{"id":3634,"date":"2026-07-04T07:53:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T07:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/historiapomorza.pl\/epoka\/cultural-life-and-art-in-pomerania-from-the-second-half-of-the-17th-century-to-1945\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T12:41:50","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:41:50","slug":"cultural-life-and-art-in-pomerania-from-the-second-half-of-the-17th-century-to-1945","status":"publish","type":"epoka","link":"https:\/\/historiapomorza.pl\/en\/epoka\/cultural-life-and-art-in-pomerania-from-the-second-half-of-the-17th-century-to-1945\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultural Life and Art in Pomerania from the Second Half of the 17th Century to 1945"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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The 17th century was a turning point in the history of the Griffins’ Duchy, which had existed since the 12th century. In 1637, Bogislaw XIV, the last ruler of the dynasty, died. This event marked the end of an important phase of dynastic rule and the functioning of the Duchy of Pomerania, which had existed for 500 years. The Thirty Years’ War swept through the lands of the Duchy. The Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which ended the war, sealed the division of the region between the Swedish Empire and the Electorate of Brandenburg.<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n\n

Sweden took over the western part, territories known as Swedish Pomerania (otherwise Western Pomerania) located west of the Oder River, the islands of Usedom and Wolin, as well as Szczecin along with the mouth of the Oder. It came under the influence of Scandinavian culture, and Szczecin became Sweden’s main base on the continent. Brandenburg (later Prussia) received the eastern part of the duchy with cities such as Ko\u0142obrzeg, Stargard, and Kamie\u0144 Pomorski, creating Brandenburg Pomerania (Hinterpommern).<\/p>\n\n

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The change in patronage became significant; ducal patronage was replaced by the patronage of the patriciate, the nobility, and the administration\u2014Swedish or Brandenburgian, respectively. The former capital of the Duchy, now Swedish Szczecin, was transformed into a fortress by erecting modern fortifications. The Szczecin Castle, previously the ducal residence, became the seat of the Swedish governor. In 1688, the royal architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger from Stockholm prepared plans to rebuild the Renaissance castle into a Baroque one. However, these plans were never realized. A trace of the Swedish presence is the astronomical clock on the tower of the southern wing. During the Swedish reign, a reform of the most important school in Szczecin\u2014the Ducal Pedagogium (also known as St. Mary’s Gymnasium), established during the Renaissance\u2014was carried out. In 1667, King Charles XI transformed the institution, which was henceforth called the Gymnasium Carolinum. It held the status of an academic gymnasium, and its curriculum bordered between secondary school and higher education. Supervision over the school and its property was exercised by a four-person board of trustees consisting of officials from the Swedish provincial administration and representatives of the local Pomeranian estates.<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n\n

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The curricula emphasized classical languages (Latin and Greek). The gymnasium students periodically staged theatrical plays in Latin. In the former capital of the Duchy, there was also a second lower-level school, the City Council Lyceum (Rathslyceum), which was directly subordinate to the magistrate. The sons of Szczecin’s craftsmen and merchants studied there. Toward the end of the Swedish period and at the beginning of the Prussian period (in 1805), the City Lyceum and the St. Mary’s Gymnasium were merged.<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
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Academic Gymnasium, City Lyceum, St. Mary’s Gymnasium in Szczecin, source: M. Wehrmann, Geschichte des K\u00f6niglichen Marienstifts-Gymnasiums (des fr\u00fcheren Herzoglichen P\u00e4dagogiums und K\u00f6nigl[ichen] akademischen Gymnasiums) in Stettin. 1544\u20131894<\/i>, in: Festschrift zum dreihhundertf\u00fcnfzigj\u00e4hrigen Jubil\u00e4um des K\u00f6niglichen Marienstifts-Gymnasiums zu Stettin am 24. und 25. September 1894<\/i>, Stettin 1894<\/div><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In 1720, Prussia bought Szczecin from the Swedes, while the remaining part of Western Pomerania stayed in their hands until 1815. The Prussian ruler Frederick William I (1657\u20131713) [Note: historical dates for Frederick William I are 1688\u20131740] set about transforming the city into a fortress. Gerhard Cornelius von Walrawe (1692\u20131773), originating from the Netherlands, was hired to draft its design. The expansion was carried out between 1724 and 1740. To this day, the impressive city gates\u2014the Berlin Gate (now Portowa Gate) and the King’s Gate\u2014have survived as elements of the fortifications demolished in the 19th century. The structure of the gates’ facades references the tradition of Roman triumphal arches. The more richly decorated facade faced the side of entry into the city. In the middle of the Berlin Gate, there is an arched passageway flanked on each side by two Tuscan semi-columns superimposed on pilasters. Above the arch, a cartouche with the monogram of the ruler\u2014Frederick William I\u2014was placed. The attic above the entablature depicts a panorama of the city and, seated in front of it, the figure of Viadrus, the god of the Oder. Below is an inscription justifying Prussia’s rights to Szczecin. In the middle of the culmination is the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, and on the sides are panoplies (representations of armament elements in the form of antique armor and shields). Both gates served both utilitarian functions within the fortress system and propaganda functions, praising the Prussian king and legitimizing Szczecin’s affiliation with Prussia.<\/p>\n

