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Post by Bonobo on Mar 24, 2008 19:45:01 GMT 1
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Post by falkenberg on Apr 16, 2008 20:41:37 GMT 1
Vivat Drittes Reich! Is this corect answer?  Maybe not Danzig, but Vorpommern, large parts of Silesia and Greater Poland were German for several hundert years. |
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Post by Bonobo on Apr 16, 2008 21:41:41 GMT 1
Vivat Drittes Reich! Is this corect answer? Partly. More correct greeting would be Heil Hitla! hahahahahaha Yes, the lands you are talking about were attached to Poland for a short time in history, around 1000 AD. Mieszko`s Poland 960  Bolesław Chrobry`s Poland 1018.  Around 1350, Poland had already lost access to the sea.  Lands that Poland received after the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.  |
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Post by Bonobo on Apr 16, 2008 21:59:48 GMT 1
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Post by Bonobo on Apr 16, 2008 22:10:10 GMT 1
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Post by valpomike on Apr 17, 2008 2:47:28 GMT 1
But we. being Poland, got it back, and will keep it.
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Post by Bonobo on May 11, 2008 19:45:50 GMT 1
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Post by Bonobo on May 11, 2008 20:03:06 GMT 1
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Post by Bonobo on May 11, 2008 21:36:02 GMT 1
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Post by Bonobo on May 11, 2008 21:53:37 GMT 1
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Post by locopolaco on May 12, 2008 22:46:22 GMT 1
didn't some major church (cathedral?) burn last year or two in Gdansk? what's happened of it since that fire?
thanks
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Post by Bonobo on May 13, 2008 0:10:41 GMT 1
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Post by Bonobo on May 24, 2009 16:52:55 GMT 1
Gdansk reintroduces local currency
thenews.pl
20.05.2009
The thaler, a silver coin used in Europe for four centuries, will stage a come-back as the local currency in Gdansk.
Its launch is planned for 4 June, the 20th anniversary of the semi-democratic elections which brought Solidarity a landslide victory and eventually led to the collapse of communism.
The obverse of the coin, designed by Robert Kotowicz, features the city's coat-of-arms and St Mary's Church. The reverse, designed by Dobrochna Surajewska, has Lech Walesa making the `V for Victory' sign, the Solidarity flag and the inscription `It all began in Gdansk.'
The four-thaler coin will be minted in 300, 000 items, and will cost 4 zlotys. The seven-thaler coin, carrying a price of 7 zlotys, will be minted in 35, 000 copies. Silver and gold collector's items will also be available. The coins will be used as normal currency in some 200 retail outlets in Gdansk till the end of September.
The proceeds from the sale will go to the European Solidarity Centre, a local institution which documents the history of the Solidarity movement and promotes its ideas.
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Post by Bonobo on Dec 4, 2009 21:41:08 GMT 1
Friendliest European City: Gdansk, Poland
November 09, 2009 by
Kimberly Sharpe
Gdansk, Poland, is one of three cities that are known as the Tri Cities. Sopot and Gydnia are the other two cities. Gdansk is a lovely historic town that sits on the Baltic Sea. It is also a town that welcomes travelers with open arms and warm smiles. They do not care if you are American
or where you are from. Its a refreshing place that does not harbor any of the gloom that you so often hear about in Eastern Europe.
The entire city is a Hanseatic town. It offers a wealth of hotels and restaurants that all offer fantastic top of the line service without costing a fortune. Gdansk combines history, a modern city atmosphere, artistic spirit, and Old World charm. It is also a city that is strongly influenced by both Polish and German flavor.
Gdansk is also known as Danzig but they have veered away from that German name in modern times. It is Poland's most important and largest seaport. It has been the birthplace and hometown of such notable people as Nobel prizewinner Gabriel Fahrenheit and legendary leader of "Solidarnosc" Lech Walesa.
Sightseeing around the area is fantastic. Here is a list of a few things to enjoy during your stay.
