Within the research on urban history the smaller towns of pre-modern times got comparatively little attention until some years ago. The main interest was focused on the medieval town as well as generally on larger towns. Early modern West Pomerania, which can territorially be put inside the borders of Swedish Pomerania around 1700, is among the regions rarely investigated regarding their town landscapes. Since the late Middle Ages 29 towns possessed municipal law here, among which Stettin, Stralsund and Greifswald as most important towns stood out. The other medium-sized and small towns were, at best, of local historical interest to the research. A (in many aspects interrelated) network of towns is visible in the mentioned territory around 1700. These towns were interwoven with each other as well as with the rural surroundings. They are the following towns which have to be examined: Anklam, Bergen and Garz (Rügen), Barth, Damgarten, Richtenberg, Franzburg, Grimmen, Tribsees, Loitz, Gützkow, Wolgast, Lassan, Usedom, Ueckermünde, Eggesin, Treptow, Pasewalk, Pölitz, Altdamm and Gartz.

The analysis entwines chronologically around the Swedish land survey of West Pomerania in the years 1692 to 1709. The aim of this paper is to decipher and describe the network of towns in Swedish Pomerania at the turn of the 18th century. Constitutional and political as well as economic and cultural connections and dependencies are of interest in this. A concrete question is i.e. what position the towns as a group, but also each individually, had towards the sovereign. Another point will be the assessment of linkage between trade and commerce. Church and educational institutions will be included in the area of culture. Relations between town and countryside will be a focus in every area of interest. It will be necessary to analyse what influence the appropriation of West Pomerania by the great power Sweden had on the network of towns. The outlined partial aspects constitution and politics, economy, education and religion will be dealt with together and in comparison for all examined towns. The selective dealing with the topography of occupations in Wolgast around 1707 will give an additional concentration. The results of the paper will be presented in a separate, smaller historical town information system.