Bytów

Old Town (top) and Teutonic castle (bottom)

Flag

Coat of arms

Bytów

Coordinates: 54°8′N 17°30′E / 54.133°N 17.500°E

Country

Established

12th century

Town rights

1346

Government

• Mayor

Ryszard Sylka

Area

• Total

8.72 km² (3.37 sq mi)

Population (2006)

• Total

16,715

• Density

1,900/km² (5,000/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

77-100

Area code(s)

+48 59

Car plates

GBY

Website

http://www.bytow.com.pl

Bytów [ˈbɨtuf] (Kashubian: Bëtowò; German: Bütow (listen) is a town in the Gdańsk Pomerania region of northern Poland with 16,888 inhabitants (2004). Previously in Słupsk Voivodeship (1975–1998), it is the capital of Bytów County in Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999).

The origins of Bytów can be traced back to the early Middle Ages when a fortified stronghold once stood near the town. Bytów was later mentioned, under the Latin name castrum nomine Bitom, by notable Gallus Anonymus in his Chronicles describing medieval Poland. During the Thirteen Years' War (1454-1466), Bytów was the sight of heavy fighting and changed hands over time. Eventually, King Casimir IV Jagiellon granted the town to Eric II, Duke of Pomerania, as a perpetual fiefdom. After the Partitions of Poland, Bytów became part of German Prussia and remained in Germany until the end of World War II. At the final stages of the war, Bytów was the center of heavy artillery shelling initiated by the Red Army; as a result over 55% of buildings were destroyed.

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Wikipedia