Gdańsk - information about the city
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area. The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay (of the Baltic Sea), in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, 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 455,830 (June 2010), making it the largest city in the Pomerania region of Northern Poland.
Gdańsk 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 is close to the former late medieval/modern boundary between West Slavic and Germanic lands and it has a complex political history with periods of Polish rule, periods of German rule, and extensive self-rule, with two spells as a free city. It has been part of modern Poland since 1945.
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 supplies 60% of the area of Poland and connects Gdańsk to the national capital in Warsaw. This gives the city a unique advantage as the centre of Poland's sea trade. Together with the nearby port of Gdynia, Gdańsk is also an important industrial centre. Historically an important seaport and shipbuilding centre, Gdańsk was a member of the Hanseatic League.
The city was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement which, under the leadership of political activist Lech Wałęsa, played a major role in bringing an end to Communist rule across Central Europe.
Source of description http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gdańsk
Gdańsk - tourist attractions
Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 | The Monument to the fallen Shipyard Workers 1970 (Pomnik Poległych Stoczniowców 1970) was unveiled on 16 December 1980 near the entrance to what was then the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland. It commemorates the 42 or more people killed during the Coastal cities events in December 1970. It was crea... | ||
The Crane in Gdańsk | The Crane over the Motlawa River is the most characteristic and unmistaken symbol of Gdańsk. Back in the Middle Ages it was the largest port crane in Europe handling cargo and putting up ship masts. It also served as an uncommon city gate. The reconstructed driving mechanism inside, still in wor... | ||
Long Lane in Gdańsk | The Long Lane (Długa Street) - the representative street of Gdansk, running through the center of the city. Together with its extension - street Długi Targ (Long Market), are called a Royal Route. In the thirteenth century, served as a trade highway. The street had an extension in the form of an ova... | ||
Golden Gate in Gdańsk | Golden Gate (Złota Brama) in Gdańsk, Poland, German Langgasser Tor, is one of the most notable tourist attractions of the city. It was raised in 1612–14 in place of the 13th century gothic gate (Brama Długouliczna). It is located at one end of Long Lane (Długa street, German: Langgasse), where, toge... | ||
Long Market | The Long Market (Długi Targ) in Gdańsk, Poland, is one of the most notable tourist attractions of the city. It is situated between the end of Long Lane (Ulica Długa) and Green Gate (Brama Zielona). Established in about 13th century, initially as a merchant road leading to the oval market place. Soon... | ||
The Highland Gate in Gdańsk | The Highland Gate in Gdańsk starts the so-called ‘Royal Route’, which takes you along Długa Street and the Długi Targ Street up to the Green Gate. Its builder, Hans Kramer of Saxony, erected it as a link in the chain of modern fortifications put up to frame the western city borders between 1574-... | ||
Oliwa Cathedral | Gdańsk Oliwa Archcathedral is a church located in Gdańsk, Oliwa district; dedicated to The Holy Trinity, Blessed Virgin Mary and St Bernard. The archcathedral in Oliwa is a three-nave basilica with a transept and a multisided closed presbytery, finished with an ambulatory. The façade is flanked by t... | ||
PGE Arena Gdańsk | The PGE Arena Gdańsk, previously called the Baltic Arena, is a football stadium in Gdańsk, Poland. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Lechia Gdańsk. The Stadium is located on ul. Pokoleń Lechii Gdańsk ("Generations of Lechia Gdańsk street") in the northern part of the ... | ||
Green Gate | The Green Gate (Brama Zielona) in Gdańsk, Poland, is one of the most notable tourist attractions of the city. It is situated between Long Market (Długi Targ) and the River Motława. Together with the Golden Gate and the Highland Gate it was used to span the Long Street and Long Market, called the Roy... | ||
Neptune Fountain in Gdańsk | The Neptune Fountain in Gdańsk has stood in front of the Artus Court since 1633 and is a symbol of Gdańsk. It was built on the initiative of the Mayor of Gdańsk, Bartłomiej Schachmann. The model was prepared by Peter Husen and Johann Rogge, and it was cast in 1615 in Augsburg. The design of the whol... |
Relevant data
Geographical coordinates:
54.35, 18.6667
Approximate population: 455,830
Approximate population: 455,830
The oldest constructions
- St. Nicolas Church in Gdańsk (? - 1185, ?)
- Great Mill in Gdańsk (? - 1350, ?)
- Green Gate (1564 - 1568, ?)
- The Hall of the Old City in Gdańsk (1587 - 1595, ?)
- Golden Gate in Gdańsk (1612 - 1614, ?)
The highest points
- Oliwa Cathedral (46 m.)
- PGE Arena Gdańsk (45 m.)
The longest objects
- PGE Arena Gdańsk (236 m.)
- Oliwa Cathedral (107 m.)
Most active architects
- Abraham van den Blocke (1)
- Antoni van Obberghen (1)
- Willem van der Meer (1)
- Hans Kramer (1)
- Willem van den Blocke (1)
Famous architects born in the city
- Hermann Friedrich Waesemann (2)
- Barthel Ranisch (1)
- Hans Kramer (1)
Famous architects who died in the city
- Abraham van den Blocke (1)
- Willem van den Blocke (1)
- Barthel Ranisch (1)
- Hans Kramer (1)
- Zdzisław Pidek (1)