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'''Gdańsk''', former ] name ''Danzig'', see also ]) is the 6th largest city in ], its principal ], and the capital of the ]. The city lies on the southern coast of the ] (of the ]), in a conurbation with the spa town of ], the city of ] and ]an communities, which together form a ] called the ] (''Trójmiasto'') with a population of over a million people. Gdańsk is, with a population of 460,000 (2002), the largest city in the historical province of ]. Gdańsk is pronounced ] in ] (]) and or in ]. | '''Gdańsk''', former ] name ''Danzig'', see also ]) is the 6th largest city in ], its principal ], and the capital of the ]. The city lies on the southern coast of the ] (of the ]), in a conurbation with the spa town of ], the city of ] and ]an communities, which together form a ] called the ] (''Trójmiasto'') with a population of over a million people. Gdańsk is, with a population of 460,000 (2002), the largest city in the historical province of ]. Gdańsk is pronounced ] (]) in ] and or in ]. | ||
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{{Infobox_Poland| | {{Infobox_Poland| |
Revision as of 01:15, 13 October 2004
- For alternative meanings of Gdansk and Danzig, see Gdansk (disambiguation) and Danzig (disambiguation)
Gdańsk, former German name Danzig, see also other names) is the 6th largest city in Poland, its principal seaport, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodship. The city lies on the southern coast of the Gdansk 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 Tricity (Trójmiasto) with a population of over a million people. Gdańsk is, with a population of 460,000 (2002), the largest city in the historical province of Eastern Pomerania. Gdańsk is pronounced IPA (listen) in Polish and or in English. Template:Infobox Poland Gdańsk is situated at the mouth of the Motława river, connected to a 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.
Until the end of the second world war, the city had a predominantly German population. A major port since the 14th century and subsequently a principal ship-building centre, today's Gdańsk remains an important industrial centre together with the developed since the 1920s of the nearby port of Gdynia. In the 1970s the modern port (Port Polnocny) in Gdańsk was developed, accessible for much bigger ships, including middle sized tankers.
Names
Historical documents
The name of Gdańsk is usually interpreted as a town located on Gdania river, which is thought to be the original name of the Motława branch the city is situated on. 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 a simplified 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.
Alternative languages' names
The city has been known under various names during its history. The Polish name is Gdańsk and in the local Kashubian language it is known as Gduńsk. The German name, commonly used before WWII, is Danzig. 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.
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 Gdansk
See also: History of Pomerania
Historical summary
According to archeologists, the Gdańsk stronghold was constructed in the 980s; however, the year 997 has in recent years been considered to be the date of the foundation of the city itself, as the year in which Saint Adalbert of Prague (sent by the Polish king Boleslav the Brave) baptized the Gdańsk inhabitants (urbs Gyddanyzc). In the following years Gdańsk was the main centre of a Polish splinter duchy ruled by the dynasty of Dukes of Pomerania. The most famous of them, Swantipolk II, granted a local autonomy charter in ca. 1235 to the city, which had some 2,000 inhabitants. Gdańsk became a flourishing trading city with some 10,000 inhabitants by the year 1308, however in this year it was occupied and demolished by the Teutonic Knights (the Gdańsk massacre of November 13, 1308). This led to the city's decline and to a series of wars between the rebellious Knights and the Polish kings, ending with the Peace of Kalisz in 1343 when the Knights acknowledged that they would keep Pomerania as "an alm" from the Polish king. This made the legal basis of their possession of the province to remain in some doubt. The agreement permitted the foundation of the Gdańsk municipality in 1343 and the development of increased trade in export of grain from Poland via the Vistula river trading routes. The city became a full member of the Hanseatic League by 1361. When a new war broke out in 1409 and ended with the Battle of Grunwald (1410) the city accepted the direct overlordship of Polish kings, but with the Peace of Thorn (1411) it returned to the Teutonic Knights' administration. In 1440 it participated in the foundation of the Prussian Union which led to the Thirteen Years War (1454-1644) and the incorporation of Gdansk Pomerania, under direct rule of the Polish Crown.
