View source for Darłowo

{{EngvarB|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Darłowo
| image_skyline = {{Photomontage
| color = #ffffff
| photo1a = Darlowo rynek (1).jpg{{!}}Market Square with the Town Hall and the nearby Our Lady of Częstochowa Church
| photo2a = Zamek Książąt Pomorskich w Darłowie01.jpg{{!}}Darłowo Castle
| photo2b = Latarnia morska Darłowo od strony zachodniej.jpg{{!}}Port of Darłowo and Darłowo Lighthouse
| spacing = 2
| border = 0
| size = 264
}}
| image_caption = {{hlist|From top, left to right: Market Square with the Town Hall and the nearby [[Our Lady of Częstochowa Church, Darłowo|Our Lady of Częstochowa Church]]|[[Darłowo Castle]]|[[Port of Darłowo]] and [[Darłowo Lighthouse]]}}
| image_shield = POL Darłowo COA.svg
| image_flag = File:Darłowo city flag.png
| pushpin_map = Poland
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|West Pomeranian Voivodeship|name=West Pomeranian}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[Powiat|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Sławno County|Sławno]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Gmina]]
| subdivision_name3 = Darłowo <small>(urban gmina)</small>
| established_title = City rights
| established_date = 1271
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Arkadiusz Wojciech Klimowicz
| elevation_min_m = 1
| elevation_max_m = 5
| area_total_km2 = 19.93
| population_as_of = 31 December 2021<ref name="population">{{cite web|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/BDL/dane/teryt/jednostka|title=Local Data Bank|access-date=2022-07-28|publisher=Statistics Poland}} Data for territorial unit 3213011.</ref>
| population_total = 13,324
| population_density_km2 = auto
| coordinates = {{coord|54|25|15|N|16|24|35|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 76–150 and 76–153
| area_code = +48 94
| blank_name = [[Vehicle registration plates of Poland|Car plates]]
| blank_info = ZSL
| blank_name_sec2 = [[National roads in Poland|National roads]]
| blank_info_sec2 = [[File:DK37-PL.svg|32px]]
| blank1_name_sec2 = [[Voivodeship road]]s
| blank1_info_sec2 = [[File:DW203-PL.svg|32px]] [[File:DW205-PL.svg|32px]]
| website = {{URL|http://www.darlowo.pl/}}
}}
'''Darłowo''' ({{IPA|pl|darˈwɔvɔ|lang|pl-Darłowo.ogg}}; {{Langx|csb|Dërłowò}}; {{Langx|de|Rügenwalde}}) is a [[seaside town]] on the [[Slovincian Coast]] of north-western [[Poland]], south of the [[Baltic Sea]],{{TERYT}} with 13,324 inhabitants as of December 2021.<ref name = population /> Administratively, it is located in [[Sławno County]] in [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship]].

The earliest archaeological signs of a settlement in the area occurred when [[Roman Empire|Roman merchants]] travelled along the [[Amber Road]] in the hope of trading precious metals like bronze and silver for amber.<ref name="sztetl.org.pl">{{cite web|url=http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/article/darlowo/3,local-history/|title=Local history – Information about the town – Darłowo – Virtual Shtetl|access-date=28 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329140937/http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/article/darlowo/3,local-history/|archive-date=29 March 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> By the 11th century the location of the later town was already becoming a significant trading point. The settlement received its town rights in 1312. Over the years [[Dukes of Pomerania]] constructed a [[Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes in Darłowo|Ducal Castle]] called Dirlow on a nearby island and chose it as their seat.

It was here that the largest artillery piece in the world, [[Schwerer Gustav]], was constructed and tested by [[Nazi Germany]] during [[World War II]].

The original medieval outline of Darłowo has been preserved to this day. The Old Town, [[Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes in Darłowo|Ducal Castle]] and local beaches are popular among holidaymakers. Darłowo is also an important historical centre as it is the birthplace and burial site of [[Eric the Pomeranian|Eric of Pomerania]], [[King of Denmark]], [[King of Sweden|Sweden]] and [[King of Norway|Norway]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.darlowo.pl/en/|title=Królewskie Miasto Darłowo – darlowo.pl – serwis informacyjny, pomorze, wybrzeże, zabytki, wakacje, zdjecia, galeria, wypoczynek, wyszukiwarka, baza turystyczna, informacje dla turystow|access-date=28 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612185041/https://www.darlowo.pl/en/|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
After the last [[Ice-age]] had ended at about 8000 BC, settlers of the [[Early history of Pomerania|Stone Age]] first populated the region.<ref>As an example, near to the village of [[Słowino]], {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=off}} away from the town, a {{convert|8.5|cm|2|abbr=off|adj=mid|-long}} axe with a shaft hole, made from [[diorite]], has been found, cf. ''40. Jahresbericht der pommerschen Gesellschaft für Geschichte und Altertumskunde'', 1877/1878, p. 463.</ref>
Around 100 AD the region of the later town was inhabited by the East Germanic tribe of the [[Rugii]]. According to [[Ptolemy]] at the site of the later city was a settlement called Rugium.
[[File:DARŁOWO 11.JPG|thumb|right|[[Tenements]] in the Old Town]]

