| Revision as of 00:37, 11 January 2006 editMolobo (talk | contribs)13,968 edits restored information on years under Prussian and German rule due to Partitions of Poland and why the treaty had to be redone.← Previous edit | Revision as of 00:56, 11 January 2006 edit undoSciurinæ (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Rollbackers12,786 edits rv - POV-pushingNext edit → | ||
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| In the following years Gdańsk was the main centre of a Polish splinter duchy ruled by the ]. The most famous of them, ], granted a local autonomy charter in ca. ] 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 ]. The most famous of them, ], granted a local autonomy charter in ca. ] to the city, which at the time had some 2,000 inhabitants. | ||
| By ] Gdańsk had became a flourishing trading city with some 10,000 inhabitants, but in the ] of ] 1308, it was occupied and demolished by the ] |
By ] Gdańsk had became a flourishing trading city with some 10,000 inhabitants, but in the ] of ] 1308, it was occupied and demolished by the ]. This led to the city's decline and to a series of wars between the Knights and the Polish kings, ending with the ] in ] 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 ] and the development of increased export of grain from Poland via the ] trading routes. | ||
| While under the control of the Knights German influence increased, and the city began to be referred to by variations of "Gdańsk", ultimately developing into the German name |
While under the control of the Knights, the city flourished, German influence increased, and the city began to be referred to by variations of "Gdańsk", ultimately developing into the ] German name "Danzig". The city became a full member of the ] in ]. A new war broke out in ], ending with the ] (]), and the city briefly came under the direct overlordship of the Polish kings. One year later, with the ], it returned to the Teutonic Knights' administration. In ] Danzig participated in the foundation of the ] which eventually led to the ] (]-]) and the ] of ] to the direct rule of the Polish Crown. | ||
| Thanks to the Royal charters granted by king ] and the free access to all Polish markets, Danzig became a large and prosperous seaport and city. The ] and ] centuries were a Golden Age for trade and culture in Danzig. Inhabitants from various ethnic groups (Germans, Poles, ], and ] being the largest) contributed to Danzig's identity and rich culture of this period. | Thanks to the Royal charters granted by king ] and the free access to all Polish markets, Danzig became a large and prosperous seaport and city. The ] and ] centuries were a Golden Age for trade and culture in Danzig. Inhabitants from various ethnic groups (Germans, Poles, ], and ] being the largest) contributed to Danzig's identity and rich culture of this period. | ||
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| Military action in Danzig began with an artillery bombardment by the old German pre-Dreadnaught battleship '']'' of the ] peninsula and a subsequent landing by German infantry. Polish defenders at the Westerplatte resisted for nearly a week before running out of ammunition. Many members of Danzig's Polish population were deported to Stutthof or were executed at ]. The city was annexed by ] and incorporated into the ] ]. | Military action in Danzig began with an artillery bombardment by the old German pre-Dreadnaught battleship '']'' of the ] peninsula and a subsequent landing by German infantry. Polish defenders at the Westerplatte resisted for nearly a week before running out of ammunition. Many members of Danzig's Polish population were deported to Stutthof or were executed at ]. The city was annexed by ] and incorporated into the ] ]. | ||
| Towards the end of WWII, the city was |
Towards the end of WWII, the city was taken by the ] on 30 March 1945. Ninety percent of the city was reduced to ruins during the war and thereafter, and it is estimated that 25 percent of the pre-war population was killed. At the ] and ] conferences, Danzig was placed under Polish administration, along with most of Pomerania and ] and the southern half of East Prussia. Poland, with Soviet backing, expelled all ethnic Germans from the city, thereafter known by its Polish name, Gdańsk. By ], around 285,000 former Free City of Danzig inhabitants lived in other parts of Germany, while an estimated 100,000 had lost their lives in the war and the expulsions. | ||
| Most ethnic Germans from the city either fled, were evacuated or expelled and the population was replaced mostly by Polish expelees. By ], around 285,000 former Free City of Danzig inhabitants lived in other parts of Germany, while an estimated 100,000 had lost their lives in the war, evacuations and expulsions. | |||
| === Modern age === | === Modern age === | ||
| Replacing |
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 ]. The Old City was rebuilt during the ] and ]. Because of the development of its port and three major shipyards, Gdańsk was a major shipping and industrial center of the ] ]. | ||
| In the course of |
In the course of German-Polish reconciliation driven by ] ] ]'s '']'', 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 ] of ] in ]. | ||
| Western Germany, and as such the the Polish-German border was again a issue during the re-unification talks in 1990 when after intense diplomatic effort it was finally accepted by Helmut Kohl. | |||
| In 1970, Gdańsk was the scene of anti-government demonstrations which led to the downfall of Poland's communist leader ]. Ten years later the ] was the birthplace of the ] trade union movement, whose opposition to the government led to the end of communist party rule (]). Solidarity's leader ] became ] in ]. Today Gdańsk is a major industrial city and shipping port. | In 1970, Gdańsk was the scene of anti-government demonstrations which led to the downfall of Poland's communist leader ]. Ten years later the ] was the birthplace of the ] trade union movement, whose opposition to the government led to the end of communist party rule (]). Solidarity's leader ] became ] in ]. Today Gdańsk is a major industrial city and shipping port. | ||
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Revision as of 00:56, 11 January 2006
For alternative meanings of Gdańsk and Danzig, see Gdańsk (disambiguation) and Danzig (disambiguation)Gdańsk (usually Gdansk in English and pronounced Audio file "Gdansk.ogg" not found, German: Danzig, 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 heavily 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 , , or in English. The acute accent is usually left off due to the difficulty of entering it.
