Międzyzdroje (; ), historically known as Misdroy in English, is a city and a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, 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 an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

in northwestern

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 ...

on the island of Wolin on the Baltic coast. The city is located in the

West Pomeranian Voivodeship West Pomeranian Voivodeship is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals , and in 2021, it was inhabited by 1,682,003 people. It was established on 1 Janua ...

, and is a seat of the

Kamień County __NOTOC__ Kamień County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-western Poland, on the Baltic coast. It existed from 1945 to 1975 and was re-established in its current form on ...

and the municipality of Międzyzdroje. In 2016, it was inhabited by around 5,500 people. The town is often referred to as ''The Pearl of the Baltic''. It is situated between wide sandy beaches with high cliffs and the forests of the Woliński National Park (which includes a

bison A bison (: bison) is a large bovine in the genus ''Bison'' (from Greek, meaning 'wild ox') within the tribe Bovini. Two extant taxon, extant and numerous extinction, extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American ...

reserve). Międzyzdroje has a spa climate and is rich in tourist services.

History

The territory became part of the emerging Polish state under its first ruler Mieszko I around 967. Following the fragmentation of Poland, it formed part of the Duchy of Pomerania. Towards the very end of the 12th century two settled camps or settlements have been established within the present-day town limits. Both of these settlements, with a mining and agricultural focus, were property of the Bishopric of Kamien Pomorski. The first initial name of the town appeared in the 15th century as ''Misdroige''. According to sources, the early Slavic and Germanic settlers were involved primarily in agriculture, cattle-breeding, fishing, bee-keeping and hunting. The entire island of Wolin, including Międzyzdroje, was captured by the

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic regi ...

in 1630 during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

. Sweden ceded control of the island to

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

in the 1720 Treaties of Stockholm. A particularly noticeable increase in the number of inhabitants, mostly local but also foreign, was recorded throughout the 18th century. During this time, the village began to evolve into a luxurious spa resort as a result of strong English influence in the development of sea baths. In the first half of the industrial 19th century, Europeans of different backgrounds began to visit Misdroy and appreciate its baths, health clinics and favourable climate. With the arrival of tourists and the development of the tourist sector in the area, the once small, insignificant fishing village rapidly transformed into a popular health resort. In 1835, the gender-segregated baths were constructed by English and German merchants and entrepreneurs. Wealthy industrialists and business magnates from

Stettin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) 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 seaport, the largest city of northwestern Poland, and se ...

(Szczecin),

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

would erect their magnificent and extravagant

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

s along the Baltic shore. One of the earliest public parks was created in 1860 as an initiative of a wealthy Belgian merchant named Arnold Lejeune. A wooden

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

on the Baltic Sea was constructed and eventually upgraded in 1906. The pier was 360 metres in length and the coffee-house situated at its very end still operates to this day. In 1899, Misdroy was connected via railway with nearby

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

(Stettin) and Świnoujście, which contributed to an even greater number of patient and tourist arrivals. Shortly before the outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, over 20,000 visitors were recorded, an astonishing and record-breaking number in that period. Prior to

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 ...

, the town had around 4,000 permanent residents. During

, in February 1945, a German-perpetrated death march of Allied prisoners-of-war from the Stalag XX-B POW camp passed through the settlement. The town did not suffer destruction during the course of the war. After the war, the Międzyzdroje became part of the

Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...

in 1945 in accordance with 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 ...

, and was granted town status. The town's Polish name comes from its original 16th century meaning of the "town between salts springs", or Międzyzdroje in Polish. In 1959, town limits were expanded.

Sights

* Beach and

* Fryderyk Chopin Spa Park with a monument of the Polish composer * Wax museum * Nature Museum of the Wolin National Park * Walk of Fame ('' Promenada Gwiazd'') * Baltic Miniature Park (''Bałtycki Park Miniatur'') * Saint Peter church * Culture Center File:Międzyzdroje 31, wejście na molo.jpg, alt=Right Pier, Międzyzdroje Pier File:Miedzyzdroje molo.jpg, Aerial view of the pier File:Międzyzdroje-Fryderyk Chopin bust.jpg, Bust of Fryderyk Chopin File:Miedzyzdroje Bohaterow Warszawy 19 2021.jpg, Wax museum File:Miedzyzdroje muzeum WPN.jpg, Nature Museum of the Wolin National Park File:Miedzyzdroje kosciol sw Piotra Apostola (1).jpg, Saint Peter church

Transport

Międzyzdroje is located at the intersection of National road 3 and Voivodeship road 102, and there is also a railway station.

International relations

Międzyzdroje was the birthplace of the Harvard World Model United Nations Conference in 1991. Międzyzdroje is twinned with: * Bakhchysarai Raion, Ukraine * Čačak, Serbia *

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...

, Sweden * Izola, Slovenia * Lomma, Sweden * Sellin, Germany

Notable residents

* Ernst Eiselen (1792 - 1846 in Misdroy), German gymnast and a promoter of the Jahn style of gymnastics * Hermann Wilhelm Ebel (1820 – 1875 in Misdroy), German philologist * Albert Sauer (1898–1945), German Nazi SS concentration camp commandant * Prince Claus of the Netherlands (1926–2002), husband of Queen Beatrix, he attended the Baltenschule Misdroy from 1938 until 1942 * Grischa Huber (1944–2021), German actress * Wiesław Chmielewski (born 1957), Polish modern pentathlete

External links

Międzyzdroje (pl). Official website.

Międzyzdroje (pl). Official website for tourists.

References

{{Authority control Cities and towns in West Pomeranian Voivodeship Coastal cities and towns in Poland Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea Port cities and towns in Poland Kamień County Spa towns in Poland