===Middle Ages===
In the 10th century, the region became part of the emerging country of Poland under its first ruler [[Mieszko I]]. By the eleventh century a fortress named Dirlow, (or Dirlovo) existed where the River [[Wieprza]] entered the Baltic.<ref>E. Walter: ''Über Altertümer und Ausgrabungen in Pommern'', Jahresbericht der Gesellschaft für pommersche Geschichte und Altertumskunde, 1. Mai 1914 bis 31. März 1915, Vol. 77, p. 280.</ref> From this fortress, the district of Dirlow was administered, which belonged to the castellany of [[Sławno]]. A town was later founded in the district of Dirlow, but not at the location of the fortress itself. Following Poland's fragmentation, it was at various times part of the western and eastern duchies of Pomerania.

The town was probably founded in 1270 by [[Vitslav II, Prince of Rügen|Vitslav II]] of the [[Denmark|Danish]] [[Principality of Rügen]], at that time also ruler of the [[Lands of Schlawe and Stolp|Lands of Sławno and Słupsk]]. The first mention of the town is in a document of 5 February 1271.<ref>''Der Kreis Schlawe – Ein pommersches Heimatbuch'' (edited by Manfred Vollack and Ernst Hubert Michaelis, Heimatkreisausschuss Schlawe), Husum Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft, Husum 1986, p. 698, {{ISBN|3-88042-337-7}}</ref> The settlement decayed.<ref name="Buchholz"/><ref>Rembert Unterstell: ''Klio in Pommern – Die Geschichte der pommerschen Historiographie 1815 bis 1945'', Böhlau, 1996, p.81, {{ISBN|3-412-14495-9}}</ref>

The town was destroyed in 1283 during a conflict between Vitslav II and [[Mestwin II]] (Polish: Mszczuj or Mściwój).<ref>Wielka Encyklopedia PWN [Great Encyclopaedia of Polish Scientific Publishing House], Warsaw 2001–2005, article on Darłowo.</ref> In a chronicle of 1652, [[Matthäus Merian]] stated that the town had been destroyed by Bogislaw of Pomerania, when after Mestwin's II death in December 1294 the Duke [[Przemysł II]] (future king) of Poland acquired the town, as a consequence of [[Treaty of Kępno]].

In 1308, the town along with the coastal region of Poland was invaded and occupied by [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg]]. The town was rebuilt and on 21 May 1312, it was granted [[Lübeck law]] under the administration of the noble brothers John, Peter, and Lawrence<ref>In the "Handfeste" document the brothers call themselves: "Petrus dei gracia comes de Nuwenburg et domines Johannes et Laurentius, felicis memoriae dominis Suensones filii"; in another document of 9 October 1313 they call themselves "Petrus, Jasco et Laurencius germani, dicti de Nuwenborch"; cites from ''Scriptores Rerum Prussicarum: Die Geschichtsquellen der Preussischen Vorzeit bis zum Untergange der Ordensherrschaft''[https://books.google.com/books?id=YX8OAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA701]</ref> of the [[Swienca family]],<ref>Eberhard Völker, Pommern und Ostbrandenburger, 2000, p.37, {{ISBN|3-7844-2756-1}}</ref> vassals of the [[Margraviate of Brandenburg|Brandenburg margraves]] since 1308.<ref>Radosław Gaziński, Paweł Gut, Maciej Szukała, [[Peter Oliver Loew]], Archiwum Państwowe w Szczecinie, Poland Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych, Archiwum Państwowe w Szczecinie, Poland, Naczelna Dyrekcja Archiwów Państwowych, Staatsarchiv Stettin- Wegweiser durch die Bestände bis zum Jahr 1945, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 2004, p.336 {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ZmTZrs8dBEC&pg=PA336|title = Staatsarchiv Stettin - Wegweiser durch die Bestände bis zum Jahr 1945|isbn = 9783486576412|last1 = (Stettin)|first1 = Archiwum Państwowe|year = 2004| publisher=Oldenbourg }}</ref> The Brandenburg margraves undertook in 1308 a campaign against [[Gdańsk]], Poland.<ref name="Buchholz">Werner Buchholz: ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, pp.77–80, {{ISBN|3-88680-272-8}}</ref><ref>Jan M Piskorski: ''Pommern im Wandel der Zeiten'', 1999, p. 68, {{ISBN|83-906184-8-6}} {{OCLC|43087092}}: rough translation: "In 1308 the Brandenburgians subdued the areas of Stolp, Schlawe, and Danzig. Despite their eviction from Danzig by the Teutonic knights, they stayed in charge of the mouths of the Wipper and Stolpe rivers."</ref>

