Kamień Pomorski

Kamień Pomorski, a spa town located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship of north-western Poland, had a population of 8,921 as of 2015. Located around 63 kilometers north of Szczecin, the regional capital, this little Baltic coastal town forms the seat of an urban-rural gmina in Kamień County. Rich in natural resources, strategically located, Kamień Pomorski’s development into a major cultural, religious, and therapeutic center has been molded.

Kamień Pomorski started in the turn of the eighth and ninth century when the Lechitic Wolinians tribe established the town. Early on, its strategic relevance was seen shown by the building of a defensive stronghold in the tenth century. Under the direction of Mieszko I, Poland’s first historical king, the town was included into the young Polish kingdom about 967. Early absorption into the Polish territory prepared Kamień Pomorski’s later historical path.

The first known reference to the town is from 1124, hence starting its recorded history. Kamień Pomorski joined the Duchy of Pomerania as Poland started political disintegration in the 12th century. Assuming the function of the first known capital for the duchy, this change proved essential for the growth of the town. Another noteworthy event in 1176 was the founding of a bishopric in Kamień, hence strengthening its relevance in the ecclesiastical scene of the area.

The founding of a mint in 1180 underlined Kamień Pomorski’s economic importance, therefore demonstrating its part in the monetary system of the area. The town’s reputation was raised even further by the sporadic presence of the Dukes of Pomerania there. While the granting of Lübeck city rights in 1274 gave a framework for municipal development and trade, the advent of the Dominican Order in 1228 brought still another level of religious life complexity.

The Thirty Years’ War changed the political scene of Europe and fundamentally altered the history of the town. Kamień Pomorski came under Swedish administration during the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, therefore commencing a period of foreign rule. But because Brandenburg-Prussia bought the town in 1679, this Swedish pause was only brief. This purchase prepared Kamień Pomorski for his political arrangement that would last for more than two centuries—integration into the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701.

Kamień Pomorski stayed a part of Prussia from 1701 to 1945; later, from 1871, it was included into the German Empire. Under the Prussian Province of Pomerania, the town was governed throughout this time and saw the more general political, social, and economic changes sweeping over the area. When World War II ended in 1945, Kamień Pomorski’s situation underwent yet another major upheaval when it once more became part of Poland in line with the agreed upon border adjustments at the Potsdam Conference.

The political story of the town does not define its historical relevance. Between 1959 and 1961, archeological digs in Kamień Pomorski turned up a treasure of early medieval jewelry that offers physical proof of the area’s strong cultural legacy and ties to more general European trade routes and artistic traditions.

Geologically, Kamień Pomorski is ideally located on the Dziwna Strait, which creates Kamieński Bay. Laying about 90 kilometers from Szczecin, the town is surrounded by two smaller bays, Karpinka and Promna. Its north-western location within the West Pomeranian Voivodeship puts it roughly 7 kilometers from the Baltic Sea, to which it has direct access. The development and present nature of the town have been greatly shaped by its closeness to different water bodies.

Water sports and active recreation abound in the surrounding water areas, including the Dziwna Strait and its features include the Kamieński Lagoon and Zatoka Cicha. Popular sports that draw locals as well as guests are sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, and fishing, which adds to the town’s attractiveness as a spot for outdoor lovers.

Kamień Pomorski’s health resort classification—which results from its natural resources—is one of its most unique qualities. Important medicinal brine springs and peat deposits abound in the town, and these have been quite helpful in creating spa treatments. The present spa facilities use a peat deposit 800 meters southeast of the sanatorium office in addition to a brine borehole called Edward III, near the closed natural medicine facility “Feniks.”

The offers of the health resort are based on a spectrum of recorded natural medicinal resources available in the surroundings. These comprise therapeutic waters, especially chloride-sodium waters (brine), iodine waters, and ferrous waters taken from the Edward III spring; also included are deposits of medicinal peat (mud). Attracting people looking for relief from different diseases, these natural resources form the basis of the therapeutic offerings in the town.

Kamień Pomorski’s spa treats a broad range of medical disorders. Its specialties are rheumatic diseases, cardiological diseases and hypertension (including early rehabilitation), lower respiratory tract diseases, neurological diseases, orthopedic and traumatic diseases, and childhood diseases (with an eye toward cardiac, lower, and upper respiratory tract conditions). Kamień Pomorski is now a major destination for medical tourism and rehabilitation thanks in great part to its all-encompassing approach to health and wellness.

The five health resort treatment centers in the town mirror its dedication to wellness and health. These comprise the “Chrobry Health Resort”, the “Dąbrówka Health Resort”, the “Gryf Sanatorium”—a subunit of the “Mieszko hospital—and the Spa Hospital “Mieszko.” Although the “Feniks” Natural Medicine Institute is closed right now, the other sites keep offering a variety of therapeutic treatments to local and visiting patients.

Apart from its position as a health resort, Kamień Pomorski serves as a marine center. The sea port of Kamień Pomorski, which is essential for the local way of life and economy, is located in the western side of the city. The port continues to be a hub for individual fishing, sailing, and passenger travel even if its transshipment and transportation roles have changed with time. Maritime tourism has been rather popular recently, giving still another level of attractiveness to the town.

Like many small towns, Kamień Pomorski has difficult economic situation. At the District Labor Office, 532 persons registered as unemployed as of November 2008. Still, the town’s varied offers in water sports, health tourism, and cultural legacy open possible paths for employment and economic growth.

Kamień Pomorski’s accessibility and connectivity depend much on the state of the transportation infrastructure. Provincial road no. 107 runs through the town, connecting it to national road no. 3 and on for the shore at Dziwnówek. This route leads south from provincial road number 106 to access national road number six and Golczewo. Furthermore improving the road system of the city is provincial route number 103, which branches off from Trzebiatów.

The town’s railway station provides services to Wysoka Kamieńska and Szczecin, therefore preserving rail connectivity. This train link offers both locals and guests a different kind of mobility, therefore enabling links to bigger metropolitan areas and the wider region.

Looking ahead, a Berlin–Szczecin–Baltic waterway will help Kamień Pomorski’s marine ties to be strengthened. If this ambitious project comes to pass, the town’s economic future will be much enhanced and its status as a major hub in the regional transportation system would be reinforced.