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The name of a settlement was recorded after St. Adalbert's demise in 997 A.D. as ''urbs Gyddanyzc'' and later was written as Kdanzk (1148), Gdanzc (1188), Gdansk (1236), Danzc (1263), Danczk (1311, 1399, 1410, 1414–1438), Danczik (1399, 1410, 1414), Danczig (1414), Gdansk (1454, 1468, 1484), ''Gdansk'' (1590), ''Gdąnsk'' (1636) and in Latin documents ''Gedanum'' or ''Dantiscum''. These early recordings show the Pomeranian name Gduńsk, the Polish name Gdańsk and the German name Danzig.
The name of a settlement was recorded after St. Adalbert's demise in 997 A.D. as ''urbs Gyddanyzc'' and later was written as Kdanzk (1148), Gdanzc (1188), Gdansk (1236), Danzc (1263), Danczk (1311, 1399, 1410, 1414–1438), Danczik (1399, 1410, 1414), Danczig (1414), Gdansk (1454, 1468, 1484), ''Gdansk'' (1590), ''Gdąnsk'' (1636) and in Latin documents ''Gedanum'' or ''Dantiscum''. These early recordings show the Pomeranian name Gduńsk, the Polish name Gdańsk and the German name Danzig.


Alternative spellings from [[Middle Ages|medieval]] and early modern documents are ''Gyddanyzc'', ''Kdansk'', ''Gdanzc'', ''Dantzk'', ''Dantzig'', ''Dantzigk'', ''Dantiscum'' and ''Gedanum''. The official Latin name of ''Gedanum'' was used simultaneously. Also common was the german name ''Freie Hansestadt Danzig'' (Free hanseatic city of Danzig)
Alternative spellings from [[Middle Ages|medieval]] and early modern documents are ''Gyddanyzc'', ''Kdansk'', ''Gdanzc'', ''Dantzk'', ''Dantzig'', ''Dantzigk'', ''Dantiscum'' and ''Gedanum''. The official Latin name of ''Gedanum'' was used simultaneously.


=== Special celebration names ===
=== Special celebration names ===
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''Main article: [[History of Gdańsk]], see also: [[History of Pomerania]]''
''Main article: [[History of Gdańsk]], see also: [[History of Pomerania]]''
[[Image:Seal of Msciwoj II of Pomerania.gif|frame|left|Seal of [[Msciwoj II of Pomerania|Mściwój II]], duke of Gdańsk Pomerania (1271-1294)]]
[[Image:Seal of Msciwoj II of Pomerania.gif|frame|left|Seal of [[Msciwoj II of Pomerania|Mściwój II]], duke of Gdańsk Pomerania (1271-1294)]]
[[Image:ZURAW-Gdansk 2004 ubt.jpeg|thumb|240px|right|[[Żuraw]] (''Krantor''), mediaeval port [[crane (machine)|crane]] in Gdańsk]]
[[Image:ZURAW-Gdansk 2004 ubt.jpeg|thumb|240px|right|[[Żuraw]], mediaeval port [[crane (machine)|crane]] in Gdańsk]]
=== Foundation and the Middle Ages ===
=== Foundation and the Middle Ages ===


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In the following years Gdańsk was the main centre of a Polish splinter duchy ruled by the [[Dukes of Pomerania]]. The most famous of them, [[Świętopełk II of Pomerania]], granted a local autonomy charter in ca. [[1235]] to the city, which at the time had some 2,000 inhabitants.
In the following years Gdańsk was the main centre of a Polish splinter duchy ruled by the [[Dukes of Pomerania]]. The most famous of them, [[Świętopełk II of Pomerania]], granted a local autonomy charter in ca. [[1235]] to the city, which at the time had some 2,000 inhabitants.


