Gdańsk, Szczecin and the next most important sea port of Gdynia in the Commonwealth. Typically, the nature of the port city had been in the seventh century, when it probably arose. Initially, the area of the mouth of the Vistula Baltic tribes lived persistent crafts and fishing. In the tenth century, Gdańsk became the seat of a bishopric, and the king ruled Pomerania. Gdansk airport to the Republic, the capital of Pomerania was included in the time of Boleslaw Boleslaw, after his victory over the Pomeranians. This place, however, had very strong separatist tendencies, and therefore the number of autonomy. The following years meant for the capital Pomerania Teutonic invasion, many antyzakonnych uprisings and other violent conflicts. Only after the victory for Grunwald, the then king of the Republic, Wladyslaw Jagiello managed to join the strategically important port of the Polish - unfortunately for a short time. Soon the enemy began to Gdańsk Poland Prussian Union under the chairmanship of the Teutonic Order.
At this point it is worth emphasizing the enormous value of the northern city in Central Europe. In the fifteenth century, the Old Continent was divided into two parts: the western, technologically developed, with numerous manufakturami typically craft, so to speak - the industrial and Central - East, aimed mainly at production of timber and grain. Between the two parts of Europe there was an indissoluble link - dependence on trade. In those days roads were not as well developed as it is now, and even fell short routes from the time of the ancient splendor of the Roman Empire. Transport of goods was so very embarrassing and costly - especially of heavy goods such as timber and food. In so uninteresting position were particularly Eastern countries, particularly Poland. Fortunately, the topography of the terrain of our state permit easy rafting rivers and numerous other waterways in almost the entire territory of the Republic, from the Black Sea, to the Baltic Sea. It is clear therefore that the best form of transportation products manufactured in Poland to distant countries of Western Europe was the inland waterways and sea. As the largest and best-noon Polish linking the Baltic Sea in the river Vistula Jagiello was a key role in the European transport chain play Gdańsk. This was the largest in the Antwerp port and trading center in Europe, as well as the largest in this part of the cluster population of the continent. Unfortunately, the city should be held by the Teutonic Knights, who effectively prevents the normal use of the Republic of the benefits of the Baltic port, by imposing on national goods overwhelming duty, which made the production, transportation, and especially trade became unprofitable for Polish. This situation was extremely dangerous, because the entire economy of Poland and Lithuania is based on trade with the West. Therefore, numerous wars. Location Polish apparently began to improve after his victory over the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald, however, only a year 1525 (homage to Prussian) finally ended the reign of the monks in the Vistula Delta. Member Knights became Polish fief Gdansk city tours
Like other western and northern areas of the Republic, during the partitions of the Republic, Gdańsk was zagarnięty by Prussia. This occurred in 1793. At the time of partition, the city was heavily Germanized - it was made easier by the people of the port that were both Poles and native Prussians. However, thanks to a vigorous centers of Polish culture, Polish town survived as more than 100 years of German rule, and after the Second World War was again included in the Polish borders. Unfortunately, for political reasons, Gdańsk after two years of the Second Republic has been received and has become known. Free City (in which, as far as approaching the Second World War, Germany took over the real power). However, until the very end, remained part of the Polish authorities in the city. One was the post office - Westerplatte. It was a September 1, 1939, first appeared in the Republic of resistance Nazi invaders. Fortunately, after the end of World War II, Gdańsk has been finally and inextricably involved in the Polish borders, and the German population has been living his forced emigration to the west. The capital of the Pomeranian province during socialism in Poland at the back has become one of the major Polish cities, as well as the mainstay of trade unions and the cradle of Solidarity. I can safely say that without the Polish history of the city probably would have developed very differently ..