers
Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of ex ...
to the city, among them many Poles. The city's economy was changed to military production-especially after the German invasion of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. The forced laborers were threatened with everyday harassment and repression; they were forbidden from using phones, holding cultural events and sports events, they could not visit restaurants or swimming pools, or have contact with the local German population. Poles were only allowed to attend a church mass once a month – and only in the German language. They also had smaller food rations than Germans, and had to wear a sign with the letter P on their clothes indicating their ethnic background. Additionally, medical help for Polish workers was limited by the authorities. Arrests and imprisonment for various offences, such as "slow pace of work" or leaving the workspace, were everyday occurrences.
In 1944, the city was selected as a fortress — ''Festung Kolberg''. The 1807 siege was used for the last Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
propaganda film, '' Kolberg'' shortly before the end of the war by Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...
. It was meant to inspire the Germans with its depiction of the heroic Prussian defence during the Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. Tremendous resources were devoted to filming this epic, even diverting tens of thousands of troops from the front lines to have them serve as extras in battle scenes. Ironically, the film was released in the final few weeks of Nazi Germany's existence, when most of the country's cinemas were already destroyed.
On 10 February 1945, the German torpedo-boat T-196 brought about 300 survivors of the , which had been sunk by Soviet submarine S-13
''S-13'' was a Soviet S class submarine, ''Stalinets''-class submarine of the Soviet Navy. Her keel was laid down by Krasnoye Sormovo in Nizhny Novgorod, Gorky on 19 October 1938. She was ship naming and launching, launched on 25 April 1939 and s ...
to Kolberg. As the Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
advanced on Kolberg, most of the inhabitants and tens of thousands of refugees from surrounding areas (about 70,000 were trapped in the Kolberg Pocket), as well as 40,000 German soldiers, were evacuated from the besieged city by German naval forces in Operation Hannibal. Only about two thousand soldiers were left on 17 March to cover the last sea transports.
Between 4 and 18 March 1945, there were major battles between the Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
and Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
forces and the German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
army. Because of a lack of anti-tank weapons, German destroyers used their guns to support the defenders of Kolberg until nearly all of the soldiers and civilians had been evacuated. During the fights, Polish soldiers' losses were 1,013 dead, 142 MIA and 2,652 wounded. On 18 March, the Polish Army re-enacted '' Poland's Wedding to the Sea'' ceremony, which had been celebrated for the first time in 1920 by General Józef Haller.
After the battle the city for several weeks was under Soviet administration, the Germans that had not yet fled were expelled and the city was plundered by the Soviet troops. Freed Polish forced laborers remained and were joined by Polish railwaymen from Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
destroyed by the Germans.
File:Kolobrzeg c1890-1905 LOC 00729u.jpg, Kolberg between 1890 and 1905
File:Kolobrzeg1945.JPG, 80% of the city destroyed in 1945
File:Kołobrzeg.jpg, Ratuszowy Square, Kołobrzeg in 2019
Post-war Poland
After World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the region became part of Poland, under territorial changes demanded by the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and the Polish Communist regime at the Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference (german: Potsdamer Konferenz) was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris Pe ...
. Most Germans that had not yet fled were expelled from their homes. The town was resettled by Polish citizens, many of whom were themselves Polish refugees
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
from regions east of the Curzon line
The Curzon Line was a proposed demarcation line between the Second Polish Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Union, two new states emerging after World War I. It was first proposed by George Curzon, 1st Marque ...
, the Kresy, from where they had been displaced by Soviet authorities.
In 2000 the city business council of Kołobrzeg commissioned a monument called the Millennium Memorial as a commemoration of " 1000 years of Christianity in Pomerania", and as a tribute to Polish-German Reconciliation, celebrating the meeting of King Bolesław I of Poland and King Otto III
Otto III (June/July 980 – 23 January 1002) was Holy Roman Emperor from 996 until his death in 1002. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto III was the only son of the Emperor Otto II and his wife Theophanu.
Otto III was crowned as King of ...
of Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, at the Congress of Gniezno
The Congress of Gniezno ( pl, Zjazd gnieźnieński, german: Akt von Gnesen or ''Gnesener Übereinkunft'') was an amicable meeting between the Polish Duke Bolesław I the Brave and Emperor Otto III, which took place at Gniezno in Poland on 11 Ma ...
