Białogard

Białogard, known in German as Belgard, grew at the junction of the Parsęta and Leśnica in Pomerania. An early medieval stronghold guarded routes linking the Baltic coast with the interior and Szczecin with Gdańsk. The chronicler Gallus Anonymous described it as a rich stronghold before its conquest by Bolesław III of Poland in 1107. Bishop Otto of Bamberg visited during his mission to Pomerania in 1124.

Duke Bogusław IV granted the town Lübeck law in 1299, and it joined the Hanseatic League in 1386. Duke Wartisław IV made it his residence in 1315. Białogard's rivalry with nearby Świdwin led to a battle between the towns in 1469. The partitions and reunifications of Pomerania brought it under several branches of the ducal house before the duchy was reunited under Bogusław X in 1478.