Thanks to the Royal charters granted by the king Casimir IV the Jagiellonian and the free access to all Polish markets, Gdańsk became a large and rich seaport and city. The 16th to 17th centuries were the Golden Age of Gdańsk trade and culture. Inhabitants from various ethnic groups (Germans, Poles, Jews and the Dutch being the largest) contributed to the specific Danzig identity and richest culture of the period. The city suffered slowly economic decline becauce of the wars in the 18th century, which ended with the Partitions of Poland in 1772-1793. Some Gdańsk citizens fought for Gdańsk independence, but they had to accept that the city became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1793 and, again in 1815, after a short period as a Free City (1806-1815) under Napoleon. In contrast to the independent period, under the Prussian administration Danzig became an relatively unimportant city dominated by the military garrison and the administration officials. As part of Prussia, it became part of the German Empire in 1871.
After World War I, Poland became independent, and the Poles hoped to get Gdańsk as 'a free access to the sea', as they had been promised by the Allies. They were very unhappy when the city was not placed under full Polish sovereignty, but was made into the Free City of Gdańsk, formally an autonomous part of Poland and protected by the League of Nations, but in practice dominated by the local German-speaking residents. Danzig had a this time a population of 97,6 % Germans and around 2 % Poles. Because these authorities obstructed Polish trade and restricted Poles from settling in the city, the Polish government decided to invest in construction of the nearby seaport of Gdynia, which in the following years took the majority of Polish exports through the Polish Corridor.
Tensions arising from quarrels between Germany and Poland over control of the Free City served as a pretext for the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 and the outbreak of World War II. Danzig was reannexed to Germany. Some Poles were expelled or executed.
The city was taken by Polish and Soviet forces on March 30, 1945 after a fierce battle with the defending Germans. 90% of the city was reduced to ruins, and it is estimated that 40% of the pre-war population was killed during the war. By the decision of the Allies at the Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference Gdańsk was ceded to full Polish sovereignty. Poland started a programme of ethnic cleansing of all Germans from the city. In 1950, around 285,000 former Danzig inhabitants lived in exile in the remaining parts of Germany, while 100 000 had lost their lives. The city was rebuilt from ruins in the 1950s and 1960s to become a major industrial centre of communist Poland.
Gdańsk was the scene of anti-government demonstrations which led to the downfall of Poland's communist leader Wladyslaw Gomulka in December 1970, and ten years later was the birthplace of the Solidarity trade union movement, whose opposition to the government led to the end of communist party rule (1989) and to the election as Polish president of its leader Lech Walesa. Today it remains a major industrial city and shipping port.
Dukes of Gdańsk
- ca. 850-960 - local tribal dukes
- ca. 960 - Wislaw, duke of Gdańsk, married to a Piast duchess
- ca. 1046 - Siemomysl, duke of Pomerania
- ca. 1060-1106 - Swietobor I, duke of Gdańsk Pomerania
- 1109-1121 Swietopelk I, duke of Gdańsk Pomerania
- 1155-1180 Subislaw I, duke of Gdańsk Pomerania
- 1180-1207 Sambor I, duke of Gdańsk Pomerania
- 1207-1217 Msciwoj I, duke of Gdansk Pomerania
- 1217-1266 Swietopelk II the Great, duke of Gdańsk Pomerania
- 1266-1271 Warcislaw I, duke of Gdańsk Pomerania
- 1271-1294 Msciwoj II, duke of Gdańsk Pomerania
- 1294-1296 Przemysl II, king of Poland and duke of Pomerania
- 1296-1299 Ladislaus I of Poland, duke of Poland, Cuiavia and Pomerania
- 1299-1305 Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, king of Bohemia and Poland
- 1305-1306 Wenceslaus III of Bohemia, king of Bohemia and Poland
- 1306-1308 Ladislaus I of Poland, duke of Poland, Cuiavia and Pomerania (crowned king in 1320)
- 1308-1343 Gdańsk Pomerania held illegaly by the Teutonic Order, Polish kings Ladislaus I and Casimir III still the title lord of Pomerania
- 1343-1410 and 1411-1454 Gdańsk Pomerania held legally by the Teutonic Order as a fief of Polish kings.