, in the year 1000. It was designed and built by the artist Wiktor Szostalo
Wiktor Szostalo (born 22 August 1952) is a Polish sculptor with studios in both Poland and the United States. He works in a variety of media, most notably welded stainless steel, wood, and bronze.
Early life
Born 22 August 1952 in Pasvalys, Lithua ...
in welded stainless steel. The two figures sit at the base of a 5-meter cross, cleft in two and being held together by a dove holding an olive branch. It is installed outside the Basilica Cathedral in the city center.
Climate
Kołobrzeg has an oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
(Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
: ''Cfb'').
Demographics
Before the end of World War II the town was predominantly German Protestant with Polish and Jewish minorities. Almost all of the pre-war German population fled or was expelled so that since 1945, Polish Catholics make up the majority of the population. Around the turn from the 18th to the 19th century an increase of the number of Catholics was observed, because military personnel had been moved from West Prussia
The Province of West Prussia (german: Provinz Westpreußen; csb, Zôpadné Prësë; pl, Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and 1878 to 1920. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 177 ...
to the town. The mother tongue of a number of soldiers serving in the garrison of Kolberg was Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
.
Tourist destination
Kołobrzeg today is a popular tourist destination for Poles, Germans and due to the ferry connection to Bornholm also Danish people. It provides a unique combination of a seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, suc ...
, health resort, an old town full of historic monuments and tourist entertainment options (e.g. numerous "beer gardens").
Bike path to Podczele
The town is part of the European Route of Brick Gothic
The European Route of Brick Gothic (EuRoB) is an association of cities, towns, regions, municipalities and institutions that have Brick Gothic buildings in their territory or have their headquarters in a Brick Gothic building. The network also incl ...
network. A bike path "to Podczele", located along the seaside was commissioned on 14 July 2004. The path extends from Kołobrzeg to Podczele. The path has been financed by the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
, and is intended to be part of a unique biking path that will ultimately circle the entire Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
. The path was breached on 24 March 2010 due to the encroachment of the sea associated with the draining of the adjacent unique Eco-Park marsh area. The government of Poland has allocated PLN 90,000 to repair the breach, and the path re-opened within a year. It was also extended in 2011 to connected with Ustronie Morskie to the east.
Oldest oak
South of Bagicz, some from Kołobrzeg, there is an 806-year-old oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
(2008). Dated in the year 2000 as the oldest oak in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, it was named Bolesław to commemorate the king Boleslaus the Brave.
Cultural center
Kołobrzeg is also a regional cultural center. In the summer take place – a number of concerts of popular singers, musicians, and cabarets. Municipal Cultural Center, is located in the ''Park teatralny''. Keep under attachment artistic arts, theater and dance. Patron of youth teams and the vocal choir. Interfolk organizes the annual festival, the International Meeting of the folklore and other cultural events. Cinema is a place for meetings Piast Discussion Film Club.
In Kołobrzeg there are many permanent and temporary exhibitions of artistic and historical interest. In the town hall of Kołobrzeg is located Gallery of Modern Art, where exhibitions are exposed artists from Kołobrzeg, as well as outside the local artistic circles. Gallery also conducts educational activities, including organized by the gallery of art lessons for children and young people from schools.
Pier
The Kołobrzeg Pier is currently the second longest pier in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship
The West Pomeranian Voivodeship, also known as the West Pomerania Province, is a voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals 22 892.48 km² (8,838.84 sq mi), and in 2021, it was i ...
, after the pier in Międzyzdroje. A jetty
A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying somet ...
positioned on the end of the pier enables small ships to sail for sightseeing excursions.
Museums
In town, there is a museum of Polish weapons ( Muzeum Oręża Polskiego), which are presented in the collections of militaria from the early Middle Ages to the present. The palace of Braunschweig include part of museum dedicated to the history of the city. In their collections branch presents a collection of rare and common measurement tools, as well as specific measures of the workshop. The local museum is also moored at the port of ORP Fala patrol ship, built in 1964, after leaving the service transformed into a museum.
Transport
Train connections
Kołobrzeg has connections among others to Szczecin
Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...
, "Solidarity" Szczecin–Goleniów Airport, Gdańsk
Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...
, Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
, Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
and Lublin
Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...
.
