Szczecinek (; ) is a historic city in

Middle Pomerania The term Middle or Central Pomerania can refer to two distinct areas, depending on whether it is used as a translation of the corresponding German or Polish terms Mittelpommern (also Mittelpommerscher Keil) or Pomorze Środkowe, respectively. Mi ...

, 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 ...

, capital of

Szczecinek County __NOTOC__ Szczecinek County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, north-western Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms pa ...

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 ...

, with a population of more than 40,000 (2011). The town's total area is . The turbulent history of Szczecinek reaches back to the

High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...

, when the area was ruled by Pomeranian dukes and princes. The majority of the city's architecture survived

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 ...

and, subsequently, its entire Old Town was proclaimed a national heritage monument of Poland. Szczecinek is the location of one of the oldest museums and one of the oldest high schools in Pomerania and northern Poland, and one of the places of production of ''

krówki Krówki (, plural; ''krówka'' Grammatical number, singular), literally a dimunitive form of the Polish word for "cow," are Poland, Polish fudge, semi-soft milk toffee candy, candies. When hand-made, they are hard and crispy on the outside, but th ...

''. It is an important

railroad junction A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. The physical connection between the tracks of the two routes (assuming they are of the same gauge) is provided by turnouts (US: switc ...

, located along the main

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

Kołobrzeg Kołobrzeg (; ; ) is a port and spa city in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in north-western Poland with about 47,000 inhabitants (). Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast of the Baltic Sea (in the middle of the section ...

line, which crosses less important lines to

Chojnice Chojnice (; or ; or ) is a town in northern Poland with 38,789 inhabitants, as of June 2023, near the Tuchola Forest. It is the capital of the Chojnice County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Founded in , Chojnice is a former royal city of Poland ...

and

Słupsk Słupsk (; ; ) is a city with powiat rights located on the Słupia River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, in the historical region of Pomerania or more specifically in its part known in contemporary Poland as Central Pomerania ...

Location

Szczecinek lies in eastern part of

. Historically, it was included within

Western Pomerania Historical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (; ), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania, located mostly in north-eastern Germany, with a small portion in no ...

. In 2010, the city boundaries were expanded as the town merged with the following villages in Gmina Szczecinek: Gałowo, Marcelin, Godzimierz, Turowo,

Parsęcko Parsęcko (German ''Persanzig'') is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Szczecinek, within Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately west of Szczecinek and east of the regional c ...

, Buczek and

Żółtnica Żółtnica (: ) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Szczecinek, within Szczecinek County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-western Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Szczecinek and east of the regional capital Szc ...

History and etymology

Middle Ages

In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

a Slavic stronghold existed in present-day Szczecinek. It was part of the early Polish state in the 10th century, and as a result of the 12th-century fragmentation of Poland, it became part of the separate

Duchy of Pomerania The Duchy of Pomerania (; ; 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 existed in the Middle Ages between years 1121–11 ...

. In 1310, the

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

at the site of a former stronghold, and town were founded under

Lübeck law The Lübeck law () 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 municipal law in medieval and e ...

by Duke

Wartislaw IV Wartislaw IV or Vartislav IV (before 1290 – 1 August 1326) was Duke of Pomerania-Wolgast from 1309 until his death. He was the only son of Duke Bogislaw IV of Pomerania and his wife Margareta, a daughter of Vitslav II, Prince of Rügen. Varti ...

of Pomerania and modelled after

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 ...

() which is situated about to the west. The initial name was "Neustettin" (, , ). It was also known as "Klein Stettin" (, ). In 1707 the town was known in Polish as ''Nowoszczecin'', while the ''Mały Szczecin'' name gradually developed into the modern name ''Szczecinek''. The town was fortified to face the

Brandenburgers The Brandenburgers () were members of Nazi Germany's Wehrmacht special forces unit during World War II. Originally, the unit was formed by and operated as an extension of the military's intelligence and counter-espionage organ, the ''Abwehr''. ...

, with a wall and palisades. In 1356 it was hit by the plague. Thankful for their survival, the Dukes

Bogislaw V Bogislaw V (, ) (c. 1318 – 23 April 1374), sometimes known as the Great (), was a Duke of Pomerania. Eldest son of Duke Wartislaw IV and Elisabeth of Lindow-Ruppin, Bogislaw had two brothers, Barnim IV and Wartislaw V. The brothers were ...

, Barnim IV and Wartislaw V founded the Augustine monastery Marientron, on the hill on the southern bank of the Lake. It was plundered by Brandenburgers in 1470. From 1368 to 1390 it was the seat of an eponymous duchy under its only historic ruler Wartislaw V. Afterwards, it was ruled by Pomeranian duchies: Darłowo (Rügenwalde) (until 1418),

(until 1474, fief of

) and the united

(until 1618). On 15 September 1423, the "great day of Neustettin", the Pomeranian dukes, the

Grand Master of the Teutonic Order The grand master of the Teutonic Order (; ) is the supreme head of the Teutonic Order. It is equivalent to the Grand master (order), grand master of other Military order (religious society), military orders and the superior general in non-milit ...

and Nordic king Eric VII of Denmark,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

met to discuss defense against the union of Brandenburg and Poland. During the Thirteen Years' War, local dukes changed alliances several times. As a result, in 1455 several surrounding villages were looted by

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

and in 1461 the town was sacked, looted and burned by Polish troops and

Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...

because King

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (Casimir Andrew Jagiellon; ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447 until his death in 1492. He was one of the most active Polish-Lithuanian rulers; under ...

wanted to take revenge on Eric II of Pomerania who supported the Teutonic Knights.

