The building of the former Knights' Academy

The initiator of the founding of the Knights’ Academy was Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg. The idea was closely linked to the recognition of Kołobrzeg as a fortified city in 1653. At the Pomeranian Diet held in 1654, the idea of establishing the academy was put into practice. The organizer and first commander was Colonel Bogusław von Schwerin, the governor of Kołobrzeg. He headed the school from 1655 to 1678. From the outset, the academy’s purpose was to educate future army officers. The school was intended for boys aged 15–16. Naturally, these had to be youths of noble descent, though there were instances where descendants of wealthy bourgeois families were admitted. The curriculum included drill, horseback riding, fencing, the basics of fortification construction, mathematics, French language instruction, and dance. The academy initially enjoyed considerable interest, but this gradually waned. In 1701, due to a lack of candidates, the school was dissolved. In 1703, it was reactivated under the name Cadet School, but it was closed again as early as 1716.

The two-story building was constructed in the Florentine Renaissance style. It was designed on a rectangular floor plan. The facades are adorned with rusticated walls and a projecting cornice supported by corbels. The building was originally covered with a hipped roof. As a result of the hostilities during the last war, the academy building sustained serious damage. The roof and the first story collapsed. In the 1950s, a panoramic summer movie theater operated within the ruins. Later, the building was rebuilt as a sports hall for the Municipal Sports and Recreation Center. A restaurant operates in the historic basement.