Editing Kołobrzeg

{{Redirect|Kolberg}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Kołobrzeg
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 280
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/2
| image1 = Kołobrzeg, Hafen, Leuchtturm, f (2011-07-26) by Klugschnacker in Wikipedia.jpg{{!}}Kołobrzeg Lighthouse
| image2 = Kołobrzeg, Strand, a (2011-07-26) by Klugschnacker in Wikipedia.jpg{{!}}Beach
| image3 = Konkatedra w Kołobrzegu.jpg{{!}}Gothic Co-Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
| image4 = Kołobrzeg - Ratusz 3 2019 r.jpg{{!}}City Hall
| image5 = Kolobrzeg muzeum plenerowa wystawa broni.jpg{{!}}Museum of Polish Arms}}
| image_caption = {{hlist|Left to right: [[Kołobrzeg Lighthouse|Historical lighthouse]]|Coastline of the [[Baltic Sea]]|[[Kołobrzeg Cathedral]]|City Hall|[[Museum of Polish Arms]]}}
| image_shield = POL Kołobrzeg COA.svg
| image_flag = POL Kołobrzeg flag.svg
| image_blank_emblem = Kołobrzeg logo.svg
| blank_emblem_type = [[Brandmark]]
| pushpin_map = Poland
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flagicon image|POL województwo zachodniopomorskie flag.svg}} [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship|West Pomeranian]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Powiat|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Kołobrzeg County|Kołobrzeg]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Gmina]]
| subdivision_name3 = Kołobrzeg <small>(urban gmina)</small>
| leader_title = City Mayor
| leader_name = Anna Mieczkowska ([[Civic Coalition (Poland)|KO]])
| established_title = Established
| established_date = 10th century
| established_title3 = Town rights
| established_date3 = 1255
| area_total_km2 = 25.67
| population_as_of = 2014
| population_total = 46830
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| coordinates = {{coord|54|10|34|N|15|34|34|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 78–100 to 78–106
| area_code = +48 94
| blank_name = [[Polish car number plates|Car plates]]
| blank_info = ZKL
| website = {{URL|https://www.kolobrzeg.pl }}
}}
'''Kołobrzeg''' ({{IPA|pl|kɔˈwɔbʐɛk|lang|pl-Kołobrzeg.ogg}}; {{langx|csb|Kòlbrzég}}; {{langx|de|Kolberg}} {{IPA|de|ˈkɔlbɛʁk||Kolberg German pronounciation.ogg}}) is a port and spa city in the [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]] in north-western [[Poland]] with about 47,000 inhabitants ({{As of|2014|lc=y}}). Kołobrzeg is located on the [[Parsęta]] River on the south coast of the [[Baltic Sea]] (in the middle of the section divided by the [[Oder River|Oder]] and [[Vistula]] Rivers). It is the capital of [[Kołobrzeg County]].

During the [[Pomerania during the Early Middle Ages|Early Middle Ages]], the [[Pomeranians (Slavic tribe)|Pomeranian]] tribes established a settlement at the site of modern-day [[Budzistowo]]. In 1000, when the city was part of Poland, it became the seat of the [[Diocese of Kołobrzeg]], one of five oldest Polish dioceses. During the [[Pomerania during the High Middle Ages|High Middle Ages]], the town was expanded with an additional settlement inhabited by German settlers a few kilometers north of the stronghold and chartered with [[Lübeck law]], which settlement eventually superseded the original Pomeranian settlement. The city later joined the [[Hanseatic League]]. Within the [[Duchy of Pomerania]] the town was the urban center of the secular reign of the prince-bishops of [[Bishopric of Kamien Pomorski|Kamień]] and their residence throughout the High and [[Pomerania during the Late Middle Ages|Late Middle Ages]]. In the modern age, it passed to [[Province of Pomerania (1653-1815)|Brandenburg]] and [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], and withstood a [[Siege of Kolberg (1807)|Polish-French siege]] in 1807. In the late 19th century it became a popular spa town at the Baltic Sea. In 1945, Polish and Soviet troops captured the town. Kołobrzeg, now part of post-war Poland and devastated in the preceding [[Battle of Kolberg (1945)|battle]], was rebuilt, but lost its status as the regional center to the nearby city of [[Koszalin]].

==Etymology==
"Kołobrzeg" (and its Kashubian equivalent "Kòłobrzeg") translates as 'by the shore'; ''koło'' means 'by',<ref>{{cite web |author=ADIPS Sp. z o.o. |url=http://www.dict.pl/dict?word=ko%C5%82o&words=&lang=EN |title=DICT – English Polish Dictionary |publisher=Dict.pl |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-date=18 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218160306/http://dict.pl/dict?word=ko%25C5%2582o&words=&lang=EN |url-status=dead }}</ref> and ''brzeg'' means 'shore'.<ref>{{cite web |author=ADIPS Sp. z o.o. |url=http://www.dict.pl/dict?word=brzeg&words=&lang=EN |title=DICT – English Polish Dictionary |publisher=Dict.pl |access-date=8 July 2009 |archive-date=18 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218160318/http://dict.pl/dict?word=brzeg&words=&lang=EN |url-status=dead }}</ref> Its original name, Cholberg, was taken by Polish and Kashubian linguists in the 19th and 20th centuries to reconstruct the name. After German settlement, "Cholberg" evolved into "Kolberg".{{cn|date=May 2025}}

== History ==

=== Pomeranian stronghold at modern Budzistowo ===

According to Piskorski (1999) and Kempke (2001), Slavic and Lechitic immigration reached [[Farther Pomerania]] in the 7th century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Piskorski |first1=Jan Maria|editor1-last=Piskorski|editor1-first=Jan Maria |title=Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten |year=1999 |publisher=Zamek Ksiazat Pomorskich |language=de |isbn=978-8390618487 |chapter=Die Urgeschichte (bis zum Ende des 11. Jahrhunderts) |page=29}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kempke |first1=Torsten|editor1-last=Harck|editor1-first=Ole|editor2-last=Lübke|editor2-first=Christian |title=Zwischen Reric und Bornhöved: Die Beziehungen zwischen den Dänen und ihren slawischen Nachbarn vom 9. Bis ins 13. Jahrhundert: Beiträge einer internationalen Konferenz, Leipzig, 4.-6. Dezember 1997 |year=2001 |publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag |language=de |isbn=3-515-07671-9 |chapter=Skandinavisch-slawische Kontakte an der südlichen Ostseeküste |page=15}}</ref> First Slavic settlements in the vicinity of Kołobrzeg were centered around nearby deposits of salt and date to 6th and 7th century.<ref name=zardziej>Tadeusz Gasztold, Hieronim Kroczyński, Hieronim Rybicki, Kołobrzeg: zarys dziejów, Wydaw. Poznańskie, 1979, {{ISBN|83-210-0072-X}}, p.8</ref><ref name="Kalendarium">[http://serwis.kolobrzeg.eu/historia_kalendarium.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927034919/http://serwis.kolobrzeg.eu/historia_kalendarium.htm|date=27 September 2009}} Historic calendar of the city's Official webpage</ref>

