Koszalin

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Country	Poland
Voivodeship	West Pomerania
Municipal government	Rada Miasta Koszalin
Mayor	Mirosław Mikietyński
Area	83.2 km²
Population - city - urban - density	108.000 none 1298/km²
Founded	12th century
City rights	1266
Latitude Longitude	54° 11' N 16° 11' E
Area code	+48 94
Car plates	ZK
Twin towns	Berlin (Tempelhof-Schöneberg), Bourges, Gladsaxe, Kristianstad, Lida, Neubrandenburg, Neumünster, Roermond, Seinäjoki
Municipal Website

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Koszalin[kɔˈʂalin] (German: Köslin [kœˈslin], Kashubian and Pomeranian: Kòszalëno, Latin: Scurgum) is the biggest city of Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland. It is located 15 km south of the Baltic Sea coast. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, previously capital of Koszalin Voivodeship (1950-1998).

1 History
- 1.1 Historical population
- 1.2 Famous people born in Koszalin-Köslin
2 Landmarks
3 Education
4 Major corporations
5 Sports
6 Politics
- 6.1 Koszalin constituency
7 Further reading (in Polish)
8 External links
- 8.1 Media

[edit] History

In 1214 Boguslaw II, duke of Pomerania has made a donation of Koszalin village by the Chełm Mountain in Kołobrzeg (Kolberg) land (una villa ... Cussalitz iuxta Cholin in terra Cholbergensis) to the Norbertan monastery in Białoboki (Belbuck) near Trzebiatów inviting new, mostly German, settlers from outside of Pomerania. In 1248 the eastern part of Kołobrzeg land, including Koszalin, was transferred by the Duke Barnim I to the Pomeranian bishops which was the beginning of ecclesiastical Duchy of Kamien.

In 1266 Herman von Gleichen, bishop of Pomerania, has granted a charter to Koszalin, then already known as Köslin due to an increasing influx of ethnic Germans, giving it Lübeck law, local government, autonomy and multiple privileges. In the following years Koszalin became the bishop's main residence and capital of the ecclesiastical Duchy of Kamien.

By the acquisition of Jamno village (1331), part of Jamno lake, a spit between the lake and sea and the stronghold of Unieście (1353), Koszalin (Köslin) got the direct access to the sea, participating in the next centuries in the Baltic Sea trade, what led to several conflicts with competing seaports of Kołobrzeg and Darłowo.

After the extinction of the last Pomeranian duke (1637) Koszalin (Köslin) was inherited by their cousin Ernest Boguslaw de Croy, and next it fell to Brandenburg. In these years it was considered to be the capital of the Duchy of Cassubia and later divided into Koszalin county, Kołobrzeg county, Bialogard county and Szczecinek county.

After 1701 Duchies of Prussia, Pomerania and Brandenburg formed the Kingdom of Prussia and 1815-1945 Köslin was the capital of Farther Pomerania (district of the Prussian province of Pomerania).

After World War II as a result of peace conferences in Yalta and Potsdam Köslin fell to Poland and returned to its Slavic name of Koszalin. Most of the German population were evacuated, managed to escape or were expelled to Germany by Polish force. Few ethnic Poles lived in Köslin before 1945, except for some of remotely Kashubian Slavic descent, and new Polish and Polish-Ukrainian settlers arrived from various parts of Poland.

In 1945 it was initially scheduled to be the capital of the newly created West Pomeranian Voivodeship, finally moved to Szczecin. In 1950 this voivodship was divided in half into Szczecin Voivodeship and Koszalin Voivodeship.

In years 1950-1975 Koszalin was the capital of the 'big' Koszalin Voivodeship (out of 17, sometimes called Middle Pomerania) and the fastest growing city in Poland, and in years 1975-1998 the capital of the 'small' Koszalin Voivodeship (out of 49).

As a result Local Government Reorganization Act (1998) Koszalin was located in West Pomeranian Voivodeship (effective 1 January 1999) despite the inhabitants' demand of a Middle Pomeranian Voivodeship covering approximately the area of former Koszalin voivodship (1950-75).

[edit] Historical population

1905: 21,474 inhabitants
1939: 33,500 inhabitants
1945: 17,000 inhabitants (Germans expelled or murdered)
1950: 18,900 inhabitants
1960: 44,400 inhabitants
1970: 65,200 inhabitants
1975: 77,600 inhabitants
1980: 93,500 inhabitants
1990: 108,700 inhabitants
1999: 112,375 inhabitants
2002: 108,480 inhabitants
2003: 107,877 inhabitants
2006: 106,125 inhabitants

[edit] Famous people born in Koszalin-Köslin

Ewald Christian von Kleist (1715 until 1759), poet and Prussian officer.
Rudolf Julius Emanuel Clausius (1822 - 1888), physicist.
Joachim von Bonin (1857 - 1921), Pomeranian German politician for the conservatives.
Hans Grade (1879 - 1946), air plane pioneer
Friedrich Wendel (* 1886 - ?), publisher
Hans-Joachim Preil (1923 - 1999), comedian and theatre director
Karl-Otto Habermehl (1927 - 2005), doctor and virologist.

[edit] Landmarks

The city borders on Chełmska hill, a site of pagan worship in prehistory, and upon which is now built the tower "sanctuary of the covenant", which was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1991, and is currently a pilgrimage site.

Koszalin's most distinctive landmark is St. Mary's cathedral (Marienkirche), dating from the early 14th century. Positioned in front of the cathedral is a monument commemorating John Paul II's visit to the city.

[edit] Education

Technical University in Koszalin (Politechnika Koszalińska)
Bałtycka Wyższa Szkoła Humanistyczna
I Liceum im. Stanisława Dubois

[edit] Major corporations

Zakład Energetyczny Koszalin SA
Brok Sambor SA
JAAN Autoglass

[edit] Sports

AZS Gaz Ziemny Koszalin - men's basketball team, 10th in Era Basket Liga in 2003/2004 season.
AZS Politechnika Koszalin - women's handball team playing in Polish Ekstraklasa Women's Handball League: 3rd place in 1st league in 2003/2004 season; promoted to Premiership in 2004/2005 season.

[edit] Politics

[edit] Koszalin constituency

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Koszalin constituency

Bogdan Błaszczyk, SLD-UP
Andrzej Lepper, chairman of Samoobrona, vice-prime minister of Poland
Jan Łączny, Samoobrona
Małgorzata Rohde, PO
Ryszard Tomczyk, SLD-UP
Bogusława Towalewska, SLD-UP
Ryszard Ulicki, SLD-UP
Zofia Wilczyńska, SLD-UP
Edward Wojtalik, SLD-UP

[edit] Further reading (in Polish)

collective work, Z dziejów Koszalina, Biblioteka Słupska, tom 7, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie i Polskie Towarzystwo Historyczne, Poznań-Słupsk 1960
(ed.) A.Lesiński, B.Drewniak, Dzieje Koszalina, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, Poznań 1967
Tadeusz Gasztołd, Adam Muszyński, Hieronim Rybicki, Koszalin. Zarys dziejów, Wydawnictwo Poznańskie, Poznań 1974