Puck, Poland
Encyclopedia
Puck AUD is a town
in northwestern Poland
with 11,350 inhabitants. It is in Gdańsk Pomerania
on the south coast of the Baltic Sea
(Bay of Puck
). Previously in the Gdańsk Voivodeship
(1975–1998), Puck has been the capital of Puck County
in the Pomeranian Voivodeship
since 1999.
.jpg)
The settlement became a marketplace and a seaport as early as the 7th century. The name, as was common during the Middle Ages
, was spelled differently: Pauzigk, Pautzke (in a 1277 document Putzc, 1277 Pusecz, 1288 Puczse and Putsk, 1289 Pucz, see historical maps below) http://www.polishroots.org/slownik/puck.htm. In 1309 it came under the rule of the Teutonic Order as part of Pomerelia
. Puck achieved town status in 1348. Together with the rest of Royal Prussia
it joined Poland in 1454 (1466) and was the place of the local County Administration (Starostwo). Since the Polish kings tried to create a fleet at Danzig, but independent Hanseatic
Danzig would not allow them in their territory, some ships chartered by Poland had to land at Pautzke (Puck) in 1567. Poland tried to establish a Polish Navy
, got to use some harbors in Livonia and Finland, but a standing navy never materialize. Swedish-Lithuanian Vasa
King of Poland-Lithuania Sigismund III again tried to establish a fleet in his attempts to wrest the crown of Sweden from King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
, but Sigismund's attempts at creating a fleet were destroyed in 1628.
The first actual Polish Navy was founded at the end of World War I
in 1918 with some French and British involvement.
In 1772, through the Partitions of Poland
, the western Prussian town was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia
. After the First World War I, Puck was assigned to the Second Polish Republic
by the Treaty of Versailles
. In 1920 Poland celebrated Poland's Wedding to the Sea in Puck. Puck was the only Polish harbour until Gdynia
was built in the 1920s and the main war harbour of the Polish Navy until the Second World War.
Puck was bombed by Nazi Germany at 5.20am Polish time on Friday September 1st, known therein as Grey Friday when a German bomber dropped a projectile on the town which also had an airbase.
The British and French declaration of war came two days later. That week TIME magazine in New York put a black and white picture of the Polish commander in chief, Smidgly-Rydz on its cover.
After Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1939, a branch of the Stutthof concentration camp
existed in Puck in the years 1941 to 1944. After 1945 Puck became part of the People's Republic of Poland
.
.jpg)
.jpg)
with:
Cieszyn
, Stein
, Konz
, Guéret
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in northwestern Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
with 11,350 inhabitants. It is in Gdańsk Pomerania
Gdańsk Pomerania
For the medieval duchy, see Pomeranian duchies and dukesGdańsk Pomerania or Eastern Pomerania is a geographical region in northern Poland covering eastern part of Pomeranian Voivodeship...
on the south coast of the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
(Bay of Puck
Bay of Puck
The Bay of Puck or Puck Bay , historically also known as the Bay of Putzig , is a shallow western branch of the Bay of Gdańsk in the southern Baltic Sea, off the shores of Gdańsk Pomerania, Poland. It is separated from the open sea by the Hel Peninsula.The bay has an average depth of 2-6 metres...
). Previously in the Gdańsk Voivodeship
Gdansk Voivodeship
The name Gdańsk Voivodeship has been used twice to designate local governments in Poland.----Gdańsk Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–98, superseded by Pomeranian Voivodeship...
(1975–1998), Puck has been the capital of Puck County
Puck County
Puck County is a unit of territorial administration and local government in Pomeranian Voivodeship, northern Poland, on the Baltic coast. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed in 1998. Its administrative seat is the town of Puck, which...
in the Pomeranian Voivodeship
Pomeranian Voivodeship
Pomeranian Voivodeship, or Pomerania Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in north-central Poland. It comprises most of Pomerelia , as well as an area east of the Vistula River...
since 1999.
History
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, was spelled differently: Pauzigk, Pautzke (in a 1277 document Putzc, 1277 Pusecz, 1288 Puczse and Putsk, 1289 Pucz, see historical maps below) http://www.polishroots.org/slownik/puck.htm. In 1309 it came under the rule of the Teutonic Order as part of Pomerelia
Pomerelia
Pomerelia is a historical region in northern Poland. Pomerelia lay in eastern Pomerania: on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea and west of the Vistula and its delta. The area centered on the city of Gdańsk at the mouth of the Vistula...
