Grunwald Square (Szczecin)

In the Capitulation of Stettin on 29–30 October 1806, Lieutenant General Friedrich Gisbert Wilhelm von Romberg surrendered the garrison and fortress to a much smaller French light cavalry brigade led by General of Brigade Antoine Lasalle. This event was one of a number of surrenders by demoralized Prussian soldiers to equal or inferior French forces after their disastrous defeat at the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt on 14 October. Stettin, now Szczecin, Poland, is a port city on the Oder River near the Baltic Sea, about 120 kilometres (75 mi) northeast of Berlin. After Jena-Auerstedt, the broken Prussian armies crossed the Elbe River and fled to the northeast in an attempt to reach the east bank of the Oder. Following a two-week chase, Marshal Joachim Murat intercepted over 10,000 Prussians at the Battle of Prenzlau and bluffed them into surrendering on 28 October. The following day, Lasalle's and another French light cavalry brigade induced 4,200 more Prussians to lay down their weapons in the Capitulation of Pasewalk. On the afternoon of the 29th, Lasalle appeared before the fortress of Stettin and demanded its surrender. A completely unnerved Romberg, believing he was confronted by 30,000 Frenchmen, entered into negotiations with Lasalle and surrendered Stettin that night. Estimates of the numbers vary between 500 French hussars of the 5th and 7th French Hussars and 5,000 to 6,000 Prussians within the garrison. Within a week, the fortress of Küstrin capitulated and three isolated Prussian columns were hunted down and captured at Boldekow, Anklam, and Wolgast. This left only one Prussian corps at large between the Elbe and Oder, plus garrisons at Magdeburg and in the former Electorate of Hanover.

Szczecin (UK: SHCHETCH-in, US: -⁠een, Polish: [ˈʂt͡ʂɛt͡ɕin] (listen); German: Stettin [ʃtɛˈtiːn] (listen); Swedish: Stettin [stɛˈtiːn]; Latin: Sedinum or Stetinum) is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major seaport and Poland's seventh-largest city. As of December 2021, the population was 395,513.Szczecin is located on the river Oder, south of the Szczecin Lagoon and the Bay of Pomerania. The city is situated along the southwestern shore of Dąbie Lake, on both sides of the Oder and on several large islands between the western and eastern branches of the river. Szczecin is adjacent to the town of Police and is the urban centre of the Szczecin agglomeration, an extended metropolitan area that includes communities in the German states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Szczecin is the administrative and industrial centre of West Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the site of the University of Szczecin, Pomeranian Medical University, Maritime University, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Szczecin Art Academy, and the see of the Szczecin-Kamień Catholic Archdiocese. The city's historical landmarks include the Szczecin Cathedral, the Pomeranian Dukes' Castle and the National Museum. From 1999 onwards, Szczecin has served as the site of the headquarters of NATO's Multinational Corps Northeast. The city was a candidate for the European Capital of Culture in 2016.

The siege of Stettin (Swedish: belägringen av Stettin; German: belagerung von Stettin) occurred from 19 September to 5 November during the Second Northern War. In the middle of September, an Austrian/Imperial army of 5,000 men under the command of Jean-Louis Raduit de Souches crossed the Oder and Reglitz rivers to besiege the city as part of an Allied offensive into Swedish Pomerania. In support of these, Brandenburgian reinforcements in the form of three infantry and two cavalry regiments, in total 1,500–2,000 men under the command of Friedrich zu Dohna. Additionally, a Polish force was also present during the siege. The Allied forces quickly besieged the city, being forced to do so after their request for its capitulation was refused. On 7 October, they captured a redoubt on the nearby Oberwiek mountain, and by the middle of the month they were only some 30 or 80 paces from the Passauer bastion and the curtain going to the Holy Spirit bastion. On 20 October, after the Allies had received heavier siege artillery, they created 13 new batteries and began a new bombardment of the city after yet another request to surrender was rejected. The city burghers soon became discouraged, requesting reinforcements from Carl Gustaf Wrangel. These were granted, and on 1 November, the Swedes sortied with a force of 870–970 men. The Swedes caught the Austrians by surprise, killing and capturing hundreds along with disabling a few cannons. They also destroyed a majority of the Brandenburgian artillery. On 5 November, Wrangel departed from the city, and the Allies soon did the same, abandoning their positions. The Austrians and Brandenburgians withdrew to Greifenhagen and Löcknitz respectively, and later withdrew completely from Pomerania, securing Sweden's dominion over it.

