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The Świna is one of the arms or straits draining the waters of the Bay of Szczecin -

especially the Odra - into the Baltic Sea. The other arms are the Piana (Peenestrom or Peene) and the Dziwna. Seafaring between the Szczecin port, since the 11th century, and the Baltic has always depended on shifting depths and required precise marking of waterways. The Świna hasn’t always been the main navigational channel for vessels heading from Szczecin towards the Baltic; for a long time this role was fulfilled by the Piana. This situation remained until 1793, when - by the decision of the king of Prussia - the construction of a port and city at the Świna estuary was commenced. The reason behind this sudden decision was high duty imposed on ships navigating the Piana, under the jurisdiction of Sweden. The route mainly took into account favorable conditions of the Bay of Pomerania to create sheltered anchorage for ships waiting to be loaded or unloaded at either the Świnoujście or Szczecin port.
The Świnoujście port was expanded and its waterway deepened between 1738-1740; a few years later, in 1747, the harbour became a seaport. Municipal rights were granted in 1765. The banks of Świna within its estuary and the newly created port were reinforced as far as possible and as technology of the time allowed. This was done with fascine and wooden stakes set deep into the banks. At that time similar technologies were used in other ports, such as Gdańsk. In order to make the breakwaters marking the entrance to port clearly visible to ships, wooden joints were erected at their ends with a characteristic topmarks. At night fires were lit near them or placed on top of the signs as required. Between
1849-1855 the eastern bank of Świna was timbered and reinforced again as far as Chorzelin, introducing stone constructions [2]. (...)
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