Kołobrzeg: Guide

:For the 1945 German film see Kolberg (film).

Kołobrzeg (pronounced: ; ; Pomeranian: Kòłobrzeg) is a city in Middle Pomerania|Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland with some 50,000 inhabitants (2000). Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta river on the south coast of the Baltic Sea (in the middle of the section divided by the Oder River|Oder and Vistula rivers). It has been the capital of Kołobrzeg County in West Pomeranian Voivodship since 1999, previously in Koszalin Voivodship (1950-1998).

History

The city was founded in the 9th century, but traces of a previous settlement exist from the 6th century. In its early history, Kołobrzeg was a major port on the Baltic Sea and produced much salt, which was then one of the most expensive trading goods.

The city with the rest of Pomerania was conquered several times, and first included (or possibly re-included, as new archaeological finds seem to indicate) into the Polish realm by Mieszko I of Poland in 972. After the Congress of Gniezno in 1000, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III granted Poland the right to form a separate church hierarchy. One of the newly founded dioceses was located in Kołobrzeg, which was under the archdiocese of Gniezno. The first bishop of Kolberg was Reinbern from Hochseegau. The diocese and direct links with the Polish kingdom ended when Boleslaw I Chrobry|Bolesław I Chrobry withdrew his troops from the area around 1013, driven out by pagan Pomeranians unwilling to convert to Christianity.

A century later, Kołobrzeg was again taken over by Poland under Boleslaw Krzywousty|Bolesław Krzywousty. A diocese was in existence in 1124 under Prince-Bishop Otto of Bamberg . In the late 12th century Pomerania gave homage to the Holy Roman Empire|Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and Denmark.
On May 23, 1255, the city was chartered under Lübeck law by Duke Warcislaw III|Warcisław III, and Germanic peoples|Germanic settlers from the Holy Roman Empire started to arrive. From 1637 till 1721 Pomerania and Kolberg were part of the Sweden|Swedish Kingdom (the king of Sweden being also duke of the German Empire), and after the Great Northern War they became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1761 the city was captured by the Russian commander Peter Rumyantsev during the Seven Years' War, but at the end of the war it was returned to Prussia.

During Napoleon's invasion of Prussia, the city was besieged by French armies from April 26 to July 2, 1807. In a stubborn defense, led by then Lieutenant-Colonel August von Gneisenau|Gneisenau, the city held out until the war was ended by the Treaty of Tilsit. This historic event was used shortly before the end of the Second World War by Joseph Goebbels for the last Nazism|Nazi propaganda film Kolberg (film)|Kolberg. The film was meant to inspire the Germans with its depiction of the heroic Prussian defence of the city in 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars. Tremendous resources were devoted to filming this epic, even diverting tens of thousands of troops from the front lines to have them serve as extras in battle scenes. Ironically, the film was released in the final few weeks of Nazi Germany's existence, when most of the country's cinemas were already destroyed.

In 1944 the city was designated a so-called stronghold Festung Kolberg. Most of the inhabitants and tens of thousands of refugees from surrounding areas (about 70,000 trapped in the Kolberg pocket), as well as 40,000 German soldiers were evacuated from the besieged city by German naval forces in Operation Hannibal.

Between 4 March and 18 March 1945, there were major battles between the Soviet Union|Soviet and Poland|Polish forces and the Germany|German army. Due to a lack of anti-tank weapons, German battleships used their guns to support the defenders of Kolberg until nearly all of the soldiers and civilians had been evacuated. Only about 2000 were left behind when they could not be evacuated in time. Shortly after the capture of the city, the Polish army re-staged a ceremony called "Poland's Betrothal with the Sea", which had been celebrated for the first time in 1920 by general Jozef Haller de Hallenburg|Józef Haller.

The devastated city, along with all of the province of Pomerania east of the Odra river, was awarded to Poland by the Potsdam Conference. The remaining German population was either Expulsion of Germans after World War II|expelled or murdered by Soviet and Polish forces after their victory. The city was then resettled with Poles and most of the historic buildings eventually restored.

Tourist Destination

Kołobrzeg today is a popular tourist destination for both Poles and the Germans. It provides a unique combination of a seaside resort, health resort, an old town full of historic monuments and tourist entertainment options (e.g. numerous "beer gardens").

On July 14, 2004, the longest seaside bike path in Poland was commissioned. The path extends from Kołobrzeg to Podczele. It provides unique views of woods, beaches, swamps, impenetrable thickets, bird nesting grounds, and more. The path has been financed by the European Union.

An international airport was planned to be built 7 kilometres from Kołobrzeg in Bagicz. However, due to the protests of local population, the project has been scrapped.

People