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Berlin Gate in Szczecin, 2026, photo: Kapitel, Source: https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Szczecin_Brama_Portowa_W.jpg, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Walrawe also designed the building of the Pomeranian Provincial Estates Parliament Palace (*Landtagspalais*), which is the most magnificent Baroque public building in Szczecin. Built in the style of northern, classicizing Baroque, the building was erected between 1726 and 1727.<\/p>\n\n

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During the Baroque period in the second half of the 17th century, as well as in the 18th century, new churches were rarely erected. In existing urban church buildings, usually dating back to the Middle Ages, only the furnishings were changed to better suit the requirements and tastes of the era. In the countryside, following the destruction of the Thirty Years’ War, churches were built in the 17th century using timber-framing construction, in which a skeleton of wooden beams was filled with brick, or with reeds or straw mixed with clay. These became a characteristic historical and architectural element in the Pomeranian landscape. Examples include the churches in Wielin (Polan\u00f3w commune) dedicated to Christ the King from the second half of the 17th century with furnishings from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, in Mi\u0119kowo (Goleni\u00f3w commune) dedicated to the Holy Trinity from the 18th century, in Sian\u00f3w dedicated to St. Stanislaus Kostka from the late 18th century, and in Lekowo (\u015awidwin commune) dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Timber-framed churches constitute one of the characteristic elements in the cultural landscape of Western Pomerania.<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
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Christ the King Church in Wielin (Koszalin County), 17th century: 1. 2012, photo: Brogaj, source: [https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Wielin,_ko%C5%9Bci%C3%B3%C5%82.JPG](https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Wielin,_ko%C5%9Bci%C3%B3%C5%82.JPG), CC BY-SA 3.0; 2., photo: Barbara Ochendowska-Grzelak, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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In the area of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, there are about 100 churches built using this technique. In the existing churches, the furnishings were replaced for various reasons. In Protestant interiors, the most important elements were the altar, the baptismal font, and the pulpit. Altars typically followed a set scheme: in the predella (the base\/plinth), a painting of the Last Supper was placed; in the retable (altar piece), a painting of Christ Crucified was positioned in the center; and in the upper culmination, the scene of the Ascension. Sometimes, a combination of the altar (the place for administering the Sacrament) and the pulpit (the place for proclaiming the Word of God) into a single architectural structure was used, creating a pulpit altar (Kanzelaltar<\/i>).<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
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Baroque pulpit altar, 1711, Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Buk, Dobra commune, photo: Barbara Ochendowska-Grzelak, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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This is a characteristic distinguishing feature of Protestant sacred art. In the Lutheran churches of Pomerania, we can also encounter baptismal angels (Taufengel<\/i>). These were wooden figures of angels holding a baptismal basin, suspended from the ceiling. During a baptism, they were lowered down on cords.<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n\n

Typically, rural churches featured patronal loges and family galleries. They took the form of decorated, often glazed, enclosed pews or balconies inside the church. During services, they were occupied by landowners who were patrons and founders of the churches. On the panels of the loges, coat-of-arms shields and epitaphs were painted or hung.<\/p>\n

