Catherine the Great born here!

8-3b-catherin-the-great8-3a-catherine-the-great-born-here

Hard to believe, but this the building in which Catherine the Great (Czarina of Russia, late 1700s).  When Catherine was born, Szczecin (then known as Stetine) was part of Prussia.  Catherine was none too great for the Poles, she split up the country between Russia, Germany and Austria and ruled harshly (using the word “Poland” was a criminal offence).  The building, obviously, has been renovated.