The town passed to the [[Duchy of Pomerania]] in 1347,<ref>Werner Buchholz: ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, p.105, {{ISBN|3-88680-272-8}}</ref> at that time ruled by the brothers [[Bogislaw V, Duke of Pomerania|Bogislaw V]], [[Wartislaw V]], and [[Barnim IV, Duke of Pomerania|Barnim IV]] of the [[House of Pomerania]] dynasty. Bogislaw, son-in-law of king [[Casimir III of Poland]], would become ruler of the area after the partition of Pomerania-Wolgast in 1368. This part duchy was known as [[Pomerania-Stolp]] (''Duchy of Słupsk''). Duke [[Bogislaw VIII, Duke of Pomerania|Bogislaw VIII]], a Polish vassal, tried to direct Polish Baltic trade to the [[Port of Darłowo]], but without success.<ref>K. Kozłowski, J. Podralski, ''Gryfici. Książęta Pomorza Zachodniego'', Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, Szczecin, 1985, p. 73.</ref>

===Transition to modern times===
[[File:Marktplatz Darlowo.jpg|thumb|right|Darłowo's Main Market Square]]
In 1352 the construction of the castle began, and co-operation with the [[Hanseatic League]] was initiated, with the town becoming a full member of the organization in 1412. The town had its own trade fleet, larger than in other surrounding towns; it actively traded with Lübeck, while boats and ships owned by local merchants travelled as far as [[Normandy]] and [[Spain]].<ref name="sztetl.org.pl"/> In 1382 [[Eric of Pomerania]], later the king of [[Norway]], [[Denmark]] and [[Sweden]], was born in the town. After losing his thrones, he returned to his birthplace and began to expand his duchy. After his death in 1459, he was buried in [[Our Lady of Częstochowa Church, Darłowo|St. Mary's Church]]. After Eric's death, the town was ruled by Duke Eric II of Pomerania-Wolgast.<ref>Gustav Kratz: ''Die Städte der Provinz Pommern'', Vaduz: Sändig Reprint Verlag, 1996 (unchanged reprint of the edition of 1886), p. 332.</ref>

Another significant ruler was [[Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania|Bogislaw X]] (1454–1523) under whose administration sea trade with the Hanseatic League and land trade with Poland grew increasing the prosperity of the area.<ref name="sztetl.org.pl"/>

The town suffered a series of natural disasters. In 1497 and 1552 the harbour of the town, known in German as ''Rügenwaldermünde'', and parts of the town were hit by great storms. Ships which broke from their moorings were seen drifting in the vicinity of the town and of the neighbouring village of Suckow. In 1589, 1624, 1648, 1679 and 1722 fires damaged the town.

From 1569 to 1622, it was the capital of a small eponymous duchy, and afterwards it was again part of the [[Duchy of Pomerania]]. After the death of the last [[Dukes of Pomerania|Pomeranian Duke]] [[Bogislaw XIV, Duke of Pomerania|Bogislaw XIV]] in 1637, the end of the contemporary [[Thirty Years' War]] in 1648 and the subsequent partition of the [[Duchy of Pomerania]] between the [[Swedish Empire]] and [[Brandenburg-Prussia]] in the [[Peace of Westphalia]] and the [[Treaty of Stettin (1653)]], Brandenburg included [[Farther Pomerania]] with Rügenwalde in [[Province of Pomerania (1653-1815)|her Pomeranian province]]. Following the annexation by Brandenburg the town entered a period of economic stagnation.<ref name="sztetl.org.pl"/> The harbour of Rügenwaldermünde was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War by [[Holy Roman Empire|imperial troops]], and was reconstructed by order of King [[Frederick II of Prussia]] not before 1772. The first lighthouse was built around the year 1715.

