Stettin, the capital of the Prussian province of Pomerania, and one of the busiest ports on the southern side of the Baltic, stands on both banks of the Oder, 30 miles from the Baltic and 60 miles by rail (120 by river and canal) N.E. of Berlin. The more important of the public buildings are the Gothic church of St Peter (founded 1124), the large church of St James (14th century), the royal palace (1575), two ornamental arches, a hospital, town-house, theatre, &c. The strong fortifications were only removed in 1874; since then the ground on which they stood has been rapidly built over, so that Stettin now forms virtually one large town with Bredow (pop. 13,713), Grabow (15,644), and Zülchow (6711). Excluding these places, Stettin has a pop. of (1871) 76,154; (1890) 116,139. It is the seat of considerable industrial activity, chiefly in connection with shipbuilding, cement, sugar, paper, spirits, soap and candles, matches, clothing, oil-refining, chicory, chemicals, flour, sewing-machines, bricks, machinery. The river has a depth of 17 to 21 feet opposite the wharves. The port is entered by an average of 3640 vessels of 1,257,600 tons a year (466 vessels of 356,800 tons British), importing principally petroleum and other oils (annual value £1,100,000), rye, coffee, herrings, chemicals, groceries, cotton, seeds, iron, cement, timber, coal, oats, spirits, wool, hides, to the total value of £7,615,000 annually. The exports reach an average of £7,432,700, and embrace sugar (£1,298,000), metals (£936,000), cereals, spirits, seeds, timber, cement, and herrings. Great Britain supplies from two to three millions sterling of the imports, and takes about two millions of the exports. Stettin was the seat of a princely dynasty, 1107 to 1637; was occupied by Sweden, 1648-1720; by the French,
1806-13. See works by Berghaus (1876), Th. Schmidt (1875), and W. H. Meyer (1887).