See also: List of European cities with names in different languages
Historical documents
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
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 flourished, German influence increased, and the city began to be referred to by variations of "Gdańsk", ultimately developing into the Modern Era German 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 in Danzig. Inhabitants from various ethnic groups (Germans, Poles, Jews, and Dutch being the largest) contributed to Danzig's identity and rich culture of this period.
The city suffered a slow economic decline due to the wars in the 18th century, which ended with the Partitions of Poland from 1772to 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.
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.
German demands for control over the Free City and 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. Most of the Jewish community in Danzig was able to escape from the Nazis shortly before the outbreak of hostilities. However, since 1936 German police had observed Polish circles, compiling information which in 1939 served to prepare lists of Poles to be arrested Operation Tannenberg. After the German invasion, massive arrests of Poles started. On the first day of the war alone approx. 1,500 people were arrested, 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 concentration camp near Danzig, where most were eventually killed.
Military action in Danzig began with an artillery bombardment by the old German pre-Dreadnaught battleship Schleswig-Holstein of the Westerplatte peninsula and a subsequent landing by German infantry. Polish defenders at the Westerplatte resisted for nearly a week before running out of ammunition. Many members of Danzig's Polish population were deported to Stutthof or were executed at Piasnica. The city was annexed by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreussen.
Towards the end of WWII, the city was taken by the Red Army on 30 March 1945. Ninety percent of the city was reduced to ruins during the war and thereafter, and it is estimated that 25 percent of the pre-war population was killed. At the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, Danzig was placed under Polish administration, along with most of Pomerania and Silesia and the southern half of East Prussia. Poland, with Soviet backing, expelled all ethnic Germans from the city, thereafter known by its Polish name, Gdańsk. By 1950, around 285,000 former Free City of Danzig inhabitants lived in other parts of Germany, while an estimated 100,000 had lost their lives in the war and the expulsions.
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 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.
Population developments
Historical population
of Gdańsk/Danzig
| ca. 1000 | 1,000 | |
| 1235 | 2,000 | |
| 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 | ? | |
| 1994 | 464,000 | |
| 2000 | ? | |
| 2002 | 460,000 |
Compare: population of Tricity
Economy
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
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)
- 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)http://www.ibngr.edu.pl/english/index2.htm
See also
- List of modern neighbourhoods of Gdańsk
- List of Dukes of Gdańsk
- List of famous people born in Gdańsk
- List of major corporations in Gdańsk
- List of famous people living or working in Gdańsk
- St. Mary's Church
External links
- The Website of Gdańsk Town Hall
- Together in Gdańsk Again — Comprehensive information about Gdańsk online
- www.gdansk.com
- Freie Stadt Danzig
- Freie Stadt Danzig
- Airport Gdańsk-Rębiechowo
- Tricity Regional Portal
- Gdańsk University
- Gdańsk Companies
- Gdańsk Life
- Mayors of Gdańsk
- Gdańsk Jewish community
- Organs of Gdańsk — History of pipe organs in Gdańsk
- History of Danzig with lots of pictures and the old anthem, in English and Polish