===19th and 20th centuries===
[[File:Rügenwalde Rathausplatz 1935.jpg|thumb|The town hall in 1935]]
During the [[Napoleonic Wars]] some of Rügenwalde's inhabitants, in particular ship owners and businessmen, profited from smuggling British goods to the continent. In 1871 the town, along with [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], became a part of the [[German Empire]]. A railway reached the town in 1878, providing connections with Danzig ([[Gdańsk]]) and Stettin ([[Szczecin]]). It simultaneously became a popular health resort, mainly due to the exceptional climate. The Royal Swedish Vice Consulate was located in the town in 1859–1901 (Vice Consul Bertold August Riensberg, b. 1823) and in 1914–1936 (Vice Consul Albert Rubensohn, b. 1879).

In 1935 the German Army ''{{interlanguage link|Rügenwalde{{!}}Firing Test Range Rügenwalde-Bad|de|Schießplatz Rügenwalde-Bad}}'', designed for testing heavy guns, including long-range railway guns such as [[Krupp K5]], was built between Rügenwalde's harbour Rügenwaldermünde and the village of Suckow.<ref>Ulrich Ziervogel: ''Der Schießplatz in Rügenwalde-Bad'', in: ''Der Kreis Schlawe – Ein pommersches Heimatbuch'' (M. Vollack, Hrsg.), Vol. I: ''Der Kreis als Ganzes'', Husum 1986, {{ISBN|3-88042-239-7}}. pp. 294–296.</ref> Some of the largest guns in military history were tested here: [[Schwerer Gustav]] and [[Mörser Karl]]. Gun barrels with a length of up to {{convert|47|m|ft|abbr=off}} were tested. For long-distance tests, target areas within the Baltic Sea North of Großmöllendorf and Henkenhagen (about {{convert|80|km|mi|abbr=off}} away from Rügenwaldermünde) and North of Dievenow and Swinemünde ({{convert|120|to(-)|130|km|mi|abbr=off}} away) were used. The test site was visited by high-ranking officers of the German Army, Air Force and Navy, including Admiral of the Fleet [[Erich Raeder]] and field marshals [[von Rundstedt]], [[Wilhelm Keitel]] and [[Hermann Göring]].

During [[World War II]], the Germans Nazi government operated a [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] subcamp of the [[Stalag II-B]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|prisoner-of-war camp]] for [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] POWs in the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stalag2b.free.fr/leskommandos.htm|title=Les Kommandos|website=Stalag IIB Hammerstein, Czarne en Pologne|access-date=4 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref>

===After the end of World War II===
[[File:Pomnik pierwszego powojennego burmistrza.jpg|thumb|Monument of the first post-war mayor of Darłowo, Stanisław Dulewicz]]
During [[World War II]] Rügenwalde was used to house families made homeless after the Allied bombing of Hagen and Bochum in the Ruhr district.
Shortly before the end of World War II, numerous German refugees from the provinces of [[East Prussia]] and [[Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia]] arrived in the region. In early 1945, about 5,600 people escaped by ships of [[Operation Hannibal]] before [[Red Army|Soviet Troops]] reached the town on 7 March 1945. About 3,500 citizens remained in the town or returned again after failing to escape.<ref>Carlheinz Rosenow: ''Rügenwalde and der Ostsee – Kleine Geschichte der Heimatstadt'', in: ''Der Kreis Schlawe'', Vol. II, Husum 1989, pp. 687–698.</ref>

Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, border changes promulgated at the [[Potsdam Conference]] assigned the town once again to Poland, and its [[Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland after World War II|German population was expelled]].<ref>Manfred Vollack (ed.): ''Der Kreis Schlawe'', Vol. I: ''Der Kreis als Ganzes'', Vol. II: ''Die Städte und Landgemeinden'', Husum 1986/1989.</ref> The first expulsion of the surviving German inhabitants took place on 17 October 1945, followed by a series of further expulsions beginning on 17 August 1946. In 1949 only about 70 Germans were left in the town. In 1946–47, the town was repopulated with [[Polish people|Poles]] and [[Lemkos]], who partly came from what had been eastern Poland but was [[Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union|annexed by the Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t4SwCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA72|title=The Soviet Takeover of the Polish Eastern Provinces, 1939–41|first=Keith|last=Sword|date=25 June 1991|publisher=Springer|isbn=9781349213795}}</ref> The town was given the Polish name Dyrłów, and later Darłów, before changing to the current name.

