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Stargard (; 1945: ''Starogród'', 1950–2016: ''Stargard Szczeciński''; formerly
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 ...
: ''Stargard in Pommern'', or ''Stargard an der Ihna''; csb, Stôrgard) is a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in northwestern Poland, located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In 2021 it was inhabited by 67,293 people. It is situated on the Ina River. The city is the seat of the Stargard County, and, extraterritorially, of the municipality of
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 ...
. It is the second biggest city of
Szczecin agglomeration Szczecin agglomeration or Stettin agglomeration is the urban agglomeration of the city of Szczecin and surrounding towns in the Polish-German border area. The Larger Urban Zone defined by Eurostat includes 777,806 people living on 5249 km2 ...
. Stargard is a major railroad junction, where the southwards connection from
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 ...
splits into two directions: towards Poznań and
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 ...
.


Etymology

The city's name is of Pomeranian (
Kashubian Kashubian can refer to: * Pertaining to Kashubia, a region of north-central Poland * Kashubians, an ethnic group of north-central Poland * Kashubian language See also *Kashubian alphabet The Kashubian or Cassubian alphabet (''kaszëbsczi alf ...
) origin and stands for ''old'' (''stari'') ''town/city'' (''gard'' or ''gôrd''). In this meaning, the term ''gard'' is still being used by the only surviving Pomeranian language speakers, the Kashubs. However, some experts say that the name is of proto-Norse origin: ''starn'' (star) and ''gate'' (as in English).


History


Middle Ages

The settlement was founded in the 8th century at the site of the present-day district of Osetno near downtown Stargard. In 967 it became part of the emerging Polish state under the first Polish rulers from the
Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (c. 930–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of king Casimir III the Great. Branch ...
. Stargard was first mentioned in 1124, when it was part of Poland under Bolesław III Wrymouth, and received Magdeburg city rights in 1243 from Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania. It was one of the most important towns and a major trade centre of the Duchy of Pomerania, after it split off from Poland as a result of the 12th-century fragmentation of Poland. From 1283, the city had a port at the mouth of the Ina River in the nowadays abandoned village of
Inoujście Inoujście (german: Ihnamünde) is a former village in the administrative district of Gmina Goleniów, within Goleniów County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately west of Goleniów and north of the region ...
. Defensive city walls were built in the 13th century and expanded in the 14th, 15th and early 16th centuries.Grzegorz Podruczny ''Niezrealizowane projekty twierdzy w Stargardzie'', "Stargardia X" (2015), p. 282 (in Polish) In 1363 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 ...
. As a result of the ongoing fragmentation of Pomerania, in 1368 Stargard became part of the
Duchy of Słupsk The Duchy of Pomerania-Stolp, also known as the Duchy of Stolp, and the Duchy of Słupsk, was a feudal duchy in Farther Pomerania within the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Słupsk. It was ruled by the Griffin dynasty. It existed in the High M ...
(Pomerania-Stolp) and in 1377 it became the capital of a separate eponymous duchy, which in 1403 fell back to Duchy of Słupsk, a vassal state of the Kingdom of Poland. In 1478 Stargard became part of the reunified Duchy of Pomerania. In the meantime, the trade rivalry with the nearby city of
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 ...
led to the outbreak of the Stargard-Szczecin war in 1454, which ended in 1464. In 1477 Stargard helped Duke
Wartislaw X Duke Wartislaw X of Pomerania (1435 – 17 December 1478) was the second son of Duke Wartislaw IX of Pomerania and his wife, Sophia of Saxe-Lauenburg. Wartislaw married twice. On 5 March 1454, he married Elizabeth of Brandenburg, the widow ...
recapture the town of Gartz during a Brandenburgian invasion.


Modern period

Stargard was part of the Duchy of Pomerania until its dissolution after the death of the last duke
Bogislaw XIV Bogislaw XIV (31 March 1580 – 10 March 1637) was the last Duke of Pomerania. He was also the Lutheran administrator of the Prince-Bishopric of Cammin. Biography Bogislaw was born in Barth as a member of the House of Pomerania. He was the third ...
in 1637. During the Thirty Years' War the city was captured by
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
in 1630. It was besieged by the troops of the Holy Roman Empire in 1635, and in order to hamper the attacks the Swedish commander set fire to the suburbs, causing a city fire, however, it was still captured by imperial troops. In 1636 it was recaptured by the Swedes, then it was taken and plundered by Imperial troops to fall back to the Swedes again after the Battle of Wittstock.Kratz (1865), p. 368 In 1637 it was again captured by Imperial troops and then by Sweden. As a result of the war, the population decreased by about 75%. In accordance to the 1648
Peace 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 pea ...
, in 1653 it was incorporated, together with the rest of
East Pomerania Eastern Pomerania can refer to distinct parts of Pomerania: *The historical region of Farther Pomerania, which was the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania *The historical region of Pomerelia including Gdańsk Pomerania, located ...
, into
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 1701 Stargard became part of the Kingdom of Prussia and in 1818, after the Napoleonic Wars, Stargard became part of the new district
Szadzko Szadzko (formerly ) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dobrzany, within Stargard County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Dobrzany Dobrzany ( csb, Jakùbòwò; german ...
(then officially ''Saatzig'') within the Province of Pomerania. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871), the Prussians established a prisoner-of-war camp for French troops in the city. As a result of the unification of Germany in 1871 the city became part of the
German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
. On 1 April 1901 it became an independent city, separate from the Saatzig District. According to the Prussian census of 1905, Stargard had a population of 26,907, of which 97% were Germans and 3% were
Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
. In interwar Germany, the town was the site of a concentration camp for unwanted Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. In the March 1933 German federal election the Nazi Party received 58.7% of the vote in the city.


