The name of the town can be literally translated as “white settlement” (Polish “biały gród”), but the name changed throughout the history. In 1124 in The life of Otto, the Bishop of Bamberg, the town was named Belgrod. In the chronicle of Gallus Anonymous Białogard was called civitas Albam, in other historic documents the names Belegarde (1159, 1176), Belegarda (1194), Belgard (1229) appear. The suffix –gard is a dialectic form of a Polish suffix –gród[1.1]. Białogard is one of the oldest grads (fortified settlements) in Pomerania.
According to archaeologists the Białogard settlement was established in the fork of the Parsęta and Leśnica Rivers as early as in the 8th century. Originally it was only a fortified settlement with 70 inhabitants, in the 9th and 10th century a tribe settlement, in the 11th century a Piast dynasty settlement and from the beginning of the 12th century a ducal settlement. There are not many remnants from the times when the area was ruled by Mieszko 1st and Bolesław Chrobry. Only typical elements of hook construction from those times were discovered in the fortified walls. Archeological findings prove that agriculture, husbandry, fishing and hunting were the basic occupations in the early Middle Ages.
Domestic and far-reaching trade influenced the development of the economy. Białogard stood at the crossroads of two important trade routes: the north-south "salt route" from Kołobrzeg to Poznań and Greater Poland, and the trade route of the Hanseatic countries, that connected Gdańsk Pomerania with West European countries. Good location, fertile soils and mild climate also had a positive impact on the Bialograd Land. The area around Bialogard grew into highly developed settlements. Gallus Anonymous, when describing Bolesław Krzywousty’s conquests of Pomerania in 1102 and 1107, called the town Białe (English White) “the central point in the land” and “a settlement of royal splendor”.
However, as a result of heavy battles, the town was totally destroyed by Bolesław Krzywousty’s army. It was soon rebuilt by its inhabitants, and many little craft settlements were built around it, on the right side of the Lesnica River and in the place of the present town. During the reign of Boleslaw Krzywousty Pomerania was closely connected with Poland, and military actions carried on that area allowed Bishop Otto of Bamberg to come to Białogard in 1124. During his apostolic mission he delivered a sermon in Białogard and consecrated a new church there. The first document concerning the town’s history dates back to 1159 and it emphasizes the economic significance of the settlement in Pomerania and the good relationship between the then government and the church.
The establishment of the town on the area nowadays situated within the city walls, the trade route on the Parsęta River, the town’s location by the Salt Route and the influence of Hanseatic League contributed to the rapid development of the town. As a result, on August 2nd 1299, the town was granted town rights under Lübeck Law by Bogusław IV . The inhabitants were no longer subordinated to the duke’s jurisdiction; the lands, woods and waters were made property of the town. It was also excluded from paying customs fees to the duke, but it kept its freedom to trade. In 1307 the town was granted staple rights for all kind of wares. From then on Slavic inhabitants and native Pomeranians were gradually Germanized due to the influence of the incoming merchants and settlers from the west.
From 1315 to 1321 due to rapid economic and urban development, the town became the seat of Duke Warcisław IV. In the 1st half of the 14th century the town was surrounded by thick brick walls and the parish church and city hall were built. In 1386, thanks to support of Kołobrzeg, Białogard became a member of the Hanseatic League, which protected merchants and their commodities and at the same time it ruthlessly fought competitiveness. This is why the inhabitants of Bialogard and Swidwin, two border town established under different town law, often came into conflict. After West Pomerania had been unified by Bogusław X, the area was quite stable until the end of the 16th century.
Craft and trade flourished, rich craftsmen started to unite in guilds. High standard of living made it possible for the town council to issue bills on “garment, marriages and burials” and to introduce taxes on luxurious goods. During the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) the town was frequently plundered by the emperor’s or Swedish armies. War damages, famine and pest made people, especially poor Slavic inhabitants, flee to Poland. When Bogusław XIV, the last duke of the Griffin dynasty, died heirless (1637), Bialogard Land, with the Treaty of Osnabrück, passed under Brandenburg rule (1653). Officials and gentry from Brandenburg started to settle down in town, which was unavoidably Germanized.
The history of the town is inevitably connected to the history of West Pomerania, ruled by Electors, Prussian kings and German emperors. As a result of administrative changes in 1724, Białogard became a county town in Szczecin Regierungsbezirk. The county consisted of the Białogard demesne, lands belonging to knights and gentry including Połczyn and surrounding areas. This administrative subdivision lasted until 1815. During the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) there were heavy fights between Swedish and Prussian armies in the area. The town suffered great damage from that war and the Napoleonic Wars which followed, and if gradually fell into decline. The town inhabitants, striving for better life conditions, emigrated to Polish towns under Russian occupation. Floods and fires began to stalk the town, in 1756, right after the war, a great fire completely destroyed the town centre and suburbs.
After the fire, in August 1765, the first street map of Bialogard was created. It was called “Ackermann plan” after its creator, a cartographer. It is the oldest known street map preserved until present times. In the 19th century the town developed thanks to the Industrial Revolution. On November 20th ,1858 the railway line from Bialograd to Koszalin was opened; a year later the station in Białogard became a railway junction. A new connection from Białogard to Kołobrzeg was opened by William I, regent at that time, and than emperor. Industry developed especially processing industry, based on local, agricultural and forest products. Białogard was also a garrison town for 11th Regiment of Dragoons stationing in barracks in Kołobrzeska Street.
Emigration which started in 1827 changed direction in the years 1859 to 1867 - the inhabitants of Białogard County headed for Northern America. Another wave of emigration took place in the last two decades of the 19th century; the most common destinations were North and South America, and western and north-western parts of German countries. This process continued until World War I, and as a result a relatively small number of inhabitants remained in town. This situation changed after World War II, when people from areas annexed to Poland started to move in. New problems arose. A large number of inhabitants, combined with long economic stagnation made life difficult. The years before World War II had been a period of hostile attitudes towards Poland. Since September 1939 the life of the town concentrated only on war.
The county became part of monstrous sinews of war and a kind of backup for the army. Within the town area there were forced labor and POW camps. The German army, forced by the actions of 1st and 2nd Belorussian Front during the second Pomerania operation of the Polish and Soviet Armies, withdrew from Białogard on March 3rd- 6th 1945. After the downfall of Germany, the former Piast land was returned to Poland, and the town itself became the capital of a county. As the town was not a part of the so called “six years’ plan”, in the 1950s and 1960s the industry, based mainly on modernizing already existing plants, started to decline. In the 1970, however, Białogard became a very important centre of electronic industry. Three last troops of Soviet Army stationed in the town until 1990. Former barracks have been renovated and serve now as apartments, schools, offices and seats of companies.
