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Stettin Zentrum 1945

Just a few years before the outbreak of World War II, Szczecin became one of the strategic industrial centers of the Third Reich. Due to its location, far from both Western European countries and the USSR, as well as the seaport in the city, Szczecin seemed little threatened by possible air raids. For this reason, an aero engine factory was launched in Załom near Szczecin, a large synthetic gasoline factory was built under Police, and in Peenemünde, about 100 kilometers north of Szczecin, experiments with V1 rockets were carried out. Due to the convenient location of the city, the shipyard, Stoewer's car factory and about 600 other factories in Szczecin were converted to war needs. During World War II, the city suffered damage as a result of British and American air raids. On April 26, 1945 Szczecin was taken over by the Red Army, and two days later the first Polish president - Piotr Zaremba - came to him.