Ferry
A seasonal ferry service to Nexø on the Danish island of Bornholm
Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
is offered by the catamaran ''Jantar''. The trip takes 15 hours and carries passengers but no cars.
Sport
*SKK Kotwica Kołobrzeg
Kotwica Kołobrzeg, for sponsorships reasons Energa Kotwica Kołobrzeg, is a Polish basketball team, based in Kołobrzeg.
In the 2004–05 season, Kotwica promoted to the domestic first tier Polish Basketball League (PLK). Their home arena is Ha ...
– basketball club, which in the 2000s and 2010s competed in the Polish Basketball League, country's top flight
* Kotwica Kołobrzeg – football club
Notable people
* Petrus Pachius (1579–1641/42) a German Protestant minister, teacher and poet
*Karl Wilhelm Ramler
Karl Wilhelm Ramler (25 February 1725 – 11 April 1798) was a German poet, Berlin Cadet School master.
Ramler was born in Kolberg. After graduating from the University of Halle, he went to Berlin, where, in 1748, he was appointed professo ...
(1725–1798), poet, translator, director at Berlin theater
19th century
*Hermann Plüddemann
Hermann Friedhold Plüddemann (17 July 1809, Kolberg - 24 June 1868, Dresden) was a German history painter and illustrator.
Life and work
His father was a prosperous merchant and shipowner. He initially studied with Carl Sieg in Magdeburg then ...
(1809–1868) a German historical painter
*Ernst Maass Ernst Maass (12 April 1856, in Kolberg – 11 November 1929, in Marburg) was a German classical philologist.
From 1875 he studied at the universities of Tübingen and Greifswald, receiving his doctorate in 1879 as a student of Ulrich von Wila ...
(1856–1929) a German classical philologist.
* Magnus Hirschfeld (1868–1935), physician, sociologist and early 20th century Gay rights campaigner
*Paul Oestreich
Paul Hermann August Oestreich (30 March 1878 – 28 February 1959) was a German educator and pedagogue.
Early life
Oestreich was born in Kolberg, within the German Empire's Prussian Province of Pomerania. He studied mathematics, philosophy ...
(1878–1959), educator, reformer
* Arnold Zadikow (1884–1943), German-Jewish sculptor
* Hans-Jürgen Stumpff (1889–1968), German general of Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
, co-signer of unconditional surrender 8 May 1945 in Berlin
*Günther Angern
Günther Angern (5 March 1893 – 2 February 1943) was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II who commanded the 16th Panzer Division during the Battle of Stalingrad. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of ...
(1893–1943), Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
general
20th century
* Werner Krüger (1910–2003), German engineer, invented Krueger flap
Krueger flaps, or Krüger flaps, are lift enhancement devices that may be fitted to the leading edge of an aircraft wing. Unlike slats or droop flaps, the main wing upper surface and its nose is not changed. Instead, a portion of the lower wing i ...
in 1943
*Erika von Brockdorff
Erika von Brockdorff (née Schönfeldt) (29 April 1911 – 13 May 1943) was a German German resistance to Nazism, resistance fighter against the Nazi Germany, Nazi régime during the Second World War. Brockdorff was a member of what the Reic ...
(1911–1943), German resistance fighter
* Karl-Heinz Marbach (1917–1995), German U-boat commander
*Egon Krenz
Egon Rudi Ernst Krenz (; born 19 March 1937) is a German former politician who was the last Communist leader of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) during the Revolutions of 1989. He succeeded Erich Honecker as the General Secretary ...
(born 1937), last communist leader of East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
*Christine Lucyga
Christine Lucyga (born 6 April 1944) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and former member of the East German Volkskammer (March–October 1990) and the Bundestag (1990–2005).
Lucyga was born in Kolberg, Pomerania (to ...
(born 1944), politician
* Joanna Nowicka (born 1966) a Polish archer, competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics from 1988.
*Sebastian Karpiniuk
Sebastian Marek Karpiniuk (4 December 1972 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish politician.
Political career
Karpiniuk was an assistant to President of Kolobrzeg, Henryk Bienowski before becoming politically independent.
He was elected to the Sejm ...
(1972–2010) a Polish politician, an assistant to President of Kołobrzeg, died in plane crash
*Dariusz Trafas
Dariusz Trafas (born 16 May 1972 in Kolobrzeg) is a former Polish javelin thrower.