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Baptismal angel, 1719, Schwaneberg near Prenzlau, photo: Barbara Ochendowska-Grzelak, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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Significant changes in the cultural, intellectual, and artistic life of Pomerania can be observed in the 19th century. During this time, the development of scientific research\u2014historical, archaeological, and regional studies\u2014should be noted in Western Pomerania. Various scientific societies began to emerge. The most prominent role was played by the Pomeranian Society for History and Antiquity (Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Pommersche Geschichte und Altertumskunde<\/i>), established in 1824 on the initiative of Johann August Sack. It initiated the first professional research into the region’s past. In 1832, the Society began publishing the important academic journal Baltische Studien<\/i>, and from 1887 onward, Monatsbl\u00e4tter der Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Pommersche Geschichte und Altertumskunde<\/i>. Their pages featured articles on the history, art, and culture of Pomerania. The Society brought together historians who, during the 19th century, began compiling and publishing source texts describing the history of Pomerania. The key figures include Johann Gottfried Ludwig Kosegarten (1792\u20131860), who edited and published Kantzow’s Chronicle; Hermann Hering (1800\u20131886), a researcher of municipal and church archives; and Martin Wehrmann (1861\u20131937), the creator of syntheses of the region’s history. An honorary member of the Society was Franz Theodor Kugler (1808\u20131858). Commissioned by the Society, he undertook a journey across Pomerania and in 1840 published Pommersche Kunstgeschichte<\/i>, the first synthesis of regional art in Europe and the world. In it, he described Pomeranian monuments and highlighted phenomena characteristic of the described area’s culture, thereby providing an impetus for further research.<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
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Franz Kugler, Pommersche Kunstgeschichte, Frontispis, DP, \u017ar\u00f3d\u0142o: https:\/\/digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de\/diglit\/kugler1840a<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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The activities of the Society are also linked to the beginnings of Pomeranian museology. Its members collected archaeological artifacts, numismatics, old documents, and works of art, especially medieval ones, thereby laying the foundations for a future museum. In response to intellectual and cultural needs, other societies began to emerge: in 1834, the Pomeranian Art Society (Kunstverein f\u00fcr Pommern<\/i>), and in 1837, the Entomological Society (Entomologischer Verein<\/i>). The latter was the third of its kind in Europe (after Paris and London). At the end of the 19th century, Otto Knoop\u2014a teacher, professor of ethnography, and researcher of Pomeranian culture\u2014began collecting and publishing Pomeranian folktales, legends, and folk traditions, documenting the intangible heritage of the countryside.<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n\n

19th-century art and culture in Pomerania<\/p>\n\n

Painting: Caspar David Friedrich (1774\u20131840), August Ludwig Most (1807\u20131883), Eugen Dekkert (1865\u20131956)<\/p>\n

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Caspar David Friedrich, Chalk Cliffs on R\u00fcgen (Kredefelsen auf R\u00fcgen), Oskar Reinhart Collection “Am Stadtgarten” in Winterthur, photo: Barbara Ochendowska-Grzelak, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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One of the most outstanding painters working in Western Pomerania in the 19th century, who achieved at least European significance, was Caspar David Friedrich (1774\u20131840). Born in Greifswald, he studied in Copenhagen and Dresden, where he ultimately settled. However, he regularly visited his family in Pomerania. He undertook journeys around his native areas and the island of R\u00fcgen near Greifswald, immortalizing coastal landscapes in numerous sketches and paintings. An example is his famous painting “Chalk Cliffs on R\u00fcgen”, painted in 1818. Often, his landscapes were romantic creations, combining elements of views from the Giant Mountains, Saxony, and the Baltic coast. It can be said that Friedrich remained a true son of Pomerania, and motifs characteristic of the region appeared in his art: the melancholic sea, sailing ships, Gothic brick churches and their ruins (for example, Eldena near Greifswald). A collection of Friedrich’s drawings and paintings is held by the Pomeranian State Museum in Greifswald (Pommersches Landesmuseum<\/i>).<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n\n

