P13,14,15 - Poland- Gdańsk

Gdańsk, Poland

Gdańsk, Poland

Plaża w Gdyni Redłowie, Gdańsk, Poland

Gdańsk, also known as Danzig, its German name, is a city in Poland on the Baltic Sea. It is the capital of Pomerania.

Gdańsk with nearby Sopot and Gdynia are often referred as Tri-city (pl: Trójmiasto). Gdańsk is considered the most beautiful city on Baltic Sea having rich magnificent architecture.

Its position on the Baltic has historically made Gdańsk one of the most important port cities in Northern Europe, and tragically also the scene of a rather disturbing past.

World War II was ignited by a dispute over the control of the city. By the end of the war the city lay almost completely in ruins. The German population was expelled and replaced by Poles as the city came under Polish rule and changed its name to Gdańsk. However, the impact of its former German ties is still evident. Although most of the old buildings were damaged or destroyed in WWII, they have been painstakingly restored or rebuilt.

In modern history, Gdańsk is known as the birthplace of Solidarity, the labor and democracy movement that helped to bring down the Communist government in Poland, and subsequently marked the beginning of the end of The cold war. The movement was led by the charismatic leader, Lech Walesa, who became Poland's first post-Communist president.

Do not be fooled by the fact that Gdańsk is famous for its ship yards, as it is a beautiful city with a charm of its own.

格但斯克（波兰语：Gdańsk），德语称但泽（Danzig），是波兰波美拉尼亚省的省会，也是该国北部沿海地区的最大城市和最重要的海港。

在汉萨同盟时代以来的600多年间，格但斯克始终是波罗的海沿岸地区一个重要的航运与贸易中心。虽然在历次的战乱中曾经几度衰落，但是，在每次衰落之后不久，格但斯克都能够利用它的区位优势，恢复过去的繁荣。现在，它仍然保持着波兰重要航运与工业中心的地位。现在，格但斯克市的人口有458,053人（2006年），并且与附近的格丁尼亚和索波特联合组成三联市（Tricity）都会区，人口总数超过80万。

格但斯克这座城市在欧洲政治、军事与外交史上，历来属于最受人关注的焦点之一。在六百多年的时间里，它一直是日耳曼（德意志）和斯拉夫（波蘭）两大民族之间反复争夺的主要焦点。1939年9月1日，纳粹德国的军舰炮击但泽的波兰基地，标志着第二次世界大战的正式爆发。战后，根据美英苏三强制定的雅尔塔协定，重新划分了欧洲各国的版图，格但斯克也结束了居民以德意志新教徒为主的局面，几乎完全换了一批新市民，变成一个地道的波兰城市。

格但斯克还是世界闻名的团结工会的发祥地，这是共产党国家中第一个真正独立的政治组织，在1989年结束共产主义对东欧社会主义阵营统治的过程中扮演了极为重要的角色。

References sources : wikitravel, wikipedia