|
POLAND : Gdansk
 Gdansk
used
to be called Dantzig . Historically an important seaport since the
10th century and subsequently a principal ship-building centre,
Gdansk was a member of the Hanseatic League and the largest city in
Poland until the partitions of the late 18th century, when the
largely German-speaking city became part of Prussia, and later of
the German Empire. After a period as a free city in the interwar
period (1919-1939), claims to
Gdansk
became
the pretext for Hitler's attack on
Poland
which
began the Second World War. Following the war
Gdansk
again
became part of
Poland,
and the German population was largely expelled, making the city for
the first time entirely ethnically Poli
Todays Gdansk is the capital of Pomorskie prov., N Poland, on a branch of the Vistula and on the Gulf of Gdansk. One of the chief Polish ports on the Baltic Sea, it is a leading industrial and communications center. The population of Gdansk is nearing half a million. It is a large centre of economic life, science, culture, and a popular tourist destination. 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 With its Hanseatic tradition, it has for ages played a major role in the commercial relationships between Northern and Western Europe on the one hand, and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe on the other hand.
Its once-famous state-owned shipyard was nearly closed in 1996 but was sold in 1998 and continues shipbuilding on a smaller scale. There are two port areas; one is at Nowy Port (Neufahrwasser), a northern suburb, and the other, Port Polnocny, was completed in 1975. The port cities of Gdansk and Gdynia and the nearby resort of Sopot are administered as a single city. Gdanskhas numerous educational and cultural facilities. Historic landmarks include the Gothic Church of St. Mary (1343).
© Epa Photo Epa Janek Skarzynski Europa Enlargement |
Holiday Inn GDANSK |
Holiday Inn WROCLAW |
Radisson SAS Hotel Krakow |
Hotel Copernicus |
Ibis Lodz |
Mercure Unia Lublin |
Novotel Olsztyn |
Novotel Warszawa Centrum |
| sponsored links |