For most of its history Świnoujście was a Prussian and then German town called Swinemünde, meaning “mouth of the Świna”. Its fortunes were shaped by three things: the port, the fortress and the spa. The town has belonged to Poland since 1945.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1765 | Świnoujście receives its town charter. |
| 1824 | The first bathing season, the start of the resort. |
| 1848-1863 | Construction of the forts of the Świnoujście fortress: Fort Gerharda, Fort Anioła and the West Fort. |
| 1857 | The lighthouse light is lit for the first time (1 December). |
| 1873-1874 | Construction of Stawa Młyny at the end of the western breakwater. |
| 1874-1880 | The Piast Canal (Kaiserfahrt) is dug and Karsibór becomes an island. |
| 1895 | Świnoujście is granted spa status. |
| 12 March 1945 | An air raid on the town, crowded with refugees. |
| 5 May 1945 | The town surrenders to the Red Army. |
| 1945-1946 | The town passes to Polish administration. |
| 2008 | UBB trains from Germany start running to Świnoujście Centrum station. |
| 2010-2011 | Construction of the cross-border promenade to Ahlbeck and beyond. |
| 2015-2016 | The first LNG ship arrives and the gas terminal starts operating. |
| 30 June 2023 | The tunnel under the Świna opens. |
| 2025 | The S3 expressway from Świnoujście to the Czech border is completed. |
March 1945
The most tragic day in the town’s history was 12 March 1945. In the last weeks of the war, thousands of refugees from Germany’s former eastern provinces were in Świnoujście, waiting for evacuation ships. That day the town and port were bombed by the US Air Force. Historians estimate that between 4,000 and 6,000 people died, many of them civilians. Many victims were buried on Golm hill, just beyond today’s border, where there is a war cemetery and a memorial.
The town surrendered to the Red Army on 5 May 1945 and passed to Polish administration in 1945-1946.
Świnoujście today
Today it is a spa town, one of Poland’s most important ports and the westernmost port in the country. Since 2023 a tunnel under the Świna has linked the islands of Usedom and Wolin, and since 2025 the S3 expressway has led to the town.
