Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes
Szczecin
This castle is the mother of all Szczecin monuments. This vast, blocky building looms over the Old Town, but the square central courtyard and simple…
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Szczecin
Well off any track non-German tourists tread, the western port city of Szczecin (shcheh-cheen) is a lively city awash with students and a muddle of architecture inherited from wildly different ages. Crumbly German-era art-nouveau tenements and mansions, some now undergoing renovation, echo a past splendour but historical style is patchy. The authorities seem to have given up on the idea of rebuilding, choosing instead to fill the gaps in the city centre with glass-and-steel malls, sacrificing entire streets in the name of retail. Many of the main thoroughfares have been spruced up, but derelict buildings and overgrown plots are easy to find in the very heart of the city.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
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Cathedral Basilica of St James
Szczecin
Head downhill from the city centre to explore Szczecin’s 12th-century cathedral, partially destroyed by Red Army shells in 1945 and reconstructed in 1972…
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Szczecin
Szczecin's 15th-century Gothic Town Hall, one of the most architecturally fascinating buildings in the city with its monster red-brick gable, is the only…
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Museum of Technology & Transport
Szczecin
This surprisingly good museum 2.5km north of the centre has a fascinating collection of vehicles, mostly of Polish origin – interesting as today Poland…
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National Museum's Department of Art
Szczecin
The National Museum’s Art Gallery resides in an 18th-century palace that formerly served as the Pomeranian parliament. It displays a collection of…
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Szczecin
Szczecin's huge former town hall is a red-brick colossus dating from the late 19th century. It now houses various obscure maritime institutions.
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