Photos

I love sending postcards to my family and friends, but quite often I have a real problem finding a decent quality postcard. Same here: I visited Slupsk a couple of times already but always when I get there the weather is not great for taking pictures. This is the best postcard I was able to prepare from my collection.

Słupsk is a city in Pomeranian Voivodeship, in the northern part of Poland. The city is located in the northwestern part of the country, on the Koszalin Coast, 18 km from the Baltic Sea, on the Słupia River. It has a population of 98,757.
Słupsk started out in the 11th century when Slavonic merchants and craftsmen established a fortified settlement, with ships sailing up the Słupia river harbouring there. In the 12th and 13th century the city, Castellania Slupensis, belonged to Slawno Duchy and around 1230 was united with Pomerania and its capital of Gdansk.
Since 1308 the land of Słupsk was administered by the Brandenburg margraves, and two years later the town was granted city laws and privileges. It reverted to the Western Pomeranian dukes, and then passed into the hands of the Teutonic Knights for 12 years before being repurchased. In the years 1368-1372, the land of Słupsk became a separate duchy, with Słupsk serving as both its capital and the residence of its duke. Until 1630 the town was in the possession of the Western Pomeranian dukes. In 1648 Słupsk was again in the hands of the Brandenburgs and remained under Prussian rule until World War II. Though subject to Germanisation, the area of Słupsk kept its Slavonic character.

This photograph presents the 16th-century Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes on the Slupia River, now housing Museum of Mid-Pomerania. It has the Poland's largest collection of paintings by the artist Witkacy, an avant-garde artist and playwright (1885-1939).