1) Main Town
You will want to walk the Dluga Street (Long Street) and the Dlugi Targ (Long Market) This area is a completely restored Hanseatic old town that is truly fantastic. View the Town Hall and Arthurs Court. Be sure to see the St Marys Church which is the largest brick church in Europe. It was built in 1245 and was the only building to come out of WW II untouched and still in its original splendor.
Don't forget to visit the Gdansk Shipyards, too. Also be sure to visit Westerplatte where the first shots of World War II were fired.
2) National Museum
Be sure to visit the National Museum. The museum is housed in a unique Franciscan Monastery. You will be able to view Hans Memling's apocalyptic 16th century altar-piece 'The Last Judgement.' There are also many other truly fantastic artworks to enjoy.
3) Neptune Fountain
The monument was made of bronze in 1606-1613 by Flemish artist Peter Husen.
4) Royal Chapel
This church was designed by architect Tylman van Gemeren. It is the only baroque church in Gdansk.
5) Great Mill
This was the greatest mill in all of Europe. It was built in the middle ages and continued to operate all the way until World War II.
When traveling around Gdansk it is best to use public transportation. You can utilize the fast commuter trains, boats, and buses easily and cheaply. You can purchase one daily ticket for virtually nothing and have unlimited
rides.
There are many wonderful places to eat in Gdansk. Here are a few to try. All of these are very reasonably priced and they feed fantastic food.
1) Euro
Dluga 79/80
Tel. 058/3052383
This restaurant is just as its name suggests, it serves European dishes and some Polish.
2) Goldwasser
Dlugie Pobrzeze 22
Tel. 058/3018878
This restaurant serves wonderful mouthwatering international cuisine that is sure to please.
3) Big Johnny
Targ Rybny 6
Tel. 058/3015673
This restaurant serves acceptable international cuisine.
4) Cristal
Grunwaldzka 105
Tel. 058/3413435
This restaurant serves Old Polish plates and also a bit of Italian.
Here are a few places to stay in Gdansk.
1) Holliday Inn
ul. Podwale Grodzkie 9
+48 (58) 3006000
Yes they have a Holiday Inn in Gdansk. It offers clean and nice rooms for cheap.
2) Dal Hotel
ul. Czarny Dwor 4
+48 (58) 5563944
This very nice cheap little hotel is located by the beach at Pomerania. You can even hike the countryside on a wide array of trails. Its a nice location and a nice hotel.
3) Hotel Willa Lubicz
ul. Orlowska 43
+48 (12) 4214865
This is a very nice hotel that has been refurbished. It offers top of the line service and wonderful rooms. You will not be disappointed with a nights stay here. It is also fairly reasonable on rates.
If you are planning a trip to Eastern Europe then I would highly suggest Gdansk as a wonderful location to spend a few days. It is a truly friendly town that adores tourists. You will not be disappointed with this nice town on the Baltic.
Sources:
www.gdansk-life.com/
www.experiencepoland.com/index.html
www.virtualtourist.com/-======================================
Poland is a country that colors the imagination, possibly because it rarely makes the news and continues to be quiet and unassuming. The place is a mixture, an interesting blend of ancient and modern with a culture all its own. Poland doesn't seem to belong to the rest of Europe, yet, it
plays a very important part in medieval history from ancient times to the present day. A little history: What is now called Poland (known to its citizens as "Polska") was created by the efforts of a famous king named Mieszko I; this occurred in the 10th century. Since then, the quiet yet influential country's fortunes have ebbed and flowed over time.
Banding together with Lithuania in the 16th century, Poland sat comfortably side by side with its neighbor until the late 1700s, when Russia and other countries took over its rule. Poland is famous for its capture by the Nazi regime; invaded in 1939 (near Gdansk), the country was home to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the most infamous concentration camp in existence during the Holocaust. It can be rightly claimed that Poland's history weighs heavily on this unique and special country.
The city of Gdansk is one of Poland's best offerings, just as unique and beautiful as the more famous cities of Krakow and Warsaw, but given much less praise and often forgotten on travelers' itineraries. It dates back to the 900s and was once called Danzig. The prosperity that once belonged to Gdansk is evident in the elegant architecture and structural make-up of the city. The old port, not only the site of great historical tragedy and triumph but also a nice side-trip, stands proud beside grand old Gdansk. The resilience of Poland is well demonstrated in this venerable place.
