Kostrzyn (PL) - Küstrin-Kietz (D)

D-15238 Küstrin-Kietz (Germany):

on the German bank of the river in the Odermark-county in Bundesland Brandenburg.

Kostrzyn (PL):

on the Polish side of the river Oder (Odra in Polish) in the Voivodship Lubuskie (Gorzów Wlkp.) in Ziemia Lubuska county.

Internet: www.kostrzyn.um.pl

The former German town Küstrin on the Oder and on the Warthe in Brandenburg-Province was badly destroyed in World War II.

Old/former Küstrin was made up of four town quarters: Küstrin-Altstadt, Küstrin-Neustadt, Küstrin-Kietzerbusch and Küstrin-Kietz.

The major part of the city-area had always been on the right (=east) banks of the river Oder. The Potsdam Treaty of the Allies in 1945 stipulated that all German territory east of the rivers Oder and Lausitz-Neisse would be given to Poland and the Sovjet-Union. The German inhabitans fled or were expelled later, the area was re-settled with Polish inhabitants moving in from the east.

Since then, Küstrin is found in Poland under the new Polish name Kostrzyn, only the small suburb "Kietz" on the westbank of the Oder remained German: a residential quarter without spectacular monuments or sights.

During the GDR-area the place was just called "Kietz"; after the reunification of Germany and the end of the cold-war, Kietz was renamed into "Küstrin-Kietz" on October 3rd, 1991 (after a voting under local population end of 1990), despite of the fact that "Old-Küstrin" town does not exist anymore, but is in Poland.

It was even decided to rename the surrounding German borough into "Küstriner Vorland".

Kietz in Polish on the other hand would be Chyza.

BK 2002

	Küstrin-Kietz (D): General overview: local map.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): Arrival at the tiny open-air railway station: since 1945 last stop on German territory.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): DB-railway station building.
	Blick Richtung Polen: Railway tracks towards the east, approx. 1 mile before the border.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): The trunk road "Federal Road 1" towards Berlin.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): On our way to the border: The trunk road "Federal Road 1" towards the river Oder.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): On our way to the border: The trunk road "Federal Road 1" towards the river Oder.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): On our way to the border: The trunk road "Federal Road 1" towards the river Oder: sign for pedestrians.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): On our way to the border: The trunk road "Federal Road 1" towards the river Oder.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): On our way to the border: Nameplate at the 'Odervorflutbrücke'. (Bridge leading to the 'Oder-island')
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): On our way to the border: Federal trunk road 1 towards the river Oder.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): On our way to the border: Abandoned small checkpoint house upon entering on the ' Oder-island', this is not the border yet!
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): On our way to the border: The trunk road "Federal Road 1" towards the river Oder.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): On our way to the border: Place name indicating board upon leaving Küstrin-Kietz just in front of the actual bridge over the river ' Oder'. .
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): On our way to the border: View of Festung Küstrin (=Fortress Küstrin), the walls of the former town, are all that is left. The old-town was completely destroyed in World-War II, and never rebuilt. On the contrary: in the 50s and 60s, the remaining ruins of the old castle and churches were blown up and since then only the plateau can be seen. Küstrin itself was rebuilt by the Poles in the hinterland under the name of Kostrzyn on the ruins of the former new-town. So what we call Kostrzyn-town today, actually is the former quarter of "Küstrin-Neustadt". On the left side in the picture the bridge for car and pedestrian traffic.
	Kostrzyn-Stare Miasto (PL) The Old-Town or rather what's left of it...
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): View towards Festung Küstrin (Fortifications Küstrin, nowadays Poland), the walls of the demolished historic town centre.
	Küstrin-Kietz (D): Still on our way to the border crossing point: in the middle of Oder-island, just 500 yards from the border-point, we find abandoned/closed living- and administrative buildings with fence, could have been military barracks.
	Kostrzyn (PL): Place name board on Polish side right behind the border crossing facilities, which I could not photograph.
	Kostrzyn (PL): Two bridges cross the river Oder: one for pedestrians and cars, the other for railway traffic.
	Kostrzyn (PL): Welcome to Poland: first long distance traffic indicator. Turn left for city centre of Kostrzyn. [Spelled like "cost-Jean" by the way for those who read the text loud.]
	Kostrzyn (PL): Looking back to the border checkpoint situated on the Polish side.
	Kostrzyn (PL): Welcome to Poland: Welcome sign of Voivodship (=Polish province/county) Lubuskie.
	Kostrzyn (PL): place name board Polish side/design.
	Kostrzyn (PL): Gas station and road-stop restaurant behind (or in front of) the border on the Polish side. (ul. Graniczna)
	Kostrzyn (PL): Looking back to the road that would lead back to the border check point.
	Kostrzyn (PL): In the 'new' (actual) town centre, 1.5 miles after the border in the hinterland on the river Warta (German 'Warthe').

Osobliwie situacje graniczne

(36) - Kostrzyn Odrzanski (PL) - Küstrin-Kietz (D)

It is not the idea nor intention of this page to question existing borders or integral state territories. This is merely an essai to describe the special background and atmosphere of the border region that was created as a result of WW II.