Grunwaldzki Square

The late 19th century was a true “Golden Age” for Szczecin. Several factors contributed to this: many industries were developing rapidly at the time, which led to the city treasury quickly becoming wealthier.

In 1873, the demolition of the fortifications began to free Szczecin from the restrictive corset of city walls that had previously blocked its spatial development. Finally, the end of the 19th century was an era of great archaeological discoveries and a European fascination with Greek and Egyptian mythology.

It was in the 1870s that a new urban planning concept for Szczecin was created by James Hobrecht. It assumed the use of remnants from one of the forts that had once strengthened the Szczecin fortress – Fort Wilhelm. A fragment of it stood where you are now: Grunwald Square, one of three centrally located squares that define the city’s uniqueness. Hobrecht’s brilliant plan was not only utilitarian but also visionary. According to his final version, Szczecin’s central urban axis consists of three squares (Grunwald, Rebirth, and Gray Ranks), from which streets radiate in a star-shaped pattern. This directly references Egyptian mythology and the three pyramids at Giza, which in turn replicate Orion’s Belt composed of the stars Alnilam, Alnitak, and Mintaka. This makes the center of Szczecin truly exceptional.