Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Ratusz Staromiejski

Already in the 7th century, it was the location of a fortified Slavonic settlement, at a ford in the Vistula river. Thorn was established in 1231 under the administration of the Teutonic Order. The Teutonic Order had been called earlier by the Polish Duke Conrad of Mazovia to Christianize the pagan Baltic Pruzzes. However, the Order became active only after Emperor Frederick II granted it the right to rule over the land to be conquered in 1226. The foundation stone of the city of Thorn was laid in 1231 and soon after immigrants from Westphalia populated the town. In the 14th century, Thorn joined the Hanseatic League. The Order's efforts to simultaneously expand its sovereignty and control trade led to warlike conflicts. The city was captured by Poland in 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War however, after the First Peace of Thorn was signed in 1411, the city fell back to the Teutonic Order. In the 1420s, Polish King Władysław II Jagiełło built the Dybów Castle, located in present-day left-bank Toruń. In 1440, the gentry of Thorn co-founded the Prussian Confederation to further oppose the Knights' policies. The Confederation rose against the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights in 1454 and its delegation submitted a petition to Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon asking him to regain power over the region as the rightful ruler. These events led to the Thirteen Years' War. The citizens of the city conquered the Teutonic castle and dismantled the fortifications. In May 1454, a ceremony was held in Toruń, during which the nobility, knights, landowners, mayors, and local officials solemnly swore allegiance to the Polish King. During the war, Toruń financially supported the Polish Army. The Thirteen Years' War ended in 1466, with the Second Peace of Thorn, in which the Teutonic Order renounced any claims to the city and recognized it as part of Poland. During the Great Northern War (Deluge), the city was besieged by Swedish troops. In the second half of the 17th century, tensions between Catholics and Protestants grew. In the early 18th century about half of the population, especially the gentry and middle class, was German-speaking and Protestant, while the other half was Polish-speaking Roman Catholic. The old town of Torun is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. - Original buildings of the city hall grew gradually during the 13th and 14th centuries. The merchant's house with its cloth hall was probably built based on a privilege granted in 1259. Another privilege for the construction of the tower and stalls comes from 1274. The present shape of the city hall is a result of an extensive construction project from the years 1391to 1399, carried out in the Gothic style. Old commercial buildings were demolished at that time, leaving only the tower. The administrative, commercial, and judicial functions were combined in one building. The city hall took the form of a four-winged building on a 44 × 52 m rectangular plan, with an internal courtyard accessible through four gates. The tower was covered with a high Gothic roof (destroyed in 1703). A reconstruction carried out in 1602-1605 consisted of raising the building by one floor. It did not erase the Gothic character of the city hall. In 1703, during the siege of the city by the Swedish army, a serious fire broke out. Almost all the interior design was destroyed as a result, the roofs collapsed and the building remained without a roof until 1722. In the years 1722-1737, the building was rebuilt - new roofs were built, the interiors were reconstructed- General renovation and adaptation work for the museum was carried out between 1957 and 1964. The most important works included strengthening the walls and vaults, restoring the interiors to their former appearance by demolishing nineteenth-century partition walls, and unveiling medieval architectural elements, walled up at a later time.

A Slavic settlement, that developed into a fortress, existed on a hill above the left bank of the River Oder in the 8th century. In 967 the area was brought into dependence by the Polish Duke Mieszko I. Another hundred years later, a new Wendish settlement was established below the castle, which became an important trading and port centre. The Kingdom of Poland under the dynasty of the Piasts took Szczecin in 1091. Pomerania made itself free again, but in 1119/21 under Duke Boleslaw III, Pomerania was again attacked, devastated and occupied. The latter summoned Bishop Otto of Bamberg to convert the pagan Wends to Christianity. During the "Wendish crusade" the castle was besieged in 1147. The capture was averted by the intervention of the Bishop of Cammin, who had claimed that the inhabitants had already converted to Christianity. In 1173 the Danes captured the castle, destroyed it, but rebuilt it in 1190. The Danes ruled the country until 1227. Meanwhile, Germans had settled next to the Wendish settlement and founded the "Upper Town" and later the "Lower Town". In the Upper Town, the Jacobi Church was built from 1180 to 1187, donated by the merchant Beringer of Bamberg. Barnim I, Duke of Pomerania (= "Barnim the Good") granted the Wendish settlement together with the German suburbs as "oppidum Stetin" the town charter in 1243. It was further promoted through customs remission, trade privileges and fishing rights so that the city strengthened economically. In 1245 the construction of a town hall was allowed. In 1263 the construction of St. Mary's Church began. The construction of a harbour gave the town a further boost, which led to membership in the Hanseatic League in 1278. Duke Otto I officially made Szczecin the residential city of Pomerania in 1309. At the end of the 14th century, Szczecin's economy received another boost when, in the course of the conflict between Poland and the Teutonic Order, the city was granted extensive trading privileges in order to replace Gdansk, which was dominated by the Order. During the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes occupied the town. It remained Swedish even after the Peace of Westphalia. During the Nordic War, Russian troops besieged Szczecin in 1713. With the Peace of Stockholm in 1720, King Frederick William I succeeded in acquiring Szczecin for Prussia. From 1806 to 1813 Szczecin was occupied by the French. After Napoleon's expulsion, Prussia was back and so Szczecin became German in 1871. After the Second World War, the German "Stettin" became the Polish "Szczecin". At that time, only about 80,000 Germans and 6000 Poles still lived in the devastated city. The German population was pushed out and Poles from the former Polish eastern territories settled in. Today Szczecin is a lively town with about 400.000 inhabitants - The Ratusz Staromiejski (= old town hall) was built in the 15th century on the site of a wooden building from the 13th century. After being destroyed during the Brandenburg invasions it was rebuilt in the Baroque style. It was destroyed during WWar II and was rebuilt in Gothic style. The facade facing the market has retained its Baroque style.