In the late 9th century, the [[Pomeranians (Slavic tribe)|Pomeranian]] tribes erected a [[Grad (Slavic settlement)|fortified settlement]] at the site of modern part of Kołobrzeg county called [[Budzistowo]]<ref name=Schich>Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft: Gesammelte Beiträge 1977 bis 1999 zur Geschichte der Zisterzienser und der "[[Germania Slavica]]", BWV Verlag, 2007, p.280, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref> near modern Kołobrzeg,<ref name=Koebler341>Gerhard Köbler, ''Historisches Lexikon der Deutschen Länder: die deutschen Territorien vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart'', 7th edition, C.H.Beck, 2007, p.341, {{ISBN|3-406-54986-1}}</ref> replacing nearby [[Bardy-Świelubie]], a multi-ethnic emporium, as the center of the region.<ref name=Harck1516>Ole Harck, Christian Lübke, Zwischen Reric und Bornhöved: Die Beziehungen zwischen den Dänen und ihren slawischen Nachbarn vom 9. Bis ins 13. Jahrhundert: Beiträge einer internationalen Konferenz, Leipzig, 4.-6. Dezember 1997, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2001, pp.15,16, {{ISBN|3-515-07671-9}}</ref> The [[Parseta]] valley, where both the emporium and the stronghold were located, was one of the [[Pomeranians (Slavic tribe)|Pomeranians]]' core settlement areas.<ref>Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der [[Germania Slavica]]'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.263, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref> The stronghold consisted of a fortified [[burgh]] with a suburbium.<ref name=Mueller>Eckhard Müller-Mertens, Heidelore Böcker, ''Konzeptionelle Ansätze der Hanse-Historiographie'', Porta Alba, 2003, p.133, {{ISBN|3-933701-06-6}}</ref><ref>Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der [[Germania Slavica]]'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.277, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref>

The [[Pomeranians (tribe)|Pomeranians]] mined salt<ref name=Jarnut282/> in salt pans located in two downstream hills.<ref name=Jarnut278>Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der [[Germania Slavica]]'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.278, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref><ref name="townwebsiteoccupation">[http://miasto.kolobrzeg.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58:epoki-historyczne&catid=37:historia&Itemid=78] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227232418/http://miasto.kolobrzeg.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58:epoki-historyczne&catid=37:historia&Itemid=78|date=27 December 2010}} 'Historical eras' Official webpage of the city: The local Slavic population engaged in fishery, salt trade and various crafts.</ref> They also engaged in fishing, and used the salt to conserve foodstuffs, primarily [[herring]], for trade.<ref name=townwebsiteoccupation/><ref name=Jarnut274>Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der [[Germania Slavica]]'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.274, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref> Other important occupations were [[metallurgy]] and [[smithery]], based on local iron ore reserves, other crafts like the production of combs from horn, and in the surrounding areas, agriculture.<ref name=townwebsiteoccupation/><ref name=Jarnut289>Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der [[Germania Slavica]]'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.289, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref> Important sites in the settlement were a place for periodical markets and a tavern, mentioned as ''forum et taberna'' in 1140.<ref name=Jarnut282/>

In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Budzistowo stronghold was the largest of several smaller ones in the Persante area, and as such is thought to have functioned as the center of the local [[Pomeranians (Slavic tribe)|Pomeranian]] subtribe.<ref name=Jarnut289/> By the turn from the 10th to the 11th century, the smaller burghs in the Parseta area were given up.<ref name=Jarnut289/> With the area coming under the control of the Polish Duke [[Mieszko I]], only two strongholds remained and underwent an enlargement, the one at Budzistowo and a predecessor of later [[Białogard]].<ref name=Jarnut289/> These developments were most likely associated with the establishment of Polish power over this part of the Baltic coast. In the 10th century, the trade of salt and fish led to the development of the settlement into a town.<ref name="Epoki">{{cite web |url=http://miasto.kolobrzeg.eu/epoki-historyczne |title=Epoki Historyczne |website=Miasto Kołobrzeg |access-date=21 March 2020 |language=pl}}</ref>

=== Piast Poland and conversion ===
[[File:Budzistowo Church 2009-05b.jpg|thumb|250px|St John's Church, the remains of an early medieval settlement in modern [[Budzistowo]]]]

During [[Pomerania during the Early Middle Ages|Polish rule of the area]] in the late 10th century, the chronicle of [[Thietmar of Merseburg]] (975–1018) mentions ''salsa Cholbergiensis'' as the see of the [[Bishopric of Kołobrzeg]], set up during the [[Congress of Gniezno]] in 1000 and placed under the [[Archdiocese of Gniezno]].<ref name=Koebler341/> The congress was organized by [[Kingdom of Poland (1025–1385)|Polish]] duke [[Bolesław Chrobry]] and Holy Roman Emperor [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto III]], and also led to the establishment of bishoprics in [[Bishopric of Kraków|Kraków]] and [[Bishopric of Wrocław|Wrocław]], connecting the territories of the Polish state.<ref name="Epoki"/> It was an important event not only in religious, but also political dimension in the history of the early Polish state, as it unified and organized medieval Polish territories.<ref name="Epoki"/>

The missionary efforts of bishop [[Reinbern]] were not successful, the [[Pomeranians (tribe)|Pomeranians]] revolted in 1005 and regained political and spiritual independence.<ref name="Berend">Nora Berend, ''Christianization and the Rise of Christian Monarchy: Scandinavia, Central Europe and Rus' C. 900–1200'', Cambridge University Press, 2007, p.293, {{ISBN|0-521-87616-8}}, {{ISBN|978-0-521-87616-2}}</ref><ref name="Warner">David Warner, ''Ottonian Germany: The Chronicon of Thietmar of Merseburg'', Manchester University Press, 2001, p.358, {{ISBN|0-7190-4926-1}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7190-4926-2}}</ref><ref name="Borgolte">Michael Borgolte, Benjamin Scheller, ''Polen und Deutschland vor 1000 Jahren: Die Berliner Tagung über den"akt von Gnesen"'', Akademie Verlag, 2002, p.282, {{ISBN|3-05-003749-0}}, {{ISBN|978-3-05-003749-3}}</ref><ref name="Wille">Michael Müller-Wille, ''Rom und Byzanz im Norden: Mission und Glaubenswechsel im Ostseeraum während des 8.-14. Jahrhunderts: internationale Fachkonferenz der deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft in Verbindung mit der Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur, Mainz: Kiel, 18.-25. 9. 1994'', 1997, p.105, {{ISBN|3-515-07498-8}}, {{ISBN|978-3-515-07498-8}}</ref> In 1013 Bolesław Chrobry removed his troops from Pomerania in face of war with Holy Roman Emperor [[Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry III]].<ref name="Kalendarium"/> The [[German–Polish War (1002–18)|Polish–German war]] ended with Polish victory, which was confirmed by the 1018 [[Peace of Bautzen]].