Monument of Sailor is a monument in Szczecin, Poland at the Grunwald Square at the John Paul II Avenue. It was designed by Ryszard Chachulski and completed on 19 June 1980.

The King Matt the First Monument is a monument in Szczecin, Poland, placed in front of the 54th Primary School, at 9 Rayskiego Street. It is dedicated to writer Janusz Korczak and consists of a statue depicting the titular character from his 1923 children's novel King Matt the First. It was designed by Mieczysław Welter and unveiled on 1 June 1961 at Bałuki Street. The monument was temporary removed in 2012 and unveiled at its current location on 21 March 2013.

The Spinning Top (Polish: Fryga, colloquially also Bączek) was a modernist sculpture in Szczecin, Poland, placed at the Ludwik Zamenhof Square. It was designed by Maurycy Gomulicki, and unveiled on 22 October 2015. Due to manufacturing error, it begun quickly deteriorating, and following unsuccessful repair attempts, it was ultimately removed on 18 December 2016. The sculpture had a form of several polymer concrete rings, stacked vertically on a metal pole, alternating between red and yellow.

The Bartolomeo Colleoni Monument is a bronze equestrian statue in Warsaw, Poland, placed at the courtyard of the Czapski Palace, belonging to the Academy of Fine Arts, located at 5 Kraków Suburb Street. It is dedicated to Bartolomeo Colleoni, a 15-century mercenary and a captain general in service of the Republic of Venice. The sculpture is a replica, which replaced the statue which stood at the same location from 1950 to 2002, until being moved to Szczecin. It in turn was a copy of a 1495 statue in Venice, Italy by Andrea del Verrocchio.

The Bartolomeo Colleoni Monument is a bronze equestrian statue in Szczecin, Poland, placed at the Aviators Square, within the neighbourhood of Centrum. It is dedicate to Bartolomeo Colleoni, a 15-century mercenary and a captain general in service of the Republic of Venice. The sculpture was made in a electrotyping technique in 1909, as a copy of a 1495 statue in Venice, Italy by Andrea del Verrocchio. It was originally unveiled as part of the exhibition in the National Museum in Szczecin in 2013. In 1948, it was moved to Warsaw, Poland, and in 1950, placed at the courtyard of the Czapski Palace, belonging to the Academy of Fine Arts. On 21 August 2002, it was returned to Szczecin and placed at its current location. Its replica remains in Warsaw.

The Province of Pomerania was a province of Brandenburg-Prussia, the later Kingdom of Prussia. After the Thirty Years' War, the province consisted of Farther Pomerania. Subsequently, the Lauenburg and Bütow Land, Draheim, and Swedish Pomerania south of the Peene river were joined into the province. The province was succeeded by the Province of Pomerania set up in 1815. The name Pomerania comes from Slavic po more, which means "Land at the Sea".

The Aviators Square, until 1945 know as the Augusta Square, is an urban square in Szczecin, Poland. It is located in the neighbourhood of Centrum, within the Downtown district, at the intersection of Pope John Paul II Avenue, Jagiellońska Street, Kaszubska Street, Małopolska Street, and Mazurska Street. It was opened in the 1890s.

The Revival Square (Polish: Plac Odrodzenia) is an urban square and a roundabout in Szczecin, Poland. It is located in the neighbourhood of Centrum, within the district of Śródmieście, at the intersection of Mazurska Street, Monte Cassino Street, and Piłsudskiego Street. It was designed in 1882.

The University of Szczecin (Polish: Uniwersytet Szczeciński) is a public university in Szczecin, western Poland. It is the biggest university in West Pomerania, with 33,267 students and a staff of nearly 1,200. It consists of 9 faculties: Faculty of Humanities Faculty of Law and Administration Faculty of Natural Sciences Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Faculty of Economics and Management Faculty of Management and Economics of Services Faculty of Theology Faculty of Geosciences Faculty of PhilologySince 1998, the University has been taking part in the Erasmus student exchange programme.