History buffs and culture fans will enjoy Gdansk and its place in history. The Old Town is a great place to get a feel for the past. The old homes, tall and stately and all in a row, will amaze the traveler. Do some research to see exactly what function the buildings served throughout
time; if you love old structures, this will help a lot with understanding the Old Town. Gdansk is full of great places to soak up history. Along the Royal Way, Gdansk's town hall is both historic and strikingly beautiful; though it was reconstructed after World War II, it was originally built in the late Middle Ages and is an interesting gem in the history of Gdansk and of Poland.
Elegant Gdansk: Museums for the Learning-Inclined
Globetrotters who look for museums while traveling across Poland will enjoy what Gdansk has to offer. The Muzeum Morskie (or in English, Maritime Museum) is of interest to both salty sea captains and "landlubbers" but it's more than just an ordinary museum. Outside the main buildings, one can find the stately SS Soldek, an impressive ship that adds a bit more charm to this charming city. If maritime history isn't high on your Gdansk itinerary and you're looking for something more cultural, the Gdansk History Museum may be a better choice. Learning about a city's history is always an important aspect of any trip, and the History Museum will more than fill that need.
Godly Gdansk: Religious Monuments and Spiritual Retreats
There are various religious sites to explore, but travelers who have a short time in Gdansk should definitely visit St. Mary's Church. Built in the 14th century, St. Mary's is a Polish treasure and its brick architecture is both beautiful and awe-inspiring. Pointed turrets reach to the sky in what is seemingly a union between old and new; the church towers over Gdansk in a graceful show of power. Like much of the city, the church lost its high standing in the 1940s when it was bombed by Russian troops. Fortunately, Gdansk's treasure rose from the ashes and is still being rebuilt over sixty years later. In some ways, Poland still suffers from the effects of World War II.
Take time to fully appreciate St. Mary's both inside and out. It's a wonderful place of spiritual pilgrimage. While in the area, find a guide or check a book to see which other churches appeal to your senses. There are a few, such as St. Nicholas' Church and the Church of the Holy Trinity, that you may want to work into the schedule. For a different kind of religious monument in Gdansk, visit the Three Crosses, which honors shipbuilders who met their fate by hostile fire. |
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Post by Bonobo on Jan 19, 2011 20:58:27 GMT 1
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Post by valpomike on Jan 20, 2011 0:30:24 GMT 1
They also, have some great Amber merchants.
Mike
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Post by Bonobo on May 21, 2011 21:58:13 GMT 1
Pheonix from the flames
Alex Webber - 25th October 2009
Gdañsk is one of Europe’s best kept secrets. Expecting a glum commie city? Think again. The Old Town captivates, and couldn’t look any sweeter if it was built by the good Mr Kipling and his little helpers. But while you’re bumbling round the cobbles and annoying the locals with your map flapping consider this; the spot you’re standing in was a smoking heap of rubble little more than 60 years ago. What looks like an ancient city borne of centuries of development is a ghost of what it once was, and still in the process of rediscovering itself.
This neck of the woods took a battering during WWII, with Poland losing twenty per cent of her pre-war population. Worse was to follow. The Yalta conference saw Stalin, Churchill and Roosvelt carve up Europe, shifting Poland’s borders westwards. What had been the German city of Danzig became the Polish city of Gdañsk overnight. Locally the situation was tragic. The German population either died during the war or were expelled thereafter, while the city was shown no mercy; Hitler had made a point of incorporating ‘the free city’ into the Reich, and he was fervently supported by the majority of locals. The fruit of this support was the wholesale destruction of the city, primarily caused by US and British bombers. Anything which survived was destroyed by the firestorm which engulfed the city as the Red Army forced the remaining population of the Eastern Prussian territories into the sea as they marched westwards onto Berlin.
