Słupsk

Słupsk
—  City  —
City Hall, New Gate, view from City Hall to the park and they Waldorff St. Jack Dukes' Castle, Castle Complex (The Castle, Gate Mill, Granary Richter)

Flag
Coat of arms
Słupsk is located in Poland
Słupsk
Coordinates:
Country Poland
Voivodeship Pomeranian
County city county
Established 10th century
Town rights 1265
Government
 - Mayor Maciej Kobyliński
Area
 - Total 43.15 km2 (16.7 sq mi)
Elevation 22 m (72 ft)
Population (2006)
 - Total 98,757
 - Density 2,288.7/km2 (5,927.7/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 76-200 to 76-210, 76-215, 76-216, 76-218, 76-280
Area code(s) +48 059
Car plates GS
Website http://www.slupsk.pl

Słupsk [swupsk] ( listen) (German: Stolp in Pommern[1][2], known also under other names) is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in the northern part of Poland. Before 1 January 1999, it was the capital of the separate Słupsk Voivodeship. It is also a part of the historic region of Pomerania.

The city is located in the northwestern part of the country, on the Słowińskie Coast, 18 kilometres (11 mi) from the Baltic Sea, on the Słupia River. It is the administrative seat of Słupsk County, although it is not part of that county (the city has county status in its own right). It has a population of 98,757[3] and occupies 43.15 square kilometres (16.66 sq mi)[4], being one of the most densely populated cities in the country according to the Central Statistical Office[5]. The neighbouring administrative districts (gminas) are Gmina Kobylnica and Gmina Słupsk. There is ongoing discussion regarding extension of the city boundaries to include some territory belonging to those two gminas[6][7].

The city rights of Słupsk, probably given by Swantopolk II, the duke of Gdańsk (Danzig) in 1265, were extended in 1310 and confirmed in 1313 by the margraves of Brandenburg[8]. By then, the town had become a centre of local administration and trade and a Hanseatic League associate. Between 1368 and 1478, it was the residence of the dukes of Pomerania-Stolp, a partition of the Duchy of Pomerania. In 1648, according to the peace treaty of Osnabrück, Słupsk (then Stolpe) and its surrounding territories of Farther Pomerania were awarded to Brandenburg-Prussia and later formed the Province of Pomerania. The city became part of the People's Republic of Poland in 1945[9] and nearly the entire German population fled or was expelled and deported during and after 1945 and replaced by Poles from central Poland and the former Polish eastern provinces annexed by the Soviet Union or by Ukrainians and Lemkos forcibly resettled in the town during Operation Vistula of the People's Republic of Poland.[10]

Contents

Name

During its history, due to that fact that is was German until 1945, Słupsk was for a long time known under the German name Stolp, to which the suffix in Pommern (commonly abbreviated i. Pom.) was attached in order to avoid confusion with other places named similarly. The city occasionally was called Stolpe (referring to the Słupia River, whose German name is also Stolpe; not to be confused with Stolpe and Stolpe Abbey in the Western Pomeranian county of Ostvorpommern). Stolpe is also the Latin exonym for this place[11]. It is said that the German name comes from one of five Pomeranian names of this settlement[12].

Slavic names in Polish — Słupsk — and Pomeranian — Stolpsk[12], Stôłpsk, Słëpsk, Słëpskò, Stôłp[13] — may be etymologically related to the words słup ("pile") and stołp ("keep"). Two hypotheses regarding the origins of those names exist: one claims that it refers to a specific way of constructing buildings on boggy ground with additional pile support, which is still in use, while the other says that it is connected with a tower or other defensive structure built on the banks of the Słupia River[12].

Słupsk has also name variants in the Lithuanian (Slupskas[14]) and Latvian (Slupska[15]) languages, although these are not frequently used.

In the Polish language, the citizens of Słupsk are called słupszczanie (singular słupszczanin).

Geography

Boundaries

Słupsk boundaries and neighbourhoods (click to enlarge).

Administratively, the city of Słupsk has the status of both urban gmina and city county (powiat). The city boundaries are generally artificial, with only short natural boundaries with the villages of Kobylnica and Włynkówko on the Słupia River. The boundaries have remained unchanged since 1949, when Ryczewo became a part of the city[16]. In March 2008, Mayor Maciej Kobyliński put forward a proposal to expand the city limits by incorporating some territory from neighbouring districts[6][7].

