View of harbour and Chrobry Embankment

The port and views of Szczecin by the Oder River were a popular painting theme. The artists' works documented changes in the buildings along the Oder and the development of the port, where the industrialisation process accelerated considerably in the second half of the 19th century. In addition to the old sailing ships, steamships began to appear on the Oder, the first in 1826. From the 1850s, more and more sea and river steamers were moored at the quays at the main harbour entrance, which was reflected in vedutas. The construction of the Oder View Terrace between 1901 and 1921 was equally quickly captured in art. The whole complex was named Hakenterrasse (today's Wały Chrobrego) after the project initiator's mayor Hermann Haken (1828-1916). The prestigious urban and architectural establishment quickly became a city landmark and a place attractive for tourists, eagerly immortalised by various artists. One such work was created by an artist who signed himself as M. Timstein. His etching is reminiscent of photographs from the first decades of the 20th century, depicting the same motif and used as a model for prints. The view was captured from an identical vantage point as the photograph by Max Dreblow (1869-1927), published in Deutschlands Städtebau Stettin. Dreblow was a well-known Szczecin photographer, from 1909 the only professional photographer in the city. He specialised in port photography, especially ships, and his work illustrating magazines and publications was reproduced as postcards. Timstein's graphics are not dated but are assumed to have been made in the spring of 1914, as indicated by the view of Hakenterrasse still without the Customs Directorate building, whose construction was completed in 1921.

Małgorzata Peszko