Koszalin

Koszalin (Polish: [kɔˈʂalin] ; Kashubian: Kòszalëno; German: Köslin, pronounced [kœsˈliːn]) is a city in northwestern Poland, in West Pomerania. It is located 12 kilometres (7 miles) south of the Baltic Sea coast, and intersected by the river Dzierżęcinka. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Founded in the Middle Ages, Koszalin was a seaport until the 17th century, and one of the main cities of Central Pomerania (along with Kołobrzeg and Słupsk). From 1950 to 1998 it was the administrative capital of Central Pomerania, as the Koszalin Voivodeship, and remains its largest city. Located on the main highway and railroad between the Tricity and Szczecin, Koszalin is an important regional industrial, cultural and educational center. It is home to the Koszalin University of Technology, Polish Air Force Training Center and the Polish Border Guard Academy. Its Gothic Cathedral serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Koszalin–Kołobrzeg. Koszalin is the host city of an annual festival of choirs of the Polish diaspora from various parts of the world.