By May 1945 Danzig was derelict and deserted. Remaining children cheerfully played with loaded anti-aircraft guns in the deserted Targ Weglowy while their neighbours waited nervously for the rear units of the Red Army to pour into the city and exact their revenge. Conservative estimates suggest 90% of the city centre lay in total ruin, and if that sounds impossible to comprehend then just visit the History of Gdañsk Museum (see What to See section) to view pictures of the Hiroshima-style destruction. Only 38 houses in the whole of the city centre survived the siege, with debris mounted up to the height of several metres.
In fact, such was the ferocity of the Soviet advance that fires in the old town were blazing a month after the fighting had ceased. The indefatigable St Mary’s Cathedral, a defining mark on Gdañsk’s skyline, burned so fiercely that some reports claim the bricks and bells in the tower melted, while the granary buildings on Wyspa Spichrzów took an even harder hit; the inferno there continuing to rage until well into autumn. The material and economic cost was immense, the human cost incalculable.
The pre-war population had stood at 400,000, of which 16,000 were registered to be of Polish descent. By the time hostilities ceased that figure was 124,000, of which only approximately 3,200 were Polish. How many of the pre-war population died and how many simply fled is impossible to compute, either way Gdañsk was a shattered shell of its former self. Reprisals against the remaining German population went unchecked, with murder and theft de rigeur by drunken bands of Soviet soldiers. But it was rape that was to become the most virulent problem. It’s estimated that two million German women were violated by Red Army troops and the local Danzigers – regarded as particularly keen Nazis – fared worse than most. Having been terrorized at night, the surviving Germans were expected to work next day. On April 25 the Mayor of Gdañsk decreed all Germans report for rubble clearing duties every day at 7am. It was backbreaking work, and not without its grisly diversions; six thousand bodies were cleared under the detritus in April alone. But this was only to be a short term measure; verification panels were set up to interview individual German citizens to determine if they could stay in the city of their birth. These were essentially pre-determined kangaroo courts, and within a matter of years all traces of the German population had been driven out.
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Post by pjotr on May 22, 2011 15:08:59 GMT 1
Bonobo,
I am sorry for the innocent from all sides who were victims of war attrocities, rape, murder and humiliation. At the end of the war I am sorry for the "few" good Germans who were not Nazi, against the useless bloody war, and who became victims of the raping and piliging gangs of Red army soldiers. In the same time I am very sorry for the victims of raping, piliging and destroying German Wehrmacht, SS and Einsatz Polizei commando's, who hurt Jews, Polish Catholics, Gypsies, Ukrainians and Russians who were all seen as Untermenschen (in contrast with the so called Germanistic Aryan Germans, Austrians, Scandinavians, Dutch, Flemish and Wallon people). I understand though the revenge of the Russians, Poles and Czechs at the end of the war in Gdansk, Silesia and Sudetenland, where in ethnic cleansing, Germans were driven out. The attrocities, cruelty and destruction of the German and Austrian Nazi's (helped by Dutch, Belgian, Danish and French collaborators [traitors]) was so incredible and on such a large scale that the revenge reaction was understandable but not justifiable. Many people forget today what the Nazi's did in Poland and the SovjetUnion, that they destroyed villages, towns and cities and exterminated entire communities. 6 million Polish citizens and 20 million Sovjet citizens (a lot of them Ukrainians by the way).
