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The Polish name '''Gdańsk''' is usually {{pronEng|gəˈdɑːnsk}}, {{IPA|/gəˈdaɪnsk/}}, or {{IPA|/gəˈdænsk/}} in English. The ] symbol is frequently neglected by non-Poles. In the local ] it is known as '''Gduńsk'''. The Polish name '''Gdańsk''' is usually {{pronEng|gəˈdɑːnsk}}, {{IPA|/gəˈdaɪnsk/}}, or {{IPA|/gəˈdænsk/}} in English. The ] symbol is frequently neglected by non-Poles. In the local ] it is known as '''Gduńsk'''.


After the city became a part of the ] in 1792 following the ], it was thoroughly Germanized. It remained part of the ] until 1919. The German version of the city's name '''Danzig''' was used by the German population and in English<ref>for example Britannica 11th edition (published in 1911), </ref> until the end of ], although among Poles it was known by its Polish name. The city's Latin name may be given as either '''Gedania''', '''Gedanum''' or '''Dantiscum'''; the variety of Latin names reflects the mixed influence of the city's Polish, German and Kashubian heritage. After the city became a part of the ] in 1792 following the ], it was Germanized and temporarily lost its Polish roots. It remained in the hands of the ] until 1919. The German version of the city's name '''Danzig''' was used by the German population and in English<ref>for example Britannica 11th edition (published in 1911), </ref> until the end of ], although among Poles it was known by its Polish name. The city's Latin name may be given as either '''Gedania''', '''Gedanum''' or '''Dantiscum'''; the variety of Latin names reflects the mixed influence of the city's Polish, German and Kashubian heritage.


Former English versions of its name include the variations '''Dantzig''', '''Dantsic''', and '''Dantzic'''. Former English versions of its name include the variations '''Dantzig''', '''Dantsic''', and '''Dantzic'''.
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===The inter-war years, and World War II=== ===The inter-war years, and World War II===
When Poland regained its independence after ], the Poles hoped to gain the city in order to have free access to the sea which they had been promised by the ] on the basis of ]'s "]". However, since the population of the city was predominantly German, it was not placed under Polish sovereignty, but, according to the terms of the ], became the ], an independent quasi-state under the auspices of the ], governed by its predominantly German residents but with its external affairs largely under Polish control. This led to a large degree of tension between the city and the neighboring ]. The Free City had its own constitution, national anthem, parliament (''Volkstag''), and government (''Senat''). It issued its own stamps and currency, bearing the legend "''Freie Stadt Danzig''" and symbols of the city's maritime traditions and history. When Poland regained its independence after ], the Poles hoped to regain the city to gain free access to the sea which they had been promised by the ] on the basis of ]'s "]". However, since the population of the city was predominantly German, it was not placed under Polish sovereignty, but, according to the terms of the ], became the ], an independent quasi-state under the auspices of the ], governed by its predominantly German residents but with its external affairs largely under Polish control. This led to a large degree of tension between the city and the neighboring ]. The Free City had its own constitution, national anthem, parliament (''Volkstag''), and government (''Senat''). It issued its own stamps and currency, bearing the legend "''Freie Stadt Danzig''" and symbols of the city's maritime traditions and history.


The vast majority of the city's population favored returning to Germany. In the early 1930s the local ] capitalized on these pro-German sentiments, and in 1933 garnered 38 percent of vote in the Danzig ''Volkstag''. Thereafter, the Nazis under ] ] achieved dominance in the city government, which was still nominally overseen by the League of Nations' high commissioner. The vast majority of the city's population favored returning to Germany. In the early 1930s the local ] capitalized on these pro-German sentiments, and in 1933 garnered 38 percent of vote in the Danzig ''Volkstag''. Thereafter, the Nazis under ] ] achieved dominance in the city government, which was still nominally overseen by the League of Nations' high commissioner.

