Founded in theMiddle Ages, Koszalin was a seaport until the 17th century, and one of the main cities of Central Pomerania (along withKołobrzeg andSłupsk). From 1950 to 1998 it was the administrative capital of Central Pomerania, as the Koszalin Voivodeship, and remains its largest city. Located on the mainhighway and railroad between theTricity andSzczecin, Koszalin is an important regional industrial, cultural and educational center. It is home to theKoszalin University of Technology,Polish Air Force Training Center and the Polish Border Guard Academy. ItsGothic Cathedral serves as the seat of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Koszalin–Kołobrzeg. Koszalin is the host city of an annual festival of choirs of thePolish diaspora from various parts of the world.
The territory became part of the emerging Polish state underMieszko I around 967.[3] According to the MedievalChronicle of Greater Poland (Kronika Wielkopolska) Koszalin was one of thePomeranian cities captured and subjugated by DukeBolesław III Wrymouth of Poland in 1107 (other towns includedKołobrzeg,Kamień andWolin).[4] Afterwards, in the 12th century the area became part of theGriffin-ruledDuchy of Pomerania, a vassal state ofPoland, which separated from Poland after the fragmentation of Poland into smaller duchies, and became a vassal ofDenmark in 1185 and a part of theHoly Roman Empire from 1227.
In 1214,Bogislaw II,Duke of Pomerania, made a donation of a village known as Koszalice/Cossalitz by Chełmska Hill in Kołobrzeg Land to theNorbertine monastery in Białoboki nearTrzebiatów. New, mostlyGerman, settlers from outside of Pomerania were invited to settle the territory. In 1248, the eastern part of Kołobrzeg Land, including the village, was transferred by DukeBarnim I to theRoman Catholic Diocese of Kammin.[5]
On 23 May 1266, Kammin bishopHermann von Gleichen granted a charter to the village, granting itLübeck law, local government, autonomy and multiple privileges to attract German settlers from the west.[6] When in 1276 the bishops became the sovereign in neighboringKołobrzeg, they moved their residence there, while the administration of the diocese was done from Koszalin.[5] In 1278 aCistercian monastery was established, which took care of the local parish church and St. Mary chapel on Chełmska Hill.[7]
The city obtained direct access to theBaltic Sea when it gained the village of Jamno (1331), parts ofLake Jamno, a spit between the lake and the sea and the castle ofUnieście in 1353. Thence, it participated in the Baltic Sea trade as a member of theHanseatic League (from 1386),[7] which led to several conflicts with the competing seaports of at Kołobrzeg andDarłowo. From 1356 until 1417/1422, the city was part of the Duchy ofPomerania-Wolgast. In 1446 Koszalin fought a victorious battle against the nearby rival city ofKołobrzeg.[7] In 1475 a conflict between the city of Koszalin and the Pomeranian dukeBogislaw X broke out, resulting in the kidnapping and temporary imprisonment of the duke in Koszalin.[7]
Coats of arms from ca. 1400–1800 and from 1800–1939
As a result ofGerman colonization, the town became mostly German-speaking, putting indigenous Slavic speakers at disadvantage.[7] In 1516 local Germans enforced a ban on buying goods from Slavic speakers.[8] It was also forbidden to accept native Slavs to craft guilds, which indicates ethnic discrimination.[7]
Now renamed Cöslin as part of theKingdom of Prussia, the city was heavily damaged by a fire in 1718, but was rebuilt in the following years. In 1764 on the Chełmska Hill, now located within the city limits, a Pole Jan Gelczewski founded a paper mill that supplied numerous city offices.[7]
The town became part of theGerman Empire in 1871 during theunification of Germany. The railroad from Stettin through Cöslin andStolp (Słupsk) to Danzig was constructed from 1858 to 1878. A military cadet school created byFrederick the Great in 1776 was moved fromKulm (Chełmno) to the city in 1890. TheKösliner Zeitung was as a local newspaper published in Köslin.