He won the silver medal at the 1990 World Junior Championships, finished tenth at the 2000 Summer Olympics and seventh at the 2002 European Championships. ...
(born 1972), athlete, javelin throw national record holder
* Daria Korczyńska (born 1981) a retired track and field sprint athlete
*Robert Szpak
Robert Szpak (born 31 December 1989 in Kołobrzeg) is a Polish athlete, who specialises in the javelin throw. He represented Poland at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland and took the gold medal in the javelin with a person ...
(born 1989), athlete, javelin throw, 2008 World Junior Champion
* Maja Hyży (born 1989) a Polish singer, participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
Famous persons connected with the city
*Marcin Dunin
Marcin Dunin Sulgostowski of Łabędź coat of arms (german: Martin von Dunin) (11 November 1774, in Wał – 26 December 1842, in Poznań) was archbishop of Poznań and Gniezno, primate of Poland.
He was the oldest son of common land owner ...
(1774–1842) archbishop of Poznań and Gniezno, primate of Poland. Imprisoned in the fortress in the city
*Friedrich Ludwig Jahn
(11August 177815October 1852) was a German gymnastics educator and nationalist whose writing is credited with the founding of the German gymnastics (Turner) movement as well as influencing the German Campaign of 1813, during which a coalition of ...
, (1778–1852), ''father of gymnastics'', was imprisoned in Kolberg fortress in the 1820s
* Adolf von Lützow, (1782–1834) a Prussian officer, served with distinction in the siege of Kolberg in 1807
*Wiktor Szostalo
Wiktor Szostalo (born 22 August 1952) is a Polish sculptor with studios in both Poland and the United States. He works in a variety of media, most notably welded stainless steel, wood, and bronze.
Early life
Born 22 August 1952 in Pasvalys, Lithua ...
, (born 1952) sculptor and former Solidarity
''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...
activist.
* Jan Pogány, (born 1960) classical composer, conductor and cellist.
* Ryszard Kukliński, (1930–2004) colonel and spy for NATO in the Cold War period, attended high school in the city.
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Kołobrzeg is twinned with:
* Bad Oldesloe, Germany
* Barth, Germany
* Berlin Pankow, Germany
* Feodosiia, Ukraine
* Follonica
Follonica () is a town and ''comune'' (township) of province of Grosseto in the Italian region of Tuscany, on the Gulf of Follonica (''Golfo di Follonica''), about northwest of the city of Grosseto.
History
It was founded in 1834 by Grand Duke L ...
, Italy
* Koekelberg, Belgium
* Landskrona
Landskrona (old da, Landskrone) is a town in Scania, Sweden. Located on the shores of the Öresund, it occupies a natural port, which has lent the town at first military and subsequent commercial significance. Ferries operate from Landskrona t ...
, Sweden
* Nexø, Denmark
* Nyborg, Denmark
* Pori
)
, website www.pori.fi
Pori (; sv, Björneborg ) is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, west of Tampere, north of Turku and north-w ...
, Finland
* Simrishamn
Simrishamn (old da, Simmershavn) is a locality and the seat of Simrishamn Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 6,527 inhabitants in 2010. Despite its small population, Simrishamn is, for historical reasons, usually still referred to as a ''c ...
, Sweden
See also
* Herbertiada
Notes
References
Bibliography
* Gustav Kratz: ''Die Städte der Provinz Pommern – Abriss ihrer Geschichte, zumeist nach Urkunden'' (''The Towns of the Province of Pomerania – Sketch of their History, mostly according to historical Records''). Berlin 1865 (reprinted in 1996 by Sändig Reprint Verlag, Vaduz, ; reprinted in 2011 by Kessinger Publishing
Kessinger Publishing LLC is an American print-on-demand
Print on demand (POD) is a printing technology and business process in which book copies (or other documents, packaging or materials) are not printed until the company receives an orde ...
, U.S.A., ), pp. 81–99
online
External links
*
Municipal website
dutchy of Cassubia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolobrzeg
Pomerania
Cities and towns in West Pomeranian Voivodeship
Kołobrzeg County
Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea
Spa towns in Poland
Resorts in Poland
Members of the Hanseatic League
Holocaust locations in Poland