Revision as of 15:01, 28 February 2008

For alternative meanings of Gdańsk and Danzig, see Gdańsk (disambiguation) and Danzig (disambiguation) Place in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland
Gdańsk
Old townOld town
Flag of GdańskFlagCoat of arms of GdańskCoat of arms
Motto(s): Nec temere, nec timide
(Neither rashness nor timidity)
Country Poland
VoivodeshipPomeranian
Countycity county
Established10th century
City rights1263
Government
 • MayorPaweł Adamowicz
Area
 • City262 km (101 sq mi)
Population
 • City457,630
 • Density1,700/km (4,500/sq mi)
 • Metro1,080,700
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code80-008 to 80-958
Area code+48 58
Car platesGD
Websitehttp://www.gdansk.pl

Gdańsk (Polish pronunciation ); Template:Lang-csb, Template:Lang-de () is the city at the center of the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Poland. It is Poland's principal seaport as well as the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is also historically the largest city of the Kashubian region.

The city lies on the southern edge of 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 Tricity (Trójmiasto), with a population of over 800,000. Gdańsk itself has a population of 458,053 (2006), making it the largest city in the Pomerania region of Northern Poland.

Gdańsk is situated at the mouth of the Motława River, connected to the Leniwka, a branch in the delta of the nearby Vistula River, whose waterway system waters 60% of the area of Poland and connects Gdańsk to the national capital in Warsaw. This gives the city a unique advantage as the center of Poland's sea trade. Together with the nearby port of Gdynia, Gdańsk is also an important industrial center. Historically an important seaport and shipbuilding center, Gdańsk was a member of the Hanseatic League.

The city is famous worldwide as the birthplace of the Solidarity movement which, under the leadership of Gdańsk native Lech Wałęsa, played a major role in bringing an end to communist rule across Central Europe in 1989. It is also the home and birthplace of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is of kashubian origin.

Names

The city's name is thought to originate from the Gdania river, the original name of the Motława branch on which the city is situated. Like many other Central European cities, Gdańsk has had many different names throughout its history.

The Polish name Gdańsk is usually Template:PronEng, /gəˈdaɪnsk/, or /gəˈdænsk/ in English. The kreska symbol is frequently neglected by non-Poles. In the local Kashubian language it is known as Gduńsk.

After the city became a part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1792 following the partitions of Poland, it was Germanized and temporarily lost its Polish roots. It remained in the hands of the German Reich until 1919. The German version of the city's name Danzig was used by the German population and in English until the end of World War II, although among Poles it was known by its Polish name. The city's Latin name may be given as either Gedania, Gedanum or Dantiscum; the variety of Latin names reflects the mixed influence of the city's Polish, German and Kashubian heritage.

Former English versions of its name include the variations Dantzig, Dantsic, and Dantzic.

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

Zwantepolc de Danceke, 1228

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), Danceke (1228), 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.

Special celebration names

On special occasions it is also known as The Royal Polish City of Gdańsk (Template:Lang-pl, Template:Lang-de, Template:Lang-la, 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).

History

Main article: History of GdańskSee also: History of Pomerania
The medieval port crane (Krantor), called Żuraw
Monument to King John III Sobieski, formerly placed in Lviv)

Foundation and the Middle Ages

According to archaeologists, the Gdańsk stronghold was built in the 980s by Mieszko I of Poland, after a series of wars against the local tribes. In 1997, the city celebrated the millenial anniversary of the year 997 when Saint Adalbert of Prague, baptized the inhabitants of the town on behalf of Boleslaw the Brave of Poland.

Gdańsk soon became the main centre of a splinter duchy known as Pomerelia, meaning the land by the sea. The most famous local ruler, Swantipolk II, granted an autonomy charter to the town in ca. 1235, which at the time had about 2,000 inhabitants. Eleven years prior, in 1224, the town had already developed an urban charter similar to that of Lübeck which obtained its municipal constitution (Lübisches Stadtrecht) in 1226. The governors of Pomerelia gradually gained more and more power and evolved into semi-independent dukes, and ruled the duchy independently until 1294.

