Gdansk was born in 980 when the Polish Duke Mieszko set up a settlement in a fortress. Officially it was founded as a town in 997. It was given city status in 1224. By 1235 its population had doubled to 2000 and merchants from Bremen & Lubeck moved to the area and developed the port to trade with Scandinavia. In the 14th century after a series of battles it was renamed Danzig by the Gernanic hierachy who prevailed. Danzig was annexed to Prussia in 1793 and remained a part of Prussia - later within Germany.At the end of WW1, post the Treaty of Versailles, it was declared a free city within Poland and over the next two decades 20,000 Poles moved to the region.

In 1939 Hitler demanded that the Polish authorities hand the sovereignty of Gdansk to The Third Reich. As this demand was ignored Hitler invaded Poland on Setpember 1st and WW2 followed. At the end of WW2 in 1945 the Russian Red Army defeated Hitler but the liberating forces became occupying forces as Moscow installed a commuinist regime.

Though its Polish population already referred to it as Gdansk it was not until 1950 that a Polish East German treaty acknowledged its original name and its Polish status.

In 1980 Gdansk once again attracted international attention when The Solidarity Movement became the first independent union movement under Communism. This movement, which was borne out of labour unrest in the state controlled shipbuiding industry, was recognised by the new Polish Government and within a decade be a key factor in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.

Famous Citizens Of Gdansk

Gdansk has been the home to several internationally famous people. These include physicist Gabriel Fahrenheit, writer Gunter Grass, philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, the astronomer Johannes Hevelius and most recently the former leader of the Solidarity Movement Lech Walesa who later become Polish President.

Violent crime is rare Be aware of street crime, pick pockets and avoid walking alone late at night in badly lit streets as there have been isolated incidents of muggings in areas popular with tourists. As credit card fraud is on the increase do not let your cards out of sight. Some tourists are approached by criminals posing as plain cloth police officers who ask for credit card detail as proof of ID.

Thieves may hang about ATMs, and on public transport especially at main railway stations.Many thefts occur when you board or leave a train. There is also a high risk of theft on sleeper trains. Do not accept food or drinks from strangers as they may be spiked in order to rob you.