KołobrzegKołobrzeg (kɔˈwɔbʐɛk; Kòlbrzég; Kolberg ˈkɔlbɛʁk) is a port city in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in north-western Poland with about 47,000 inhabitants (). Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast of the Baltic Sea (in the middle of the section divided by the Oder and Vistula Rivers). It is the capital of Kołobrzeg County. During the Early Middle Ages, the Pomeranian tribes established a settlement at the site of modern-day Budzistowo. Thietmar of Merseburg first mentioned the site as Salsa Cholbergiensis.
DarłowoDarłowo (Polish pronunciation: dar'łowo; Dërłowò; Rügenwalde), in full The Royal City of Darłowo (Królewskie Miasto Darłowo), is a seaside town in the West Pomeranian Region, at the south coast of the Baltic Sea, north-western Poland, with 13,324 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located in Sławno County in West Pomeranian Voivodeship on the Slovincian Coast. The earliest archaeological signs of a settlement in the area occurred when Roman merchants travelled along the Amber Road in the hope of trading precious metals like bronze and silver for amber.
BiałogardBiałogard (pronounced AUDPl-Białogard.oggbJa'łogart, Belgard, ˈbɛlɡaʁt; Pomeranian: Biôłogard) is a historic town in Middle Pomerania, northwestern Poland, with 23,614 inhabitants as of December 2021. The capital of Białogard County in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, the town was previously in Koszalin Voivodeship (1950–1998). It is the most important railroad junction of Middle Pomerania, which links Kołobrzeg with Piła and Gdańsk with Stargard.
BydgoszczBydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland, straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more than 470,000 inhabitants, Bydgoszcz is the eighth-largest city in Poland. It is the seat of Bydgoszcz County and the co-capital, with Toruń, of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. The city is part of the Bydgoszcz–Toruń metropolitan area, which totals over 850,000 inhabitants.
YstadYstad (ˈy̌ːsta(d); older Ysted) is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, and tourist attraction. The detective series Wallander, created by Henning Mankell, is set primarily in Ystad. In 1285, the town's name was written Ystath. Its original meaning is not fully understood, but the y probably is related to an old word for the yew tree, while stad means town or place.
Western PomeraniaHistorical Western Pomerania, also called Cispomerania, Fore Pomerania, Front Pomerania or Hither Pomerania (Vorpommern), is the western extremity of the historic region of Pomerania forming the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. Western Pomerania's boundaries have changed through the centuries as it belonged to various countries such as Poland, the Duchy of Pomerania (later part of the Holy Roman Empire), Sweden, Denmark, as well as Prussia which incorporated it as the Province of Pomerania.
GrimmenGrimmen (ˈɡʁɪmən; Grzëmié) is a town in Vorpommern-Rügen, a district in the Bundesland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Prior to 2011, when district reforms were made in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, it was the capital of the now bygone Nordvorpommern district, which was abolished and merged to create the district of Vorpommern-Rügen. Grimmen is located in southeastern Nordvorpommern on the banks of the river Trebel, about 30 km south of Stralsund and 30 km west of Greifswald.
KoszalinKoszalin (pronounced AUDPl-Koszalin.oggko'szalJin; Kòszalëno; formerly Köslin, kœsˈliːn) is a city in northwestern Poland, in Western Pomerania. It is located south of the Baltic Sea coast, and intersected by the river Dzierżęcinka. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999. Previously, it was a capital of Koszalin Voivodeship (1950–1998). Since 2010 mayor of Koszalin is Piotr Jedliński.
History of PomeraniaThe history of Pomerania starts shortly before 1000 AD, with ongoing conquests by newly arrived Polans rulers. Before that, the area was recorded nearly 2000 years ago as Germania, and in modern times Pomerania is split between Germany and Poland. Its name comes from the Slavic po more, which means "land at the sea". Settlement in the area started by the end of the Vistula Glacial Stage, about 13,000 years ago. Archeological traces have been found of various cultures during the Stone and Bronze Age, of Veneti and Germanic peoples during the Iron Age and, in the Middle Ages, Slavic tribes and Vikings.