Słupsk shares about three-quarters of its boundaries with the rural district called Gmina Słupsk, of which Słupsk is the administrative seat (although it is not part of the district). The city's other neighbouring district is Gmina Kobylnica, to the south-west. The Słupsk Special Economic Zone is not entirely contained within the city limits: a portion of it lies within Gmina Słupsk, while some smaller areas are at quite a distance from Słupsk (Debrzno), or even in another voivodeship (Koszalin, Szczecinek, Wałcz).

The city has a fairly irregular shape, with its central point at Plac Zwycięstwa ("Victory Square") at .

Topography and landmarks

Słupia River in the city centre

Słupsk lies in the pradolina (ancient river valley, also known in German as Urstromtal) of the Słupia River. The city centre is situated significantly lower than its western and easternmost portions. Divided into two almost equal parts by the river, Słupsk is rather hilly when compared to other cities in the region. About 5 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi) of the city's area is covered by forests, while 17 square kilometres (6.6 sq mi) is used for agricultural purposes.

Słupsk is rich in natural water bodies. There are more than twenty ponds, mostly former meanders of the Słupia, within the city limits. There are also several streams, irrigation canals (generally unused and abandoned) and a leat. Except in the city centre, all these watercourses are unregulated.

There is generally little human influence on landform features visible within the city limits. However, in the northwestern part of the city there is a huge hollow, a remnant of a former sand mine. Although there were once plans to build a waterpark in this area[17], they were later abandoned and the site remains unused.

Climate

Słupsk has a temperate marine climate, like the rest of the Polish coastal regions[18] The city lies in a zone where the continental climate influences are very weak compared with other regions of Poland[19]. The warmest month is July, with an average temperature range of 11 to 21 °C (52 to 70 °F). The coolest month is February, averaging -5 to 0 °C (23 to 32 °F). The wettest month is August with average precipitation of 90 millimetres (3.5 in), while the driest is March, averaging only 20 millimetres (0.79 in). Snowfalls are always possible between December and April.

Climate data for Słupsk
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Source: Meteo.Pl[20]

Neighbourhoods

The neighbourhoods (osiedla, singular osiedle) of Słupsk do not have any administrative powers. Their names are used for traffic signposting purposes and are shown on maps. The neighbourhoods are as follows:

Parks

Słupsk has many green areas within its city limits. The chief of these are the Park of Culture and Leisure (Park Kultury i Wypoczynku), the Northern Wood (Lasek Północny) and the Southern Wood (Lasek Południowy). There are also smaller parks, squares and boulevards.

History

Middle Ages

Słupsk developed from a few medieval settlements located on the banks of the Słupia River, at the unique ford along the trade route connecting the territories of modern Pomeranian and West Pomeranian Voivodeships. This factor lead to a construction of a grad, a Slavic fortified settlement, on an islet in the middle of the river. Surrounded by swamps and mires, the fortress had perfect defence conditions. Archeological research has shown that the grad was situated on an artificial hill and had a natural moat formed by the branches of the Słupia, and was protected by a palisade.

The settlement was probably given city rights in 1265[8]. In 1308, the Teutonic Knights took over parts of Pomerelia. Stolp and its surroundings, however, came under Brandenburgian influence. The city privileges were reconfirmed in 1310 and 1313 by the margraves of Brandenburg[8]. The governors of Stolp had bought Stolpmünde and then built a port there, enabling a maritime economy to begin to develop. In 1368 Pomerania-Stolp was split off Pomerania-Wolgast, and was reunited with the rest of the Duchy of Pomerania in 1478.

Modern Ages

The Reformation reached the town in 1521, when Christian Ketelhut preached in the town. Ketelhut had to leave Stolp in 1522 due to an intervention of Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania. Peter Suawe, a Protestant from Stolp, however kept on preaching. In 1524, Johannes Amandus from Königsberg and others arrived and preached in a more radical way. As a consequence, the Holy Mary's Church was profaned, the monastery's church was burned, and the clergy were treated poorly.[21]

The people had started to convert to Lutheranism. Only one of Stolp's many churches remained Roman Catholic.

The local ruling house, the House of Pomerania (Griffins), died out in 1637. The territory of the Duchy of Pomerania was partitioned between Brandenburg-Prussia and Sweden. After the Peace of Westphalia (1648) and the Treaty of Stettin (1653), Stolp came under Brandenburgian control and became one of the cities of the Province of Pomerania, in which it remained until 1945. Before the Second World War, Stolp was conquered only once, in 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars.