The German name ''Rügenwalde'' was best known in Germany for the production of the [[Rügenwalder Teewurst]] in the town; after [[World War II]] the production was restarted in [[West Germany]] under the old name.

From 1950 to 1998, it was administratively located in the [[Koszalin Voivodeship (disambiguation)|Koszalin Voivodeship]].

Today the Polish Darłowo is a summer resort. A coast aquapark with desalinated seawater is available there, the only one in Poland.

==Main sights==
[[File:Darlowko plaza.jpg|thumb|220px|Beach in [[Darłówko]]]]
The entire Old Town area in Darłowo has been entirely preserved. Darłowo has maintained the unique medieval urban planning with the main square in the middle of the town. During medieval times the town was surrounded by walls and had four gates; only one gate, ''Brama Wysoka'' (High Gate), has survived in a fairly original shape.

===Castle of Pomeranian Dukes===

Although documents directly relating to the construction of the castle in Darłowo have not been found yet, the results of archaeological and architectural and historical premises allow us to date back the creation of the castle to the second half of the fourteenth century. It was during the reign of the prince of the House of Griffins, Boguslaw V and Elizabeth, the daughter of King Casimir the Great. The prince purchased the island with a mill in 1352 from a rich burgher of Darłowo – Elizabeth von Behr – in order to build a fortress on it. Over the decades, a castle had grown on the island, which in its main outlines has survived to this day. The work of Boguslaw V was at that time so representative that so that as early as in 1372 a congress of the Pomeranian princes – brothers and cousins Boguslaw took place within its walls. The first sovereign, who modernised the defence system and extended the castle was Prince Eric the Pomeranian. It took place in the years 1449 to 1459, when after the loss of the throne of Scandinavia, the dethroned king returned to his legacy.

An old king was accompanied by a beautiful and young servant-maid Cecilia, who was the love of his life. Historians still argue about who this mysterious woman really was. Some of them maintain that in the last years of his life, reaching his seventies – she became his wife. One of the contemporary chronicles mention her as "the queen Cecilia".

{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 220
| image1 = Darlowo3.jpg
| caption1 = [[Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes in Darłowo|Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes]]
| image2 = Darlowo zamek muzeum (1).jpg
| caption2 = [[Brick gothic]] interior of the castle
}}
Shrouded in mystery, the history of the great love of King Eric and Cecilia became an inspiration for artists. The poem "The Return of the Prince Eric" was created by a poet and writer of Koszalin – Czeslaw Zea, and an American journalist and writer Lucie Lehmann – Barclay has been penetrating the archives of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany and the UK for several years in search of traces of Cecilia and Eric. The aim of the writer is to create a love novel of this unique pair based on historical facts.
The initial appearance of a medieval fortress of Darłowo was an inspiration to build a similar but larger Kronborg Castle by King Erik in Denmark, where after years, William Shakespeare placed the action of "Hamlet".

The castle of Darłowo is also associated with the figure of Eric Pomerania's granddaughter – Princess Sophia. Legend attributes to her, apparently contrary to the historical facts, cruelty, for which she lingers as the White Lady after her death, circling the castle. The character of Princess Sophia is also related to a romantic love story. The lady of the Darłowo castle was to bestow John of Maszewo with great reciprocating feeling. His Gothic tenement still stands today on the corner of the streets of Powstańców Warszawskich and Morska. Supposedly, the ducal castle was connected with the house of the knight with a secret underground passage, which the knight used at night to sneak into his Lady's...
The historical novel based on the life of Princess Sophia, entitled "Beautiful Princess", was written by a writer Zbysław Gorecki living in Darłowo for many years. In the Prussian times, the castle served partly as a warehouse and fell into ruin. Only at the end of the 1930s, a regional museum was created there and it is operating. Its founder and first curator was Karl Rosenow.

Today the castle serves as a Polish Museum.<ref>Karl Rosenow: ''Das Herzogsschloß zu Rügenwalde – Seine Geschichte'',in: ''Der Kreis Schlawe – Ein pommersches Heimatbuch'' (M.Vollack, ed.), Vol.II: ''Die Städte und Landgemeinden'', Husum 1989, {{ISBN|3-88042-337-7}}, pp. 698–712.</ref> The castle is built in gothic style on a base plan resembling a square; its tower is {{convert|24|m|ft|abbr=off}} high. This is the only castle of such characteristic on the Polish seacoast.