Famous people born in Danzig or Gdańsk
- Joannes Dantiscus 1485, poet, church canon and bishop
- Bernhard von Reesen 1490
- Albrecht IV Giese 1524
- Anton van Obberghen, 1543, architect
- Anton Möller, 1563, painter
- Johannes Hevelius, astronomer, 1611
- Georg Daniel Schultz 1615
- Andreas Schlüter 1660
- Jacob Theodor Klein 1685
- Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), physicist and engineer
- Daniel Gralath 1708
- Louise Adelgunde Gottsched 1713
- Daniel Chodowiecki 1726, painter
- Johann Wilhelm Archenholz 1741
- Georg Forster 1754
- Johanna Schopenhauer 1766
- Johannes Daniel Falk 1768
- Arthur Schopenhauer 1788
- Max Halbe 1865
- Günter Grass, b. 1927, writer and philosopher
- Wawrzyniec Samp, b. 1939, sculptor and grapic artist
- Ryszard Grodnicki, b. 1947, painter, photographer
- Krzysztof Kolberger, b. 1950, actor
- Jan de Weryha-Wysoczanski, b. 1950, sculptor
- Jerzy Samp, b. 1951, writer and historian
- Paweł Huelle, b. 1957, writer and journalist
- Donald Tusk, b. 1957, politician, jornalist and historian
- Dariusz Michalczewski, b. 1968, boxer
Famous people living or working in Gdańsk
- Lech Walesa, b. 1943, trade unions activist, politician, president of Poland (1990–1995)
- Jacek Kaczmarski, (1957-2004), songwriter, poet and author
- Lech Kaczynski, b. 1949, politician, Solidarity activist
Historical population
ca.1000: 1,000 inhabitants
ca.1235: 2,000 inhabitants
ca.1600: 40,000 inhabitants
ca.1650: 70,000 inhabitants
ca.1700: 50,000 inhabitants
ca.1750: 46,000 inhabitants
1793: 36,000 inhabitants
1800: 48,000 inhabitants
1825: 61,900 inhabitants
1840: 65,000 inhabitants
1852: 67,000 inhabitants
1874: 90,500 inhabitants
1880: 108,500 inhabitants
1900: 140,600 inhabitants
1910: 170,300 inhabitants
1920: city+rural areas = 360,000 inhabitants (85–90% Germans, 10–15% Poles)
1925: 210,300 inhabitants
1939: 250,000 inhabitants
1946: 118,000 inhabitants
1950: ? inhabitants
1960: 286,900 inhabitants
1970: 365,600 inhabitants
1975: 421,000 inhabitants
1980: 456,700 inhabitants
1990: ? inhabitants
1994: 464,000 inhabitants
2000: ? inhabitants
2002 : 460,000 inhabitants
See also: Population of the Tricity metropolitan area (Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot).
Economy
Main article: Economy of Gdansk
The city's industrial kaleidoscope is dominated by traditional lines of shipbuilding, petrochemical and chemical industry, and food processing. The share of the know-how based sectors such as electronics, telecommunication, IT engineering, or cosmetics and pharmaceuticals is on the rise. Amber processing specific for the local economy is also prominent.
Major corporations
8 out of Rzeczpospolita Top 500 Polish companies have their headquarters in Gdańsk:
- Grupa Lotos SA, Gdańsk - energy
- Energa Gdańska Kompania Energetyczna SA, Gdańsk - energy
- GE Capital Bank SA, Gdansk - finance
- Gdańska Stocznia Remontowa SA, Gdańsk - shipbuilding
- Elnord SA, Gdańsk
- Elektrociepłownie Wybrzeże SA, Gdańsk
- LPP SA, Gdańsk
- Polnord Energobudowa SA, Gdańsk
- Petrobaltic SA production of oil from shelf oil fields (currently 41% of Polish production)
See also: Ports of the Baltic Sea.
Culture
Gdańsk used to be an important center of culture. In the 16th century it used to host Shakespeare theater on foreign tours. Currently, there is a Fundation Theatrum Gedanensis aimed at rebuilding the Shakespeare theater building on its traditional site in Gdańsk. It is expected that Gdańsk will have a permanent English language theater, as at present it is only an annual event: the review of the Shakespeare theater groups from Poland and abroad.
Tourism
Gdańsk boasts many fine Hanseatic league buildings.
Gdańsk is the starting point of the EuroVelo 9 cycle route which continues on southward through Poland, then onto the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovenia before it finally ends on the Adriatic Sea at Pula in Croatia.
