Gdańsk
City in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gdańsk (/ɡəˈdænsk/ gə-DANSK, US also /ɡəˈdɑːnsk/ gə-DAHNSK;[5] Polish: [ɡdaj̃sk] ⓘ; Kashubian: Gduńsk [ɡduɲsk];[6] German: Danzig [ˈdantsɪç] ⓘ or [ˈdantsɪk] ⓘ)[7][8] is a city on the Baltic coast of northern Poland. With a population of 486,492,[9] Gdańsk is the capital and largest city of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is Poland's principal seaport and the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.[10][8]
Gdańsk | |
---|---|
Motto(s): Nec temere, nec timide (Neither rashly, nor timidly) | |
Coordinates: 54°20′51″N 18°38′43″E | |
Country | Poland |
Voivodeship | Pomeranian |
County | city county |
Established | 10th century |
City rights | 1263 |
Government | |
• City mayor | Aleksandra Dulkiewicz (Ind.) |
Area | |
• City | 263.45 km2 (101.72 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 180 m (590 ft) |
Population (30 June 2023) | |
• City | 486,492 (6th)[3] |
• Density | 1,800/km2 (5,000/sq mi) |
• Metro | 1,080,700 |
GDP | |
• Tricity | €20.529 billion (2020) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 80-008 to 80–958 |
Area code | +48 58 |
Car plates | GD |
Website | gdansk.pl |
The city lies at the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay, close to the city of Gdynia and resort town of Sopot; these form a metropolitan area called the Tricity (Trójmiasto), with a metropolitan (including rural localities) population of approximately 1.5 million.[11] Gdańsk lies at the mouth of the Motława River, connected to the Leniwka, a branch in the delta of the Vistula River, which connects Gdańsk with the Polish capital Warsaw.
The city has a complex history, having had periods of Polish, German and self rule. An important shipbuilding and trade port since the Middle Ages, in 1361 it became a member of the Hanseatic League which influenced its economic, demographic and urban landscape. It also served as Poland's principal seaport, and was the largest city of Poland in the 15th-17th centuries. In 1793, within the Partitions of Poland, the city became part of Prussia, and thus a part of the German Empire from 1871 after the unification of Germany. Following World War One and the Treaty of Versailles, it was a Free City under the protection of the League of Nations from 1920 to 1939. On 1 September 1939 it was the scene of the first clash of World War II at Westerplatte. The contemporary city was shaped by extensive border changes, expulsions and new settlement after 1945. In the 1980s, Gdańsk was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement, which helped precipitate the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact.
Gdańsk is home to the University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk University of Technology, the National Museum, the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre, the Museum of the Second World War, the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, the Polish Space Agency and the European Solidarity Centre. Among Gdańsk's most notable historical landmarks are the Town Hall, the Green Gate, Artus Court, Neptune's Fountain, and St. Mary's Church, one of the largest brick churches in the world. The city is served by Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport, the country's third busiest airport and the most important international airport in northern Poland.
Gdańsk is among the most visited cities in Poland, having received 3.4 million tourists according to data collected in 2019.[12] The city also hosts St. Dominic's Fair, which dates back to 1260,[13] and is regarded as one of the biggest trade and cultural events in Europe.[14] Gdańsk has also topped rankings for the quality of life, safety and living standards worldwide, and its historic city center has been listed as one of Poland's national monuments.[15][16][17][18]
Origin
The name of the city was most likely derived from Gdania, a river presently known as Motława on which the city is situated.[19] Linguists argue that the name stems from the Proto-Slavic adjective/prefix gъd-, which meant wet or moist with the addition of the morpheme ń/ni and the suffix -sk.[20]
History
The name of the settlement was recorded after St. Adalbert's death in 997 CE as urbs Gyddanyzc and it was later written as Kdanzk in 1148, Gdanzc in 1188, Danceke[21] in 1228, Gdańsk in 1236,[lower-alpha 1] Danzc in 1263, Danczk in 1311,[lower-alpha 2] Danczik in 1399,[lower-alpha 3] Danczig in 1414, and Gdąnsk in 1656.[22]
In Polish documents, the form Gdańsk was always used. The German form Danzig developed later, simplifying the consonant clusters to something easier for German speakers to pronounce.[23] The cluster "gd" became "d" (Danzc from 1263),[24] the combination "ns" became "nts" (Danczk from 1311).,[24] and finally an epenthetical "i" broke up the final cluster (Danczik from 1399).[24]
In Polish, the modern name of the city is pronounced [ɡdaj̃sk] ⓘ. In English (where the diacritic over the "n" is frequently omitted) the usual pronunciation is /ɡəˈdænsk/ or /ɡəˈdɑːnsk/. The German name, Danzig, is usually pronounced [ˈdantsɪç] ⓘ, or alternatively [ˈdantsɪk] ⓘ in more Southern German-speaking areas. 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. Other former spellings of the name include Dantzig, Dantsic, and Dantzic.
Ceremonial names
On special occasions, the city is also referred to as "The Royal Polish City of Gdańsk" (Polish: Królewskie Polskie Miasto Gdańsk, Latin: Regia Civitas Polonica Gedanensis, Kashubian: Królewsczi Pòlsczi Gard Gduńsk).[25][26][27] In the Kashubian language the city is called Gduńsk. Although some Kashubians may also use the name "Our Capital City Gduńsk" (Nasz Stoleczny Gard Gduńsk) or "The Kashubian Capital City Gduńsk" (Stoleczny Kaszëbsczi Gard Gduńsk), the cultural and historical connections between the city and the region of Kashubia are debatable and use of such names rises controversy among Kashubians.[28]