. Puck achieved town status in 1348. Together with the rest of Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia
Royal Prussia was a Region of the Kingdom of Poland and of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . Polish Prussia included Pomerelia, Chełmno Land , Malbork Voivodeship , Gdańsk , Toruń , and Elbląg . It is distinguished from Ducal Prussia...
it joined Poland in 1454 (1466) and was the place of the local County Administration (Starostwo). Since the Polish kings tried to create a fleet at Danzig, but independent Hanseatic
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
Danzig would not allow them in their territory, some ships chartered by Poland had to land at Pautzke (Puck) in 1567. Poland tried to establish a Polish Navy
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
, got to use some harbors in Livonia and Finland, but a standing navy never materialize. Swedish-Lithuanian Vasa
Vasa
Vasa may refer to:* House of Vasa, a medieval Swedish noble family, the royal house of Sweden 1523–1654 and of Poland 1587–1668** Vasa , a Swedish warship that sank in 1628, since restored...
King of Poland-Lithuania Sigismund III again tried to establish a fleet in his attempts to wrest the crown of Sweden from King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
, but Sigismund's attempts at creating a fleet were destroyed in 1628.
The first actual Polish Navy was founded at the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1918 with some French and British involvement.
In 1772, through the Partitions of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
, the western Prussian town was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
. After the First World War I, Puck was assigned to the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
by the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
. In 1920 Poland celebrated Poland's Wedding to the Sea in Puck. Puck was the only Polish harbour until Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
was built in the 1920s and the main war harbour of the Polish Navy until the Second World War.
Puck was bombed by Nazi Germany at 5.20am Polish time on Friday September 1st, known therein as Grey Friday when a German bomber dropped a projectile on the town which also had an airbase.
The British and French declaration of war came two days later. That week TIME magazine in New York put a black and white picture of the Polish commander in chief, Smidgly-Rydz on its cover.
After Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1939, a branch of the Stutthof concentration camp
Stutthof concentration camp
Stutthof was the first Nazi concentration camp built outside of 1937 German borders.Completed on September 2, 1939, it was located in a secluded, wet, and wooded area west of the small town of Sztutowo . The town is located in the former territory of the Free City of Danzig, 34 km east of...
existed in Puck in the years 1941 to 1944. After 1945 Puck became part of the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
.
Interesting places
- Town Hall (1865)
- St Peter and Paul's church (13th century)
- Burghers' houses at the main square (Plac Wolności), 17th century, rebuilt in the 19th century
- Flooded port (8th-10th century) located some 500 metres from the shore
- Remnants of a brick castle (14th century)
- Memorials of gen. Józef HallerJózef Haller de HallenburgJózef Haller de Hallenburg was a Lieutenant General of the Polish Army, legionary in Polish Legions, harcmistrz , the President of The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association , political and social activist, Stanisław Haller de Hallenburg's cousin.Haller was born in Jurczyce...
and Poland's Wedding to the Sea - Puck region museum (Muzeum Ziemi Puckiej)
- WoodWoodWood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
en pierPierA pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars... - MarinaMarinaA marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
- Caves in MechowoMechowoMechowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Puck, within Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately west of Puck and north-west of the regional capital Gdańsk. The village has a population of 409....
- Coastal Landscape ParkCoastal Landscape ParkThe Polish Coastal Landscape Park is a protected area in northern Poland, established in 1978, covering an area of ....
(Nadmorski Park Krajobrazowy)
Population
| Year | Population |
| 1895 | 1 904 |
| 1900 | 2 093 |
| 1960 | 6 800 |
| 1970 | 9 300 |
| 1975 | 10 500 |
| 1980 | 11 100 |
| 1998 | 11 600 |
| 2005 | 11 350 |
Land use
| Land use in Puck in 2005 http://www.stat.gov.pl/english/index.htm | in ha | in % |
| Total | 490 | 100,0 |
| agricultural lands area, of which: | 188 | 38,4 |
| arable land | 118 | 24,1 |
| orchards | 0 | 0,0 |
| meadows | 59 | 12,0 |
| pastures | 11 | 2,2 |
| Forests and forest land | 3 | 0,6 |
| Other and wastelands | 299 | 61,0 |
Twin towns — sister cities
Puck, Poland is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Cieszyn
Cieszyn
Cieszyn is a border-town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....
, Stein
Stein, Bavaria
Stein is a municipality in the district of Fürth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 7 km south of Fürth, and 7 km southwest of Nuremberg ....
, Konz
Konz
Konz is a town in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Saar and Moselle, approx. 8 km southwest of Trier....
, Guéret
Guéret
Guéret is a commune and the prefecture of the Creuse department in the Limousin region in central France.-Geography:A light industrial town, the largest in the department, with a big woodland and a little farming not far from the town centre...
External links
- Puck on-line
- Puck region museum (Muzeum Ziemi Puckiej)
- Seaside Landscape Park (Nadmorski Park Krajobrazowy)
- Statistics on Puck - Central Statistical Office (en)
- Map of the town
- Puck on the map of Poland
- HOM Puck – Scout Sailing Centre in Puck (pl)
- 1200s Pomerania, Pomerelia, Holy Roman Empire
- Pautzke at Pautzker Wiek in 17th century
- Pautzke, Prussia, ca. 1600
- Stare fotografie miasta Puck