Modern period

In 1601 a Polish school was established, and in 1640 a gymnasium was founded, which as today's ''I Liceum Ogólnokształcące'' is one of the oldest

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

s in Pomerania. 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 ...

it was captured and plundered by the

Swedes Swedes (), or Swedish people, are an ethnic group native to Sweden, who share a common ancestry, Culture of Sweden, culture, History of Sweden, history, and Swedish language, language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countries, ...

and

Austrians Austrians (, ) are the citizens and Nationality, nationals of Austria. The English term ''Austrians'' was applied to the population of Archduchy of Austria, Habsburg Austria from the 17th or 18th century. Subsequently, during the 19th century, ...

. After the war, from 1653, the town was part of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

, from 1701 of

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, ...

and from 1871 to 1945 of Germany. During the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, in 1759 it was plundered by the

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

. In 1807, during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

and Polish national liberation fights, the town was captured by Poles led by

Tomasz Łubieński Tomasz Andrzej Adam Łubieński, comte de Pomian (24 December 1784, in Szczytniki, Kalisz County, Szczytniki near Kalisz – 27 August 1870, in Warsaw) was a brigadier general in the Polish army, senator, landowner in Kalisz and businessman. Hopi ...

. In 1881 Abraham Springer, great-grandfather of

TV presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people who garnered fam ...

Jerry Springer Gerald Norman Springer (February 13, 1944 – April 27, 2023) was a British-American broadcaster, journalist, actor, lawyer, and politician. He was best known for hosting the controversial tabloid talk show '' Jerry Springer'' from 1991 to 2 ...

and a prominent member of the town's Jewish community launched an unsuccessful attempt to sue agitator Dr

Ernst Henrici Carl Ernst Julius Henrici (10 December 1854, Berlin – 10 July 1915, Döbeln) was a German grammar Teacher, school teacher, writer, Colonialism, colonial adventurer and anti-Semitic politician. Life Born to tax-collector Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig ...

, claiming that an inflammatory anti-semitic speech in the town led directly to the burning down of the synagogue on 18 February of that year. Regional Museum in Szczecinek building

In 1914 the

Regional Museum In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

was established. In 1923 the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

of the Holy Spirit was built, then called the "Polish Church", as it was co-financed by local

Poles Pole or poles may refer to: People *Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland * Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name * Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist ...

. After the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

took power in Germany in the 1930s, new military barracks were built, and the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

was carried out from the town at the beginning of

in 1939. During the war, five

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, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

camps were established and operated by the Germans in the town, with prisoners of three camps being mostly Poles and

, and prisoners of two subcamps of the

Stalag II-B Stalag II-B was a German World War II prisoner-of-war camp situated west of the town of Hammerstein, Pomerania (now Czarne, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland) on the north side of the railway line. It housed Polish, French, Belgian, Serbian, Du ...

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

being mostly

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

. In September 1944, the Germans made the first arrests of local members of the

Polish underground The Polish Underground State (, also known as the Polish Secret State) was a single political and military entity formed by the union of resistance organizations in occupied Poland that were loyal to the Government of the Republic of Poland ...

organization "Odra", ultimately crushing it in the following weeks. In February 1945, the town was captured by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, and the local agricultural machinery factory, which used forced labour during the war, was plundered by occupying Russian forces. The town then passed to Poland, although with a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

-installed communist regime, which remained in power until the

Fall of Communism The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...

in the 1980s. The town's German population was expelled 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 it was repopulated with Poles, expellees from former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union and settlers from central Poland. The plundered agricultural machinery factory was relaunched by Poles in July 1945. The Polish anti-communist resistance (" cursed soldiers") was active in the town, and many of its members were arrested and sentenced to prison by the communists. The last "cursed soldier" of Szczecinek, Maria Sosnowska, died in 2018. From 1950 to 1998, it was administratively located in the Koszalin Voivodeship. In 2009 the town limits were expanded by including the neighbouring villages of Świątki and Trzesieka as new districts. In 2018, a

khachkar A ''khachkar'' (also spelled as ''khatchkar'') or Armenian cross-stone (, , խաչ ''xačʿ'' "cross" + քար ''kʿar'' "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosette (design), rosettes ...

was unveiled in Szczecinek to commemorate Armenian-Polish friendship.

Education

* Duchess Elizabeth Secondary School * Vocational School of Economics in Szczecinek * Vocational Technical School in Szczecinek * Vocational School of Agriculture in Świątki * Private Secondary School * Social Secondary School * Społeczna Wyższa Szkoła Przedsiębiorczości i Zarządzania in

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

, branch in Szczecinek *

Koszalin University of Technology Koszalin University of Technology () is a Polish public technical university located in Koszalin and other cities, i.e. Chojnice. The institution was established in 1968 as the Higher School of Engineering. The university obtained its present n ...

