Szczecin Castle

Szczecin, Poland

The Ducal Castle in Szczecin was the seat of the dukes of Pomerania-Stettin of the House of Pomerania (Griffins), who ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from 1121 to 1637. Barnim the Great of Pomerania-Stettin erected the castle within Szczecin's walls against the will of the burghers in 1346. An older Pomeranian burgh had been leveled in 1249. In 1490 the castle was partially reconstructed for Boguslaw X's wedding with Anna Jagiellonka (daughter of king Casimir IV Jagiellon).

Between 1573−1582 the castle was rebuilt again, this time in the mannerist style for duke John Frederick by Italian stonemasons according to design by Wilhelm Zachariasz Italus. Two new wings were added to close the courtyard before the medieval southern and eastern wings. The main gate was adorned with ducal crest, the eastern wing was enhanced and the northern wing was intended for chapel.

In 1648, due to the tenets of the Peace of Westphalia, the castle become a seat of Swedish governor. Before 1705 another reconstruction occurred to prepare the castle for Queen of Poland - Catherine Opalinska, who lived here with her daughters Anna and Marie Leszczynska (future Queen of France) and a small court between 1705-1711. In 1711 king Stanislaw Leszczynski, who sought refuge before chasing him Saxon and Russianforces, joined his wife and daughters at the castle.

After the Great Northern War, in 1720, the city of Szczecin become a Prussian property and the castle was allocated to the garrison commander Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, whose daughter was Sophie Friederike Auguste (future Catherine II of Russia). Under Prussian rule in the 19th century many renaissanse elements in the castle were devastated (arcades, attics, vaulting). Eventually about 60% of the castle was destroyed during World War II (August 1944). Shortly after the war between 1958–1980, it was rebuilt with some modifications. The castle was restored to its original 16th century appearance according to 1653 engraving by Matthäus Merian (among others).

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Dana Hotel is a really good place and I often stop there. At the same time, you can order the the restaurant fine goose. Furthermore definitely exploring the city can be a great idea to spend a nice weekend.

Each one can spend there a great time, visiting places as Waly Chrobrego Promenade. We can also have a great rest in good hotels like the Dana Hotel, the building of the 100-year history, in which are often organized all kinds of conferences and the restuarant located there serves delicious dishes.


Details

Founded: 1346
Category: Castles and fortifications in Poland

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4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Maria-Pia Lea (50 days ago)
A must visit! ?☁️ Really cheap tickets for a great attraction. The view from the tower is incredible. Also with visiting without getting tickets just to see the courtyard!
Josy Noetzel (50 days ago)
A little culture in Szczecin and a fascinating view from the tower. The explanations in the information desk were great and the castle is a beautifully preserved building. Unfortunately all the signs are only in Polish, but the artifacts are mostly self-explanatory. The view from the tower is definitely worth enjoying.
Cristiana Hawthorne (2 months ago)
We very much enjoyed our walk though the castle courtyard, even if we didn’t know a whole lot about what we were seeing. It’s not clear to me that there is a whole lot to do here beyond looking at the architecture (from a tourist perspective.) I believe it is also a cultural center with a stage and a movie theater, but it wasn’t very clear where to go in or if there were galleries to walk through, or what. We gave up on going inside. But the courtyard and buildings are gorgeous, and there were plaques on the wall in Polish, English, and German, so it was easy to get information. (This was true for all of the historical sites around town!) The clock is lovely, and we happened to be there at 2:30, so we got to see the bells chime. I’d definitely recommend walking through here if you find yourself in Szczecin.
Kitty H. (6 months ago)
Interesting place, the astronomical clock and the courtyards can be visited free of charge, you only have to pay when you want to see the exhibitions, which is quite cool. We did not have the time to watch the exhibition, but the clock alone was worth a visit and you get a quick roundup of the history of the place in the courtyards as well.
Li Konig (8 months ago)
Very nice but partially open due to the renovation. The history related it is very interesting and worth learning.
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