By [[1308]] Gdańsk had became a flourishing trading city with some 10,000 inhabitants, in the of [[November 13]] 1308, it was occupied by the [[Teutonic Knights]]. But this subject is disputed by historians, it maily contains the view of polnish historians during the communsit time. This led to the city's decline and to a series of wars between the Knights and the Polish kings, ending with the [[Peace of Kalisz]] in [[1343]] when the Knights acknowledged that they would hold Pomerania as "an alm" from the Polish king. Although it left the legal basis of their possession of the province in some doubt, the agreement permitted the foundation of the municipality in [[1343]] and the development of increased export of grain from Poland via the [[Vistula river]] trading routes.
By [[1308]] Gdańsk had became a flourishing trading city with some 10,000 inhabitants, but in the [[Gdańsk Massacre]] of [[November 13]] 1308, it was occupied and demolished by the [[Teutonic Knights]]. This led to the city's decline and to a series of wars between the Knights and the Polish kings, ending with the [[Peace of Kalisz]] in [[1343]] when the Knights acknowledged that they would hold Pomerania as "an alm" from the Polish king. Although it left the legal basis of their possession of the province in some doubt, the agreement permitted the foundation of the municipality in [[1343]] and the development of increased export of grain from Poland via the [[Vistula river]] trading routes.


While under the control of the Knights, the city and its trade prospered, German influence increased, and the city began to be referred to by variations of "Gdańsk", ultimately developing into the Germanised version of the Polish name: "Danzig". The city became a full member of the [[Hanseatic League]] in [[1361]]. A new war broke out in [[1409]], ending with the [[Battle of Grunwald]] ([[1410]]), and the city briefly came under the direct overlordship of the Polish kings. One year later, with the [[Peace of Toruń 1411|Peace of Toruń (Thorn) in 1411]], it returned to the Teutonic Knights' administration. In [[1440]] Danzig participated in the foundation of the [[Prussian Union]] which eventually led to the [[Thirteen Years War]] ([[1454]]-[[1466]]) and the [[Peace of Toruń 1466|incorporation]] of [[Royal Prussia]] to the direct rule of the Polish Crown.
While under the control of the Knights, the city and its trade prospered, German influence increased, and the city began to be referred to by variations of "Gdańsk", ultimately developing into the Germanised version of the Polish name: "Danzig". The city became a full member of the [[Hanseatic League]] in [[1361]]. A new war broke out in [[1409]], ending with the [[Battle of Grunwald]] ([[1410]]), and the city briefly came under the direct overlordship of the Polish kings. One year later, with the [[Peace of Toruń 1411|Peace of Toruń (Thorn) in 1411]], it returned to the Teutonic Knights' administration. In [[1440]] Danzig participated in the foundation of the [[Prussian Union]] which eventually led to the [[Thirteen Years War]] ([[1454]]-[[1466]]) and the [[Peace of Toruń 1466|incorporation]] of [[Royal Prussia]] to the direct rule of the Polish Crown.


Thanks to the Royal charters granted by king [[Casimir IV the Jagiellonian]], Danzig became a large and prosperous seaport and city in the baltic region. The [[16th century|16th]] and [[17th century|17th]] centuries were a Golden Age for trade and culture of the city. Inhabitants from various ethnic groups predomiantly Germans but also minorities of Poles, [[Jews]], and [[Dutch people|Dutch]]) contributed to Danzig's identity and rich culture of this period. A large number of Scotsmen took refuge or emigrated to and received citizenship in Danzig and other Prussian cities (see links below) and also, through trade, all over the Baltic region.
Thanks to the Royal charters granted by king [[Casimir IV the Jagiellonian]] and the free access to all Polish markets, Danzig became a large and prosperous seaport and city. The [[16th century|16th]] and [[17th century|17th]] centuries were a Golden Age for trade and culture of the city. Inhabitants from various ethnic groups (Germans, Poles, [[Jews]], and [[Dutch people|Dutch]] being the largest) contributed to Danzig's identity and rich culture of this period. A large number of Scotsmen took refuge or emigrated to and received citizenship in Danzig and other Prussian cities (see links below) and also, through trade, all over the Baltic region.


