Koszalin

Between the 10th and the 13th century, a settlement of the Pomeranian tribe existed at the current site of Koszalin; it might have been established there due to the site's vicinity to a Pagan sanctuary located on Chełmska Mountain. The first historical source to mention Koszalin dates back to 1214 – it was a decree issued by Pomeranian Duke Bogusław II, by virtue of which a village called Koszalice was granted to a group of Norbertine monks from Białoboki.

In 1248, the eastern part of the Kołobrzeg Land, including Koszalin, became the property of the Pomeranian bishops (from Cammin), which led to the creation of a ducal state called the Bishopric of Cammin. In 1266, Bishop of Cammin Hermann von Gleichen granted Koszalin city rights under the Lübeck Law. The town was given jurisdiction over surrounding villages and was granted numerous privileges. Moreover, the bishop decided to make Koszalin his main residence and the capital of the entire Bishopric of Cammin. A defensive wall was soon built around the town; it was over 1,600 metres long.

In the 14th century, Koszalin was one of the wealthiest towns in Pomerania, mainly thanks to its location on various trade routes and its vicinity to the Baltic Sea. In 1331, the owners of the town (which at the time was an active member of the Hanseatic League) bought the nearby village of Jamno and a part of the lake of the same name, as well as the settlement of Unieście; thanks to the purchase, they obtained direct access to the sea. At the time, Lake Jamno was still a bay. Ships from Koszalin reached Gdańsk and Lübeck, as well as various Danish and Swedish ports. The town's sphere of influence led to a series of conflicts with other local ports: Kołobrzeg and Darłowo. In 1446, Koszalin won a battle with the military forces of Kołobrzeg. It was not until the 17th century, when the nearby strait was closed by silting, that Koszalin lost access to the sea. Seeing that the town relied mostly on maritime trade, it lost its main source of income and fell into ruin.

In the middle of the 16th century, during the period of reformation and the subsequent secularisation of the Bishopric of Cammin, Koszalin became the seat of prince-bishops from the Pomeranian House of Griffins dynasty. The Griffins ordered for a Renaissance castle to be built in the town. During the Thirty Years' War, Koszalin came under Swedish occupation and suffered major damages. After the Griffin line went extinct (1673), their duchy was divided between Sweden and the Margraviate of Brandenburg (which in 1701 became the Kingdom of Prussia). In 1653, Koszalin came under the Brandenburgian rule.

In the 18th century, the town was locally known for the production of cloth, leather, haberdashery, and rope. In 1816, after the Napoleonic Wars, the town became the capital of a big regency encompassing several dozen of eastern counties in the Pomeranian Province. The town started to develop when an important rail route connecting Gdańsk with Szczecin was built there (1859). Koszalin became a railway hub and a centre of food processing industry; over the following decades of the 19th century, it became an industrial town of great significance. One of the biggest paper production plants in the region operated there. In the 20th century, an aeroplane manufacture factory was established in Koszalin.

During the first years of the interwar period, Koszalin's glory started to fade. Its situation improved during the economic boom caused by German preparations to WWII. The town was seized by the Red Army on 4 March 1945. No battle between German and Soviet forces took place, but the latter destroyed over 40% of the town's buildings.

After the war, by virtue of the agreements of the Potsdam Conference, Koszalin was incorporated into Poland. Polish citizens started to settle in the town and by 1947, all Germans still living there had moved away. In 1950, the Zachodniopomorskie Province was divided in two, thus creating the Szczecińskie Province and the Koszalińskie Province. In the years 1950–1975, Koszalin was the capital of the “Big” Koszalińskie Province, and in 1975–1998 – the “Small” Koszalińskie Province. The 1999 administrative reform re-introduced the Zachodniopomorskie Province; Koszalin became a so-called urban county and the seat of the authorities of the rural county. After the war, the town became an important regional centre of culture. There are numerous theatres and museums in the town, as well as a concert hall. Several newspapers and magazines are issued in Koszalin; the town is also a seat of a number of radio and TV stations. In 1972, Koszalin became the residence of the Bishop of the Koszalińsko-Kołobrzeska Diocese. Currently, the town has over 100,000 inhabitants.