Over the centuries, Szczecin has been Polish, Danish, Prussian and Swedish, and was also under French occupation. Each of these periods has left its mark on its urban landscape. After World War II, the Polish borders shifted westward. Some of the traces of the city’s German history have been erased, some have been maintained. Today the inhabitants of Szczecin are discovering the history of their city again and they are also taking advantage of its geographical position in Europe: people from Szczecin use the Berlin airports, German people go to Polish dentists and many Swedish tourists come to Szczecin’s shopping centres.