The city suffered a slow economic decline due to the wars in the 18th century, which ended with the [[Partitions of Poland]] from [[1772]] to [[1795]]. Danzig was annexed to the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in [[1793]] and remained Prussian until 1919 – except for the short period of 1807-1815 when it was the [[Free City of Danzig]] during the [[Napoleon]]ic years. As part of Prussia, it became part of the [[German Empire]] in [[1871]]. As a result of the Versailles treaty after World War I, Danzig became a free city under the control of the League of Nations. Its (predominantly German) population (96 %) had no right of self-determination in a referendum as in other disputed parts of the former [[German Empire]].
The city suffered a slow economic decline due to the wars in the 18th century, which ended with the [[Partitions of Poland]] from [[1772]] to [[1795]]. Danzig was annexed to the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] in [[1793]] and remained Prussian until 1919 – except for the short period of 1807-1815 when it was the [[Free City of Danzig]] during the [[Napoleon]]ic years. As part of Prussia, it became part of the [[German Empire]] in [[1871]]. As a result of the Versailles treaty after World War I, Danzig became a free city under the control of the League of Nations. Its (predominantly German) population had no right of self-determination in a referendum as in other disputed parts of the former [[German Empire]].

[[Image:Pomnik Sobieski Gdansk.jpg|200px|thumb|right|[[John III Sobieski, King of Poland|King John III Sobieski]]]]


=== World Wars and Inter-War Years ===
=== World Wars and Inter-War Years ===


When Poland regained its independence after [[World War I]], the Poles hoped to regain the city to provide the free access to the sea which they had been promised by the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] on the basis of [[Woodrow Wilson]]'s "[[Fourteen Points]]". However, since the population of the city was predominantly German, it was not placed under Polish sovereignty, but became the [[Free City of Danzig]], an independent quasi-state under the auspices of the [[League of Nations]], governed by its predominantly German residents but with its external affairs largely under Polish control.
When Poland regained its independence after [[World War I]], the Poles hoped to regain the city to provide the free access to the sea which they had been promised by the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] on the basis of [[Woodrow Wilson]]'s "[[Fourteen Points]]". However, since the population of the city was predominantly German, it was not placed under Polish sovereignty, but became the [[Free City of Danzig]], an independent quasi-state under the auspices of the [[League of Nations]], governed by its predominantly German residents but with its external affairs largely under Polish control. The Free City issued its own stamps and currency, bearing the legend "''Freie Stadt Danzig''" and symbols of the city's maritime orientation and history.

{| width="75%" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
!align="center" colspan="8" | 1 November 1923 Census by language
|- valign="top"
! width="12.5%" | Nationality
| width="12.5%" | Total || width="12.5%" | [[German language|German]] || width="12.5%" | German and [[Polish language|Polish]] || width="12.5%" | Polish, [[Kashubian language|Kashub]], [[Masurian]] || width="12.5%" | [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] || width="12.5%" | [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]] || width="12.5%" | Unclassified
|-
! align="left" | Danzig City (Stadtkreis)
| 335,921||327,827||1,108||6,788||99||22||77
|-
! align="left" | County of Danzig (Landkreis)
| 30,809||20,666||521||5,239||2,529||580||1,274
|-
! align="left" | Total
| 366,730||348,493||1,629||12,027||2,628||602||1,351
|-
! align="left" | Percent
| 100 %||95,03%||0,44 %||3,28 %||0,72 %||0,16 %||0,37 %
|}


The Free City issued its own stamps and currency, bearing the legend "''Freie Stadt Danzig''" and symbols of the city's maritime orientation and history.