After theNazi Party took power in Germany in 1933, aGestapo station was established in the city and mass arrests of Nazi opponents were carried out.[7] After theNazis had closed downDietrich Bonhoeffer's seminar inFinkenwalde (Zdroje) in 1937, Bonhoeffer chose the town as one of the sites where he illegally continued to educatevicars of theConfessing Church.[9]
Memorial to Polish women of theresistance movement imprisoned in the city by the Germans during World War II
During theSecond World War Köslin was the site of the first school for the "rocket troops" created on orders ofWalter Dornberger, theWehrmacht's head of theV-2 design and development program.[10] ThePolish resistance conducted espionage of German activity and distributedPolish underground press in the city.[11][12] The Nazis brought manyprisoners of war andforced labourers to the city, mainly Poles, but alsoItalians andFrench.[7] The Germans operated several forced labour camps in the city,[13] including a subcamp of theStalag II-BPOW camp.[14] Polish forced labourers constituted up to 10% of the city's population during the war.[13] Germany also operated a prison in the city, with forced labour subcamps in the region.[15] After crushing theWarsaw Uprising, the Germans brought several transports of Poles fromWarsaw to the city, mainly women and children.[16]
On 4 March 1945, the city was captured by theRed Army. Under the border changes forced by theSoviet Union in the post-warPotsdam Agreement, Koszalin became part of Poland as part of the so-calledRecovered Territories. The city's German population that had not yet fled wasexpelled to the remainder of post-war Germany in accordance to the Potsdam Agreement. The city was resettled by Poles andKashubians, many of whom had been expelled fromPolish territory annexed by the Soviets.[17]
As early as March 1945 a Polish police unit was established, consisting of formerforced labourers andprisoners of war, however, the Soviets, still present in the city, plundered local industrial factories in April.[18] From May 1945, life in the destroyed city was being organized, the first post-war schools, shops and service premises were established.[18] In 1946, the first public library was opened, whose director was later Maria Pilecka, the sister of Polish national heroWitold Pilecki.[19] In March 1946, theanti-communistHome Army 5th Wilno Brigade was active in Koszalin.[18] In July 1947, the last units of theSoviet Army left Koszalin, and from that time only Polish troops were stationed in the city.[18] In 1953 a local radio station was founded in Koszalin.[7]
Initially, Koszalin was the first post-war regional capital of Polish Western Pomerania, before the administration finally moved toSzczecin in February 1946, after which the region was named theSzczecin Voivodeship.[7] In 1950 this voivodeship was divided into a truncatedSzczecin Voivodeship andKoszalin Voivodeship. In years 1950-75 Koszalin was the capital of the enlargedKoszalin Voivodeship sometimes calledMiddle Pomerania due to becoming the fastest growing city in Poland. In years 1975-98 it was the capital of the smallerKoszalin Voivodeship. As a result of the Local Government Reorganization Act (1998) Koszalin became part of theWest Pomeranian Voivodeship (effective 1 January 1999) regardless of an earlier proposal for a new Middle Pomeranian Voivodeship covering approximately the area of former Koszalin Voivodeship (1950–75).
In 1991, Koszalin was visited byPope John Paul II.[20] On the fifth anniversary of his visit, his monument was unveiled in the city center.[20]
The city borders on Chełmska Hill (Polish:Góra Chełmska), a site ofpagan worship in prehistory, and upon which is now built the tower "sanctuary of the covenant", which was consecrated byPope John Paul II in 1991, and is currently a pilgrimage site. Also an observation tower is located on the hill. At the entrance to the sanctuary there is a monument dedicated to the PolishNovember insurgents of 1831, who, imprisoned by Prussian authorities, built a road connecting Koszalin with nearbySianów.[21]
Koszalin's most distinctive landmark is theGothic St. Mary's Cathedral, dating from the early 14th century. Positioned in front of the cathedral is a monument commemorating John Paul II's visit to the city.
Other city landmarks include the Park of the Dukes of Pomerania (Park Książąt Pomorskich), the Koszalin Museum, the main post office, the 16th-century Wedding Palace and the Culture Centre 105 (Centrum Kultury 105).
The climate isoceanic (Köppen:Cfb) with somehumid continental characteristics (Dfb), usually categorized if the 0 °C isotherm is used (for the same classification). Being inWestern Pomerania and near theBaltic Sea, it has a much more moderate climate than the otherlarge Polish cities. The summers are warm and practically never hot as in the south and the winters are often more moderate than the northeast and east, although still cold, yet it is not as mild asWestern Europe. Daily averages below freezing point can be found in January and February, while in the summer they are between 15 and 16 °C, relatively cool. The average annual precipitation is 704 mm, distributed during the year. Koszalin is one of the sunniest cities in the country.[27][28][29]
Climate data for Koszalin (Wilkowo), elevation: 33 m, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present
The city has organised an annualfilm festival since 1973 titled theKoszalin Festival of Film Debuts "The Youth and Film" (Polish:Koszaliński Festiwal Debiutów Filmowych "Młodzi i Film") with the aim to promote young filmmakers. Since 2007, the festival has been a competition review of Polish debuts (feature andshort films,documentaries andanimations). Besides the competition, there are retrospectives, workshops, and discussions about young cinema entitled "Honesty to Honesty" (Polish:Szczerość za szczerość).[42] The festival is known to be the oldest festival of young cinema in Poland. Among the filmmakers who debuted with their films at the festival areKrzysztof Zanussi,Krzysztof Kieślowski,Agnieszka Holland,Filip Bajon andBarbara Sass.[43]
^abGerhard Köbler,Historisches Lexikon der Deutschen Länder: die deutschen Territorien vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, 7th edition, C.H. Beck, 2007, p. 113,ISBN3-406-54986-1
^Charles Higounet.Die deutsche Ostsiedlung im Mittelalter (in German). p. 149.
^"Miesięczna suma opadu".Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived fromthe original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved5 February 2022.
^"Liczba dni z opadem >= 0,1 mm".Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived fromthe original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved5 February 2022.
^"Średnia grubość pokrywy śnieżnej".Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived fromthe original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved5 February 2022.
^"Średnia suma usłonecznienia (h)".Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 (in Polish). Institute of Meteorology and Water Management. Archived fromthe original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved5 February 2022.
The list includes the 107 urban municipalities governed by acity mayor (prezydent miasta) instead of a town mayor (burmistrz) ·Cities with powiat rights are initalics · Voivodeship cities are inbold
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