, branch in Szczecinek

Major corporations

* Grupa Kronospan Szczecinek * KPPD Szczecinek SA * Schneider Electric Poland

Historical population

Cuisine

The officially protected

traditional food Traditional foods are foods and Dish (food), dishes that are passed on through generations or which have been consumed for many generations. Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national ...

of Szczecinek (as designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland) is ''krówka szczecinecka'', a local type of krówka (traditional Polish candy).

Notable residents

* Caspar Otto von Glasenapp (1664 at Gut Wurchow – 1747), Prussian Generalfeldmarschall * Franz Albert Schultz (1692–1763), Prussian divine and ecclesiastical superintendent *

Friedrich Jacob Behrend Friedrich Jacob Behrend (12 June 1803 in Neustettin – 30 May 1889 in Berlin) was a German physician known for his published works, in particular, subjects dealing with sexually transmitted disease, public hygiene and prostitution. He is also cr ...

(1803–1889), German physician, published works on venereal disease, public hygiene and prostitution * General

Friedrich Kasiski Major Friedrich Wilhelm Kasiski (29 November 1805 – 22 May 1881) was a German infantry officer, cryptographer and archeologist. Kasiski was born in Schlochau, Kingdom of Prussia (now Człuchów, Poland). Military service Kasiski enlisted in E ...

(1805–1881), German infantry officer, cryptographer and archeologist *

Lothar Bucher Lothar Bucher (25 October 1817 – 12 October 1892) was a German publicist and trusted aide of German chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Bucher was born in Neustettin, Pomerania, his father being master at a gymnasium. After studying at the Un ...

(1817–1892), German publicist and trusted aide of Otto von Bismarck *

Gustav Behrend Gustav Behrend (10 January 1847 – 1925) was a German dermatologist who was a native of Neustettin (today- Szczecinek, Poland). In 1870 he received his medical doctorate at the University of Berlin, and during the Franco-Prussian War, he served ...

(1847–1925), German dermatologist * Hans Krüger (1902–1971), politician, stepped down from his role amid controversy about his WWII background *

Eckart Afheldt __NOTOC__ Eckart Afheldt (15 August 1921 – 3 December 1999) was a German general in the Bundeswehr. During World War II, he served as an officer in the Wehrmacht and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He jo ...

(1921–1999), general * Horst Mann (1927–2018), German sprinter, competed at the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

Aleksander Wolszczan Aleksander Wolszczan (born 29 April 1946) is a Polish astronomer. He is the co-discoverer of the first confirmed extrasolar planets and pulsar planets. He is a graduate of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and works as a professor a ...

(born 1946), Polish astronomer, co-discovered the first extrasolar planets and pulsar planets * Wiesław Adamski (1947–2017), Polish sculptor *

Jolanta Danielak Jolanta Ryszarda Danielak (born 3 June 1955) is a Polish political figure who served in the national Senate from 1997 to 2005 and rose to the post of Senate Vice-Marshal, which she filled from 2001 to 2005. A native of the northwestern town o ...

(born 1955), Polish politician, served in the national Senate from 1997 to 2005 *

Jarosław Boberek Jarosław Boberek (born 14 June 1963) is a Polish actor. He is the most popular voice actor in Poland for dubbing Donald Duck as well as King Julien in the Madagascar movies. Private life He is married to Ilona Kucińska, They have two sons, nam ...

(born 1963), Polish film actor and voice actor *

Ewa Minge Ewa Minge (born 23 May 1967 in Szczecinek, Poland) is a Polish fashion designer. Dubbed the "Next Couture", her collection has been shown globally, including on the Spanish Steps in Rome. Minge is one of Poland's most well-known fashion designer ...

(born 1967), Polish fashion designer *

Dorota Dziekiewicz-Pilich Dorota Dziekiewicz-Pilich (born 25 June 1969 in Szczecinek, Poland) is a Polish sculptor and drawing artist. Education She passed the matura exam in Liceum im. Księżnej Elżbiety (Lyceum of Princess Elizabeth) in Szczecinek and later Academy ...

(born 1969), Polish sculptor and drawing artist * Artur Bugaj (born 1970), footballer *

Paweł Małaszyński Paweł Małaszyński (born 26 June 1976 in Szczecinek, Poland) is a Polish TV and film actor. He also leads a music band "Cochise". Starred in *''Grzechy sąsiadów'' (2024) - Kain *''Zdrada'' (2024) - Paweł Kamiński *''Unpredictable'' ''('' ...

(born 1975), Polish actor * Aleksandra Gintrowska (born 1991), Polish singer and actress *

Jakub Moder Jakub Piotr Moder (; born 7 April 1999) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Feyenoord and the Poland national team. Club career Early career Moder was born in Szczecinek. He began his steps towa ...

(born 1999), Polish footballer

International relations

Szczecinek is twinned with:

References

External links

Szczecinek Regional Portal
{{Authority control Cities and towns in West Pomeranian Voivodeship Capitals of former nations Szczecinek County