By 1308 the city had became a flourishing trading port with some 10,000 inhabitants, but on November 13, 1308, it was overrun by the Teutonic Order. This led to a series of wars between the Order and the Kingdom of Poland, ending with the Treaty of Kalisz (1343) when the Order acknowledged that it 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 (especially wheat), timber, potas, tar, and other goods of forestry from Poland via the Vistula River trading routes.

While under the control of the Teutonic Order, the city and its trade prospered, German migration increased, and 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 came under the control of the Kingdom of Poland. A year later, with the first Peace of Toruń (Thorn) in 1411, it returned to the Teutonic Order. In 1440, the city participated in the foundation of the Prussian Confederation which led to the Thirteen Years' War of independence from the Teutonic Order (1454-1466).

This intermittent warfare ended on May 25, 1457, when the city received the privileges of an autonomous city within the Kingdom of Poland, granted by King Casimir IV the Jagiellonian. Gaining free access for the first time to Polish markets, the seaport prospered while simultaneously trading with the other Hanseatic cities. After the Peace of Toruń (1466) and the incorporation of Royal Prussia by the Kingdom of Poland the warfare between the Polish crown and the Teutonic Order ended permanently, and the city continued to enjoy a large degree of internal autonomy (reconfirmed in 1577). The 16th and 17th centuries were a Golden Age for trade and culture of the city. Beside the German majority, not atypical of western Polish cities of the time, the city was home to a large number of Poles, Jews, and Dutch. In addition, a number of Scotsmen took refuge or immigrated to and received citizenship in the city. During the Protestant Reformation, the German inhabitants adopted Lutheranism.

The city suffered a slow economic decline due to the wars of the 18th century, when it was taken by the Russians after the Siege of Danzig in 1734. Danzig was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1793, but returned to the status of a free city in 1807-1815 amidst the Napoleonic Wars. Returned to Prussia afterward, the city became the capital of Regierungsbezirk Danzig within the province of West Prussia from 1815. The city's longest serving Regierungspräsident was Robert von Blumenthal, who held office from 1841, through the revolutions of 1848, until 1863. The city became part of the German Empire in 1871.

File:GD032003 ubt.jpeg
Main Town Hall at the Long Market street
"Danzig is German". Postage stamp issued by Nazi Germany to celebrate the annexation of Danzig by the German Reich after the invasion of Poland.

The inter-war years, and World War II

When Poland regained its independence after World War I, the Poles hoped to regain the city to gain 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, according to the terms of the Versailles Treaty, 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. This led to a large degree of tension between the city and the neighboring Republic of Poland. The Free City had its own constitution, national anthem, parliament (Volkstag), and government (Senat). It issued its own stamps and currency, bearing the legend "Freie Stadt Danzig" and symbols of the city's maritime traditions and history.

The vast majority of the city's population favored returning to Germany. In the early 1930s the local Nazi Party capitalized on these pro-German sentiments, and in 1933 garnered 38 percent of vote in the Danzig Volkstag. Thereafter, the Nazis under Gauleiter Albert Forster achieved dominance in the city government, which was still nominally overseen by the League of Nations' high commissioner.

The Nazis demanded the return of Danzig to Germany along with ae exterritorial highway for easier access across the Polish Corridor, to connect the Third Reich to East Prussia. However, when the Nazi Government secured Soviet backing for aggression against Poland, a decision was made to launch a full-out offensive regardless of any Polish willingness to negotiate. On September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany attacked Poland, triggering the outbreak of World War II.

World War II began in Danzig, with an artillery bombardment of Polish positions at the Westerplatte peninsula by the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein, and the landing of German infantry on the peninsula. Polish defenders at Westerplatte resisted for seven days before running out of ammunition.

The city was annexed by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia.

Most of the Jewish community in Danzig were able to escape from the Nazis shortly before the outbreak of hostilities. Nazi secret police had been observing Polish circles since 1936, compiling information which in 1939 served to prepare lists of Poles to be captured in Operation Tannenberg. On the first day of the war, approximately 1,500 ethnic Poles were arrested, some because they had been active in social and economic life, others because they were activists and members of Polish organizations. On September 2, 1939, 150 of them were deported to the Stutthof concentration camp some 30 miles from Danzig, where most were eventually murdered. Many members of Danzig's Polish population were deported by the Nazis to Stutthof or were executed in the Piaśnica forest.

