"queensali's new Szczecin Page" a Szczecin Travel Page by queensali

The history of Szczecin port is as long as the history of the city itself. It might be difficult to document whether the city gave foundation to the port or the port to the city. The existence of the port in very early times has been proved with several findings e.g. a shipwreck of a Slovian boat claimed to be from the end of IXth century. Moreover, the boats drilled from single tree trunks have been discovered in areas adjacent to Szczecin; their age has been determined for 1500 years.

Szczecin is one of those European cities whose historical and cultural achievements have been shared by more than one nationality. The city's beginnings goes back down to the 8th century, when Slavic settlers established a borough on the present Castle Height. The crucial milestone of Szczecin's history was Location Act, released in 1243. It introduced Magdeburg Law and some important economic regulations.

The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) was a turning point for Szczecin. During the war Boguslaw XIV, the last duke of Gryfici dynasty died (1637). According to the Westfalen peace treaty, Pomerania was divided between Sweden and Brandenburg. Szczecin fell into Swedish hands.

The 19th century was a new age for the city's economic history. Prussian reforms of the municipal system, introducing industrial and professional freedom and the release from customs barriers within the country stimulated sweeping changes.

In the 1850's, the city became an important centre of the cement industry with three cement plants sited here. The chemical industry also developed rapidly with two large chemical plants ("Pommernsdorf" at Pomorzany and "Union" at Glinki). That industry, dealing mainly with the production of synthetic fertilizers, was very expansive.

Another element necessary for the city's maritime functions was the growth of the merchant navy. In 1951 the Polish Steamship Company (Polska Zegluga Morska) was set up. Around 1975 the company owned 124 ships of 1.759 thousand BRT, and in 1968 these figures stood at 126 ships and 1.952 thousand BRT. The Szczecin shipping company was the largest firm of that sort in Poland.

These processes were accompanied by the development of inland shipping, however the navigational possibilities the Odra water route offered were not fully exploited. The Szczecin Shipyard began to dominate in the city's economic life. The construction of more sophisticated and specialized ships was undertaken (semicontainer ships, chemical tankers, research vessels, passenger-auto ferries). Over 350 ships of 4 million DWT have been built so far. The history of Szczecin has demonstrated that the prosperity and economic wealth of its citizens has always depended on the links with neighbours and farther regions, especially those cut by Odra flowing through and the routes heading from Scandinavia to Southern Europe.