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August Ludwig Most (1807\u20131883). Born in Szczecin, he studied first in Stargard and then at the Academy of Arts in Berlin. Between 1830 and 1834, he stayed in Dresden, after which he returned to his hometown of Szczecin. In 1834, he co-founded and became a board member of the aforementioned Pomeranian Art Society (Kunstverein f\u00fcr Pommern<\/i>). From 1841 for 42 years, until his death in 1883, he worked as a drawing teacher at St. Mary’s Gymnasium in Szczecin. He traveled extensively through German lands, immortalizing his experiences in sketchbooks. In his paintings, he depicted views of Szczecin, Stargard, and Pyrzyce. He also painted genre scenes portraying the lives of inhabitants in Pomeranian villages and towns. Furthermore, he created numerous portraits of Szczecin residents, the local intelligentsia, and townspeople. He painted children’s portraits in a masterly fashion (for example, Portrait of Auguste Schiffmann as a Child<\/i>, Portrait of a Boy<\/i>).<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n
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August Ludwig Most, Portret Auguste Schiffmann w wieku dzieci\u0119cym, ze zbior\u00f3w Muzeum Narodowego w Szczecinie, MNS\/Szt\/1100 (https:\/\/wmuzeach.pl\/wszystkie-obiekty\/dSOwgN6PcGWbBj4SYwd9_portret-auguste-schiffmann-w-wieku-dzieciecym-portret-dzieciecy\/0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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Eugen Dekkert (1865\u20131956) was among the students of Ludwig Most. He was the eldest son of a Szczecin family engaged in the hard coal trade and a graduate of St. Mary’s Gymnasium. He went to England to train as a merchant and also began learning painting there. As a merchant, he was listed in Szczecin’s address books in 1889. In 1896, he moved to Munich and later to Glasgow to continue his artistic education. In 1915, he returned to Munich, where he focused on landscape painting. He was a member of the Munich Secession. He visited his hometown of Szczecin, where he stayed and created landscapes. Many of these were marine paintings and vedute (city views), which is why he was referred to as the painter of the Szczecin port.<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n\n

Musical and theatrical life in the 19th century<\/p>\n\n

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Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe (L\u00f6we) (1796\u20131869) was undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the musical life of the Pomeranian capital. At the age of 24, in 1820, he arrived in the city and took up the position of organist at St. James’s Church. He gave concerts and invited the most prominent Prussian composers to Szczecin. He was referred to as the “Schubert of Northern Germany.” As a creator of music set to the poetry of Romantic writers, he pioneered the genre of the solo Romantic ballad. In 1835, he published a volume of compositions set to works by Adam Mickiewicz, titled Polnische Balladen<\/i>. He also composed other musical forms, such as operas, oratorios, and instrumental pieces, and educated generations of musicians. He died in Kiel and was buried there, but his heart was transported and placed in a pillar of Szczecin’s St. James’s Church. In front of this church, on a pedestal that survives to this day, stood his monument. Carl Loewe was a regular guest in the salon of Sophie Auguste Tielebein (1771\u20131854) at her residence in \u017belechowo. This salon served as a meeting place for the region’s intellectual elite, attended by poet Ludwig Giesebrecht, provincial governor Johann August Sack, City Council president Leon Saunier, Princess Elisabeth of Brunswick, as well as local and Berlin-based artists.<\/div><\/div><\/p>\n\n

In the towns of the region, such as Szczecin and Stargard, permanent theatrical venues with their own buildings began to emerge. Spa towns also established their own theaters: Kolberg (Stadttheater Kolberg, from 1868) and \u015awinouj\u015bcie (from 1859). The Municipal Theater in Szczecin was particularly magnificent. It was erected between 1846 and 1849 on the site known as the White Parade Square, based on a design by the renowned theater and opera architect Carl Ferdinand Langhans (1781\u20131869). Langhans was well-known for his designs of classical theater buildings across German lands, including in Legnica, Szczecin, Dessau, and Leipzig.<\/p>\n

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Municipal Theater in Szczecin, currently non-existent, author: Busol, source: [https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Stadttheater_Stettin.jpg](https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Stadttheater_Stettin.jpg), CC BY-SA 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

19th-century architecture in Western Pomerania<\/p>\n\n

The 19th century was a period of dynamic urban growth. In the last quarter of the century, modern fortresses were decommissioned, enabling the expansion of urban centers that previously held this status (such as Szczecin in 1873, and Ko\u0142obrzeg as a land fortress in 1872 and a naval fortress in 1887). In Pomeranian towns that had preserved their medieval defensive walls, authorities began demolishing ramparts, filling in moats, and tearing down sections of walls. In their place, green spaces and promenades (planty<\/i>) were laid out\u2014Stargard being a prime example of a town where earthworks and bastions were leveled to create public parks.<\/p>

The transformation of expanding, industrializing cities brought forth a wave of new architecture. Among the newly erected structures, Neo-Gothic<\/b> style dominated. Key examples include:<\/p>