What is "stargard"

Stargard (; ) is a city in northwestern Poland, with a population of 71,017 (2005). Situated on the Ina River it is the capital of Stargard County and since 1999 has been in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship; prior to that it was in the Szczecin Voivodeship (1975–1998). Before World War II the town was in Prussia, Germany. The city's name is of Pomeranian ( Kashubian) origin and stands for old (stari) town/city (gard or gôrd). It's one of the biggest towns of Szczecin agglomeration. Stargard is a major railroad junction, where the southwards connection from Szczecin splits into two directions - one towards Poznań and the other towards Gdańsk. There is also another minor line to Pyrzyce from the town.

Until December 31, 2015, the town was known as Stargard Szczeciński.

Starogard, Starogród, or Stargard means old fort or old city in Polish, Polabian and Pomeranian languages, and gard is Old Slavic, Old Germanic, Old Baltic, and Old Finnic for castle or fortification. Places with those names include:

• Stargard Szczeciński (, right after World War II known as Starogród), a town formerly in Prussia, Germany, before WWII, which since WWII is now a town in West Pomeranian Voivodeship (NW Poland), seat of Stargard County
• Starogard Gdański , a town in Pomeranian Voivodeship (N Poland), seat of Starogard County
• Starogard Łobeski, a village in West Pomeranian Voivodeship
• Stargard Gubiński, a village in Lubusz Voivodeship (W Poland)
• Santok, also known as Stargard, a village in Lubusz Voivodeship
• Starogród, Masovian Voivodeship
• Starogród Dolny, a village in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
• Starogród Górny, a village in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship

• Burg Stargard ( Polabian Stargart), town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
• Oldenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, originally Stargard or Starigard
• see Stargard Szczeciński, above, now in Poland since WWII

Other uses:

• Stargard (band), an American funk/soul band

See also:

• Gord (Slavic settlement)
• Białogard, town in Poland, meaning white city
• Nowogard, town in Poland, meaning new city

Stargard (in the Pomeranian/ Kashubian language the term means Old Town, Old City or Old Fortified Settlement; the name can be also phonetically read as star guard) was an American three-piece female funk band, consisting of original members Rochelle Runnells, Debra Anderson, and Janice Williams. Stargard was best known for their 1977 Norman Whitfield-penned hit song " Theme Song from 'Which Way Is Up'" which served as a theme for the movie of the same name starring Richard Pryor. The single, which also anchored the band's 1978 self-titled debut album for MCA Records, charted at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart. The Whitfield-penned title track of their follow up album What You Waitin' For was also a Top 10 R&B hit. The group's last hit came after switching to the Warner Bros. Records label and releasing The Changing Of The Gard, and its standout single "Wear It Out", co- produced by Verdine White of Earth, Wind, & Fire.

Anderson left the group shortly after The Changing of the Gard album. The remaining members stayed together to release two more albums; Back 2 Back (Warner Bros., 1980) and Nine Lives (MCA, 1982).

Outside of their recorded output, Stargard appeared as 'the Diamonds' in the 1978 film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.