Because the authorities in Danzig obstructed Polish trade and restricted Poles from settling in the city, the Polish government decided to build the nearby seaport of [[Gdynia]], which in the following years took the majority of total Polish maritime exports.
Because the authorities in Danzig obstructed Polish trade and restricted Poles from settling in the city, the Polish government decided to build the nearby seaport of [[Gdynia]], which in the following years took the majority of total Polish maritime exports.
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Military assault on Danzig began with an artillery bombardment by the old German [[HMS Dreadnought (1906)|pre-Dreadnaught]] [[battleship]] ''[[German battleship Schleswig-Holstein|Schleswig-Holstein]]'' of the [[Westerplatte]] peninsula and a subsequent landing of German infantry. Polish defenders at the Westerplatte resisted for nearly a week before running out of ammunition. Many members of Danzig's Polish and [[Kashub]] population were deported to [[Stutthof concentration camp]] near Danzig or were executed at [[Piaśnica]] forest. The city was annexed by [[Nazi Germany]] and incorporated into the [[Reichsgau]] [[Danzig-Westpreussen]].
Military assault on Danzig began with an artillery bombardment by the old German [[HMS Dreadnought (1906)|pre-Dreadnaught]] [[battleship]] ''[[German battleship Schleswig-Holstein|Schleswig-Holstein]]'' of the [[Westerplatte]] peninsula and a subsequent landing of German infantry. Polish defenders at the Westerplatte resisted for nearly a week before running out of ammunition. Many members of Danzig's Polish and [[Kashub]] population were deported to [[Stutthof concentration camp]] near Danzig or were executed at [[Piaśnica]] forest. The city was annexed by [[Nazi Germany]] and incorporated into the [[Reichsgau]] [[Danzig-Westpreussen]].


Most of the [[Jewish community]] in Danzig was able to escape from the [[Nazis]] shortly before the outbreak of hostilities. However, German secret police had been observing Polish circles since 1936, compiling information which in 1939 served to prepare conscription lists of Poles to be arrested or executed in [[Operation Tannenberg]]. After the Nazi invasion, massive arrests of Poles started. On the first day of the war alone approx. 1,500 people were arrested[http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/museums.htm], mainly Poles active in the social and economical life, activists and members of Polish organizations. On 2 September, 150 of them were deported to Stutthof, where most were eventually killed.
Most of the [[Jewish community]] in Danzig was able to escape from the [[Nazis]] shortly before the outbreak of hostilities. However, German secret police had been observing Polish circles since 1936, compiling information which in 1939 served to prepare conscription lists of Poles to be arrested or executed in [[Operation Tannenberg]]. After the Nazi invasion, massive arrests of Poles started. On the first day of the war alone approx. 1,500 people were arrested[http://www.kki.net.pl/~museum/museums.htm], mainly Poles active in the social and economical life, activists and members of Polish organizations. On [[2 September]] [[150]] of them were deported to Stutthof, where most were eventually killed.


On 30 March 1945, the [[Red Army]] entered a city 90% in ruins. It is estimated that 25 percent of the pre-war population was killed.
On [[30 March]] [[1945]], the [[Red Army]] entered a city 90% in ruins. It is estimated that 25 percent of the pre-war population was killed. After the [[Yalta conference|Yalta]] and [[Potsdam Conference|Potsdam]] conferences, Gdańsk was returned to Poland after 152 years of rule by Prussia and Germany that was the result of forcefull [[Second Partition of Poland]] in 1793.


=== Modern age ===
=== Modern age ===
Line 349: Line 329:
* [[List of famous people living or working in Gdańsk]]
* [[List of famous people living or working in Gdańsk]]
* [[St. Mary's Church, Gdansk|St. Mary's Church]]
* [[St. Mary's Church, Gdansk|St. Mary's Church]]
* [[Space of Freedom]] - [[Jean Michel Jarre]]'s concert ([[August 26]][[2005]])


{{Gdansk}}
{{Gdansk}}

== External links ==
== External links ==


Revision as of 17:18, 21 February 2006

For alternative meanings of Gdańsk and Danzig, see Gdańsk (disambiguation) and Danzig (disambiguation)

Template:Infobox Poland

Gdańsk (pronounced Audio file "Gdansk.ogg" not found, Danzig in German, Kashubian: Gduńsk, Latin: Gedania; also other languages) is the sixth-largest city in Poland, its principal seaport, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodship.