In 1941, the Nazi Regime ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union, eventually causing the fortunes of war to turn against it. As the Soviet Army advanced in 1944, German populations in Central and Eastern Europe took flight, resulting in the beginning of a great population shift. After the final Soviet offensive began in January, 1945, hundreds of thousands of German refugees, many of whom had fled to Danzig on foot from East Prussia (see evacuation of East Prussia), tried to escape through the city's port in a large-scale evacuation involving hundreds of German cargo and passenger ships. Some of the ships were sunk by the Soviets, including the Wilhelm Gustloff after an evacuation was attempted at neighboring Gdynia. In the process, tens of thousands of refugees were killed.

The city also endured heavy Allied and Soviet bombardment by air. Those who survived and could not escape encountered the Soviet Army, which captured the city on March 30, 1945 and largely destroyed it. After conferences between the Allies at Yalta and Potsdam, the city, along with all other territories east of the Oder-Neisse line, was assigned to Poland. Thus, in another historic turn of fortune, Danzig once again became Gdańsk. The remaining German residents of the city who survived the war were expelled to postwar Germany, and henceforth the city became populated mostly by ethnic Poles deported by Soviets from eastern portion of the pre-war Poland.

Contemporary History

File:P4054828.JPG
Example of the Hanseatic style buildings recreated in the Old Town after the world war.

The historic old city of Gdańsk, which had suffered large-scale destruction at the hands of the Soviet Army, was rebuilt during the 1950s and 1960s. Boosted by heavy investment in the development of its port and three major shipyards, Gdańsk became the major shipping and industrial center of the Communist People's Republic of Poland.

As part of German-Polish reconciliation policies driven by West German Chancellor Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik, German territorial claims on Gdańsk were renounced, and the city's full incorporation into Poland was recognized in the Treaty of Warsaw in 1970. This was confirmed by a reunited Germany in 1990 and 1991.

In 1970, Gdańsk was the scene of anti-regime demonstrations which led to the downfall of Poland's communist leader Władysław Gomułka. Ten years later the Gdańsk Shipyard was the birthplace of the Solidarity trade union movement, whose opposition to the Communist regime led to the end of Communist Party rule in 1989, and sparked a series of protests that successfully overturned the Communist regimes of the former Soviet bloc. Solidarity's leader, Lech Wałęsa, a native of Gdańsk, became President of Poland in 1990. Gdańsk native Donald Tusk became Prime Minister of Poland in 2007.

Today Gdańsk is a major shipping port and tourist destination.


Economy

The industrial sections of the city are 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 is also an important part of the local economy, as the majority of the world's amber deposits lie along the Baltic coast. The Pomeranian Voivodeship, including Gdańsk, is also a major tourist destination in the summer months, as millions of Poles and European Union citizens flock to the beaches of the Baltic coastline.

Main sights

File:250px-GD022003 ubt.jpeg
Neptune statue at the Old Town.

The city has many fine buildings from the time of the Hanseatic League. Most tourist attractions are located along or near Ulica Długa (Long Street) and Długi Targ (Long Market), a pedestrian thoroughfare surrounded by buildings reconstructed in historical (primarily 17th century) style and flanked at both ends by elaborate city gates. This part of the city is sometimes referred to as the Royal Road as the former path of processions for 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 (Dwór Artusa)
    • Neptune Fountain
  • Green Gate

Gdańsk has a number of historical churches:

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

The museum ship SS Soldek is anchored on the Motława River.

In the 16th century, Gdańsk hosted Shakespearean theatre on foreign tours, and the Danzig Research Society founded in 1743 was one of the first of its kind. Currently, there is a Fundation Theatrum Gedanensis aimed at rebuilding the Shakespeare theatre at its historical site. It is expected that Gdańsk will have a permanent English-language theatre, as at present it is only an annual event.

