SCHWEDT

in full Schwedt an der Oder city, Brandenburg Land (state), eastern Germany. It lies along the Westoder River, southwest of Szczecin (German: Stettin), Pol. Mentioned as a town in 1265, it was the seat of a lordship that passed from Pomerania to Brandenburg in 1479. From 1689 to 1788 it was a seat of the Hohenzollern line of the Brandenburgs. The town suffered widespread destruction in World War II, but the palace (171923) survived. Traditionally the centre of a tobacco-growing region, Schwedt has grown rapidly since World War II through extensive industrial development. An oil refineryconnected by pipeline with the Baltic port of Rostock and with the Leuna chemical complex near Hallecommenced operations in 1964. Fertilizer and paper plants have also been established in the town. Pop. (1991 est.) 50,633.