Bytów

Bytów (Polish: [ˈbɨtuf] ^ⓘ; Kashubian: Bëtowò; German: Bütow [ˈbyːtoː]) is a town in the Gdańsk Pomerania region of northern Poland with 16,730 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the capital of Bytów County in the Pomeranian Voivodeship.

In the early Middle Ages a fortified stronghold stood near the town. In 1346 as Bütow it obtained Kulm law rights from the Teutonic Order, which controlled it since 1329. During the Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466), the town was the site of heavy fighting and changed hands over time. Eventually, King Casimir IV Jagiellon granted the town to Eric II, Duke of Pomerania, as a perpetual fiefdom. After the Partitions of Poland, Bytów became part of the Kingdom of Prussia and later also Germany, within which it remained until the end of World War II. In the final stages of the war Bytów heavily shelled by the Red Army, and more than 55% of the buildings were destroyed.