Karsibór ( or ''Caseburg'') is an island in the

Szczecin Lagoon Szczecin Lagoon (, ), also known as Oder Lagoon (), and Pomeranian Lagoon (), is a lagoon in the Oder estuary, shared by Germany and Poland. It is separated from the Pomeranian Bay of the Baltic Sea by the islands of Usedom and Wolin. The la ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, which was created by the cutting of the

Piast Canal The Piast Canal (, ) is a ship canal that connects the Szczecin Lagoon in the estuary of the Oder river with the Baltic Sea via the Świna river. The eastern part of the Świna is bypassed by the canal, providing a more convenient south-north c ...

which separated it from the island of

Usedom Usedom ( , ) is a Baltic Sea island in Pomerania, divided between Germany and Poland. It is the second largest Pomeranian island after Rügen, and the most populous island in the Baltic Sea. It lies north of the Szczecin Lagoon estuary of the ...

. The island was named after its largest village (now district of the town of

Świnoujście Świnoujście (; ; ; meaning " Świna ivermouth"; ) is a city in Western Pomerania and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, in the extreme north-west of Poland, mainly on the islands of Usedom and Wolin, and Karsibór island, once ...

). In 1880, the ''Kaiserfahrt'' (Piast Canal) channel was opened providing a water route with a depth of connecting the lagoon with the Baltic Sea bypassing the eastern part of the

Świna The Świna (; Pomeranian: ''Swina'') is a channel in northwest Poland, between from the German border. It connects the Szczecin Lagoon with the Baltic Sea separating the islands of Uznam (German: Usedom) and Wolin. It is a part of the Oder estu ...

arm (''Old Świna'') of the

Oder River The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through west ...

, allowing large ships quicker and safer enter the lagoon and the seaport of Szczecin than on the natural river. The canal, approximately long and deep, was dug by the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

between 1874 and 1880, during the reign of the first Kaiser Wilhelm (1797–1888) after whom it was named. After the defeat of Germany in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, under the terms of the

Potsdam Agreement The Potsdam Agreement () was the agreement among three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union after the war ended in Europe that was signed on 1 August 1945 and published the following day. A ...

, in 1945 the region became part of Poland, which renamed the canal after the

Piast dynasty The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented List of Polish monarchs, Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I of Poland, Mieszko I (–992). The Poland during the Piast dynasty, Piasts' royal rule in Pol ...

. There is a memorial to the British pilots of the No. 617 Squadron RAF, who were shot down by Germany in April 1945.

Images

File:Karsibór - marina - 2018-06-02 15-33-05.jpg, Marina in Karsibór File:Świnoujście Karsibór kościół NPNMP 2016-08-29 p3.jpg, Gothic Immaculate Conception church File:Piast Canal near Szczecin Lagoon.jpg,

Piast canal The Piast Canal (, ) is a ship canal that connects the Szczecin Lagoon in the estuary of the Oder river with the Baltic Sea via the Świna river. The eastern part of the Świna is bypassed by the canal, providing a more convenient south-north c ...

File:U-Boot Harbour in Karsibór Island.jpg, U-Boot Harbour Islands of Poland Landforms of West Pomeranian Voivodeship {{WestPomeranian-geo-stub