Pieter
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Post by pjotr on May 22, 2011 15:10:10 GMT 1
A little provocation for a start Gdańsk before the war.  Bo, If you don't know the history and sees the exellent Nazi designs, the colorful and bright Nazi flags, happy waving blond, blue eyed Volksdeutsche, clean streets with cars and smart dressed pedestrans, shops, historical buildings and a cheerful mass, as a layman or less educated person one might think those Nazi's were OK. Ok, yes you had some disturbing people in the East, who always stood these good Germans in the way, the jews, Poles, Gypsies and other slavs further east. Who knows them? Who cares about them? I am provocating here, but if history went differantly or if people in the West thought or think in Germanism versus Slavism than the reality is quite differant. Today this isn't possible, because the Slav element in the West (Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Belgium and etc.) is to strong. I am one of these slav elements (a half slav element , but a slav element anyway). If you see that Neo-nazism, Hooliganism (with a far right branch, a influential far right anti-Polonist and anti-semitic party in East-Germany ( pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narodowodemokratyczna_Partia_Niemiec ) fascist militia in Russia and Hungary today ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magyar_G%C3%A1rda ) are a day to day phenomenon, than there is something wrong in our history education, awareness and the moral constitution of the West. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Guard_Association_for_a_Better_FutureTo the upmost end the nazi's stayed fanatical and unrealistic in their insane radicalism and militarism: March 8 1945 the Reichspropagandaminister Dr. Joseph Goebbels visited the German city Görlitz Fanatic SS april 1945 fighting until the bitter end |
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Post by pjotr on May 22, 2011 15:46:45 GMT 1
It is incredible what the Poles did after the war, rebuilding historical cities (Warsaw [Warschau], Gdansk [Dantzig] and Wrocław [Breslau]. Despite communism that was a great achievement, and maybe that is what is what stands above communism, that Poland saved it history and erased the Nazi destruction. The Nazi's did not won, the Sovjets and Polish communists did not won, but the spirit of the Polish people, Polish patriotism and therefor Poland won!
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Post by Bonobo on May 22, 2011 19:19:03 GMT 1
It is incredible what the Poles did after the war, rebuilding historical cities (Warsaw [Warschau], Gdansk [Dantzig] and Wrocław [Breslau]. Despite communism that was a great achievement, and maybe that is what is what stands above communism, that Poland saved it history and erased the Nazi destruction. The Nazi's did not won, the Sovjets and Polish communists did not won, but the spirit of the Polish people, Polish patriotism and therefor Poland won! Because Polish nation is like lava: cold, hard and detestable on the surface, but inside, the eternal fire of hope is burning. Let`s spit on this shell and enter underneath. |
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Post by pjotr on May 22, 2011 23:25:42 GMT 1
Some of the Gdansk houses look like Flemish, Dutch and Danish houses, is that due to the The Hanseatic League (also known as the Hanse or Hansa). Marketsquare Ghent (Gandawa)  Antwerp (Antwerpia)  Brugge (Brugia)  Amsterdam Copenhagen |
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Post by pjotr on May 22, 2011 23:47:24 GMT 1
 Green Gate inspired by the Antwerp City Hall, was built to serve as the formal residence of the Polish monarchs. |
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Post by pjotr on May 22, 2011 23:50:02 GMT 1
Gdansk History Foundation and the Middle AgesEarly settlements are associated with the Wielbark culture; after the Great Migrations, they were replaced by a Pomeranian settlement that probably dates back to the 7th century. In the 980s, a stronghold was built most probably by Mieszko I of Poland who thereby connected the Polish state ruled by the Piast dynasty with the trade routes of the Baltic Sea. The first written record of this stronghold is the vita of Saint Adalbert, written in 999 and describing events of 997. This date is generally regarded as the founding of Gdańsk in Poland; in 1997 the city celebrated the millennial anniversary of the year 997 when Saint Adalbert of Prague baptized the inhabitants of the settlement on behalf of Boleslaw the Brave of Poland. In the 12th century, the settlement became part of the Samborides' duchy and consisted of a settlement at the modern Long Market, craftmens' settlements along the Altstädter Graben ditch, German merchant settlements around the St Nicolas church and the old Piast stronghold. In 1186, a Cistercian monastery was set up in nearby Oliwa, which is now within the city limits. In 1215, the ducal stronghold became the centre of a Pomerelian splinter duchy. In 1224/25, Germans in the course of the Ostsiedlung established a settlement in the area of the earlier fortress.  About 1235, the town was granted city rights under Lübeck law by Pomerelian duke Swantopolk II, an autonomy charter similar to that of Lübeck which was also the primary origin of many settlers. In 1300, the town had an estimated population of 2,000. While overall the town was not that an important trade centre at that time, it had some relevance in the trade with Eastern Europe. In 1308, the town was in rebellion and the Teutonic Knights were hired by the Polish king Władysław I the Elbow-high to restore order. Subsequently, they took over control of the town and killed many of its inhabitants. Primary sources record a massacre of 10,000 people, but the exact number killed is subject of dispute in modern literature: Some authors accept the number given in the original sources, while others consider 10,000 to have been a medieval exaggeration. The massacre was used as evidence by the Polish crown in a subsequent papal lawsuit. The knights colonized the area, replacing local Kashubians with German settlers.