The Castle Terraces
The Castle Terraces in their present form were built during the last phase of reconstruction of the castle from the destruction after World War II (the reconstruction lasted from the 1950s to the 1980s). Their construction was related to the arrangement of the grounds adjacent to the historical building.
Stanislaw Latour, the author of the project, wrote: “…external viewing terraces were designed along the northern and eastern wings, separated from the greened earthen slopes by a stone balustrade made of sandstone.” As he reported, the escarpment on the eastern side, on which part of the terrace was located, “was formed from the rubble created after the destruction in air attacks of the previously existing urban buildings here.” The remains of the former buildings provided structural reinforcement for the piled up slope. The urban design also included the construction of a terrace supported by a new retaining wall along the southern wing. The implemented concept was a development and modification of design studies, created as early as 1961.
Due to its deteriorating condition, the terraces were closed at the end of the second decade of the 21st century. Since then they have been inaccessible to visitors.
Their modernization was possible thanks to the project “Comprehensive development of terraces and reconstruction of the northern wing of the Castle of Pomeranian Dukes in Szczecin”.
In the first stage of the project – completed in 2024 and subsidized by the EU under the Regional Operational Program of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship 2014-2020 – the eastern and southern terraces were modernized. They were rebuilt and reinforced with piles and injections. The eastern terrace is stabilized by 160 micropiles. A protective curtain was created from another 103. micropiles, which separates the castle terrace from the part of the slope belonging to private owners.
Granite paving, restored fencing, new small architecture (including pergolas, benches, stylized lamps with griffins, a fountain with the head of a Pomeranian griffin), flowerbeds and pots with greenery designed in a geometric style – all these elements create a striking surrounding for the Castle from Kusnierska Street (southern terrace) and from the Oder River (eastern terrace).
Thanks to special ramps and an automatic platform, the terraces are now accessible from Kusnierska Street for people with disabilities.
The first stage of the project also includes the modernization of the underground beneath the terraces and the southern and eastern wings.
The modernization of the north terrace is part of the second phase of the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2025.
