Gdańsk

Gdańsk is a city on the <a href="/facts/Baltic_Sea/jbQJGLQX">Baltic</a> coast of northern <a href="/facts/Poland/eXJ7fd0D">Poland</a>, and the capital of the <a href="/facts/Pomeranian_Voivodeship/98aALa8I">Pomeranian Voivodeship</a>. With a population of 486,492, it is Poland's sixth-largest city and major <a href="/facts/Seaport/8gMBbCNH">seaport</a>. Gdańsk lies at the mouth of the <a href="/facts/Mot%25C5%2582awa/zxWquh1d">Motława</a> River and is situated at the southern edge of <a href="/facts/Gda%25C5%2584sk_Bay/d8GJNo0k">Gdańsk Bay</a>, close to the city of <a href="/facts/Gdynia/TmvLtL2Y">Gdynia</a> and the <a href="/facts/Resort_town/xu9YK8KM">resort town</a> of <a href="/facts/Sopot/ezFyHDrJ">Sopot</a>; these form a <a href="/facts/Metropolitan_area/IKeV26lu">metropolitan area</a> called the <a href="/facts/Tricity%2c_Poland/ghm3msfx">Tricity</a> (Trójmiasto), with a population of approximately 1.5 million.
The city has a complex history, having had periods of Polish, German and self rule. Originating as a <a href="/facts/Pomeranians_(tribe)/btS7XG2v">Slavic</a> fort within Poland since 997, it has been an important shipbuilding and trade port since the <a href="/facts/Middle_Ages/RqzEKB9v">Middle Ages</a>, while between 1361 and 1500 it was a member of the <a href="/facts/Hanseatic_League/oA756xvs">Hanseatic League</a>, which influenced its economic, demographic and urban landscape. It served as Poland's principal seaport and was its largest city from the 15th century until <a href="/facts/Warsaw/0cRqN3pw">Warsaw</a> surpassed it in the 18th century. With the <a href="/facts/Partitions_of_Poland/kyVSVxEc">Partitions of Poland</a>, the city was annexed by <a href="/facts/Kingdom_of_Prussia/x796l7vx">Prussia</a> in 1793, and became a part of the <a href="/facts/German_Empire/lwQutJyN">German Empire</a> in <a href="/facts/Unification_of_Germany/u0kyV3jW">1871</a>. In <a href="/facts/Free_City_of_Danzig_(Napoleonic)/FK8Curup">1807–1814</a> and <a href="/facts/Free_City_of_Danzig/JAXh4Ulg">1920–1939</a> it was a free city, shared between Poland and Germany. On 1 September 1939 it was the scene of a <a href="/facts/Battle_of_Westerplatte/lH74Y56S">military clash</a> at <a href="/facts/Westerplatte/zzNLf11W">Westerplatte</a>, one of the first which initiated <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>. The contemporary city was shaped by <a href="/facts/Flight_and_expulsion_of_Germans_from_Poland_during_and_after_World_War_II/zVqbrWYh">expulsions</a>, new settlement and extensive reconstruction after 1945. With the 1980 <a href="/facts/Gda%25C5%2584sk_Agreement/Q7qF1jP4">Gdańsk Agreement</a> signed in the <a href="/facts/Gda%25C5%2584sk_Shipyard/qNm4R3wM">Gdańsk Shipyard</a>, it is the birthplace of the Polish <a href="/facts/Solidarity_(Polish_trade_union)/1SnMvEz6">Solidarity</a> movement, which majorly contributed to the <a href="/facts/Fall_of_Communism/gLWM6JLk">Fall of Communism</a> by 1989 and the dissolution of the <a href="/facts/Warsaw_Pact/SLEsUSAS">Warsaw Pact</a>.
Gdańsk is home to the <a href="/facts/University_of_Gda%25C5%2584sk/deMP9G39">University of Gdańsk</a>, <a href="/facts/Gda%25C5%2584sk_University_of_Technology/aFdYBAeI">Gdańsk University of Technology</a>, the <a href="/facts/National_Museum%2c_Gda%25C5%2584sk/o2VLHFfH">National Museum</a>, the <a href="/facts/Gda%25C5%2584sk_Shakespeare_Theatre/au2b8cbv">Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre</a>, the <a href="/facts/Museum_of_World_War_II_in_Gda%25C5%2584sk/vhzIBuqj">Museum of the Second World War</a>, the <a href="/facts/Polish_Baltic_Philharmonic/BSd5GHce">Polish Baltic Philharmonic</a>, the <a href="/facts/Polish_Space_Agency/tH0P7lUy">Polish Space Agency</a> and the <a href="/facts/European_Solidarity_Centre/2dbDkULc">European Solidarity Centre</a>. Among Gdańsk's most notable historical landmarks are the <a href="/facts/Gda%25C5%2584sk_Town_Hall/lnRvVqcX">Town Hall</a>, the <a href="/facts/Green_Gate/dLPmBT87">Green Gate</a>, <a href="/facts/Artus_Court/ERRJzevW">Artus Court</a>, <a href="/facts/Neptune%2527s_Fountain%2c_Gda%25C5%2584sk/gXLkx7Lk">Neptune's Fountain</a>, and <a href="/facts/St._Mary%2527s_Church%2c_Gda%25C5%2584sk/yUAR5hqT">St. Mary's Church</a>, one of the largest brick churches in the world. The city is served by <a href="/facts/Gda%25C5%2584sk_Lech_Wa%25C5%2582%25C4%2599sa_Airport/xXLWj6jD">Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport</a>, the country's <a href="/facts/List_of_airports_in_Poland/8f9AkPDC">third busiest airport</a> 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. The city also hosts <a href="/facts/St._Dominic%2527s_Fair/G2aaSRhe">St. Dominic's Fair</a>, which dates back to 1260, and is regarded as one of the biggest trade and cultural events in Europe. Gdańsk has also topped rankings for the quality of life, safety and living standards worldwide, and its historic city centre has been listed as one of Poland's <a href="/facts/List_of_Historic_Monuments_(Poland)/Y8noKGvQ">national monuments</a>.

Gdańsk open-in-new

Gdańsk