The city lies on the southern coast of the Gdańsk Bay (of the Baltic Sea), in a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdynia and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the greater Gdańsk or the Tricity (Trójmiasto) with a population of over a million people. Gdańsk is, with a population of 460,524 (mid 2004), the largest city in the historical province of Eastern Pomerania. North lies the Kashubian Tricity: Rumia, Reda, and Wejherowo

Gdańsk is situated at the mouth of the Motława river, connected to the Leniwka, a branch in the delta of the Vistula, whose waterway system connects 60% of the area of Poland, giving the city a unique advantage as the center of Poland's sea trade.

Historically an important seaport since mediaeval times and subsequently a principal ship-building centre, Gdańsk was a member of the Hanseatic League. Today the city remains an important industrial centre, together with the nearby port of Gdynia, and is world famous as the birthplace of the Solidarity movement which, under the leadership of Lech Wałęsa, played a major role in bringing an end to Communist rule in the Eastern Bloc.

Names

The name is thought to mean town located on Gdania river, the original name of the Motława branch the city is situated on. Like many other European cities, Gdańsk has had many different names throughout its history.

The Polish name is Gdańsk, and in the local Kashubian language it is known as Gduńsk. Due to the fact that the city was dominated by its German population, became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1792 and was part of the German Empire until 1919, the German name Danzig was widely used until the end of the Second World War. The city's Latin name may be given as any of Gedania, Gedanum or Dantiscum; the variety of Latin names reflects the influence of the Polish, Kashubian, and German names.

A former English version of its name was Dantsic (in use until the end of WWI). Gdańsk is usually pronounced IPA [gəˈdɑːnsk], [gəˈdaɪnsk], or [gəˈdænsk] in English. The acute accent is frequently neglected by non‐Poles.

See also: List of European cities with names in different languages

Historical documents

Danzig Royal City coin of 1589 (Sigismund III Vasa period)

The name of a settlement was recorded after St. Adalbert's demise in 997 A.D. as urbs Gyddanyzc and later was written as Kdanzk (1148), Gdanzc (1188), Gdansk (1236), Danzc (1263), Danczk (1311, 1399, 1410, 1414–1438), Danczik (1399, 1410, 1414), Danczig (1414), Gdansk (1454, 1468, 1484), Gdansk (1590), Gdąnsk (1636) and in Latin documents Gedanum or Dantiscum. These early recordings show the Pomeranian name Gduńsk, the Polish name Gdańsk and the German name Danzig.

Alternative spellings from medieval and early modern documents are Gyddanyzc, Kdansk, Gdanzc, Dantzk, Dantzig, Dantzigk, Dantiscum and Gedanum. The official Latin name of Gedanum was used simultaneously.

Special celebration names

On special occasions it is also known as The Royal Polish City of Gdańsk; Polish: Królewskie Polskie Miasto Gdańsk, German: Königliche Polnische Stadt Danzig, Latin: Regia Civitas Polonica Gedanensis, Kashubian: Królewsczi Polsczi Gard Gduńsk.

The Kashubians prefer the name: Our Capital City Gdańsk (=Nasz Stoleczny Gard Gduńsk) or The Kashubian Capital City Gdańsk (=Stoleczny Kaszëbsczi Gard Gduńsk).

