POLSKA	POLAND
województwo: Zachodniopomorskie	city: West Pomerania
miasto na prawach powiatu: Koszalin	city: Koszalin

map →

Koszalin (in German: Köslin, or, earlier, Cöslin) is situated at an elevation of 32 m about 12 km from the Pomeranian coast of the Baltic Sea, about 151 km northeast of Szczecin and 193 km west of Gdańsk in West Pomerania. After Szczecin it is the second-largest city of the voivodeship. Koszalin is a county-status city and has a population of about 108,000 (2015).

Cossalitz was first mentioned in a deed of donation of 1214. In 1248 the village became part of the bishopric Cammin (Kamień Pomorski). In 1266, the bishop of Cammmin granted a charter to the village, granting it Lübeck law, local government, autonomy and multiple privileges. When in 1276 the bishops became the sovereign in neighboring Kołobrzeg, they moved their residence there, while the administration of the diocese was done from Koszalin. The city obtained direct access to the Baltic Sea when it gained the village of Jamno (1331), parts of Lake Jamno, a spit between the lake and the sea and the castle of Unieście in 1353. Thence, it participated in the Baltic Sea trade as a member of the Hanseatic League, which led to several conflicts with the competing seaports of Kołobrzeg and Darłowo. From 1356 until 1417/1422, the city was part of the Duchy of Pomerania-Wolgast. In 1534 during the Protestant Reformation, the city became mostly Lutheran. In 1568, the Duke of Pomerania and bishop of Cammin started constructing a residence. Occupied by Swedish troops during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), the city was granted to Brandenburg-Prussia after the Treaty of Westphalia (1648) and the Treaty of Szczecin (1653), and with all of Farther Pomerania became part of the Brandenburgian Pomerania. As part of the Kingdom of Prussia, Cöslin was heavily damaged by a fire in 1718, but was rebuilt in the following years. Under Prussian administration, the area of the former bishopric became the district Fürstenthum Cammin with Cöslin as its capital. The district was dissolved in 1872 and partitioned into the new districts Bublitz (today Bobolice), Kolberg-Körlin (Kołobrzeg and Karlino), and Köslin. The railroad from Stettin (Szczecin) through Cöslin and Stolp (Słupsk) to Danzig (Gdańsk) was constructed in 1858–1878. After World War II, according to the post-war Potsdam Agreement, Koszalin became part of Poland. Most of the German population fled or was expelled. The city became part of the Szeczin voivodeship (1945–1950). In 1950, this voivodeship was divided into a truncated Szczecin voivodeship and Koszalin voivodeship. From 1950 to 1975 Koszalin was the capital of the enlarged Koszalin voivodeship (sometimes called Middle Pomerania). From 1975 to 1998 it was the capital of the smaller Koszalin Voivodeship. As a result of the Local Government Reorganization Act (1998), Koszalin became part of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship (effective 1 January 1999; capital at Szeczin).
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koszalin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koszalin; https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kreis_Fürstenthum, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landkreis_Köslin]

The government building (here labeled 'Präsidialgebäude') [bottom left picture] was a building at the corner of Regierungsstraße and Kleiner Wall dating from the mid-18th century. When Cöslin in 1816 became the seat of the Regierungspräsidium (Regional Council) for Farther Pomerania (Hinterpommern), the building was used for this purpose. In the ensuing years the administration was spread over eleven buildings in various places in the town. It took until 1939 that a new, modern administration building was completed.
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regierungsbezirk_Köslin]

The Royal Cadet Corps (here labeled 'Kgl. [Königliches] Kadettenhaus') [bottom right picture] had originally been founded in 1776 in Culm (today Chełmno) and was transferred to Cöslin in 1890.
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koszalin]

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koszalin, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koszalin]