Krzekowo-Bezrzecze () is an administrative neighbourhood forming a subdivision of the West district in the city of Szczecin, Poland. The area features two small residential areas, consisting of single-family detached homes and teraced houes. It includes the neighbourhoods of Krzekowo in the south and Bezrzecze in the north. It has an area of 3.82 km2 (1.47 sq mi), and in 2025, it had a population of 5,163 people. The neighbourhood features the Holy Trinity Church, a Roman Catholic parish church dating to the 13th century, from before 1261.
The oldest known artifacts of human activity in the area date to the Mesolithic period, while the oldest known settlements date to the Neolithic period. The area also included a settlement of the Lusatian culture, and later the Hallstatt culture, during the Bronze Age, as well as during the Early Middle Ages, with settlements from between 6th and 7th centuries, from the turn of the 10th century, and from the 13th century. The oldest known records of the hamlet of Krzekowo date to 1640, and Bezrzecze date to 1260. Both settlements formed small farming communities. The latter was plundered and destroyed in 1480 during a raid by the Margraviate of Brandenburg, in 1630 and 1636 during the Dano–Swedish War, and in 1677 during the Thirty Years' War. The area was incorporated into the city of Szczecin in 1939. In 1945, Bezrzecze again became a separate hamlet in 1945, with its eastern portion being incorporated into the city of Szczecin, forming the neighbourhood of Bezrzecze.
Toponymy Krzekowo-Bezrzecze combines the names of the two neighbourhoods forming it, Krzekowo and Bezrzecze. The former comes from comes from the Old Polish words and , related to the modern Polish word , meaning "to squawk" and "to screech", referring to the sounds made by frogs which were numerous in the area. The latter comes from Polish words "", meaning "without a river".
History In the Neolithic period, the modern area included four human settlements present alongside the Bukowa stream. Several tools dating to that period were discovered, including four axes, chisel, and an arrowhead. A flint tool was from the Paleolithic period was also found. The area also included settlements of the Lusatian culture, and later the Hallstatt culture, during the Bronze Age. Around 160 ceramic pieces and a glass beaded necklace, dating to the latter period, were found in the area. A cemetery of the Lusatian culture was also discovered. A dugout canoe of an unspecified age was also found in Bezrzecze. In the Early Middle Ages, the human settlements from the 6th and 7th centuries, from the turn of the 10th century, and from the 13th century were also present, with 133 pieces of ceramics and arrowheads being discovered. The archeological findings came from the areas around Sosabowskiego and Łukasińskiego Streets.Marek Łuczak: Szczecin: Krzekowo, Bezrzecze. Kreckow, Brunn. Szczecin: Pomorskie Towarzystwo Historyczne, 2010, ISBN 9788375182309. (in German and Polish)
The hamlet of Krzekowo () was founded in the 13th century, with its oldest records dating to 1240. The oldest records of the nearby hamlet of Bezrzecze (, earlier ) date to 1260. At the time, Krzekowo paid a tithe tax to duke Barnim I, the ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania-Stettin, from 30 voloks of land (approximately 537 ha), which it held as a fiefdom from Konrad III, the bishop of Cammin. In 1266, duke Barnim I, granted the ownership of Bezrzecze, together with 53 voloks (951.62 ha) of land, to the St. Mary Church in the nearby city of Szczecin. It was approved the next year by Hermann von Gleichen, the bishop of Cammin. In 1269, a portion of the land of Bezrzecze was granted to brothers Godekin and Heinemann von Saltzwedel, and a year later, 10 voloks (179.55 ha) of land was given to Dietrich von Saltzwedel.Marek Łuczak: Szczecin. Warszewo, Osów, Głębokie. Szczecin: Pomorskie Towarzystwo Historyczne, 2022, p. 298. (in Polish and German) In 1277, the ownership of Krzekowo together with its 60 voloks of land (approximately 1,074 ha) were granted by duke Barnim I to the city of Szczecin (Stettin). The hamlet begun paying the taxes to the city, while its residents received the rights and privileges of its citizens. The ownership of the Krzekowo was reconfirmed by duke Bogislaw IV in 1293, Otto I in 1308, and duke Wartislaw IV in 1308.
By the 13th century, Bezrzecze and Krzekowo each included a Roman Catholic church building, now known as the Our Lady of the Rosary Church, and the Holy Trinity Church, respectively. The latter was built prior to 1261. In 1286, Hermann von Gleichen, the bishop of Cammin, granted the administration over both of them to the St. Mary Church in Szczecin. The church in Bezrzecze was burned down in 1480, during a raid by the soldiers from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, and was rebuilt later that century, with a Late Gothic structure made from granite stones. In the 16th century, their denominations were changed to Lutheranism during the Protestant Reformation. The church in Krzekowo was expanded in 1729, including the construction of a steeple tower made from wood and bricks, while the church in Bezrzecze was expanded in tehg 1890s, with the addition of a Gothic Revival bell tower. Following the end of the Second World War, their denomination were changed again to Roman Catholism after 1945, including 1949 in the case of the Holy Trinity Church, which also became a seat of a parish. The Our Lady of the Rosary Church also became a seat of a parish in 1997.Roman Kostynowicz: Kościoły archidiecezji szczecińsko-kamieńskiej. Tom II. Szczecin: Szczecińskie Wydawnictwo Archidiecezjalne Ottonianum, 2000, ISBN 83-7041-202-5. (in Polish)Kazimiera Kalita-Skwirzyńska, Mirosław Opęchowski: Dobra i okolice. Szczecin: Stowarzyszenie Czas Przestrzeń Tożsamość, 2008, p. 74–78, seria: Czas Przestrzeń Tożsamość. ISBN 978-83-923059-7-2.