Sources:

  • Gdańsk, in: Kazimierz Rymut, Nazwy Miast Polski, Ossolineum, Wrocław 1987
  • Hubert Gurnowicz, Gdańsk, in: Nazwy miast Pomorza Gdańskiego, Ossolineum, Wrocław 1978

History

Main article: History of Gdańsk, see also: History of Pomerania

Seal of Mściwój II, duke of Gdańsk Pomerania (1271-1294)
Żuraw, mediaeval port crane in Gdańsk

Foundation and the Middle Ages

According to archeologists, the Gdańsk stronghold was built in the 980s by Mieszko I of Poland. However, the year 997 has in recent years been considered to be the date of the foundation of the city, this being the year when Saint Adalbert of Prague (sent by the Polish king Boleslaus the Brave) baptized the inhabitants of Gdańsk (urbs Gyddanyzc).

In the following years Gdańsk was the main centre of a Polish splinter duchy ruled by the Dukes of Pomerania. The most famous of them, Świętopełk II of Pomerania, granted a local autonomy charter in ca. 1235 to the city, which at the time had some 2,000 inhabitants.

By 1308 Gdańsk had became a flourishing trading city with some 10,000 inhabitants, but in the Gdańsk Massacre of November 13 1308, it was occupied and demolished by the Teutonic Knights. This led to the city's decline and to a series of wars between the Knights and the Polish kings, ending with the Peace of Kalisz in 1343 when the Knights acknowledged that they would hold Pomerania as "an alm" from the Polish king. Although it left the legal basis of their possession of the province in some doubt, the agreement permitted the foundation of the municipality in 1343 and the development of increased export of grain from Poland via the Vistula river trading routes.

While under the control of the Knights, the city and its trade prospered, German influence increased, and the city began to be referred to by variations of "Gdańsk", ultimately developing into the Germanised version of the Polish name: "Danzig". The city became a full member of the Hanseatic League in 1361. A new war broke out in 1409, ending with the Battle of Grunwald (1410), and the city briefly came under the direct overlordship of the Polish kings. One year later, with the Peace of Toruń (Thorn) in 1411, it returned to the Teutonic Knights' administration. In 1440 Danzig participated in the foundation of the Prussian Union which eventually led to the Thirteen Years War (1454-1466) and the incorporation of Royal Prussia to the direct rule of the Polish Crown.

Thanks to the Royal charters granted by king Casimir IV the Jagiellonian and the free access to all Polish markets, Danzig became a large and prosperous seaport and city. The 16th and 17th centuries were a Golden Age for trade and culture of the city. Inhabitants from various ethnic groups (Germans, Poles, Jews, and Dutch being the largest) contributed to Danzig's identity and rich culture of this period. A large number of Scotsmen took refuge or emigrated to and received citizenship in Danzig and other Prussian cities (see links below) and also, through trade, all over the Baltic region.

The city suffered a slow economic decline due to the wars in the 18th century, which ended with the Partitions of Poland from 1772 to 1795. Danzig was annexed to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1793 and remained Prussian until 1919 – except for the short period of 1807-1815 when it was the Free City of Danzig during the Napoleonic years. As part of Prussia, it became part of the German Empire in 1871. As a result of the Versailles treaty after World War I, Danzig became a free city under the control of the League of Nations. Its (predominantly German) population had no right of self-determination in a referendum as in other disputed parts of the former German Empire.

King John III Sobieski

World Wars and Inter-War Years

When Poland regained its independence after World War I, the Poles hoped to regain the city to provide the free access to the sea which they had been promised by the Allies on the basis of Woodrow Wilson's "Fourteen Points". However, since the population of the city was predominantly German, it was not placed under Polish sovereignty, but became the Free City of Danzig, an independent quasi-state under the auspices of the League of Nations, governed by its predominantly German residents but with its external affairs largely under Polish control. The Free City issued its own stamps and currency, bearing the legend "Freie Stadt Danzig" and symbols of the city's maritime orientation and history.

Because the authorities in Danzig obstructed Polish trade and restricted Poles from settling in the city, the Polish government decided to build the nearby seaport of Gdynia, which in the following years took the majority of total Polish maritime exports.

