Przegląd Zachodniopomorski

As one of Poland’s major rivers, the Oder requires the writing of an updated monograph to provide a new perspective on its history. In the historical portion (up to 1945), this work should be based on a thorough search of libraries and archives. Among those archives containing the most material relating to the river’s past, the State Archive in Szczecin should also be included. This article discusses the resources of the Szczecin archive in terms of research on the history of the lower Oder River. For the Ducal period, the most interesting collection featuring records pertaining to the river is undoubtedly the Archives of the Dukes of Szczecin. Among the materials preserved here are those on the navigation of the Warta-Oder or trade issues between Szczecin and Frankfurt on the Oder. On the other hand, for the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, the most valuable archives, from the Oder’s perspective, are the collections of the Chief Presidium of the Pomeranian Province and the Szczecin Governmental District (Regierungsbezirk). Here we can find many folios discussing: navigation and fishing on the lower Oder, regulatory work on the river and finally the effects of the Oder floods. Also noteworthy are the files of the Directorate of Water Construction in Szczecin, which record all hydrological works carried out on the Oder. The above-mentioned groups constitute the core of the State Archive in Szczecin, which should be subjected to a thorough search if a decision is made to work on a new monograph of the Oder.