Sports
There are many popular professional sports team 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).
Sports in Gdańsk
- Lechia Gdańsk - men football team (Polish Cup winner 1983, Polish Supercup winner 1983; 3rd league in 2004/2005 season)
- Energa Gedania Gdańsk - women's volleyball team playing in Polish Seria A Women's Volleyball League: 9th place in 2003/2004 season.
- Nata AZS AWFiS Gdańsk - women's handball team playing in Polish Ekstraklasa Women's Handball League: Polish Champion in 2003/2004 season.
- Lotos Gdansk - cinder-track racing team (Polish Champion 2004)
- DGT AZS AWFiS Gdansk - men handball team (Premier league in season 2003/2004)
- SMS Gdansk - men handball team (1st league in season 2003/2004)
- Stoczniowiec Gdansk - men ice hockey team (Premier league in season 2003/2004)
- AZS AWFiS Gdansk - rugby team (1st league in season 2003/2004)
Sports in Tricity
- Arka Gdynia - football team (2nd league 2003/2004, Polish Champion 1979)
- Prokom Trefl Sopot - men basketball team (Polish Champion 2004)
- Lotos VBW Clima Gdynia - women basketball team (Polish Champion 2004)
- KS Laczpol Gdynia - women handball team (1st league in season 2003/2004)
- Arka Gdynia - rugby team (1st league in season 2003/2004)
Politics and Local Government
Members of European Parliament (MEPs) from Gdańsk
- Janusz Lewandowski, PO - economist, leader of Gdańsk liberals, former minister of privatization
- Anna Fotyga, PO - economist, Solidarity adviser, former vice-president (mayor) of Gdańsk
Members of Polish Parliament (MPs) from Gdańsk
Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Gdańsk constituency
- Jolanta Banach, SLD-UP
- Tadeusz Cymański, PiS
- Danuta Hojarska, Samoobrona
- Lech Kaczyński, PiS
- Janusz Lewandowski, PO -> 2004 MEP
- Andrzej Liss, PiS
- Jerzy Młynarczyk, SLD-UP
- Małgorzata Ostrowska, SLD-UP
- Grażyna Paturalska, PO
- Maciej Płażyński, PO
- Franciszek Potulski, SLD-UP
- Edmund Stachowicz, SLD-UP
- Gertruda Szumska, LPR
Municipal politics
to be written
Administrations of Gdańsk
Administrations of Danzig 1862-1945
Administrations of Gdansk since 1945
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
Gdansk Voivodship was extended in 1999 to include most of Slupsk Voivodship, western part of Elblag Voivodship and Chojnice County from Bydgoszcz Voivodship to form new Pomeranian Voivodship. The area of the region was thus extended from 7,394 km² to 18,293 km² and population from 1,333,800 (1980) to 2,198,000 (2000). By 1998, Tricity or greater Gdansk, constituted an absolute majority of population; almost half of the inhabitants of the new region live in the centre.
Modern division into neighbourhoods
The City of Gdańsk is divided into 30 "quarters":
# | name | pop | area (km²) | pop/km² |
1 | Osowa | 8053 | 13.6 | 592 |
2 | Oliwa | 22431 | 18.5 | 1209 |
3 | Żabianka, Jelitkowo | 23145 | 2.1 | 10923 |
4 | Przymorze Małe | 18017 | 2.3 | 7786 |
5 | Przymorze Wielkie | 36260 | 3.3 | 10840 |
6 | VII Dwór | 4879 | 3.2 | 1 507 |
7 | Strzyża | 6569 | 1.2 | 5 571 |
8 | Zaspa-Młyniec | 16471 | 1.3 | 13144 |
9 | Zaspa-Rozstaje | 15118 | 1.9 | 7833 |
10 | Brzeźno | 16514 | 2.7 | 6123 |
11 | Matarnia | 5613 | 14.9 | 376 |
12 | Brętowo | 7944 | 7.4 | 1074 |
13 | Wrzeszcz | 65427 | 9.9 | 6622 |
14 | Letnica | 2024 | 4.5 | 452 |
15 | Nowy Port | 12913 | 2.3 | 5603 |
16 | Piecki-Migowo | 23593 | 3.8 | 6224 |
17 | Suchanino | 12937 | 1.3 | 9812 |
18 | Siedlce | 17584 | 2.6 | 6684 |
19 | Wzgórze Mickewicza | 2578 | 0.6 | 4268 |
20 | Aniołki | 6774 | 2.3 | 2949 |
21 | Młyniska | 4551 | 4.0 | 1136 |
22 | Stogi z Przeróbką | 19866 | 16.9 | 1173 |
23 | Śródmieście | 39770 | 5.5 | 7219 |
24 | Krakowiec-Górki Zachodnie | 2301 | 8.8 | 261 |
25 | Wyspa Sobieszewska | 3570 | 34.3 | 104 |
26 | Kokoszki | 4659 | 20.0 | 233 |
27 | Chełm i Gdańsk Południe | 43264 | 30.8 | 1404 |
28 | Orunia-Św.Wojciech-Lipce | 20317 | 19.7 | 1032 |
29 | Olszynka | 3514 | 7.7 | 458 |
30 | Rudniki | 2104 | 14.5 | 145 |
Education
There are 10 universities with 60,436 students, of which 10,439 are graduates (2001).
