I'm a polish girl and Szczecin is my hometown. Here jou can find some more information about the place, I come from. Maybe you can visited me and my city, some day... Who knows! INTRODUCTION TO SZCZECIN
Szczecin is the capital of Western Pomerania, situated in north-west Poland at the mouth of the Oder River--about 65 km from the Baltic coast. The population is 417,850.
In 966 the Arab geographer and traveler Ibn Said al Garnati wrote that: "...to the east of the lands inhabited by the Veletian tribe is the town of Seasin, ruled by a Slav king". That was the first historical mention of Szczecin which actually did not achieve great significance as a town,port and capital of Western Pomerania until the 12th and 13th centuries,following the gradual decline of the often invaded Wolin.In 1121,Boleslaw Krzywousty the king of Poland, annexed the town,and in 1124 Christian missionaries baptized its inhabitants. By the end of the century the town had come under Danish influence, but in 1237 Szczecin was granted civics rights. It became a member of the Hanza union and developed trae in corn and herring.In the XVI century the Reformation began. Since 1637, after the line of Polish West-Pomeranian Princes had been broken, Sweden maintained supremacy over Szczecin until 1720. The economy then went into a decline beause the town was separated from its natural economic base of the Odra.In 1720 Prussia estabilished its rule and the recovery of Szczecin's economy quickly followed. By the turn of the XIX century there was rapid growth in the town's infrastructure, the port and industry. After World War I though, Szczecin port lost its significance in European trade to the advantage of Hamburg and Gdansk.During World War II 65% of the town was destroyed and 80% of its port and industry. Today, Szczecin is a large industrial port complex as well as cultural and scientific centre. The port has become one of the largest Baltic ports. Industries like shipbuilding, chemical works, food production ( fish processing ), machinebuilding, electrical plants, and clothing manufakturing have developed to make Szczecin extremely significant to the Polish economy. Szczecin is the home port of the Polish Steamship Company, one of the greatest shipowners in the world, and several deep-sea fishing companies.
The climate of West Pomerania is generally mild, with four distinct seasons , and features some weather fluctuation. Winter is usually mild and humid, due to the air currents from the Atlantic and North Sea. The average temperature in the winter is +1 and in the summer is +17 degrees Celcius.
THE PORT OF SZCZECIN
Position: Lat.53°25'N
Long.14°32'E
Szczecin is one of the three principal sea ports of Poland. It is situated at the estuary of the Odra River into the Szczecin Firth, 65 km away from the open sea. The fairway Swinoujscie-Szczecin consist of several dredged channel sections with a depth of not less than 9.15 m along the centerline and a maximum width of 1OO m. The sections are: Kanal Mielenski, Kanal Piasowski, Wielki Zalew, Roztoka Odrzanska, the Odra River. There are no tides here, but water level variations may occur quite suddenly in Wielki Zalew, depending on changes in wind direction. With winds from the NW through the N to the NE, a rise of about 1.O m may be experienced, and with winds from the SW through the S to the SE, it may fall about O.6 m, compared to the mean level.
Mass density of water: 1,OOO.
During most of the winter the port of Szczecin and approaching channels are ice free. Only prolonged and severe frosts may result in ice formation. Winds of gale force may shift drifting ice floes and render navigation in Szczecin's Firth difficut. In such cases the approach channel and port basins are kept unobstruted by ice breakers.
The port of Szczecin has at its disposal quays totalling in length of 19.5 km - 8 km of them provide berths equipped with cranage facilities, with a maximum depth of 9.15 m and being able to accomodate vessels up to 21O m in lenght.
