Pomeranian Adventure Tour -- Kolobrzeg (formerly Kolberg, Pomerania)

After a long drive from the Island of Rügen and a border crossing into Poland, we arrived in Kolobrzeg, formerly Kolberg, Pomerania.  Kolobrzeg is a city in Polish Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland with a population of around 50,000.  An early settlement in the 6th century, the city was founded in the 9th century. In its early history it was a seaport on the Baltic Sea and produced much salt, which was then a very valuable trade commodity.

The city underwent ongoing conquests in its history. In 972 it was under the rule of Mieszko I of Poland. After the Congress of Gniezno in 1000, the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III granted Poland the right to form a separate church hierarchy. One of the new dioceses was located in Kolobrzeg. The pagan Pomeranians drove the Polish king and church from Kolobrzeg in 1013.  A century later, the Poles again took Kolbrzeg under Boleslaw Kryzywousty, and a diocese again was set up.

In the late 12th century Pomerania gave homage to the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and Denmark. In 1255 the city was chartered under Lübeck law by Duke Warcislaw III, and Germanic settlers from the Holy Roman Empire started to arrive. From 1637-1721 Pomerania and Kolberg were part of the Swedish kingdom. After the Great Northern War, Kolberg and Pomerania became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1761 the city was captured by the Russians in the Seven Years' War, but was returned to Prussia after the war.

The city was besieged by Napoleon in 1807, but the city put up a stubborn defense and was not taken. In 1944, tens of thousands of residents and 40,000 German soldiers were evacuated from the city by German naval forces in Operation Hannibal in a 10-day span. The Russians took the city in early 1945 and 90% of the city was burned.

The city and area were awarded to Poland by the Potsdam Conference in 1945. The remaining German population was either expelled or murdered by Soviet forces after their victory. The city was then resettled with Poles.

Kolbrzeg today is a popular tourist destination for both Poles and Germans because it is a seaside resort, a health resort, and an old town full of historic monuments and tourist entertainment options.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

View of city from hotel room	Park next to hotel	More views of city	Old communist era apartments	St. John the Baptist Church
Church is over 1000 years old - built in 1222	Roman & Gothic style	Mortar for bricks took 40 years to produce	Oldest church remaining in Kolobrzeg area	"Magic", our Kolobrzek guide tries to get key for church (Photo courtesy of the Marshalls)
Trying to open the church door (Photo courtesy of the Marshalls)	Another suburban home -- many doctors live in area	Example of upper class home in suburbs	Interesting road on way back to city (Photo courtesy of the Marshalls)	Town hall in Kolbrzeg - built in medieval times
City hall - burned by Napoleon and rebuilt in 1837	School kids play with moving ball near city hall	Our group in the city square	The group by the Kolobrzeg city hall (Photo courtesy of the Marshalls)	Downtown Kolbrzeg
St. Mary's Basilica	Construction started on Saint Mary's around 1300.	Achieved its current shape in 15th century	Was an evangelical church 1531-1945	In 1945 it was totally burned inside, but was rebuilt within 10 years
Downtown shops	Yellow vested parking attendant in Kolobrzeg (Photo courtesy of the Marshalls)	Santa Maria - boat our group used for harbor tour and short trip to Baltic	Port Jachtowy - port of Kolobrzeg	View of port from Baltic Sea
Some of our group bundle up in the cold Baltic breeze	Beth Marshall on the Santa Maria (Photo courtesy of the Marshalls)	View from rough Baltic water	Returning to the harbor	Harbor lighthouse
Fishing boats	Open air market	Gary and Louann shopping for an afternoon snack	Rides for the kids in a park	Kids dressed up to celebrate historic Polish event
Live music in the park	Beth Marshall & Sheila Watts have afternoon "fix" in Kolobrzeg (Photo courtesy of the Marshalls)