The peculiarity of Darłowo museum is a two-headed calf, which was probably born in the village Janiewice, district of Sławno in 1919. Another interesting feature of the castle is a cat mummy and a golden sculpture of a dove – a talisman of luck for King Eric and Cecilia. Since the autumn of 2010, a statue of King Eric, showing the "king of exile" has been standing in the courtyard, funded by the Baltic Cooperative Bank in Darłowo.

===Medieval churches===
{{multiple image 
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| perrow = 2
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| image1 = Darlowo kosciol MBC (1).jpg
| image2 = Darlowo St. Gertrude Church 2010-06 B.jpg
| caption1 = [[Our Lady of Częstochowa Church, Darłowo|Our Lady of Częstochowa Church]]
| caption2 = [[St. Gertrude's Church, Darłowo|St. Gertrude's Church]]
}}
The main landmark church of Darłowo is the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] [[Our Lady of Częstochowa Church, Darłowo|Our Lady of Częstochowa Church]] from the 14th century, which contains rich Gothic, [[Renaissance]] and [[Baroque]] interior and furnishings. It is the burial site of [[Eric of Pomerania]], King of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

The [[St. Gertrude's Church, Darłowo|St. Gertrude's Church]] is a [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] church dating back to the 15th century. It is Poland's only church built in [[Scandinavia]]n-style Gothic. In connection with the history of the church, a traditional annual procession takes place in Darłowo in September. The church organs serve both worshipers and Polish and international virtuosos during the annual summer organ festivals organised by the Koszalin Philharmonic.

The smallest of the surviving medieval churches in Darłowo is brick, plastered, one-[[nave]] church of [[St. George]] from the 15th century. This type of hospital churches were built outside the city walls because of the spread of epidemics such as smallpox and leprosy. Two hospitals belonged to this church: the Holy Spirit, where there were the poor and the sick, and the Holy Jurgen, primarily serving the lepers. In 1680 and beyond, the church was surrounded by 30 clay huts, covered with reeds, where the sick and the senility lived. Around the huts, there were small vegetable gardens. People who lived in the huts, often cleaned Darłowo market, or worked as gravediggers and pallbearer. In the late nineteenth century, red-brick hospital in [[neo-Gothic]] style was built next to the church. Today it is a residential building.<ref>Karl Rosenow: ''Die St. Jürgen-Kapelle'', in: ''Der Kreis Schlawe – Ein pommersches Heimatbuch'' (M. Vollack, ed.), Vol.II: ''Die Städte und Landgemeinden'', Husum 1989, {{ISBN|3-88042-337-7}}, pp. 725–726.</ref>

===The Town Hall===
[[File:Darlowo ratusz.jpg|thumb|Town Hall]]
The old City Hall (''Ratusz''), which stood in the centre of the market, burned down during the great fire in 1722. Then, the municipal government moved to "Cloth Hall" of Darłowo – completely rebuilt halls, located near St. Mary's Church, which since 1725 years has been officially the town hall venue. The interior is non-historical. It is worth to notice the Renaissance portal remaining after the previous town hall, which is located above the door. Coat of arms of the city – a griffin with a tail of a fish – and an inscription in Latin, which in translation reads: "The city was founded in the 12th (the last two digits of the date has not been included because they were then known), the AD, was enlarged in 1312. Three times burned: 1589, 1624, 1648. as many times risen from the ashes. Kind to God and the prince, be always fortunate. Grow and flourish. May God make you happy and may Prince protect you for a long time. But the despair, the fire destroyed it again in 1675 and 1722 and the town hall was rebuilt in 1725 and let it be for the last time".

Dreams of the citizens came true. To this day, the Town Hall is home to the municipal government and the city – untouched – survived the march of the Red Army that won the Western Pomerania in winter of 1945.
<ref>Karl Rosenow: ''Der Kreis Schlawe – Ein pommersches Heimatbuch'' (M.Vollack,ed.), Vol. II: ''Die Städte und Landgemeinden'', Husum 1989, {{ISBN|3-88042-337-7}}, pp. 726–728.</ref>

===The Fountain – Fisherman Memorial===
[[File:Darłowo-Castle Inn's back side.JPG|thumb|right|A [[timber-frame]]d 18th-century [[inn]]]]
It has been located on Darłowo market since 1919. It was made by the sculptor Wilhelm Groß (1883–1974) from Sławno as a monument to honour the people of the sea. The founder of the fountain was the richest Darłowo shipowner – the one from the family of Hemptenmacher, whose house is located at the intersection of ul. Powstańców Warszawskich and ul. Rynkowa. What deserves the attention are four bronze plaques depicting the scenes from the life of the former inhabitants of Darłowo. The board from the side of the Town Hall presents a knight pointing an area where the city was founded. Beside him, there is a scribe and workers digging a ditch, having to circle the fortified castle. From the north, the artist presented the longshoremen working on the loading ship. On the eastern plate, there is koga floating on the waves of the Hanseatic. On the final relief, facing the south, it is shown how a shepherd is guarding a flock of sheep and a woman herding geese.
Goose meat, especially liver were the best export product of the former Darłowo.