Nazi demands for control over the Free City and for easier access from Pomerania to East Prussia served as a pretext for the German attack on Poland on September 1, 1939 and triggered the outbreak of World War II. Military assault on Danzig began with an artillery bombardment by the old German pre-Dreadnaught battleship Schleswig-Holstein of the Westerplatte peninsula and a subsequent landing of German infantry. Polish defenders at the Westerplatte resisted for nearly a week before running out of ammunition. Many members of Danzig's Polish and Kashub population were deported to Stutthof concentration camp near Danzig or were executed at Piaśnica forest. The city was annexed by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreussen.

Most of the Jewish community in Danzig was able to escape from the Nazis shortly before the outbreak of hostilities. However, German secret police had been observing Polish circles since 1936, compiling information which in 1939 served to prepare conscription lists of Poles to be arrested or executed in Operation Tannenberg. After the Nazi invasion, massive arrests of Poles started. On the first day of the war alone approx. 1,500 people were arrested[1], mainly Poles active in the social and economical life, activists and members of Polish organizations. On 2 September 150 of them were deported to Stutthof, where most were eventually killed.

On 30 March 1945, the Red Army entered a city 90% in ruins. It is estimated that 25 percent of the pre-war population was killed. After the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, Gdańsk was returned to Poland after 152 years of rule by Prussia and Germany that was the result of forcefull Second Partition of Poland in 1793.

Modern age

Replacing the killed or expelled German pre-War population, Poles came to the city from throughout Poland, especially from the regions of eastern Poland annexed by the Soviet Union. The Old City was rebuilt during the 1950s and 1960s. Because of the development of its port and three major shipyards, Gdańsk was a major shipping and industrial center of the Communist People's Republic of Poland.

In the course of German-Polish reconciliation policies driven by West German Chancellor Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik, German territorial claims on Gdańsk (and all other formerly German territories now under Polish administration) were renounced, and its full incorporation into Poland was recognized in the Treaty of Warsaw in 1970.

In 1970, Gdańsk was the scene of anti-government demonstrations which led to the downfall of Poland's communist leader Wladyslaw Gomulka. Ten years later the Gdańsk Shipyard was the birthplace of the Solidarity trade union movement, whose opposition to the government led to the end of communist party rule (1989). Solidarity's leader Lech Wałęsa became President of Poland in 1990. Today Gdańsk is a major industrial city and shipping port.


Throughout its long history Gdansk faced various periods of rule from different states before 1945, 997-1308: as part of Poland 1308-1466: as part of territory of Teutonic Order 1466-1793: as part of Poland 1793-1805: as part of Prussia 1807-1814: as free city 1815-1871: as part of Prussia 1871-1918: Imperial Germany 1918-1939: as free city 1939-1945: Nazi Germany

Alltogether combining the number of years, the city was under rule of Poland for 641 years, under the rule of Teutonic Order for 158 years, 125 years as part of Prussia and later Germany, 29 years of its history are marked by the status of a free city, and 6 years under the occupation of Nazi Germany until it was given back to Poland in 1945.

Population developments

Historical population
of Gdańsk

ca. 1000 1,000
1235 2,000
1308 10,000
1600 40,000
1650 70,000
1700 50,000
1750 46,000
1793 36,000
1800 48,000
1825 61,900
1840 65,000
1852 67,000
1874 90,500
1880 103,701
1885 108,500
1900 140,600
1910 170,300
1920 360,000 (whole FCD)
1925 210,300
1939 250,000
1946 118,000
1950 ?
1960 286,900
1970 365,600
1975 421,000
1980 456,700
1990 464,600
1994 464,000
2000 456,600
2004 460,524

Compare: population of Tricity

Economy

Neptune statue at the Old Town.

Main article: Economy of Gdańsk

The city's industrial landscape is dominated by shipbuilding, petrochemical and chemical industries, and food processing. The share of high-tech sectors such as electronics, telecommunications, IT engineering, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals is on the rise. Amber processing for the local economy is also important.