- Uniwersytet Gdanski (Gdansk) Gdansk University
- Politechnika Gdanska (Gdansk) Gdansk University of Technology
- Medical Academy of Gdansk (Akademia Medyczna)
- Phisical Education Academy of Gdansk Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego im. J. Śniadeckiego
- Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki
- Akademia Sztuk Pieknych w Gdansku ]
- 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
Further reading
- (ed.) E. Cieślak, Historia Gdańska, vol. I–II, Gdańsk 1978
- E. Cieślak, C. Biernat, Dzieje Gdańska, Gdańsk 1969
- P. Simson, Geschichte der Stadt Danzig, vol. 1–4, Danzig 1913–18
- H. Samsonowicz, Badania nad kapitałem mieszczańskim Gdańska w II połowie VX wieku., Warszawa 1960
- Cz. Biernat, Statystyka obrotu towarowego Gdańska w latach 1651–1815., Warszawa 1962
- M. Bogucka, Gdańsk jako ośrodek produkcyjny w XIV–XVII wieku., Warszawa 1962
- M. Bogucka, Handel zagraniczny Gdańska w pierwszej połowie XVII wieku, Wrocław 1970
- H. Górnowicz, Z. Brocki, Nazwy miast Pomorza Gdańskiego, Wrocław 1978
- Gminy województwa gdańskiego, Gdańsk 1995
- Gerard Labuda (ed.), Historia Pomorza, vol. I-IV, Poznań 1969–2003
- L. Bądkowski, Pomorska myśl polityczna, Gdańsk 1990
- W. Odyniec, Dzieje Prus Królewskich (1454–1772). Zarys monograficzny, Warszawa 1972
- (ed.) W. Odyniec, Dzieje Pomorza Nadwiślańskiego od VII wieku do 1945 roku, Gdańsk 1978
- L. Bądkowski, W. Samp, Poczet książąt Pomorza Gdańskiego, Gdańsk 1974
- B. Śliwiński, Poczet książąt gdańskich, Gdańsk 1997
- Józef Spors, Podziały administracyjne Pomorza Gdańskiego i Sławieńsko-Słupskiego od XII do początków XIV w, Słupsk 1983
- M. Latoszek, Pomorze. Zagadnienia etniczno-regionalne, Gdańsk 1996
- Działacze polscy i przedstawiciele R.P. w Wolnym Mieście Gdańsku, Pomorze Gdańskie nr 9, Gdańsk 1974
- B. Bojarska, Eksterminacja inteligencji polskiej na Pomorzu Gdańskim (wrzesień-grudzień 1939), Poznań 1972
- K. Ciechanowski, Ruch oporu na Pomorzu Gdańskim 1939–1945., Warszawa 1972
- Dziedzictwo kulturowe Pomorza nad Wisłą, Pomorze Gdańskie nr 20, Gdańsk 1997
See also:
External links
- The Website of Gdansk Town Hall
- Together in Gdansk Again — Comprehensive information about Gdansk online
- www.gdansk.com
- Airport Gdańsk-Rebiechowo
- Tricity Regional Portal
- Gdańsk University