World War II

In 1939, during the German invasion of Poland, which started World War II, the Germans established the Dulag L temporary camp for
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 ...
(including
Kashubian Kashubian can refer to: * Pertaining to Kashubia, a region of north-central Poland * Kashubians, an ethnic group of north-central Poland * Kashubian language See also *Kashubian alphabet The Kashubian or Cassubian alphabet (''kaszëbsczi alf ...
)
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...
and civilians near Stargard, which in October 1939 was transformed into the large prisoner-of-war camp
Stalag II-D Stalag II-D Stargard (American named, "Camp #86") was a World War II German Army (Wehrmacht), German Army German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II, prisoner-of-war camp located near Stargard, Pomerania. It housed Polish people, Polish, American ...
. Then, after the
battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...
in 1940, also the French, the Dutch and Belgians were held there, from 1941 also Yugoslavian and Soviet POWs, from 1942 also thousands of Canadians captured at Dieppe, one of whom was Gerald MacIntosh Johnston, a Canadian actor, who was killed trying to escape, and after 1943 also Italians. The POWs were subjected to racial segregation, and Poles, Africans, Arabs, Jews and Soviet troops were separated from POWs of other nationalities and subjected to worse treatment. Serbs also faced more severe treatment. There was also a subcamp of the
Ravensbrück concentration camp Ravensbrück () was a German concentration camp exclusively for women from 1939 to 1945, located in northern Germany, north of Berlin at a site near the village of Ravensbrück (part of Fürstenberg/Havel). The camp memorial's estimated figure o ...
in the city, as well as seven
forced labour 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 ...
camps. In February 1945, one of the last German armoured offensives, Operation Solstice, was launched from the Stargard area. The local population was evacuated by the Germans on the order of Heinrich Himmler before the approaching Soviets in the final stages of the war. As a result of World War II the town again became part of Poland, under territorial changes demanded by the Soviet Union at the Potsdam Conference. Polish local administration was appointed on March 23, 1945. The town was repopulated by Poles, some of whom were displaced from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union.


Post-war period

In 1950 the city was renamed ''Stargard Szczeciński'' by adding the adjective ''Szczeciński'' after the nearby city of Szczecin to distinguish it from Starogard Gdański in Gdańsk Pomerania. In 1961 the city limits were expanded by including the settlement of Kluczewo as a new district. In 1979 the city suffered a flood. In 1993 the city celebrated the 750th anniversary of receiving city rights. In 2004 a north-western part of the town was made into an industrial park -
Stargardzki Park Przemysłowy Stargardzki Park Przemysłowy is an industrial park in Stargard, a district town in north-west Poland (West Pomeranian Voivodeship). The total area is about 150 ha. In the area: ship (Police Harbour (Police) and Szczecin-Świnoujście Harbour (Szcz ...
. Another industrial park is located in the south - Park Przemysłowy Wysokich Technologii. On January 1, 2016, the town was renamed Stargard.


Landmarks and monuments

Heavy bombing during World War II devastated most of Stargard's fine historical sites and destroyed over 75% of the city. Some of these monuments, such as St. Mary's Church (13th–15th centuries) and the 16th-century town hall, have been rebuilt. The newly restored buildings are on 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 ...
. Some of the notable surviving examples include: * St. Mary's Church, a distinctive
Brick Gothic Brick Gothic (german: Backsteingotik, pl, Gotyk ceglany, nl, Baksteengotiek) is a specific style of Gothic architecture common in Northeast and Central Europe especially in the regions in and around the Baltic Sea, which do not have resourc ...
landmark of the city, dating back to the 15th century, one of the largest brick churches in Europe, listed as a Historic Monument of Poland * St. John's Church from the 15th century * Medieval fortifications, including ramparts, walls, gates and towers, also listed as a Historic Monument of Poland, prime examples: ** Brama Młyńska (''The Mill Gate'') from the 15th century, the only Polish water gate still in existence and one of two in Europe ** Wałowa Gate from the 15th century ** Pyrzycka Gate from the 13th century ** Red Sea Tower ('' Baszta Morze Czerwone'') from 1513 ** Weavers' Tower ('' Baszta Tkaczy'') from the 15th century ** White Head Tower ('' Baszta Białogłówka'') from the 15th century * Renaissance town hall, that has been known as one of the most remarkable examples of 16th-century central European architecture * Gothic tenement houses * Gothic Arsenal (''Arsenał'') Other sites include: * Granary (16th century) * The largest
conciliation cross A conciliation cross, also known as a roadside cross, is a stone cross, which was set up in a place where a murder or accident had happened. Purpose In medieval times, they were sometimes handmade by the murderer as a symbol of conciliation with ...
in Europe (1542) *
Bolesław I the Brave Bolesław I the Brave ; cs, Boleslav Chrabrý; la, Boleslaus I rex Poloniae (17 June 1025), less often known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025, and the first King of Poland in 1025. He was also Duke of Bohemia betw ...
Park (''Park im. Bolesława Chrobrego''), the oldest and largest park in Stargard * Jagiellonian Park ('' Park Jagielloński'') *
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
guardhouse at the marketplace, now housing a museum * Panorama Park with the Panorama Palace * Holy Spirit church * Church of the Transfiguration * War cemetery where about 5,000 soldiers of various nationalities were buried during World War I and II: Polish, French, Serbian/Yugoslav, Russian/Soviet, Italian, Romanian, Belgian, British, Moroccan, Portuguese and Dutch * The 15th Meridian Monument ('' Pomnik 15. Południk'') * Monument to the Victims of Siberia and Katyn * Monuments of the Polish bards Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Słowacki * Red Barracks ('' Czerwone Koszary''), the largest military barracks in Pomerania


