Trzebiatów Market Square and Town Hall

Trzebiatów Market Square and Town Hall (Trzebiatów is pronounced roughly "tsheh-BYAH-toof") form the heart of a small medieval town in northwestern Poland, about 30 km southwest of the Baltic resort of Kołobrzeg and some 110 km northeast of Szczecin. Cobblestones, a 1701 town hall, gabled merchants' houses and the 90 m spire of St. Mary's Church make it one of the prettiest old towns on this coast.

Where it is and how to get there

Trzebiatów lies on the Rega River, about 9 km inland. Regional trains on the Kołobrzeg to Goleniów line stop here, and Szczecin-Goleniów Airport is the nearest airport. Drivers use regional road 102 from Kołobrzeg or road 109 from the seaside village of Mrzeżyno. Parking in the center is paid on weekdays, in Polish złoty (PLN).

A Hanseatic town that changed Pomerania

The town, called Treptow an der Rega until 1945, received town rights under Lübeck law on May 6, 1277. Its grid of three long and five cross streets has survived since then, and the whole Old Town is a protected monument. In the 15th century it belonged to the Hanseatic League. Much of its 2.5 km ring of brick walls still stands, though none of the four gates survived.

In December 1534 a diet held in the nearby Chapel of the Holy Spirit decided to introduce the Lutheran Reformation in the Duchy of Pomerania. The reformer Johannes Bugenhagen, later a close ally of Martin Luther, had been rector of the town school. After World War II the town became Polish and its German population was expelled.

The town hall

The first Gothic town hall burned in 1696; the present brick building dates from 1701 and rests on medieval remains. Look for:

• three Gothic arches on the west side, left from the older building,
• a tower with a baroque cupola and four clock faces,
• an inner courtyard, visible only from inside.

A bugle call (hejnał), composed in 1977 for the town's 700th anniversary, plays from the tower at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. The building houses the town council, not a museum.

Hansken the elephant

The houses around the square were rebuilt around 1700 after a great fire, each with its own facade. On house No. 26 you will find a sgraffito of Hansken, a famous touring elephant that visited in 1639; it was uncovered in 1914 and is now the town's logo. The roughly 2 km Elephant Trail links the main sights, with signs in Polish and German.

Practical tips (as of October 2026)

The square is open at all times and free. A tourist information point operates at the town hall; check its current hours on its social media page. Allow 1 to 2 hours for the Old Town. In summer the square hosts events such as the Porridge Festival, inspired by a local legend.

Nearby

St. Mary's Church is two minutes' walk away, the palace museum stands by the millrace, and the Kaszana Tower guards the old walls. The beach at Mrzeżyno is about 10 km north.