Editing Koszalin (section)

=== After World War II ===
On 4 March 1945, the city was captured by the [[Red Army]]. Under the border changes forced by the [[Soviet Union]] in the post-war [[Potsdam Agreement]], Koszalin became part of Poland as part of the so-called [[Recovered Territories]]. The city's German population that had not yet fled was [[Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II|expelled]] to the remainder of post-war Germany in accordance to the Potsdam Agreement. The city was resettled by Poles and [[Kashubians]], many of whom had been expelled from [[Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union|Polish territory annexed by the Soviets]].<ref>W. Seidel: Das Land und Volk der Kassuben. In: Preußische Provinzialblätter N.F. 2 (1852), p. 104.</ref>

As early as March 1945 a Polish police unit was established, consisting of former [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labourers]] and [[prisoners of war]], however, the Soviets, still present in the city, plundered local industrial factories in April.<ref name=KAL>{{cite web|url=http://muzeum.koszalin.pl/?q=node/529|title=Kalendarium Koszalina z lat 1945-1950, Muzeum w Koszalinie|access-date=June 8, 2019|language=pl}}</ref> From May 1945, life in the destroyed city was being organized, the first post-war schools, shops and service premises were established.<ref name=KAL/> In 1946, the first public library was opened, whose director was later Maria Pilecka, the sister of Polish national hero [[Witold Pilecki]].<ref>Laskowski, p. 114</ref> In March 1946, the [[Anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1946)|anti-communist]] [[Home Army 5th Wilno Brigade]] was active in Koszalin.<ref name=KAL/> In July 1947, the last units of the [[Soviet Army]] left Koszalin, and from that time only Polish troops were stationed in the city.<ref name=KAL/> In 1953 a local radio station was founded in Koszalin.<ref name=MUZ/>
[[File:Koszalin plac Zwyciestwa.jpg|thumb|The Victory Square with the statue of [[Józef Piłsudski]] and the former [[Koszalin Voivodeship (disambiguation)|Koszalin Voivodeship]] Office in the background]]

Initially, Koszalin was the first post-war regional capital of Polish Western Pomerania, before the administration finally moved to [[Szczecin]] in February 1946, after which the region was named the [[Szczecin Voivodeship (1946–1975)|Szczecin Voivodeship]].<ref name=MUZ/> In 1950 this voivodeship was divided into a truncated [[Szczecin Voivodeship (1946–1975)|Szczecin Voivodeship]] and [[Koszalin Voivodeship (1950–1975)|Koszalin Voivodeship]]. In years 1950-75 Koszalin was the capital of the enlarged [[Koszalin Voivodeship (1950–1975)|Koszalin Voivodeship]] sometimes called [[Middle Pomerania]] due to becoming the fastest growing city in Poland. In years 1975-98 it was the capital of the smaller [[Koszalin Voivodeship (1975–1998)|Koszalin Voivodeship]]. As a result of the Local Government Reorganization Act (1998) Koszalin became part of the [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]] (effective 1 January 1999) regardless of an earlier proposal for a new Middle Pomeranian Voivodeship covering approximately the area of former Koszalin Voivodeship (1950–75).

In 1991, Koszalin was visited by [[Pope John Paul II]].<ref name=LL>Laskowski, p. 7</ref> On the fifth anniversary of his visit, his monument was unveiled in the city center.<ref name=LL/>