Stadkreis Stettin

Kreis History

• Stettin was the capital of Pomerania and a member of the Hanseatic League.
• Stettin became the largest German seaport with access to the Baltic Sea.
• The city is located on both sides of the Oder River. 
• Stettin was a Kreis from 1818 to 1826, but became part of Kreis Randow in 1826.
• In 1857, Stettin again became a separate Kreis, and was part of the administrative district of Stettin under 1945.
• Stettin gained land from Kreis Randow in 1939.
• The city has the Pomeranian Duke's Castle, started in the 14th century.
• The city has two city gates constructed by King Frederich Wilhelm I: King's Gate and the Berlin Gate.
• Stettin has an archives that contains records of former Pomeranian residents.
• As the Provincial capital of Pomerania, and as a governmental district, many administrative offices were located in Stettin, among them, the courts of law, the imperial ralway administration, the main postal service, office for high seas traffic, chamber of comemrce and trade, and insurance offices.
• Stettin is now in Poland, and is known as Szczecin.
• Regierungsbezirk (Administrative District) Stettin

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Some Historic Events in Stettin:

• As early as 1264, the Cathedral Chapter St. Mary's had a Latin School, and by 1277 another opened at St. Jacob's Church.
• From 1572 to 1592, constant disagreements with Frankfurt-on-the-Oder stopped Stettin from using the Oder downstream. 
• In 1577, George Rheti, the pastor at St. Peter and St. Paul, founded a book printing company bearing his name. In 1618, the firm printed the large geographical map of Pomerania compiled by Eilhardus Lubinus. 
• The collapse of the the trading firm in 1572 and the new state borders after the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) diminished the importance of Stettin.
• The first newspaper was published in 1705-07.
• After 1720 and the extension of the Port in Swinemünde in 1747 and 1790, trade grew quickly, but activities collapsed after the 1806 trade boycott.
• State House was built (1725-27), and housed the Pomeranian State Museum
• Around 1729, Abraham Dubendorf established the water fountain display at the Horse Market, crowned by a gargoyle eagle.
• In 1732, the Schinmeyer Seminary was founded as the first state approved teachers' college in Prussia.
• In the early 1700s, a special 10 km water line was laid from Warsow Heights, supplying the city with 500 liters of water daily.
• In 1789, the seafarer school was established.
• After 1813, Stettin's port increased in size.  
• The Society for Pomeranian History and Antiquity, founded in 1824, added its collection for the Pomeranian State Museum in 1928.
• The railroad line was built in 1843 to Berlin and in 1846 to Stargard by the Berlin-Stettin Railroad Corporation.
• Prussian National Insurance Society was founded in 1845.
• In 1848, Stettin was connected to its port of Swinemünde by telegraph.
• The city theater, built and financed by Stettin businessmen, opened in 1849 with a performance of Aegmont by Goethe.
• In 1857, the city owned an arts and mercantile museum. 
• The shipping company owned 310 ships in 1872.
• In 1874, the Baltic Lloyd assumed direct connections with its steamers, the AMS Ernst Mortiz Arndt, Franklin, Humboldt, and Washington from Stettin to New York.
• The Stettin Reinsurance Company was founded in 1879. 
• In 1898 the tax-exempt free port opened.
• Due to industrial growth, a school for construction, technology, and mechanical equipment was established in 1900.
• In 1905, the city library opened, and by 1939 it contained 235,000 volumes; today it holds 800,000 books, 300,000 of them in German. 
• The Bugenhagen Church was erected, 1906-09, with its 65.5m high tower designed by Jürgen Kröger, with a seating capacity of 1500. 
• The State Capitol Building was built in 1911.
• The City Museum was built in 1913.
• The State Internal Revenue Building was built in 1921. 
• In 1938 Stettin was the third largest German port with a sale of goods of 8.3 million tons. The dockyards were able to do all kinds of ship repairs. Goods were transported mainly to the Nordic and Baltic state, as well as England and Spain.

Resources

• Adress- und Geschäfts-Handbuch für Stettin. 1857. Amtliche Ausgabe. Stettin: Nagel, 1856. 1. Jahrgang. Stettin und Vorstädte - alle Einwohner mit Ausschluß der Gewerksgehilfen, Dienstboten und Tagelöhner welche keine eigene Wohnung haben. 9,072 records.
   
• Adreßbuch für Stettin und Umgebung. 1912. Unter Benutzung amtlicher Quellen. Mit der Beigabe: Neuester Plan von Stettin und Umgebung. Stettin: Scherl, 1911. 56. Jahrgang. erst einige Buchstaben von Stadt Stettin und einige Orte der Umgebung. 19,299 records.
   
• Adreßbuch für Stettin und Umgebung. 1925. Unter Benutzung amtlicher Quellen. Stettin: Scherl, 1924. 69. Jahrgang. Erst einige Buchstaben von Stadt Stettin und einige Orte der Umgebung. 39,614 records.
   
• Berghaus, Heinrich Karl Wilhelm. Landbuch des Herzogthums Stettin, von Kamin und Hinterpommern; oder des Verwaltungs-Bezirks der Königl. Regierung zu Stettin Bd. 2 Enthaltend: den Randowschen Kreis und Allgemeines über die Kreise auf dem linken Oder-Ufer. Berlin [u.a.]: Riemschneider, 1865.
   
• Borzyslawiec /Luisenthal. This town is located near the large city of Szczecin, which used to be called Stettin. (In English)
   
• Czejarek, Roman. Szczecin na starych pocztówkach = Stettin auf alten Ansichtskarten = Szczecin in old postcards. Łódź: Piątek Trzynastego, 2005. Reprints of postcards in black and white; text in Polish, German, and English.
   
• Dehio, Georg, and Julius Kohte. Nordostdeutschland. Handbuch der deutschen Kunstdenkmäler, 2. Berlin: Wasmuth, 1922.
   
• Deutschland (Deutsches Reich). Kreis Greifenhagen und Stadtkreis Stettin. Berlin: Verl. des Reichamts für Landesaufnahme, 1940. (Map)
   
• {Einteilung}. Ortschafts-Verzeichniß des Regierungs-Bezirks Stettin nach der neuen Kreis-Eintheilung vom Jahr 1817: nebst alph. Reg. Stettin: Struck, 1817.
   
• Eulitz, Oskar. Umgebungs Karte von Stettin. Eulitz' Kreiskarten der Provinz Pommern / bearb. im Geograph. Inst. Paul Baron, [26]. Stolp i./Pom: Eulitz, 1924. (Map)
   
• Die Gemeinden in den ostpommerschen Kreisen 1905 - Der Stadtkreis Stettin. Stettin in 1905.
   
• Haselbeg, E. von. Die Baudenkmäler des Regierungs-bezirks Stralsund. H. 5, Der Stadtkreis Stralsund. Die Bau- und Kunstdenkmäler der Provinz Pommern. Der Regierungs-bezirk Stralsund. Stettin: Commissions-Verlag von Leon Sauniers, 1902.
   
• Heimatkries Stettin