Dziwnów

Dziwnów [ˈd͡ʑivnuf] (German: Dievenow)^[2] is a town in north-western Poland situated on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the river Dziwna which divides it into the right-bank part containing the center of the town, belonging to historical Farther Pomerania, while the left-bank part is located in Western Pomerania, with both parts connected through a bascule bridge. It is the seat of Dziwnów municipality within Kamień County, West Pomeranian Voivodeship.^[3] As of December 2021, the town has a population of 2,595.^[1]

The territory became part of the emerging Polish state under its first ruler Mieszko I around 967^[4] and the battle at Julin Bridge took place nearby in 1170. The first mentioning of the village in chronicles dates back to 1243.^[5] It remained a small fishing village.

The area gained importance in the early 17th century, when Swedish troops built an earthen fort at the mouth of the Dziwna River.^[5] After the Swedish withdrawal, the fort gradually fell into decay, with no trace remaining.^[5] Due to its seaside location the village slowly transformed from a fishing village into a holiday resort.^[5] At the end of the 19th century, salt springs were discovered, and the first sanatorium was established.^[5] As a result the town became a popular spa town in the German Empire. In the 1930s, military barracks were built.^[5] During World War II, in June 1944, American army conducted air raids on the German garrison in the village.^[5] The historic church was destroyed in the final stages of the war. Polish troops entered in May 1945.^[5] In accordance with the Potsdam Agreement the city became part of the Polish People's Republic.

In 1949 and 1950 in the local garrison there was a military hospital for Greeks and Macedonians wounded in the Greek Civil War.^[5][6] In total, around 2,000 people were treated there.^[6] Later on, in the 1950s, the hospital staff co-created the Military Medical Academy in Łódź.^[5] In 1958 Dziwnów was granted urban-type settlement status and afterwards a port was built.^[5] The development of the settlement in the following decades led to the granting of municipal rights in 2004.^[5] From 1964 to 1986, the 1st Assault Battalion, which was considered one of the best trained units in the history of the Polish Army, was stationed in Dziwnów.^[7]

In 2004, Dziwnów received town privileges^[8]

Dziwnów is twinned with:^[9]

• Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland (2014)
• Sosnowiec, Poland (2013)
• Werneuchen, Germany (1993)

• Fishing Port
• Yacht Quay
• Bascule bridge
• Beach

• Official town website
• Tourist town website