Bytow

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 / 54.133; 17.500
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Pomeranian
County	Bytów County
Gmina	Gmina Bytów
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.