City hall

After the Thirty Years' War Stolp lost much of its former importance — despite the fact that Stettin was then a part of Sweden, the province's capital was situated not in the second-largest city of the region, but in the one closest to the former ducal residence — Stargard. However, the local economy stabilized. The constant dynamic development of the Kingdom of Prussia and good economic conditions saw the city develop. After the major state border changes (modern Vorpommern and Stettin joined the Prussian state after a conflict with Sweden) Stolp was only an administrative centre of the Kreis within the Regierungsbezirk of Köslin. However, its geographical location led to rapid development, and in the 19th century it was the second city of the province in terms of both population and industrialization. In 1869 a railway from Danzig reached Stolp.

During the 19th century the city's boundaries were significantly extended towards the west and south. The new railway station was built about 1,000 metres from the old city. In 1901 the construction of a new city hall was completed, followed by a local administration building in 1903. In 1910 a tram line was opened. The football club Viktoria Stolp was formed in 1901. In 1914, before the First World War, Stolp had 34,340 inhabitants.

Interwar period and the Second World War

Stolp was not directly affected by the fighting in the First World War. The trams did not run during the war, returning to the streets in 1919. Demographic growth remained high, although development slowed, because the city became peripheral, the Kreis being situated on post-war Germany's border with the Polish Corridor. Polish claims to Stolp and its neighbouring area were refused during the Treaty of Versailles negotiations.

In 1926 members of the National Socialist German Workers Party organized a public meeting of citizens. This led to the party's gaining widespread support in the city.

The beginning of the Second World War halted the development of the city. The Nazis created a labour camp there, later becoming Außenarbeitslager Stolp, a subcamp of the Stutthof concentration camp. On March 7, 1945, 24 forced labourers from the camp were killed in the Southern Wood, the day before the Red Army entered the city. Thousands remained in the city; the others had fled and Nazi soldiers abandoned it. However, Russian soldiers were ordered to set fire to the centre of the city. The Red Army initially set up administrative headquarters in the city hall. From the middle of 1945 through to 1946 most of the remaining Germans, those who had survived the Russian fury, were expelled by the Polish.

Polish People's Republic

After the war, due to the decision reached at the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences that the Polish western border would follow the Oder-Neisse line, whereby Stolp became part of the territory of the People's Republic of Poland. It was consequently renamed "Słupsk" on April 23, 1945. It was initially part of Okręg III, comprising the whole territory of the former Province of Pomerania (of Prussia inside the German Empire) east of the Oder River. Nearly the entire German population fled or was expelled and deported immediately during and soon after 1945 and replaced with Poles from central Poland, destroyed Warsaw and from the former Polish eastern territories annexed by the Soviet Union or were resettled in the town during the Operation Vistula of the People's Republic of Poland (minorities of Lemkos, Ukrainians).[10]

Słupsk later became part of Szczecin Voivodeship and then Koszalin Voivodeship, and in 1975 became the capital of the new province of Słupsk Voivodeship. The city was a cultural centre. The Millennium Cinema was one of the first in Poland to have a cinerama. The puppet theatre Tęcza used to collaborate with the similar institution called Arcadia in Oradea, Romania, but the partnership ceased after 1989.

During the 1970 protests there were minor strikes and demonstrations. No-one was killed during the militia's interventions.

After 1989

Major street name changes were made in Słupsk after the Autumn of Nations in 1989. Also a process of major renovations and refurbishments began, beginning in the principal neighbourhoods. According to the administrative reform of Poland in 1999, Słupsk Voivodeship was dissolved and divided between two larger regions: Pomeranian Voivodeship and West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Słupsk itself became part of the former. The reform was criticized by locals, who wanted to create a separate Middle Pomeranian Voivodeship[22]. In 1998 a major riot took place after a basketball game.

Transport

Railways

PKP class EN57 and the platforms of Słupsk railway station

Słupsk is a raliway junction, with four lines running north, west, east and south from the city[23]. Currently, one station, opened January 10, 1991 serves the whole city. This is a class B station according to PKP (Polish Railways) criteria[24]. The city has rail connections with most major cities in Poland: Białystok, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Katowice, Kraków, Lublin, Łódź, Olsztyn, Poznań, Szczecin, Warsaw and Wrocław, and also serves as a junction for local trains from Kołobrzeg, Koszalin, Lębork, Miastko, Szczecinek and Ustka. Słupsk is the westernmost terminus of the Fast Urban Railway serving the Gdańsk conurbation[25].