Sport

The city is home to Spójnia Stargard, a men's basketball team, which competes in the Polish Basketball League (the country's top division), 1997 runners-up, and
Błękitni Stargard Błękitni Stargard is a Polish association football sports club from Stargard. The men's team is currently playing in the fourth-tier III liga, following their 2020–21 relegation from the II liga, the reserve men's team in the fifth divisio ...
, formerly a multi-sports club, now a men's association football team, best known for reaching the Polish Cup semi-final in
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
.


Demographics


Notable people

*
Karl August Ferdinand von Borcke Karl August Ferdinand von Borcke (18 February 1776 – 15 December 1830) was a Prussian general and the first recipient of the Iron Cross. Biography Borcke was born in Stargard, Province of Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia (today Poland) to E ...
(1776–1830), Prussian general *
Carl Wilhelm Schmidt Reverend Carl Wilhelm Schmidt (died 1864), also known as Karl Schmidt, was a German missionary, and an ordained minister of the Prussian United Church. Schmidt's missionary work took him to Queensland and Samoa, where he founded a number of Luth ...
(died 1864), missionary * Oscar Levy (1867–1946), writer *
Max Levy Max Levy (March 9, 1857 – July 30, 1926) was an American inventor and scientist recognized for invention of precision machinery for the making of half-tone screens which were used in the production of relief printing plates by newspapers and maga ...
(1869-1932), electro-engineer * Werner von Blomberg (1878–1946), general *
Georg Joachimsthal Georg Joachimsthal (8 May 1863 – 28 February 1914) was a German orthopedist who was native of Stargard, Stargard in Pommern. In 1887 he earned his medical doctorate from Humboldt University of Berlin, Friedrich Wilhelm University with a di ...
(1863–1914), orthopedist * Hasso von Wedel (1898–1961) Wehrmacht General *
Hans-Joachim von Merkatz Hans-Joachim von Merkatz (7 July 1905 – 25 February 1982) was a German politician. He was Federal Minister of Justice from 1956 to 1957. He was a member of the Bundestag from 1949 to 1961. He was a member of the German Party before joining the ...
(1905–1982) Federal Minister of Justice 1956–1957 * Claus Biederstaedt (1928-2020), actor *
Peter Karow Peter Karow (born 11 November 1940) is a German entrepreneur, inventor and software developer. He holds several patents in the field of desktop publishing
(born 1940), entrepreneur *
Carlo von Tiedemann Carlo von Tiedemann (born 20 October 1943, in Stargard, Pommern) is a German television presenter. Life Since 1971 Tiedemann has worked as a television and radio presenter for German broadcaster NDR. From 1980 to 1988 Tiedemann was married ...
(born 1943), television presenter *
Arkadiusz Bąk Arkadiusz Bąk (; born 6 October 1974) is a Polish former football (soccer), footballer. Career Club Having started in the 1992/1993 season, Bąk also played for Ruch Chorzów, Polonia Warsaw, Birmingham City F.C., Birmingham City, Widzew Łód ...
(born 1974), footballer * Ewa Kasprzyk (born 1957), actress *
Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...
(born 1991), singer-songwriter


International relations


Twin towns — sister cities

Stargard is twinned with:


In Fiction

In ''
The Cross Time Engineer Conrad Stargard is the protagonist and title character in a series of time travel novels written by the Polish American writer Leo Frankowski. In them, a Polish engineer named Conrad Schwartz is sent back in time to the 13th century where he has ...
'' science fiction series of novels the main character falsely claims Stargard origin to conceal he is a time traveler.


Notes


References


External links


Official Website - some materials available in English and German

Archaeology and history museum

Satellite photo via Google Maps
{{Authority control Cities and towns in West Pomeranian Voivodeship Stargard County Populated places established in the 8th century