Pomeranian Duke's Castle - Private

 The mother of all Szczecin monuments is the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes . This vast, blocky building looms over the Old Town, but the square central courtyard and simple Renaissance-style decoration atop the walls has a certain understated grace (spot the repeated circular pattern that resembles the Yin and Yang symbol). The castle was originally built in the mid-14th century and grew into its current form by 1577, but was destroyed by Allied carpet bombing in 1944 before being extensively restored. Admire the colourful historic clockface from the courtyard, with its jester figure chiming in each new hour, then climb to the top of the 58.6m bell tower for a view of the city.