Former Free Port

The headquarters of Zarząd Portów Morskich Szczecin-Świnoujście SA is a four-story red-brick building located at 4 Bytomska Street on the island of Łasztownia. The building was opened in 1898 as a free port, and the opening ceremony was graced by Emperor Wilhelm II Hohenzollern himself, who uttered the famous words, “Our future is tied to water.” The new building housed the offices of the port authority, which oversaw the transport of goods from the Baltic Sea via the Oder River all the way to Silesia. The authority also managed the duty-free zone—an area of nearly 1,700^m² where sailing ships and barges were unloaded. Two port cranes (one of which was located inside the building and was used to transfer millstones) and a scale aided in this work. The free-trade zone, the port authority building, and the entire port complex were razed to the ground during World War II and Allied bombing raids. After the war, the building was rebuilt and currently serves as the headquarters of the Szczecin-Świnoujście Seaports Authority, which oversees maritime and inland waterway shipping. At the administration headquarters, you can sign up for a bus tour of the port (details on the website: www.port.szczecin.pl/pl/porty/wizyty-na-terenie-portu/). Ships are moored along the waterfront at Wały Chrobrego, ready to take interested tourists on a tour of the port from the river side.