During his campaigns in the early 12th century, [[Bolesław III Wrymouth]] [[Pomerania during the High Middle Ages|reacquired Pomerania for Poland]], and made the [[House of Pomerania|local Griffin dynasty]] his vassals. The stronghold was captured by the Polish army in the winter of 1107/08, when the inhabitants (''cives et oppidani'') including a duke (''dux Pomeranorum'') surrendered without resistance.<ref name=Jarnut275>Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der [[Germania Slavica]]'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.275, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref> A previous Polish siege of the burgh had been unsuccessful; although the duke had fled the burgh, the Polish army was unable to break through the fortifications and the two gates.<ref name=Jarnut273274>Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der [[Germania Slavica]]'', BWV Verlag, 2007, pp.273–274, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref> The army had however looted and burned the suburbium, which was not or only lightly fortified.<ref name=Jarnut273274/> The descriptions given by the contemporary chroniclers make it possible that a second, purely militarily used castle existed near the settlement, yet neither is this certain nor have archaeological efforts been able to locate traces thereof.<ref name=Jarnut274ff>Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der [[Germania Slavica]]'', BWV Verlag, 2007, pp.274 ff, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref> In the 12th-century Polish chronicle ''[[Gesta principum Polonorum]]'' Kołobrzeg was named a significant and ''famous city''.

During the subsequent [[Conversion of Pomerania|Christianization of the area]] by [[Otto of Bamberg]] at the behest of Bolesław, a St. Mary's church was built.<ref name=Schich/> This marked the first beginnings of German influence in the area.<ref name="Epoki"/> After Bolesław's death, as a result of the fragmentation of Poland, the [[Duchy of Pomerania]] became independent,<ref>Joachim Herrmann, Die Slawen in Deutschland, Akademie-Verlag Berlin, 1985, pp.386</ref> before the dukes became vassals of [[Denmark]] in 1185 and the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in 1227.

Besides St. Mary's, a St. John's church and a St. Petri's chapel were built.<ref name=Jarnut282>Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der [[Germania Slavica]]'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.282, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref>
A painting of the town of Kołobrzeg from the 13th century is located in the Museum of Polish Arms in the city.<ref>[http://miasto.kolobrzeg.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=179 Nazwa Kołobrzeg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206071026/http://miasto.kolobrzeg.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=97&Itemid=179 |date=6 February 2012 }} Official website of the city</ref>

=== From the late Middle Ages to the Thirty Years' War ===
{{multiple image
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| image1 = 2019 - Kołobrzeg Katedra.jpg
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| caption2 = [[Brick Gothic]] [[Kołobrzeg Cathedral|St. Mary's Basilica]]
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During the [[Ostsiedlung]], a settlement was founded by German settlers some kilometres off the site of the Slavic/Lechitic one.<ref name="Buchholz p.75">Werner Buchholz, ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, p.75, {{ISBN|3-88680-272-8}}</ref><ref name=Brather156/><ref>Torsten Kempke in Ole Harck, Christian Lübke, ''Zwischen Reric und Bornhöved: die Beziehungen zwischen den Dänen und ihren slawischen Nachbarn vom 9. bis ins 13. Jahrhundert : Beiträge einer internationalen Konferenz'', Leipzig, 4.-6. Dezember 1997, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2001, p.16, {{ISBN|3-515-07671-9}}</ref> It was located within the boundaries of today's downtown of Kołobrzeg and some of the inhabitants of the Polish town moved to the new settlement.<ref name="Epoki"/> On 23 May 1255 it was chartered under [[Lübeck law]] by Duke [[Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania|Wartislaw III]] of [[Duchy of Pomerania|Pomerania]],<ref>Copy of the charter (in Latin), printed in Heinrich Gottfried Philipp Gengler, Codex juris Municipalis Germaniae Medii Aevi: Regesten und Urkunden zur Verfassungs- und Rechtsgeschichte der deutschen Städte im Mittelalter, F. Enke, 1863, p.609, [https://books.google.com/books?id=NdkcAAAAMAAJ&dq=Colberg+Regesten&pg=PA609 free view] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130052053/https://books.google.de/books?id=NdkcAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA609&dq=Colberg+Regesten |date=30 November 2022 }}</ref><ref name=Koebler341A>Gerhard Köbler, ''Historisches Lexikon der Deutschen Länder: die deutschen Territorien vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart'', 7th edition, C.H.Beck, 2007, p.341, {{ISBN|3-406-54986-1}}:"1255 erhielt die deutsche Siedlung nördlich der slawischen Siedlung Stadtrect von Lübeck."</ref> and more settlers arrived, attracted by the duke.<ref name=Brather156>Sebastian Brather, ''Archäologie der westlichen Slawen: Siedlung, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft im früh- und hochmittelalterlichen Ostmitteleuropa'', Walter de Gruyter, 2001, p.156, {{ISBN|3-11-017061-2}}</ref> [[Hermann von Gleichen]], German bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Kammin|Kammin]] also supported the German colonisation of the region.<ref name="Epoki"/> The settlers received several privileges such as exemption from certain taxes and several benefits, making it difficult for the indigenous Pomeranian population to compete with Germans.<ref name="Epoki"/>

Henceforth, the nearby former stronghold was turned into a village and renamed "Old Town" ({{langx|la|antiqua civitatae Colbergensis}}, {{langx|de|link=no|Altstadt}}, {{langx|pl|Stare Miasto}}), first documented in 1277 and used until 1945 when it was renamed "[[Budzistowo]]".<ref name=Schich/><ref name=Mueller/> A new St. Mary's church was built within the new town before the 1260s,<ref>Jörg Jarnut, Peter Johanek, ''Die Frühgeschichte der europäischen Stadt im 11. Jahrhundert'', Köln-Weimar-Wien 1998, pp.273–305, republished in Winfried Schich, Ralf Gebuhr, Peter Neumeister, ''Wirtschaft und Kulturlandschaft – Siedlung und Wirtschaft im Bereich der [[Germania Slavica]]'', BWV Verlag, 2007, p.280, {{ISBN|3-8305-0378-4}}</ref> while St. Mary's in the former Pomeranian stronghold was turned into a nuns' abbey.<ref name=Schich/> In 1277 St. Benedict's monastery for nuns was founded, which in the framework of the Pomeranian [[Reformation]] in 1545 was then changed into an educational institution for noble Protestant ladies.<ref>Franz Manthey: ''Polnische Kirchengeschichte''. Hildesheim 1965, p. 31.</ref>

[[File:Kolobrzeg Lontowa Tower E 2011-04.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Fuse Tower, last remnant of the medieval fortification]]

Already in 1248, the [[Bishopric of Kammin|Kammin]] bishops and the [[Duchy of Pomerania|Pomeranian]] dukes had interchanged the ''terrae'' [[Burg Stargard|Stargard]] and Kolberg, leaving the bishops in charge of the latter.<ref name=Koebler/> When in 1276 they became the souvereign of the town also, they moved their residence there, while the administration of the diocese was done from nearby Köslin ([[Koszalin]]).<ref name=Koebler>Gerhard Köbler, ''Historisches Lexikon der Deutschen Länder: die deutschen Territorien vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart'', 7th edition, C.H.Beck, 2007, p.113, {{ISBN|3-406-54986-1}}</ref> In 1345, the bishops became [[Imperial immediacy|Imperial immediate]] dukes in their secular reign.<ref name=Koebler/>

In 1361, the city joined the [[Hanseatic League]]. In 1446 it fought a battle against the nearby rival city of [[Koszalin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://muzeum.koszalin.pl/?q=node/1699 |title=Kalendarium 750 lat Koszalina, Muzeum w Koszalinie |access-date=21 March 2020 |language=pl}}</ref>

When the property of the [[Bishopric of Kammin]] was secularized during the [[Protestant Reformation]] in 1534, their secular reign including the Kolberg area became intermediately ruled by a Lutheran titular bishop, before it was turned into a ''Sekundogenitur'' of the [[House of Pomerania]].<ref name=Koebler/>