Culture

Gdańsk was once an important center of culture. In the 16th century it hosted Shakespearean theater on foreign tours. Currently, there is a Fundation Theatrum Gedanensis aimed at rebuilding the Shakespeare theater at its historical site. It is expected that Gdańsk will have a permanent English-language theater, as at present it is only an annual event.

Tourism

The city boasts many fine buildings from the time of the Hanseatic League. Most tourist attractions are along or near Ulica Długa (Long Street) and Długi Targ (Long Market), a pedestrian thoroughfare lined by buildings reconstructed in historical (primarily 17th Century) style and capped on either end by elaborate city gates. This part of the city is sometimes referred to as the Royal Way because it was the procession route of visiting kings.

Walking from end to end, sites encountered on or near the Royal Way include:

  • Upland Gate
  • Torture House
  • Prison Tower
  • Golden Gate
  • Long Street (Ulica Długa)
    • Uphagen House
    • Main Town Hall
  • Long Market (Długi Targ)
    • Arthur's Court (Artus)
    • Neptune fountain
  • Green Gate

Gdańsk has a number of historical churches:

  • St Bridget's Church
  • St Catherine's Church
  • St John's Church
  • St Mary's Church (Bazylika Mariacka), a municipal church built during the 15th century, is one of the largest brick churches in the world.
  • St Nicholas' Church
  • Church of the Holy Trinity

On the Motława river the museum ship SS Soldek is anchored.

Gdańsk is the starting point of the EuroVelo 9 cycling route which continues southward through Poland, then into the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia before it finally ends at the Adriatic Sea at Pula in Croatia.

Transportation

Sports

Main article: Sports in Gdańsk

There are many popular professional sports teams in the Gdańsk and Tricity area. Amateur sports are played by thousands of Gdańsk citizens and also in schools of all levels (elementary, secondary, university).

Politics and local government

Main article: Politics of Gdańsk

Contemporary Gdańsk is the capital of the Pomeranian province and is one of the major centres of economic and administrative life in Poland. Many important agencies of the state and local government levels have their main offices here: the Provincial Administration Office, the Provincial Government, the Ministerial Agency of the State Treasury, the Agency for Consumer and Competition Protection, the National Insurance regional office, the Court of Appeal, and the High Administrative Court.

Regional center

Gdańsk Voivodship was extended in 1999 to include most of Słupsk Voivodship, the western part of Elbląg Voivodship and Chojnice County from Bydgoszcz Voivodship to form the new Pomeranian Voivodship. The area of the region was thus extended from 7,394 km² to 18,293 km² and the population rose from 1,333,800 (1980) to 2,198,000 (2000). By 1998, Tricity (greater Gdańsk) constituted an absolute majority of the population; almost half of the inhabitants of the new region live in the centre.

Education and science

File:Danzig old.jpg
Danzig in the 1890s.

There are 14 universities with a total of 60,436 students, including 10,439 graduates as of 2001.

  • Gdańsk University (Uniwersytet Gdański)
  • Gdańsk University of Technology (Politechnika Gdańska)
  • Medical Academy (Akademia Medyczna)
  • Physical Education Academy (Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego im. Jędrzeja Śniadeckiego)
  • Musical Academy (Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki)
  • Arts Academy (Akademia Sztuk Pięknych) [2]
  • Instytut Budownictwa Wodnego PAN
  • Ateneum — Szkoła Wyższa
  • Gdańska Wyższa Szkoła Humanistyczna
  • Gdańska Wyższa Szkoła Administracji
  • Wyższa Szkoła Bankowa
  • Wyższa Szkoła Społeczno-Ekonomiczna
  • Wyższa Szkoła Turystyki i Hotelarstwa w Gdańsku
  • Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania

Scientific and regional organizations

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gdańsk.

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