Thursday, January 6, 2011

old Stettin

The German port city of Stettin was another which Stalin gave to Poland in 1945 in his east European map redrawing and it is now transliterated as Szczecin.  The population in 1939 was put at 382,000. Like other German cities it was badly damaged in WW2 and today it is a mix of old restored buildings and unimaginative structures from the communist era, although many have now been given colored paint schemes to make them a little more attractive. A handful of modern buildings can also be seen. The population now is about 415,000.
 The Langebrücke, now Most Dlugi.  Most of these buildings, except the church in the background, have gone.
 A general view of the harbour from the south bank.
A view across the harbour to the main railway station which still exists.
The Berliner Tor or Berlin Gate.  This still exists, with glazing in the central part, but the buildings along both sides were destroyed near the end of WW2 in 1945.
The Kaiser Wilhelm Denkmal (memorial) in the Kaiser Wilhelm Platz.  Like Queen Victoria of England, his statue was a prominent feature of most German cities.  This place is now called Plac Grunwaldzki, and of course, the monument has gone.

Victoria Palais in Victoria Platz, now called Plac Stephan Batorego and the building seems to be called the New Red Townhall, probably because of its colour. It accomodates the Maritime Authority. Pic below.

Map of Stettin in 1910.

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