In the 15th century the city traded with [[Scotland]], Amsterdam and [[Scandinavia]].<ref name="Epoki"/> Beer, salt, [[honey]], [[wool]] and flour were exported, while merchants imported textiles from England, southern fruits, and [[cod liver oil]]. In the 16th century, the city reached 5,000 inhabitants.<ref name="Epoki"/> The indigenous Slavs in the city were discriminated, and their rights in trade and crafts were limited, with bans on performing certain types of professions and taking certain positions in the city,<ref name="Epoki"/>{{Citation needed|date=June 2022|reason=Not a good source for such a statement}} for instance in 1564 it was forbidden to admit native Slavs to the [[blacksmith]]s' guild.<ref>Tadeusz Gasztold, Hieronim Kroczyński, Hieronim Rybicki, Kołobrzeg: zarys dziejów, Wydaw. Poznańskie, 1979, {{ISBN|83-210-0072-X}}, p.27 (in Polish)</ref>

During the [[Thirty Years' War]], Kolberg was [[Capitulation of Franzburg|occupied by imperial forces]] from 1627 to 1630,<ref>{{cite book |title=Gemeinsame Bekannte: Schweden und Deutschland in der Frühen Neuzeit|editor1-first=Ivo|editor1-last=Asmus|editor2-first=Heiko|editor2-last=Droste|editor3-first=Jens E.|editor3-last=Olesen |first=Herbert |last=Langer |chapter=Die Anfänge des Garnisionswesens in Pommern |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nI9dItT816kC&pg=PA397 |publisher=LIT Verlag |location=Berlin-Hamburg-Münster |year=2003 |isbn=3-8258-7150-9 |language=de |page=403}}</ref> and [[Treaty of Stettin (1630)|thereafter by Swedish forces]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Gemeinsame Bekannte: Schweden und Deutschland in der Frühen Neuzeit|editor1-first=Ivo|editor1-last=Asmus|editor2-first=Heiko|editor2-last=Droste|editor3-first=Jens E.|editor3-last=Olesen |first=Herbert |last=Langer |chapter=Die Anfänge des Garnisionswesens in Pommern |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nI9dItT816kC&pg=PA397 |publisher=LIT Verlag |location=Berlin-Hamburg-Münster |year=2003 |isbn=3-8258-7150-9 |language=de |page=397}}</ref>

===Modern era: In Prussia===
[[File:Karte_von_Kolberg_(1650).tif|thumb|upright|left|Map of the town from 1650]]
Kolberg, with most of [[Farther Pomerania]], was granted to [[Brandenburg-Prussia]] in 1648 by the [[Treaty of Westphalia]] and, after the signing of the [[Treaty of Stettin (1653)]], and in accordance with the [[Treaty of Grimnitz]], was part of the [[Province of Pomerania (1653-1815)|Province of Pomerania]]. In the 1690s, [[French people|French]] [[Huguenot]] immigrants and merchants from the [[Dutch Republic|Netherlands]] settled in the city, however, due to the bankruptcy of the merchants, the hired French preacher left for [[Warsaw]] in 1700, and several merchants went back to the Netherlands.<ref>{{cite book|last=Muret|first=Eduard|title=Geschichte der Französischen Kolonie in Brandenburg-Preußen, unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Berliner Gemeinde. Aus Veranlassung der Zweihundertjährigen Jubelfeier am 29. Oktober 1885|year=1885|location=Berlin|language=de|pages=208–209}}</ref> It became part of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in 1701. In the 18th century, trade with Poland declined, while the production of textiles was developed.<ref name="Kalendarium"/> In 1761, during the [[Seven Years' War]], the town was [[Siege of Kolberg (Seven Years' War)|captured after three subsequent sieges]] by the Russian commander [[Peter Rumyantsev]]. At the end of the war, however, Kolberg was returned to Prussia.
[[File:Sulkowski-paul-antoni.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Antoni Paweł Sułkowski]], who led the Polish troops during the siege of 1807, is the namesake of a Kołobrzeg street today]]

In the [[Napoleonic Wars]], during [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]]'s invasion of Prussia during the [[War of the Fourth Coalition]], the town was [[Siege of Kolberg (1807)|besieged]] from mid-March to 2 July 1807 by the [[Grande Armée]] and by insurgents from Poland against Prussian rule (a street named after General [[Antoni Paweł Sułkowski]], who led Polish troops, is located within the present-day city). As a result of forced conscription, some Poles were also among Prussian soldiers during the battle.<ref name="Epoki"/> The city's defense, led by then Lieutenant-Colonel [[August von Gneisenau]], held out until the war was ended by the [[Treaty of Tilsit]]. Kolberg was returned to the Prussian [[Province of Pomerania (1815–1945)|province of Pomerania]] in 1815, after the final defeat of Napoleon; until 1872, it was administered within the [[Fürstenthum (district)|Fürstenthum District]] ("Principality District", recalling the area's former special status), then it was within [[Landkreis Kolberg-Körlin]].
[[Marcin Dunin]], Archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poznań|Poznań]] and [[Archbishopric of Gniezno|Gniezno]] and Roman Catholic primate of Poland, was imprisoned for sedition by the Prussian authorities for ten months in 1839–1840 in the city<ref>''Papiestwo wobec sprawy polskiej w latach 1772–1865: wybór źródeł'' Otton Beiersdorf Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolinskich,1960 page 309</ref> and after his release, he tried to organise a chaplaincy for the many Polish soldiers stationed in Kolberg.<ref name="II Rzeczypospolitej 1984, pages 139-146">Na stolicy prymasowskiej w Gnieźnie i w Poznaniu: szkice o prymasach Polski w okresie niewoli narodowej i w II Rzeczypospolitej: praca zbiorowa Feliks Lenort Księgarnia Św. Wojciecha, 1984, pages 139–146</ref>

In the 19th century the city had a small but active Polish population that increased during the century to account for 1.5% of the population by 1905.<ref>Hieronym Kroczyński: Dawny Kołobrzeg, Wydawnictwo Le Petit Café, page 52, Kołobrzeg 1999</ref> The Polish community funded a Catholic school and the Church of Saint Marcin where masses were held in Polish (initially throughout the season, after about 1890 all year).<ref name="Kalendarium"/><ref name="Palkowski">"Związki Pomorza Zachodniego z Polską" page 100 Szymon Pałkowski, Wyższa Szkoła Inżynierska w Koszalinie 1996</ref><ref name=Jancke>Peter Jancke: "Kolberg, Führer durch eine untergegangene Stadt", Husum 2008, {{ISBN|978-3-89876-365-3}}</ref> Dating back to 1261 Kolberg's Jewish population amounted to 528 people in 1887, rising to 580 two years later, and although many moved to Berlin after that date they numbered around 500 by the end of the Nineteenth century<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/article/kolobrzeg/5,history/?action=view&page=3 |title=Jewish community before 1989 Kołobrzeg |publisher=Museum of the History of Polish Jews |access-date=1 December 2012}}</ref>

Between 1924 and 1935, the American-German painter [[Lyonel Feininger]], a tutor at the [[Staatliches Bauhaus]], visited Kolberg repeatedly and painted the cathedral and environs of the town.

