Darłowo (in full The Royal City of Darłowo) is a town at the south coast of the Baltic Sea in Middle Pomerania, north-western Poland, with 14,931 inhabitants (2006). Located in Sławno County in West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999.
Pomeranian Dukes' Castle. It is the oldest and the best preserved edifice of the defense architecture in Pomerania. The erection of the castle was an initiative of Bogusław V the Duke. It was built on an inriver island.
St. Mary's Basilica from the 14th century - gothic style. In the side-chapel there are sarcophagi of Pomeranian duke Erick the First, as well as, the duchesses Jadwiga and Elżbieta - the wives of two last Pomeranian dukes.
Town Hall, rebuilt in1725, currently the seat of local government. (and a lot more)
fot: K Majchrowski, gallery thanks to www.darlowo.info
Numerous archeological findings reveal that, after the ice which had covered North-Eastern Europe had molten and the Ice-age had ended at about 8.000 B.C., settlers of the Stone Age first populated the region. Remainders of Celtic culture and Germanic culture, as well as of Baltic culture, influenced by contacts with Rome's merchants, were found in the area. Several Roman coins with portraits of Roman Emperors were found around Rügenwalde, today Darłowo. On Ptolemy's chart of Germania Magna a settlement of the Rugians called Rugium is listed in the vicinity of a river which probably is identical with River Grabow flowing into River Wipper. (more)
fot. Łukasz Skorwider