[17] In 1308, they founded Osiek Hakelwerk near the town, initially as a Slavic fishing settlement. In 1340, the Teutonic Knights built a large fortress, which became the seat of the knights' Komtur. In 1343, they founded Rechtstadt, which in contrast to the pre-existing town (thence Altstadt, " Old Town" or Stare Miasto) was chartered with Kulm Law.[15] In 1358, Danzig joined the Hanseatic League, and became an active member in 1361. It maintained relations with the trade centres Bruges, Novgorod, Lisboa and Sevilla. In 1377, the Old Town's city limits were expanded. In 1380, Neustadt (" New Town" or " Nowe Miasto") was founded as the fourth, independent settlement. After a series of Polish-Teutonic Wars, in the Treaty of Kalisz ( 1343) the Order had to acknowledge that it would hold Pomerelia as an alm from the Polish Crown. Although it left the legal basis of the Order's possession of the province in some doubt, the city thrived as a result of increased exports of grain (especially wheat), timber, potas, tar, and other goods of forestry from Prussia and Poland via the Vistula River trading routes, despite the fact that after its capture, the Teutonic Knights tried to actively reduce the economic significance of the town. While under the control of the Teutonic Order German migration increased. A new war broke out in 1409, ending with the Battle of Grunwald ( 1410), and the city came under the control of the Kingdom of Poland. A year later, with the first First Peace of Thorn, it returned to the Teutonic Order. In 1440, the city participated in the foundation of the Prussian Confederation which was an organization opposed to the rule of the Teutonic Knights. This led to the Thirteen Years' War of independence from the Teutonic Monastic State of Prussia (1454–1466). On May 25, 1457, when the city - jointly with Royal Prussia - became part of the Crown of Poland while maintaining its rights and independence as an autonomous city. Modern agesOn 15 May 1457, Casimir IV of Poland granted Gdańsk the Great Privilege, after he had been invited by the town's council and had already stayed in town for five weeks. With the Great Privilege, the town was granted autonomy within the Kingdom of Poland. The privilege confirmed to the town independent jurisdiction, legislation and administration of her territory, and the rights of the Polish crown were limited to the following: The Polish king was allowed to stay in town for three days a year, he was further allowed to choose a permanent envoy from eight councilmen proposed to him by the town, and received an annual payment. Furthermore, the privilege united Old Town, Hakelwerk and Rechtstadt, and legalized the demolition of New Town, which had sided with the Teutonic Knights. Already in 1457, New Town was demolished completely, no buildings remained. Gaining free and privileged access for the first time to Polish markets, the seaport prospered while simultaneously trading with the other Hanseatic cities. After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) with the Teutonic Monastic State of Prussia the warfare between the latter and the Polish crown ended permanently. After the incorporation of Royal Prussia by the Kingdom of Poland in 1569, the city continued to enjoy a large degree of internal autonomy (cf. Danzig Law). King Stephen Báthory's attempt to subject the city, which had supported Maximilian II in the prior election of the king, failed. The city, encouraged by its immense wealth and almost impregnable fortifications, as well as by the secret support of Denmark and Emperor Maximilian, shut its gates against Stephen. After the Siege of Danzig (1577), lasting six months, the city's army of 5,000 mercenaries was utterly defeated in a field battle on December 16, 1577. However, since Stephen's armies were unable to take the city by force, a compromise was reached: Stephen Báthory confirmed the city's special status and her Danzig Law privileges granted by earlier Polish kings. The city recognised him as ruler of Poland and paid the enormous sum of 200,000 *guldens in gold as payoff (" apology"). (Why in the Dutch currency Guldens? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danzig_gulden / en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guldens ) Danzig in the 17th centuryBeside the German-speaking majority, whose elites sometimes distinguished their German dialect as Pomerelian the city was home to a large number of Polish-speaking Poles, Jewish Poles, and Dutch. In addition, a number of Scotsmen took refuge or immigrated to and received citizenship in the city. During the Protestant Reformation, most German-speaking inhabitants adopted Lutheranism. Due to the special status of the city and significance within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the city inhabitants largely became bi-cultural sharing both Polish and German culture and attached to the traditions of the Commonwealth state. The city suffered a slow economic decline due to the wars of the 18th century, when it was taken by the Russians after the Siege of Danzig in 1734. Danzig was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in 1793. During the era of Napoleon Bonaparte the city became a free city in the period extending from 1807 to 1814. After France's defeat in the Napoleonic Wars it again became part of Prussia and became the capital of Regierungsbezirk Danzig within the province of West Prussia from 1815. The city's longest serving Regierungspräsident was Robert von Blumenthal, who held office from 1841, through the revolutions of 1848, until 1863. The city became part of the German Empire in 1871.