In the May elections of 1933, the [[Nazi Party]] received by far the most votes, 9,842 out of 19,607 cast votes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.verwaltungsgeschichte.de/kolberg.html |title=Deutsche Verwaltungsgeschichte Pommern, Kreis Kolberg |publisher=Verwaltungsgeschichte.de |access-date=16 September 2011}}</ref>

[[File:Kolobrzeg-pomnik-ku-pamieci-zydowskich-mieszkancow-080404-210.jpg|thumb|upright|Lapidarium to Jewish minority from the city murdered by Nazi Germany. Lapidarium raised by Polish authorities in Kołobrzeg in 2000. The inscription is in Polish, Hebrew, and German]]
When the Nazis took power in Germany in 1933, the Jewish community in Kolberg comprised 200 people, and the antisemitic repression by Germany's ruling party led several of them to flee the country. A Nazi newspaper, the ''Kolberger Beobachter'', listed Jewish shops and business that were to be boycotted. Nazis also engaged in hate propaganda against Jewish lawyers, doctors, and craftsmen.<ref name="ReferenceA">"Kołobrzeg – Historia"Wirtualny Sztetl</ref> At the end of 1935, Jews were banned from working in the city's health spas.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> During [[Kristallnacht]], the Jewish synagogue and homes were destroyed, and in 1938 the local Jewish cemetery was vandalised, while a cemetery shrine was turned to [[stable]] by German soldiers.<ref>[http://www.sztetl.org.pl/pl/article/kolobrzeg/5,historia/?ver=3 Kołobrzeg – Historia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723112448/http://www.sztetl.org.pl/pl/article/kolobrzeg/5,historia/?ver=3 |date=23 July 2011 }} Wirtualny Sztetl-Muzeum Historii Żydów Polskich</ref> In 1938, all Jews in Kolberg, as all over Germany, were renamed in official German documents as "Israel" (for males) or "Sarah" (for females). In the beginning of 1939, Jews were banned from attending German schools and the entire adult population had its driving licenses revoked.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> After years of discrimination and harassment, local Jews were deported by the German authorities to concentration camps in 1940.

===Second World War===
[[File:Kolobrzeg-Pomnik Sanitariuszki.jpg|thumb|left|Statue of the Nurse – a statue in memory of women who fought for the Polish state during the Second World War and in battle for Kołobrzeg, the woman is based on Ewelina Nowak who died in 1945 in the city while trying to save a wounded soldier]]
During [[World War II]] the German state brought in numerous [[Forced labor in Germany during World War II|forced laborers]] to the city, among them many Poles.<ref name="Epoki"/> The city's economy was changed to military production-especially after the German invasion of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref name="Epoki"/> The forced laborers were threatened with everyday harassment and repression; they were forbidden from using phones, holding cultural events and sports events, they could not visit restaurants or swimming pools, or have contact with the local German population.<ref name="Epoki"/> Poles were only allowed to attend a church mass once a month – and only in the German language.<ref name="Epoki"/> They also had smaller food rations than Germans, and had to wear a [[P (Nazi symbol)|sign with the letter P]] on their clothes indicating their ethnic background.<ref name="Epoki"/> Additionally, medical help for Polish workers was limited by the authorities.<ref name="Epoki"/> Arrests and imprisonment for various offences, such as "slow pace of work" or leaving the workspace, were everyday occurrences.<ref>Kołobrzeg: zarys dziejówb Tadeusz Gasztold, Hieronim Kroczyński, Hieronim Rybicki – 1979 – page 72</ref> A labour subcamp of the [[Stalag II-D]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]] for [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] POWs was also operated in the city by Germany.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Aniszewska|first=Jolanta|year=2011|title=W obowiązku pamięci... Stalag II D i formy upamiętnienia jeńców wojennych w Stargardzie Szczecińskim|journal=Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny|location=Opole|language=pl|volume=34|page=21}}</ref>

In 1944, the city was selected as a fortress — ''Festung Kolberg''. The 1807 siege was used for the last [[Nazism|Nazi]] propaganda film, ''[[Kolberg (film)|Kolberg]]'' shortly before the end of the war by [[Joseph Goebbels]]. It was meant to inspire the Germans with its depiction of the heroic Prussian defence during the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. Tremendous resources were devoted to filming this epic, even diverting tens of thousands of troops from the front lines to have them serve as extras in battle scenes. Ironically, the film was released in the final few weeks of Nazi Germany's existence, when most of the country's cinemas were already destroyed.

On 10 February 1945, the German torpedo-boat T-196 brought about 300 survivors of the {{SS|General von Steuben||2}}, which had been sunk by [[Soviet submarine S-13]] to Kolberg. As the [[Red Army#Second World War ("The Great Patriotic War")|Red Army]] advanced on Kolberg, most of the inhabitants and tens of thousands of refugees from surrounding areas (about 70,000 were trapped in the [[Battle of Kolberg (1945)|Kolberg Pocket]]), as well as 40,000 German soldiers, were evacuated from the besieged city by German naval forces in [[Operation Hannibal]]. Only about two thousand soldiers were left on 17 March to cover the last sea transports.

Between 4 and 18 March 1945, there were [[Battle of Kolberg (1945)|major battles]] between the [[Red Army|Soviet]] and [[First Polish Army (1944–1945)|Polish]] forces and the [[Nazi Germany|German]] army. Because of a lack of anti-tank weapons, German destroyers used their guns to support the defenders of Kolberg until nearly all of the soldiers and civilians had been evacuated. During the fights, Polish soldiers' losses were 1,013 dead, 142 MIA and 2,652 wounded.<ref name="Epoki"/> On 18 March, the [[Ludowe Wojsko Polskie|Polish Army]] re-enacted ''[[Poland's Wedding to the Sea]]'' ceremony, which had been celebrated for the first time in 1920 by General [[Jozef Haller de Hallenburg|Józef Haller]].

After the battle the city for several weeks was under Soviet administration, the Germans that had not yet fled were [[Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–50)|expelled]] and the city was plundered by the Soviet troops.<ref name="Epoki"/> Freed Polish forced laborers remained and were joined by Polish railwaymen from [[Warsaw]] [[Destruction of Warsaw|destroyed by the Germans]].<ref name="Epoki"/>
<gallery class="center" caption="Before, during, and after the war" widths="170px" heights="160px" perrow="4">
File:Kolobrzeg c1890-1905 LOC 00729u.jpg|Kolberg between 1890 and 1905
File:Kolberg Strandschloss Rosengarten 1900.jpg|Strandschloss (Beach Castle) in Kolberg c. 1900
File:Kolobrzeg1945.JPG|80% of the city destroyed in 1945
File:Kołobrzeg.jpg|Ratuszowy Square, Kołobrzeg in 2019
</gallery>

===Post-war Poland===
[[File:Kołobrzeg2021.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of [[Port of Kołobrzeg]]]]
After [[World War II]] the region became again part of Poland, under territorial changes demanded by the [[Soviet Union]] and the Soviet-installed Polish Communist regime at the [[Potsdam Conference]]. Most Germans that had not yet fled were [[Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–50)|expelled from their homes]] in accordance with the [[Potsdam Agreement]]. The town was resettled by Polish citizens, many of whom were themselves [[Repatriation of Poles (1944-1946)|Polish refugees]] from regions east of [[Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union|former eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union]], from where they had been displaced by Soviet authorities.