The first railway reached Słupsk (then Stolp) from the east in 1869. The first rail station was built north of its current location. The line was later extended to Köslin (now Koszalin), and further lines were built connecting the city with Neustettin (Szczecinek), Stolpmünde (Ustka), Zezenow (Cecenowo) (narrow gauge) and Budow (Budowo) (narrow gauge). The narrow gauge tracks were rebuilt as standard gauge by 1933, but were demolished during the Second World War. After the war, the first train connection to be restored was that with Lębork, reopened May 27, 1945. Between 1988 and 1989 almost all of the lines traversing the city were electrified.

Roads

Słupsk is traversed east-west by European route E28, which is known as National route 6 in Poland. A bypass running to the south of the town is currently under construction and will be ready for use by the end of 2010, which when completed would carry the route 6/E28 traffic. The bypass will be a part of Expressway S6 which, when completed some time after 2015, will give Słupsk a fast road connection to Szczecin and Gdańsk. The city can also be accessed by the National route 21 from Miastko, Voivodeship route 210 from Ustka to Unichowo and Voivodeship route 213 from Puck. Local roads of lesser importance connect Słupsk with surrounding villages and towns.

The city's network of streets is well developed, but many of them require general refurbishment. The city is currently investing significant sums of money in road development.

Air

Słupsk-Redzikowo Airport is now defunct, however, it once worked as a regular passenger airport of local significance. Several plans to eventually reopen it failed because of lack of funds. The facility was earmarked for use within the US missile defense complex as a missile launch site. Policy changes by the US government regarding the missile shield have made this development unlikely however.

Monuments

Culture

Słupsk is the regular venue for a number of festivals, most notably:

Theatres

Słupsk currently has three theatres:

In the 1970s the Tęcza Theatre collaborated with the Arcadia Theatre from Oradea, Romania. This partnership ended after 1989 for political reasons.

Cinemas

At one time Słupsk had five functioning cinemas, but only one, the Millennium Cinema, remains open today. There is also a small specialist cinema on 3 Maja street.

Economy

Słupsk has a developing economy based on a number of large factories. The footwear industry has been particularly successful in the region, expanding its exports to many countries.

The Scania commercial vehicles plant also plays a very significant role in Słupsk's economy, generating the highest revenue out of all companies currently based in Słupsk. Most of the buses currently manufactured there are exported to Western Europe.

Notable citizens

Sports clubs

Energy and communications

Słupsk has a lattice tower used for television broadcasting. Near Słupsk is the static invertor station of the Swepol high-voltage submarine cable link.

US missile defense complex

The European Interceptor Site (EIS) of the US was planned in nearby Redzikowo, forming a Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system in conjunction with a US narrow-beam midcourse tracking and discrimination radar system in the Czech Republic. It was supposed to consist of up to 10 silo-based interceptors, a two-stage version of the existing three-stage Ground Based Interceptor (GBI), with Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV).

The missile shield has received much local opposition in the area, including several protests. This included a protest in March 2008, when an estimated 300 protesters marched on the proposed site of the missile base[26]. The planned installation was later scrapped by President Obama on 17 September 2009.[27]

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Słupsk is twinned with:

