3189 POLAND (West Pomerania) - Gąski Lighthouse

Located on the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea, next to the road between Ustronie Morskie and Mielno, Gąski Lighthouse was built between 1876 and 1878 from red bricks. The height of the lighthouse is 41.2m; with the lighthouse's light having a focal length of 50.1m. Originally it was fitted with a Fresnel lens with the light source provided by kerosene lamps. The intermittent beam was achieved by three screens rotated by a clock-work mechanism.

3179 POLAND (West Pomerania) - Kołobrzeg Lighthouse

Located on the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea, on the right bank of the river Parsęta, at the entrance to the port of Kołobrzeg, Kołobrzeg Lighthouse is 26m tall, with a range of its light glare of 29.6 km. Its history dates back to 1666. In WWII it was blown up by German engineers as it was a good look-out point for the Polish artillery in March 1945. After the war it was built at a slightly different location from the original, using the foundations of the fort buildings complex; located close by to the town.

3132 POLAND (West Pomerania) - Jarosławiec Lighthouse

Located on the coast of the Baltic Sea, in the village with the same name, between the Darłowo and the lighthouse in Ustka, Jarosławiec Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in Poland. Its construction began in 1835 however the lighthouse was not successful due to a number of physical factors. The lighthouse was built about 400m from the coast - this proved to be too low to be effective for navigation. Its light wasn't very visible because it was obscured by trees and it was soon decided to build a new tower closer to the beach.

2403 POLAND (West Pomerania) - Niechorze Lighthouse

Located in the village with the same name, on the coast of the Baltic Sea, at the edge of a steep cliff, with a height of 20m, Niechorze Lighthouse was commissioned by the German Ministry of Shipping in 1863 and started operating in 1866. Although it didn't suffer any damage in WWII, after its end there was a considerable delay re-starting the lighthouse, due to the erosion of the cliff. The authorities secured the cliff by putting large boulders and rock armour.

0599 POLAND (West Pomerania) - Ducal Castle in Szczecin

The castle in the postcard was the seat of the dukes of Pomerania-Stettin of the House of Pomerania (Griffins), who ruled the Duchy of Pomerania from 1121 to 1637.  Actually the Duchy of Pomerania and House of Pomerania are one and the same thing, because the duchy originated from the realm of Wartislaw I, a Slavic Pomeranian duke, the founder of the House of Pomerania, and ceased to exist in 1637, with the death of Bogislaw XIV, the last member of the house, when it was partitioned between Brandenburg-Prussia and Sweden. Located on the south shore of the Baltic Sea, between the rivers Recknitz in the west and Vistula in the east, after the WWII Pomerania was partitioned between East Germany and Poland.