In 2000 the city business council of Kołobrzeg commissioned a monument called the Millennium Memorial as a commemoration of "[[Conversion of Pomerania|1000 years of Christianity in Pomerania]]", and as a tribute to Polish-German Reconciliation, celebrating the meeting of King [[Bolesław I of Poland]] and King [[Otto III]] of [[Kingdom of Germany|Germany]], at the [[Congress of Gniezno]], in the year 1000. It was designed and built by the artist [[Wiktor Szostalo]] in welded stainless steel. The two figures sit at the base of a 5-meter cross, cleft in two and being held together by a dove holding an [[olive branch]]. It is installed outside the Basilica Cathedral in the city center.

==Climate==
Kołobrzeg has an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Cfb'').<ref name="kottek2006">{{cite journal |last1=Kottek |first1=Markus |last2=Grieser |first2=Jürgen |last3=Beck |first3=Christoph |last4=Rudolf |first4=Bruno |last5=Rubel |first5=Franz |title=World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated |journal=Meteorologische Zeitschrift |date=2006 |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=259–263 |doi=10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130 |bibcode=2006MetZe..15..259K |url=https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/files/40083/metz_Vol_15_No_3_p259-263_World_Map_of_the_Koppen_Geiger_climate_classification_updated_55034.pdf}}</ref><ref name=Peel>{{cite journal |author1=Peel, M. C. |author2=Finlayson B. L. |author3=McMahon, T. A. |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification |journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P |issn=1027-5606 |url=https://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |doi-access=free}}</ref>
{{Weather box 
| location = Kołobrzeg (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
| metric first = y
| single line = y
| Jan record high C = 15.3
| Feb record high C = 17.8
| Mar record high C = 23.2
| Apr record high C = 28.9
| May record high C = 31.7
| Jun record high C = 35.9
| Jul record high C = 35.7
| Aug record high C = 38.0
| Sep record high C = 32.3
| Oct record high C = 26.1
| Nov record high C = 19.5
| Dec record high C = 14.3
| year record high C = 38.0
| Jan avg record high C = 9.1
| Feb avg record high C = 10.3
| Mar avg record high C = 15.9
| Apr avg record high C = 22.3
| May avg record high C = 26.7
| Jun avg record high C = 28.9
| Jul avg record high C = 30.0
| Aug avg record high C = 30.2
| Sep avg record high C = 24.8
| Oct avg record high C = 19.1
| Nov avg record high C = 13.2
| Dec avg record high C = 9.9
| year avg record high C = 32.4
| Jan high C = 2.9
| Feb high C = 3.8
| Mar high C = 6.8
| Apr high C = 11.8
| May high C = 15.9
| Jun high C = 19.3
| Jul high C = 21.7
| Aug high C = 22.0
| Sep high C = 18.1
| Oct high C = 12.9
| Nov high C = 7.5
| Dec high C = 4.1
| year high C = 12.2
| Jan mean C = 0.7
| Feb mean C = 1.2
| Mar mean C = 3.4
| Apr mean C = 7.6
| May mean C = 11.8
| Jun mean C = 15.6
| Jul mean C = 17.9
| Aug mean C = 17.9
| Sep mean C = 14.1
| Oct mean C = 9.5
| Nov mean C = 5.1
| Dec mean C = 2.0
| year mean C = 8.9
| Jan low C = -1.5
| Feb low C = -1.1
| Mar low C = 0.7
| Apr low C = 4.2
| May low C = 8.1
| Jun low C = 11.8
| Jul low C = 14.2
| Aug low C = 14.1
| Sep low C = 10.8
| Oct low C = 6.7
| Nov low C = 3.0
| Dec low C = -0.2
| year low C = 5.9
| Jan avg record low C = -10.4
| Feb avg record low C = -8.5
| Mar avg record low C = -5.3
| Apr avg record low C = -1.2
| May avg record low C = 2.4
| Jun avg record low C = 7.0
| Jul avg record low C = 10.1
| Aug avg record low C = 9.2
| Sep avg record low C = 5.2
| Oct avg record low C = 0.3
| Nov avg record low C = -3.4
| Dec avg record low C = -7.5
| year avg record low C = -13.2
| Jan record low C = -23.9
| Feb record low C = -25.5
| Mar record low C = -17.7
| Apr record low C = -5.5
| May record low C = -2.6
| Jun record low C = 0.0
| Jul record low C = 4.4
| Aug record low C = 2.4
| Sep record low C = -0.7
| Oct record low C = -5.5
| Nov record low C = -13.1
| Dec record low C = -18.3
| year record low C = -25.5
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 48.2
| Feb precipitation mm = 40.5
| Mar precipitation mm = 42.9
| Apr precipitation mm = 34.0
| May precipitation mm = 50.6
| Jun precipitation mm = 70.4
| Jul precipitation mm = 77.0
| Aug precipitation mm = 89.9
| Sep precipitation mm = 73.2
| Oct precipitation mm = 64.9
| Nov precipitation mm = 51.0
| Dec precipitation mm = 55.0
| year precipitation mm = 697.7
| Jan snow depth cm = 4.7
| Feb snow depth cm = 5.0
| Mar snow depth cm = 3.0
| Apr snow depth cm = 0.2
| May snow depth cm = 0.0
| Jun snow depth cm = 0.0
| Jul snow depth cm = 0.0
| Aug snow depth cm = 0.0
| Sep snow depth cm = 0.0
| Oct snow depth cm = 0.2
| Nov snow depth cm = 1.3
| Dec snow depth cm = 3.4
| year snow depth cm = 
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 17.67
| Feb precipitation days = 15.69
| Mar precipitation days = 14.00
| Apr precipitation days = 11.07
| May precipitation days = 12.80
| Jun precipitation days = 13.13
| Jul precipitation days = 14.00
| Aug precipitation days = 14.07
| Sep precipitation days = 13.70
| Oct precipitation days = 15.60
| Nov precipitation days = 16.20
| Dec precipitation days = 18.77
| year precipitation days = 176.69
| unit snow days = 0 cm
| Jan snow days = 9.3
| Feb snow days = 9.2
| Mar snow days = 3.9
| Apr snow days = 0.1
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.1
| Nov snow days = 1.5
| Dec snow days = 5.7
| year snow days = 29.8
| Jan humidity = 85.1
| Feb humidity = 83.7
| Mar humidity = 81.4
| Apr humidity = 77.0
| May humidity = 77.6
| Jun humidity = 77.2
| Jul humidity = 79.3
| Aug humidity = 79.5
| Sep humidity = 81.8
| Oct humidity = 84.3
| Nov humidity = 87.1
| Dec humidity = 86.9
| year humidity = 81.7
| Jan sun = 42.7
| Feb sun = 66.8
| Mar sun = 127.8
| Apr sun = 198.9
| May sun = 255.6
| Jun sun = 253.0
| Jul sun = 255.1
| Aug sun = 236.5
| Sep sun = 163.3
| Oct sun = 104.9
| Nov sun = 47.9
| Dec sun = 30.6
| year sun = 1783.1
| source 1 = Institute of Meteorology and Water Management<ref name=IMGWtavg>
{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203115527/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TSR_AVE |archive-date=3 December 2021 |url=https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TSR_AVE |title=Średnia dobowa temperatura powietrza |work=Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 |publisher=Institute of Meteorology and Water Management |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWtmin>
{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115043924/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMIN_AVE |archive-date=15 January 2022 |url=https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMIN_AVE |title=Średnia minimalna temperatura powietrza |work=Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 |publisher=Institute of Meteorology and Water Management |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWtmax>
{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115044916/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMAX_AVE |archive-date=15 January 2022 |url=https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/TMAX_AVE |title=Średnia maksymalna temperatura powietrza |work=Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 |publisher=Institute of Meteorology and Water Management |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWprecip>
{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109045820/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_SUMA |archive-date=9 January 2022 |url=https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_SUMA |title=Miesięczna suma opadu |work=Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 |publisher=Institute of Meteorology and Water Management |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWprecipdays>
{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115051112/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_01 |archive-date=15 January 2022 |url=https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/OPAD_01 |title=Liczba dni z opadem >= 0,1 mm |work=Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 |publisher=Institute of Meteorology and Water Management |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWsnowdepth>
{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115054936/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_SR_GRUB |archive-date=15 January 2022 |url=https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_SR_GRUB |title=Średnia grubość pokrywy śnieżnej |work=Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 |publisher=Institute of Meteorology and Water Management |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWsnowdays>
{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121044246/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_0 |archive-date=21 January 2022 |url=https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/SNIEG_0 |title=Liczba dni z pokrywą śnieżna > 0 cm |work=Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 |publisher=Institute of Meteorology and Water Management |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=IMGWsun>
{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115055331/https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/USL |archive-date=15 January 2022 |url=https://klimat.imgw.pl/pl/climate-normals/USL |title=Średnia suma usłonecznienia (h) |work=Normy klimatyczne 1991-2020 |publisher=Institute of Meteorology and Water Management |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref>
|source 2 = Meteomodel.pl (records, relative humidity 1991–2020)<ref name=recordhigh>
{{cite web |url=https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=354150100&par=tmax&max_empty=3 |title=Kołobrzeg Absolutna temperatura maksymalna |date=6 April 2018 |publisher=Meteomodel.pl |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=recordlow>
{{cite web |url=https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=354150100&par=tmin&max_empty=3 |title=Kołobrzeg Absolutna temperatura minimalna |publisher=Meteomodel.pl |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=relativehumidity>
{{cite web |url=https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=354150100&par=rh&max_empty=3 |title=Kołobrzeg Średnia wilgotność |publisher=Meteomodel.pl |language=pl |access-date=11 February 2022}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
[[File:Latarnia Morska w Kołobrzegu, FOT. Jakub Strzelczyk.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Kołobrzeg Lighthouse|Lighthouse in Kołobrzeg]]]]
Before the end of World War II the town was predominantly German Protestant with Polish and Jewish minorities. Almost all of the pre-war German population fled or was expelled so that since 1945, Polish Catholics make up the majority of the population. Around the turn from the 18th to the 19th century an increase of the number of Catholics was observed, because military personnel had been moved from [[West Prussia]] to the town.{{citation needed|date=March 2011}}
{{Historical populations|align=left|cols=2|1740|5027|1782|4006|1794|4319|1812|5597|1816|5210|1831|6221|1843|7528|1852|8658|1861|10082|1880|16027|1890|16999|1900|20200|1910|24786|1925|30115|1939|36617|1950|6756|1960|16732|1975|31800|1990|45400|2002|47500|2004|45500|2014|46830
|source=<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Dokumentacja Geograficzna|volume=3/4|year=1967|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=Instytut Geografii [[Polish Academy of Sciences|Polskiej Akademii Nauk]]|page=21}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Beach in Kołobrzeg 2.jpg|thumb|250px|Kołobrzeg eastern beach]]
{{clear|left}}

