This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Space Cadet (talk | contribs) at 00:58, 12 January 2005 (Can We vote on this?). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 00:58, 12 January 2005 by Space Cadet (talk | contribs) (Can We vote on this?)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Free City of Gdansk was a semi-independent state established by Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars in years 1807-1813/1815. It consisted of the city of Gdansk with all its rural possessions in the mouth of Vistula river and the Hel peninsula.
After the Congress of Vienna (1815), Gdansk was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia and made the capital of a district and the province of West Prussia. The traditional autonomy of the city was significantly reduced.
The Free City of Gdansk (German: Freie Stadt Danzig; Polish: Wolne Miasto Gdańsk) was a separate state established in 1919, a territory that included the city of Gdansk plus the surrounding territory, which was previously (from 1815) a part of Prussia (itself since 1871 a part of the German Empire). With the Treaty of Versailles it was separated from Germany, created as a separate state under protection of the League of Nations with special rights reserved to Poland. The Free City was represented abroad by Poland and was in a customs union with Poland. The railway line that connected the Free City with Poland was administered by Poland. The separated military post within city's harbor Westerplatte, formerly city beach, was also given to Poland. There were also two post-offices, one municipal and a second Polish one.
The Free City of Gdansk had an ethnic German majority of some 90% and a Polish minority of some 10%, although both ethnic groups had a strong native consciousness of being primarily citizens of Gdansk. Following the Nazi election victiory in 1933, Polish and Jewish minorities were suppressed.
The Free City's Nazi government voted to be annexed by Nazi Germany on September 2, 1939, the day after the invasion of Poland, and was incorporated into the province of Reichsgau Danzig-Westpreussen. The city was captured by the Soviet and Polish forces on 30 March 1945. At the Potsdam Conference (1945) the territory of the Free City was awarded to Poland.