===High Gate===
[[File:Darlowo Brama Wysoka (1).jpg|thumb|220px|High Gate]]
The High Gate (''Brama Wysoka'') is one of the three city gates and the only one that survived until today. The residue of the old city fortifications that surrounded the city with a 1500-meter long wall. It was rebuilt in 1732. It is placed on a square, four-pointed arch crossing, covered with a hipped roof, decorated with pointed-arch blinds. Inside, there are still preserved bullet holes.

[[File:Darłowo lighthouse kz01.jpg|thumb|220px|[[Darłowo Lighthouse|Lighthouse at Darłowo harbour]]]]

===Lighthouse===
Easternmost lighthouse that belongs to the West Coast is the lighthouse in Darłówko, built at the base of the eastern breakwater at the mouth Wieprza flowing into the Baltic Sea. The first mention of Darłowo lighthouse comes from 1715, when the city authorities ordered to set lights on both sides of the mouth of Wieprza.

It is known that it was only in 1885 when a small pilot ship station was built at the base of the eastern breakwater ground floor. It was a relatively tall red brick building, which adjoins a tower built in the square. At the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century, the lighthouse underwent several upgrades. The lamp lenses were replaced and the power and colour of the light source were increased. In 1927, the tower was raised by one floor. The building is crowned with a white steel dome, where the light source was moved. Since then, the appearance of the whole building to the present day has undergone only cosmetic changes.

Today, the height of the tower is {{convert|22|m|ft|abbr=off}}, and the range of light pointing the way to the port is nearly {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=off}}. The lighthouse is open for tourists in summer.

The lighthouse of Darłowo is the only lighthouse in Poland built on a rectangular plan.

==Demographics==
Since the medieval Christianization of the region, the population of the town was Catholic. After the [[Reformation]], the vast majority of the town's population was composed of [[Protestantism|Protestants]]. Since the end of World War II the population of Darłowo has been Polish-speaking and either Roman Catholic or non-religious.

{| class="wikitable" width="40%"
|+ Number of inhabitants by year
|-
! Year
! Number
! Notes
|-
| 1740 || align="right" | 1,973<ref>''Erdbeschreibung der preußischen Monarchie'' (F. G. Leonhard, Hrsg.), Band 3, Halle 1794, [https://books.google.com/books?id=dPsAAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA1-PA872 S. 872–872] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706155659/https://books.google.de/books?id=dPsAAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA1-PA872 |date=6 July 2017 }}.</ref> ||
|-
| 1782 || align="right" | 2,255 || incl. 22 [[Jews]]<ref name="GK">Kratz (1865), [https://books.google.com/books?id=g2sRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA336 p. 336] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706172231/https://books.google.de/books?id=g2sRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA336 |date=6 July 2017 }}</ref>
|-
| 1791 || align="right" | 2,331 || incl. 29 Jews.<ref>[[Christian Friedrich Wutstrack]] (Hrsg.): ''Kurue historisch-geographisch-statistische Beschreibung von dem königlich-preußischen Herzogtum Vor- und Hinterpommern''. Stettin 1793, Übersichtstabelle auf S. 736.</ref>
|-
| 1794 || align="right" | 2,347 || incl. 29 Jews<ref name="GK"/>
|-
| 1812 || align="right" | 3,163 || incl. 47 Catholics and 33 Jews.<ref name="GK"/>
|-
| 1817 || align="right" | 3,754<ref>''Vollständige und neueste Erdbeschreibung der Preußischen Monarchie und des Freistaates Krakau'', bearbeitet von G. Hassel. [[Geographical Institute of Weimar|Geographisches Institut, Weimar]] 1819, [https://books.google.com/books?id=AOIBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA207 S. 207] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706153858/https://books.google.de/books?id=AOIBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA207 |date=6 July 2017 }}.</ref> ||
|-
| 1831 || align="right" | 3,393 || incl. 8 Catholics and 43 Jews.<ref name="GK"/>
|-
| 1843 || align="right" | 4,534 || incl. 18 Catholics and 67 Jews.<ref name="GK"/>
|-
| 1852 || align="right" | 5,060 || incl. 16 Catholics and 84 Jews.<ref name="GK"/>
|-
| 1861 || align="right" | 5,406 || incl. 5 Catholics and 117 Jews.<ref name="GK"/>
|-
| 1875 || align="right" | 5,174 ||
|-
| 1890 || align="right" | 5,296 || incl. 27 [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholics]] and 102 Jews
|-
| 1905 || align="right" | 5,986 || incl. 27 Catholics and 74 Jews<ref name="MKL" >''Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon'', 6th edition, Vol. 17, Leipzig and Vienna 1909, p, 242.</ref>
|-
| 1910 || align="right" | 5,978 ||
|-
| 1939 || align="right" | 8,392 ||
|-
| 1944 || align="right" | approx. 11,000 ||
|-
| 2008 || align="right" | 14,140 ||
|-
| 2013 || align="right" | 13,867 ||
|-
| 2021 || align="right" | 13,324<ref name = population /> ||
|}

