Taking Over By Polish People's Republic
After World War II, the Allies moved the Polish-German border to the west of the Oder-Neisse line. Most of Pomerania, including Stettin and the Oder mouth, was eventually given to Poland. The German inhabitants of Stettin first fled from the city and it was virtually deserted after being captured by Soviet army on 26 April 1945.
On 28 April 1945 Piotr Zaremba, nominated by Polish authorities as mayor of Szczecin and Pomerania, came to the city. In early May the Soviet authorities appointed the German Communists Erich Spiegel and Erich Wiesner as mayors. and forced Zaremba to leave the city twice According to Zaremba initially about 6,500 Germans remained in the city. The German population returned, as it was undecided if the city would be in Poland or in the Soviet occupation zone of Germany. Eventually Szczecin was handed over to Polish authorities on 5 July 1945.
The number of inhabitants:
- 1939: 382,000,
- 1945: 260,000 (German population partially expelled, war losses),
- 1950: 180,000. (German population entirely expelled and replaced by Polish immigrants)
Polish authorities were led by Piotr Zaremba. Many Germans had to work in the Soviet military bases that were outside Polish jurisdiction. In the 1950s most of Stettin's inhabitants were expelled from the city, although there was a significant German minority for the next 10 years.
Read more about this topic: History Of Szczecin
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