== Tourist destination ==
Kołobrzeg today is a popular tourist destination for Poles, Germans and due to the ferry connection to Bornholm also Danish people. It provides a unique combination of a [[seaside resort]], health resort, an old town full of historic monuments and tourist entertainment options (e.g. numerous "beer gardens").
[[File:Kołobrzeg, wejście do portu - panoramio.jpg|thumb|center|upright=2.8|Panorama of Kołobrzeg]]

=== Bike path to Podczele ===
The town is part of the [[European Route of Brick Gothic]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurob.org/index.php5/1/4 |title=Europäische Route der Backsteingotik &#124; Homepage |publisher=EuRoB |access-date=5 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428133055/http://www.eurob.org/index.php5/1/4 |archive-date=28 April 2009}}</ref> network. A bike path "to Podczele", located along the seaside was commissioned on 14 July 2004. The path extends from Kołobrzeg to Podczele. The path has been financed by the [[European Union]], and is intended to be part of a unique biking path that will ultimately circle the entire [[Baltic Sea]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Preparing an EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region |url=http://www.msz.gov.pl/resource/5ebe9594-5bcc-44f7-bedd-4cc85f7d7dc2:JCR |website=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Poland |access-date=25 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=European Route of Brick Gothic |url=http://www.germany.travel/en/leisure-and-recreation/scenic-routes/european-route-of-brick-gothic.html |website=German National Tourist Board |access-date=25 December 2017}}</ref> The path was breached on 24 March 2010 due to the encroachment of the sea associated with the draining of the adjacent unique Eco-Park marsh area. The government of Poland has allocated PLN 90,000 to repair the breach, and the path re-opened within a year. It was also extended in 2011 to connected with Ustronie Morskie {{cvt|8|km|0}} to the east.

=== Oldest oak ===
South of [[Bagicz]], some {{cvt|4|km|0}} from Kołobrzeg, there is an 806-year-old [[oak]] (2008). Dated in the year 2000 as the oldest oak in [[Poland]], it was named Bolesław to commemorate the king [[Boleslaus the Brave]].

=== Cultural center ===
Kołobrzeg is also a regional cultural center. In the summer take place – a number of concerts of popular singers, musicians, and cabarets. Municipal Cultural Center, is located in the ''Park teatralny''. Keep under attachment artistic arts, theater and dance. Patron of youth teams and the vocal choir. Interfolk organizes the annual festival, the International Meeting of the folklore and other cultural events. Cinema is a place for meetings Piast Discussion Film Club.

In Kołobrzeg there are many permanent and temporary exhibitions of artistic and historical interest. In the town hall of Kołobrzeg is located Gallery of Modern Art, where exhibitions are exposed artists from Kołobrzeg, as well as outside the local artistic circles. Gallery also conducts educational activities, including organized by the gallery of art lessons for children and young people from schools.

=== Pier ===
[[File:Piers in Kołobrzeg .jpg|thumb|Pier by night]]

The [[Kołobrzeg Pier]] is currently the second longest pier in the [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]], after the [[Międzyzdroje Pier|pier in Międzyzdroje]]. A [[jetty]] positioned on the end of the pier enables small ships to sail for sightseeing excursions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hellotravel.com/poland/kolobrzeg-pier |title=Kolobrzeg Pier 2019, #2 top things to do in kolobrzeg, west pomeranian voivodeship, reviews, best time to visit, photo gallery {{!}} HelloTravel Poland |website=www.hellotravel.com |access-date=25 December 2019}}</ref>

=== Museums ===
[[File:ORP Fala.jpg|thumb|[[ORP Fala|ORP ''Fala'']], a [[museum ship]] in Kołobrzeg]]
In town, there is a museum of Polish weapons ([[Muzeum Oręża Polskiego]]), which are presented in the collections of militaria from the early Middle Ages to the present. The palace of Braunschweig include part of museum dedicated to the history of the city. In their collections branch presents a collection of rare and common measurement tools, as well as specific measures of the workshop. The local museum is also moored at the port of ORP Fala patrol ship, built in 1964, after leaving the service transformed into a museum.