Following the secularisation of the church lands in the Duchy of Pomerania, Bezrzecze was granted as a fiefdom by duke Bogislaw X to knight Henning Lindstedt from Hagen in 1480. In 1527, it belonged to Vivigenzow I von Eickstedt, and in 1589, it was acquired by Otto von Ramin, a chancellor in the Duchy of Pomerania-Stettin, who came from the Ramin family, which belonged to the regional aristocracy.
In 1630, during the Thirty Years' War and the Dano–Swedish War, the Swedish Imperial Army based a garrison at the outskirts of Szczecin. A manor house in Bezrzecze was used as the temporary headquarters and residence of king Gustavus Adolphus and his officers. The residents fled the hamlet, with the houses being deconstructed by the soldiers as a source of wood for the construction of a military camp. Western Pomerania was recaptured in 1635, with a garrison of the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor stationed in Bezrzecze until 1636, under the command of field marshal general Rodolfo Giovanni Marazzino. Bezrzecze was again plundered by the military, and was later recaptured by the Swedish military in 1636, which stationed there until 1639.
Following the death of Otto von Ramin in 1641, Bezrzecze was inherited by his wife, Armigard von Ramin, who financed the reconstruction of the hamlet and the plundered manor house. Bezrzecze and its manor house were again plundered and burned down on 20 October 1657, by the Crown Army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, under the command of field crown hetman Stefan Czarniecki. They were rebuilt, being financed by Armigard von Ramin, and her brother-in-law Adam Friedrich von Bornstedt. The hamlet was once again burned down in 1677 during the siege of Stettin in the Scanian War. Both Armigard von Ramin and Adam Friedrich von Bornstedt died in 1677.
In 1692, Bezrzecze housed seven landowners, while the population of Krzekowo in the 17th century included ten landowners and two smallholders. In the 18th century, its farmers leased the pastures in Bezrzecze, paying 16 bushels of rye (1025.28 litres) annually. The owner of Krzekowo also held the exclusive right to fish in the nearby Głębokie Lake. Due to the large presence of fish such as northern pike, European perch, and Common rudds, the city of Szczecin, as well as residents of Krzekowo contested the exclusivity in the court against the Ramin family. The land administrator of Krzekowo paid 500 thalers of an annual tithe tax to the city of Szczecin, while every farmer paid 246 bushels (15,763.68 litres) of Secale grain and 222 bushels (14,225.76 litres) of Avena grain. Every farmer and smallholder was obliged to work for three days for the land administrator.
In the 18th century, Bezrzecze included a brickworks, which produced 140,000 bricks annually. The marl, medicinal clay, and peat were also excavated in the area. In 1828, Bezrzecze was granted the status of the knight estate. In the first half of the 19th century, the landed estate of Bezrzecze, which also included the nearby hamlets of Gunice and Stangenhorst, had an area of 4,592 Magdeburg morgen (1172.44 ha), the majority of which consisted of farmlands, dedicated to the cultivation of wheat, rye, oat, beans, and potatoes. The hamlet itself measured 480 Magdeburg morgen (122.55 ha), and its population included four landowners, each of whom owned 120 Magdeburg morgen (30.64 ha). In 1892, the estate of Bezrzecze, together with Głębokie and Stangenhorst, had an area of 1,013 ha, including 346 ha of farmlands, 84 ha of meadows, and 81 ha of pastures. The woods covered 462 ha, and the water covered 40 ha. In 1894, Bezrzecze had a population of 260 people in 20 households. The majority of its residents were of Lutheran faith, with the settlement also including seven followers of Judaism. It also included a primary school.
In 1880, a Baroque Revival palace was built in Bezrzecze for its administrator, Otto Friedrich Gebhard von Ramin, in place of the former manor house of the Ramin family. It burned down in 1946. Its garden complex has been preserved to the present day, being included on the regional heritage list.
In the 19th century, the barracks complex of the Prussian Army was developed in the area between the current Żołnierska, Klonowica, and Wernyhory Streets, to the east of Krzekowo. A large military training area, named the Krzekowo Filed (), was created to the north of the barracks. In 1862, it included ten residential buildings, as well as other military structures. It was expanded in the following decades. In 1897, it had five residential barracks, as well as gastronomical buildings, bathhouses, horse stables, administrative buildings, and warehouses. In 1910, the entire complex had an area of 362.94 ha. In the following years, it was expanded with buildings on Klonowica Street. The military also owned nearby shooting ranges at the intersection of the current Polish Armed Forces Avenue and Szeroka Street. The complex was visited by emperor Wilhelm I on 13 October 1897. Around 1930, a new barracks complex was developed to the south, at the corner of the current Łukasińskiego and Sosabowskiego Streets for the infantry soldiers. Between 1935 and 1936, new barracks were constructed in the complex, between the current Klonowica, Janickiego, Mickiewicza, and Żołnierska Streets.Grzegorz Ciechanowski, Jakub Ciechanowski: "Dawne kompleksy koszarowe w Szczecinie", Pomorze Militarne VI. Szczecin: Wydawnictwo Dokument, Oficyna Archiwum Państwowego w Szczecinie, 2013, pp. 125–142. (in Polish)