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Post by pjotr on May 23, 2011 0:15:51 GMT 1
The inter-war years, and World War IIWhen Poland regained its independence after World War I with access to the sea as promised by the Allies on the basis of Woodrow Wilson's " Fourteen Points" (point 13 called for " an independent Polish state", " which should be assured a free and secure access to the sea"), the Poles hoped the city's harbour would also become part of Poland. However, since Germans formed a majority in the city, with Poles being a minority (in the 1923 census 7,896 people out of 335,921 gave Polish, Kashubian or Masurian as their native language, but Polish estimates of the Polish minority during the interwar era range from 37.000 to 100.000 (9%-34%)), the city was not placed under Polish sovereignty. Instead, in accordance with the terms of the Versailles Treaty, it became the Free City of Danzig, an independent quasi-state under the auspices of the League of Nations with its external affairs largely under Polish control. Poland's rights also included free usage of the harbour, a Polish post office, a garrison in Westerplatte district, customs union with Poland etc. This led to a large degree of tension between the city and the surrounding Republic of Poland. The Free City had its own constitution, national anthem, parliament ( Volkstag), and government (Senat). It issued its own stamps as well as currency.  German Nazi poster: "Danzig is German". " Danzig is German". Postage stamp issued by Nazi Germany to celebrate the incorporation of Danzig into Germany after the invasion of Poland. The German population of the Free City of Danzig favored reincorporation into Germany. In the early 1930s the local Nazi Party capitalized on these pro-German sentiments and in 1933 garnered 50% of vote in the parliament. Thereafter, the Nazis under Gauleiter Albert Forster achieved dominance in the city government, which was still nominally overseen by the League of Nations' High Commissioner. The German government officially demanded the return of Danzig to Germany along with an extraterritorial (meaning under German jurisdiction) highway through the area of the Polish Corridor for land-based access between those parts of Germany. Hitler used the issue of the status city as pretext for attacking Poland and on May 1939, during a high level meeting of German military officials explained to them: It is not Danzig that is at stake. For us it is a matter of expanding our Lebensraum in the east, adding that there will be no repeat of Czech situation, and Germany will attack Poland at first opportunity, after isolating the country from its Western Allies. As Nazi demands increased, German-Polish relations rapidly deteriorated. Germany invaded Poland on September 1 after having signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union in late August. The German attack began in Danzig, with a bombardment of Polish positions at Westerplatte by the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein, and the landing of German infantry on the peninsula. Outnumbered Polish defenders at Westerplatte resisted for seven days before running out of ammunition. Meanwhile, after a fierce day-long fight (1 September 1939), defenders of the Polish Post office were murdered and buried on the spot in the Danzig quarter of Zaspa in October 1939. To celebrate the surrender of Westerplatte, the NSDAP organized a night parade on September 7 along the Adolf-Hitlerstrasse that was inadvertently attacked by a Polish hydroplane taking off from Hel Peninsula. The city was officially annexed by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the Reichsgau Danzig-West Prussia. About 50 percent of members of the Jewish Community of Danzig had left the city within a year after a Pogrom in October 1937, after the Kristallnacht riots in November 1938 the community decided to organize its emigration and in March 1939 a first transport to Palestine started. By September 1939 barely 1,700 mostly elderly Jews remained. In early 1941 just 600 Jews were still living in Danzig who were later murdered in the Holocaust. Out of the 2,938 Jewish community in the city 1,227 were able to escape from the Nazis before the outbreak of war. Nazi secret police had been observing Polish minority communities in the city since 1936, compiling information, which in 1939 served to prepare lists of Poles to be captured in