==Sports==
The local [[Association football|football]] club is Darłovia Darłowo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://darlovia.pl|title=Darłovia Darłowo - strona klubu|access-date=4 September 2022|language=pl}}</ref> It competes in the lower leagues.

==Notable people==
[[File:Eric the Pomeranian of Denmark, Norway & Sweden statue 2010 Darłowo.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Statue of King [[Eric of Pomerania|Eric the Pomeranian]] at Darłowo Castle]]
* [[Eric of Pomerania]] KG (1381 or 1382–1459), the ruler of the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439
* [[Bogislaw X, Duke of Pomerania]] (1454–1523), Duke of Pomerania from 1474 to 1523
* [[August Koberstein]] (1797–1870), German literary historian.<ref>{{Cite Americana|wstitle= Koberstein, Karl August |volume= XVI |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Stanisław Flejterski]] (born 1948), Polish economist and professor of economic sciences

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}

===Twin towns – sister cities===
Darłowo is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
{| class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Gardelegen]], [[Germany]]
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Hässleholm]], [[Sweden]]
*{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Nexø]], [[Denmark]]
||
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Starý Hrozenkov]], [[Czech Republic]]
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Saint-Doulchard]], [[France]]
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Zingst, Germany|Zingst]], [[Germany]]
|}

==See also==
*[[Port of Darłowo]]
*[[Darłówko]]

==Literature==
* {{in lang|de}} Helge Bei der Wieden and Roderich Schmidt, eds.: ''Handbuch der historischen Stätten Deutschlands: Mecklenburg/Pommern'', Kröner, Stuttgart 1996, {{ISBN|978-3-520-31501-4}}, pp.&nbsp;262–264.
* {{in lang|de}} [[Gustav Kratz]]: ''Die Städte der Provinz Pommern – Abriß ihrer Geschichte, zumeist nach Urkunden'', Berlin 1865, pp.&nbsp;327–338 ([https://books.google.com/books?id=g2sRAAAAYAAJ online]).
* {{in lang|de}} Manfred Vollack (ed.): ''Der Kreis Schlawe – Ein pommersches Heimatbuch'', Husum: Husum Druck und Verlagsgesellschaft, 1986/1989, Vol. I: ''Der Kreis als Ganzes'', {{ISBN|3-88042-239-7}}, Vol. II: ''Die Städte und Landgemeinden'', {{ISBN|3-88042-337-7}} (The book contains several articles concerning the town of Rügenwalde, which had been written prior to World War II. Included is also a more recent article by [[Ellinor von Puttkamer]] on the [[Swienca family]].)

==References==
{{Reflist}}<!--added above External links/Sources by script-assisted edit-->

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [http://www.darlowo.pl/ Official website (pl)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180401004730/http://www.darlowo.info/ Portal Darłowo (pl)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050307114653/http://forum.darlowo.info/ Forum Darłowo (pl)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160810063100/http://www.sztetl.org.pl/en/city/darlowo/ Jewish Community in Darłowo] on Virtual Shtetl
* [http://www.mapa.darlowo.info/ City Map Darłowo (pl)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161115030238/http://zlot.darlowo.info/ Official site of International Military Meeting Darłowo]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120531035410/http://www.parkwodny.net/ Aquapark with desalted sea water]

{{Sławno County}}
{{Gmina Darłowo}}
{{Polish coast|state=autocollapse}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities and towns in West Pomeranian Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Poland]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in Poland]]
[[Category:Sławno County]]
[[Category:Members of the Hanseatic League]]
[[Category:Capitals of former nations]]