Introduction

There is no doubt that Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum, written by Adam of Bremen in the mid-1070s, belongs to the most important historical accounts medievalists have at hand. For decades, and even centuries, scholars have included what Adam provides in his text in their studies, finding him a crucial, although not always trustworthy, witness of the past. As Gesta narrates a history of the Christianization of the North and political developments in the region, it is hardly surprising that it is hard to find a study on these topics that does not refer to Adam’s account. One of the research questions centred around Adam’s Gesta is its impact on Scandinavian medieval and early modern historiography. Migdalski reflects on the significance of Adam’s account, again with special emphasis on Wolin, in relation to historical policy in post-1945 Poland in general and Western Pomerania in particular.