Transportation

A typical Gdańsk tram.

Train transportation provides good connection with all major Polish cities, and with neighbouring Kashubian Lakes region. The actually constructed A-1 Highway will connect the Port and city of Gdańsk with southern border of the country.

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 ending at the Adriatic Sea in Pula, Croatia.

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). One of the most popular sports in Gdańsk is football. The most famous team is Lechia Gdansk. Founded in 1945, they play in the second league. Lechia stadium "MOSIR" is situated on Traugutta Street 29 in Gdańsk, opposite the Medical University of Gdańsk.

Politics and local government

Main article: Politics of Gdańsk

Contemporary Gdańsk is the capital of the province called Pomeranian Voivodeship 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 centre

Gdańsk Voivodeship was extended in 1999 to include most of Słupsk Voivodeship, the western part of Elbląg Voivodeship and Chojnice County from Bydgoszcz Voivodeship to form the new Pomeranian Voivodeship. 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 constituted an absolute majority of the population; almost half of the inhabitants of the new region live in the centre.

Education and science

Gdańsk University

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 University (Akademia Medyczna)
  • Academy of Physical Education and Sport of Gdansk (Akademia Wychowania Fizycznego i Sportu im. Jędrzeja Śniadeckiego)
  • Musical Academy (Akademia Muzyczna im. Stanisława Moniuszki)
  • Arts Academy (Akademia Sztuk Pięknych)
  • 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

  • Gdańsk Scientific Society
  • Baltic Institute (Instytut Bałtycki), established 1925 in Toruń, since 1946 (?) in Gdańsk
  • TNOiK - Towarzystwo Naukowe Organizacji i Kierowania (Scientific Society for Organization and Management) O/Gdańsk
  • IBNGR - Instytut Badań nad Gospodarką Rynkową (The Gdańsk Institute for Market Economics)

Sister cities

Gdańsk is twinned with:

Footnotes

  1. http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=gamelan&geo=-173&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&pt=a&va=&srt=pnan
  2. http://world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gcis&lng=en&des=gamelan&geo=-173&srt=npan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&pt=a&va=&srt=pnan
  3. From the history of Gdańsk city name, as explained at Gdansk Guide
  4. for example Britannica 11th edition (published in 1911),
  5. Marian Gumowski: Handbuch der polnischen Siegelkunde, 1966
  6. Gdańsk, in: Kazimierz Rymut, Nazwy Miast Polski, Ossolineum, Wrocław 1987
  7. Hubert Gurnowicz, Gdańsk, in: Nazwy miast Pomorza Gdańskiego, Ossolineum, Wrocław 1978
  8. Baedeker's Northern Germany, Karl Baedeker Publishing, Leipzig 1904
  9. From "Poland. Chronology.
  10. From Danzig - Gdansk until 1920
  11. See Documents Concerning the German Polish Relations and the Outbreak of Hostilities between Great Britain and Germany on September 3, 1939. See also the Soviet archived, Documents Relating to the Eve of the Second World War Volume II: 1938-1939 (New York: International Publishers), 1948.
  12. See Documents Concerning the German Polish Relations and the Outbreak of Hostilities between Great Britain and Germany on September 3, 1939. Hitler's change of position is well reflected in Goebbel's personal diary. See also the Soviet archived, Documents Relating to the Eve of the Second World War Volume II: 1938-1939 (New York: International Publishers), 1948.
  13. Museums Stutthof in Sztutowo. Accessed January 31 2007.

See also

External links

Gdańsk articles
History of Gdańsk
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Politics
Mayors of Danzig
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Members of the Hanseatic League by quarter, and trading posts of the Hanseatic League
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Principal trading routes of the Hanseatic League

Lubeck — a main city of the Hanseatic League
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  • Cologne and Dortmund were both chief city of the Westphalian Quarter at different times.
  • The kontor was moved to Antwerp once Bruges became inaccessible due to the silting of the Zwin channel.

type:city 54°21′N 18°40′E / 54.350°N 18.667°E / 54.350; 18.667

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