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Stolp.de" (in German). http://www.stolp.de/. Retrieved April 12, 2008. 
  2. ↑ Although the official German name was Stolp in Pommern (usually abbreviated to Stolp i. Pom.), the inhabitants commonly used the shorter variant, Stolp.
  3. ↑ "Słupsk.pl: Dane statystyczne" (in Polish). http://www.slupsk.pl/info.php?id=79. Retrieved April 12, 2008. 
  4. ↑ Collaborative work (1999) (in Polish). Gminy w Polsce. Central Statistical Office. 
  5. ↑ Collaborative work (2007) (in Polish). Powierzchnia i ludność w przekroju terytorialnym w 2007. Central Statistical Office. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Ekspansja miast" (in Polish). 2008. http://www.wspolnota.org.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5165&Itemid=2. Retrieved April 12. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Gp24.pl: Dyskusja o powiększeniu Słupska" (in Polish). http://www.gp24.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080328/SLUPSK/108160305&SearchID=73314477932279. Retrieved April 12, 2008. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Słupsk.pl: Historia Słupska do roku 1945" (in Polish). http://www.slupsk.pl/info.php?id=63. Retrieved April 12, 2008. 
  9. ↑ Piskorski (1999) (in Polish). Pomorze Zachodnie poprzez wieki. The Castle of Pomeranian Dukes in Szczecin-Stettin. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Stolp Historical Research, Flight and Expulsion
  11. ↑ "Lexicon Universale" (in Latin). http://www.uni-mannheim.de/mateo/camenaref/hofmann/s/books/s_4559.html. Retrieved April 12, 2008. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Słupsk.pl: Informacje ogólne" (in Polish). http://www.slupsk.pl/info.php?id=20. Retrieved April 12, 2008. 
  13. ↑ "Nasze Kaszuby: Zestawienie kaszubskich i polskich nazw miejscowości na Kaszubach, z wariantami, z wyszczególnieniem powiatów" (in Polish / Kashubian). http://www.naszekaszuby.pl/modules/artykuly/article.php?articleid=196. Retrieved April 12, 2008. 
  14. ↑ "Polish Wikipedia: Litewskie nazwy polskich miejscowości" (in Polish). http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litewskie_nazwy_polskich_miejscowości. Retrieved April 12, 2008. 
  15. ↑ "Latvian Wikipedia: Slupska" (in Latvian). http://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slupska. Retrieved April 12, 2008. 
  16. ↑ "Powiat słupski: Ryczewo" (in Polish). http://www.powiatslupsk.info/ryczewo.htm. Retrieved April 12, 2008. 
  17. ↑ "Gp24.pl: Coraz bliżej aquaparku" (in Polish). http://www.gp24.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070924/SLUPSK/70923013. Retrieved April 13, 2008. 
  18. ↑ Kaczmarek, T., Kaczmarek, U., Sołowiej D., Wrzesiński, D. (2002) (in Polish). Ilustrowana Geografia Polski. Świat Książki. 
  19. ↑ Collaborative work (2000) (in Polish). Altas geograficzny dla szkół średnich. PPWK. 
  20. ↑ "Weatherbase". http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=52121&refer=&units=metric. 
  21. ↑ Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, p.211, ISBN 3886802728
  22. ↑ "Legislative proposal of July 24, 1998 regarding the introduction of the three-level administrative division of Poland" (in Polish). http://orka.sejm.gov.pl/proc5.nsf/projekty/312_p.htm. Retrieved April 22, 2008. 
  23. ↑ "Kolej.One.Pl: Słupsk" (in Polish). http://www.kolej.one.pl/index.php?dzial=stacje&id=91&okno=start. Retrieved April 22, 2008. 
  24. ↑ "List of stations maintained by Dworce Kolejowe" (in Polish) (PDF). http://web.archive.org/web/20060109183600/www.pkp.pl/zrodlo/plan_operacyjny/zal1.pdf. Retrieved April 22, 2008. 
  25. ↑ "SKM network map" (in Polish). http://www.skm.pkp.pl/dali.php?aa=mapa_trasy. Retrieved April 22, 2008. 
  26. ↑ Protesters March on Proposed US Missile Base
  27. ↑ President Obama announces scraping the planned missile defense system in Poland and the Czech republic New York Times Retrieved on 09-17-09
  28. ↑ "Информация о городах-побратимах" (in (Russian)). www.arhcity.ru. 2007-10-26. http://www.arhcity.ru/?page=232/0. Retrieved 2009-09-17. 
  29. ↑ Carlisle City Council. "Town twinning". carlisle.gov.uk. http://www.carlisle.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/tourism_and_travel/town_twinning.aspx. Retrieved 2009-06-24 
  30. ↑ "Town Twinning at Carlisle City Council". carlisletwins.org.uk. http://www.carlisletwins.org.uk/eng/frame.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-24 

External links

Counties of Pomeranian Voivodeship
City counties
Gdańsk (capital) • Gdynia • Słupsk • Sopot
 Coat of arms of Pomeranian Voivodeship
Land counties
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Słupsk County
Seat (not part of the county): Słupsk
Urban gmina
Ustka
 Coat of arms of Słupsk County
Urban-rural gmina
Gmina Kępice
Rural gminas
Gmina Damnica • Gmina Dębnica Kaszubska • Gmina Główczyce • Gmina Kobylnica • Gmina Potęgowo • Gmina Słupsk • Gmina Smołdzino • Gmina Ustka