Operation Tannenberg. On the first day of the war, approximately 1,500 ethnic Poles were arrested, some because of their participation in social and economic life, others because they were activists and members of various Polish organizations. On September 2, 1939, 150 of them were deported to the Stutthof concentration camp some 30 miles from Danzig, and murdered. Many Poles living in Danzig were deported to Stutthof or executed in the Piaśnica forest. In 1941, the German government ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union, eventually causing the fortunes of war to turn against it. As the Soviet Army advanced in 1944, German populations in Central and Eastern Europe took flight, resulting in the beginning of a great population shift. After the final Soviet offensive began in January, 1945, hundreds of thousands of German refugees, many of whom had fled to Danzig on foot from East Prussia (see evacuation of East Prussia), tried to escape through the city's port in a large-scale evacuation involving hundreds of German cargo and passenger ships. Some of the ships were sunk by the Soviets, including the Wilhelm Gustloff after an evacuation was attempted at neighboring Gdynia. In the process, tens of thousands of refugees were killed. The city also endured heavy Allied and Soviet bombardment by air. Those who survived and could not escape encountered the Soviet Army, which captured the city on March 30, 1945. The city was heavily damaged. In line with the decisions made by the Allies at the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, the city became part of Poland. The remaining German residents of the city who had survived the war fled or were forcibly expelled to postwar Germany, and the city was repopulated with ethnic Poles, many of whom had been deported by the Soviets in two major waves from Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union, i.e. from the eastern portion of pre-war Poland. Contemporary timesThe historic old city of Gdańsk, which had suffered large-scale destruction at the hands of the Soviet Army, was rebuilt during the 1950s and 1960s. Boosted by heavy investment in the development of its port and three major shipyards for Soviet ambitions in the Baltic region, Gdańsk became the major shipping and industrial centre of the Communist People's Republic of Poland. As part of German-Polish reconciliation policies driven by West German Chancellor Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik, German territorial claims on Gdańsk were renounced, and the city's full incorporation into Poland was recognized in the Treaty of Warsaw in 1970. This was confirmed by a reunited Germany in 1990 and 1991.  Gdansk, december 15 1970  Gdansk 16 December 1970 In December 1970, Gdańsk was the scene of anti-regime demonstrations, which led to the downfall of Poland's communist leader Władysław Gomułka. During the demonstrations in Gdansk and Gdynia, military as well as the police opened fire on the demonstrators causing several dozen deaths. Ten years later, on August 31, 1980, Gdańsk Shipyard was the birthplace of the Solidarity trade union movement, whose opposition to the Communist regime led to the end of Communist Party rule in 1989, and sparked a series of protests that successfully overturned the Communist regimes of the former Soviet bloc. Solidarity's leader, Lech Wałęsa became President of Poland in 1990. Gdańsk native Donald Tusk became Prime Minister of Poland in 2007.  Solidarity's leader, Lech Wałęsa speaks to shipyard workers at the then 'Lenin Shipyards in GdanskToday Gdańsk is a major shipping port and tourist destination and has been the setting for a number of major open air concerts, including Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Jean Michel Jarre. The Rock band Queen staged a concert in the Shipyard in October 2008.
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Post by Bonobo on May 23, 2011 22:28:16 GMT 1
I knew those facts concerning Polish history of Gdañsk but reading/revising them again was a great pleasure. As for the German part, it was a novelty.
Thank you, Peter.
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Post by pjotr on May 23, 2011 23:57:42 GMT 1
You're welcome Bo, and thank you too for this thread, your images and texts!
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Post by Bonobo on Dec 4, 2019 23:03:46 GMT 1
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