==Transport==
===Train connections===
[[File:Kołobrzeg stacja kolejowa (cropped).JPG|thumb|Kołobrzeg train station]]
Kołobrzeg has connections among others to [[Szczecin]], [["Solidarity" Szczecin–Goleniów Airport]], [[Gdańsk]], [[Poznań]], [[Warsaw]], [[Kraków]] and [[Lublin]].

===Ferry===
A seasonal ferry service to [[Nexø]] on the Danish island of [[Bornholm]] is offered by the catamaran ''Jantar''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bornholm.pl/serwis/2,promy-na-bornholm |title=Promy na Bornholm / Rejsy na Bornholm / Prom Bornholm / Jak dojechać na Bornholm &#124; bornholm.pl}}</ref> The trip takes 4,5 hours<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bornpol.dk/dansk.html | title=Bornpol }}</ref> and carries passengers but no cars.

==Sport==
*[[SKK Kotwica Kołobrzeg]] – basketball club, which in the 2000s and 2010s competed in the [[Polish Basketball League]], country's top flight
*[[Kotwica Kołobrzeg]] – football club
*[[Viktoria Kolberg]] - former German football club, dissolved in 1945

==Notable people==
[[File:Prymas Marcin Dunin.JPG|thumb|upright=0.7|Monument of [[Marcin Dunin]], 19th-century [[primate of Poland]], in Kołobrzeg]]
[[File:Płk Ryszard Kukliński.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|[[Ryszard Kukliński]], Polish colonel who spied for [[NATO]] during the [[Cold War]].]]

*[[Petrus Pachius]] (1579–1641/42) a German Protestant minister, teacher and poet
*[[Karl Wilhelm Ramler]] (1725–1798) German poet, translator and director at Berlin theater <ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Ramler,_Karl_Wilhelm |volume= 22 |short=x}}</ref>

=== 19th century ===
*[[Hermann Plüddemann]] (1809–1868) a German historical painter
*[[Ernst Maass]] (1856–1929) a German classical philologist. 
*[[Magnus Hirschfeld]] (1868–1935), physician, sociologist and early 20th century Gay rights campaigner
*[[Paul Oestreich]] (1878–1959), educator, reformer
*[[Arnold Zadikow]] (1884–1943), German-Jewish sculptor
*[[Hans-Jürgen Stumpff]] (1889–1968), German general of [[Luftwaffe]], co-signer of unconditional surrender 8 May 1945 in Berlin
*[[Günther Angern]] (1893–1943), [[Wehrmacht]] general

=== 20th century ===
*[[Werner Krüger]] (1910–2003), German engineer, invented [[Krueger flap]] in 1943
*[[Erika von Brockdorff]] (1911–1943), German resistance fighter
*[[Karl-Heinz Marbach]] (1917–1995), German U-boat commander 
*[[Egon Krenz]] (born 1937), last communist leader of [[East Germany]]
*[[Christine Lucyga]] (born 1944), politician
*[[Joanna Nowicka]] (born 1966) a Polish archer, competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics from 1988. 
*[[Sebastian Karpiniuk]] (1972–2010) a Polish politician, an assistant to President of Kołobrzeg, died in plane crash
*[[Dariusz Trafas]] (born 1972), athlete, javelin throw national record holder
*[[Daria Korczyńska]] (born 1981) a retired track and field sprint athlete 
*[[Robert Szpak]] (born 1989), athlete, javelin throw, 2008 World Junior Champion

=== Famous persons connected with the city ===
*[[Marcin Dunin]] (1774–1842) archbishop of Poznań and Gniezno, primate of Poland. Imprisoned in the fortress in the city<ref name="II Rzeczypospolitej 1984, pages 139-146"/>
*[[Friedrich Ludwig Jahn]], (1778–1852), ''father of gymnastics'', was imprisoned in Kolberg fortress in the 1820s <ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Jahn,_Friedrich_Ludwig |volume= 15 |short=x}}</ref><ref>Christopher Clark, ''Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947'' (Harvard University Press, 2006: {{ISBN|0-674-02385-4}}), p. 402.</ref>
*[[Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow|Adolf von Lützow]], (1782–1834) a Prussian officer, served with distinction in the [[Siege of Kolberg (1807)|siege of Kolberg]] in 1807 <ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Lützow,_Adolf,_Freiherr_von|volume= 17 |short=x}}</ref> 
*[[Wiktor Szostalo]], (born 1952) sculptor and former [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] activist.
*[[Jan Pogány]], (born 1960) classical composer, conductor and cellist.
*[[Ryszard Kukliński]], (1930–2004) colonel and spy for NATO in the Cold War period, attended high school in the city.

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}

===Twin towns – sister cities===
Kołobrzeg is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
{{Div col|colwidth=18em}}
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Bad Oldesloe]], Germany
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Barth, Germany|Barth]], Germany
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Pankow|Berlin Pankow]], Germany
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Feodosia]], Ukraine
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Follonica]], Italy
*{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Koekelberg]], Belgium
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Landskrona]], Sweden
*{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Nexø]], Denmark
*{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Nyborg]], Denmark
*{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Pori]], Finland
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Simrishamn]], Sweden
{{div col end}}

==See also==
*[[Herbertiada]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
*{{in lang|de}} [[Gustav Kratz]]: ''Die Städte der Provinz Pommern – Abriss ihrer Geschichte, zumeist nach Urkunden'' (''The Towns of the Province of Pomerania – Sketch of their History, mostly according to historical Records''). Berlin 1865 (reprinted in 1996 by Sändig Reprint Verlag, Vaduz, {{ISBN|3-253-02734-1}}; reprinted in 2011 by [[Kessinger Publishing]], U.S.A., {{ISBN|1-161-12969-3}}), pp.&nbsp;81–99 ([https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_g2sRAAAAYAAJ/page/n175 <!-- pg=81 --> online])

== External links ==
{{Commons|Kołobrzeg}}
*{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Kolberg |volume= 15 |short= x}}
*[http://www.kolobrzeg.eu Municipal website] {{in lang|pl|de|en}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081007030444/http://www.turystyka.kolobrzeg.eu/uk/index.htm History of the town on the tourist promotion site] {{in lang|en}}
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=mOgRAAAAYAAJ&dq=cassubia&pg=PA123 dutchy of Cassubia] {{in lang|en}}
{{Kołobrzeg County}}
{{Gmina Kołobrzeg}}
{{Cities of Poland}}
{{Polish coast|state=autocollapse}}
{{Pomerania}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kołobrzeg| ]]
[[Category:Pomerania]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in West Pomeranian Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Kołobrzeg County]]
[[Category:Populated riverside places in Poland]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Poland]]
[[Category:Spa towns in Poland]]
[[Category:Resorts in Poland]]
[[Category:Members of the Hanseatic League]]
[[Category:Holocaust locations in Poland]]