Sopot
Encyclopedia
Sopot AUD is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania
on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea
in northern Poland
, with a population of approximately 40,000.
Sopot is a city with powiat
(county) status, in Pomeranian Voivodeship
. Until 1999 it was in Gdańsk Voivodeship
. It lies between the larger cities of Gdańsk
(to the south-east) and Gdynia
(to the north), the three towns together making up the metropolitan agglomeration called Trójmiasto (Tri-City).
Sopot is a major health-spa and tourist resort destination. It has the longest wooden pier
in Europe, at 515.5 metres, stretching out into the Bay of Gdańsk. The city is also famous for its Sopot International Song Festival
, the largest such event in Europe after the Eurovision Song Contest
. Among its other attractions is a fountain of bromide
spring water, known as the "inhalation mushroom".
word sopot meaning "stream" or "spring". The same root occurs in a number of other Slavic toponyms; it is probably onomatopeic, imitating the sound of running water. (Today several streams run into the sea in the area of the town.)
The name is first recorded as Sopoth in 1283 and Sopot in 1291. The German Zoppot is a Germanization of the original Slavic name. In the 19th century and in the interwar years the German name was Polonized
as Sopoty (a plural form) or Copoty (another plural form, closer to the German pronunciation). "Sopot" was made the official Polish name when the town came again under Polish rule in 1945.
river and to cities north across the Baltic Sea
. With time the significance of the stronghold diminished and by the 10th century it was reduced to a fishing village, eventually abandoned. However, a century later the area was settled again and two villages were founded within the borders of today's' city: Stawowie and Gręzowo. They were first mentioned in 1186 as being granted to the Cistercian abbey in Oliwa
. Another of the villages that constitute today's Sopot, Świemirowo, was first mentioned in 1212 in a document by Mestwin I, who granted it to the Premonstratensian
(Norbertine) monastery in nearby Żukowo.
The village of Sopot, which later became the namesake for the whole city, was first mentioned in 1283 when it was granted to the Cistercians. By 1316 the abbey had bought all villages in the area and became the owners of all the area of the city. After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) the area was reincorporated into the Kingdom of Poland
.
The spa for the citizens of Gdańsk
has been active since the 16th century. Until the end of that century most noble and magnate
families from Gdańsk built their manor house
es in Sopot. During the negotiations of the Treaty of Oliva
King John II Casimir
lived in one of them, while Swedish
negotiator Magnus de la Gardie resided in another — it has been known as the Swedish Manor ever since.
During the 1733 War of the Polish Succession
Imperial Russian
troops besieged
the nearby city of Gdańsk and a year later looted and burned the village of Sopot to the ground. Much of Sopot would remain abandoned during and after the conflict.
In 1757 and 1758 most of the ruined manors were bought by the Pomerania
n magnate
family of Przebendowski. General Józef Przebendowski bought nine of these palaces and in 1786 his widow, Bernardyna Przebendowska (née von Kleist
), bought the remaining two.
in 1772 in the First Partition of Poland
. Following the new laws imposed by King Frederick the Great
, church property was confiscated by the state. The village was reconstructed and in 1806 the area was sold to the Gdańsk merchant Carl Christoph Wegner.
In 1819 Wegner opened the first public bath in Sopot and tried to promote the newly-established spa among the inhabitants of Danzig
, but the undertaking was a financial failure. However, in 1823 Dr. Jean Georg Haffner
, a former medic of the French
army, financed a new bath complex that gained significant popularity. In the following years Haffner erected more facilities. By 1824 a sanatorium
was opened to the public, as well as a 63-metre pier
, cloakrooms, and a park. Haffner died in 1830, but his enterprise was continued by his stepson, Ernst Adolf Böttcher. The latter continued to develop the area and in 1842 opened a new theatre
and sanatorium. By then the number of tourists coming to Sopot every year had risen to almost 1,200.
In 1870 Sopot saw the opening of its first rail line: the new Danzig-Kolberg rail road that was later extended to Berlin
. Good rail connections added to the popularity of the area and by 1900 the number of tourists had reached almost 12,500 a year.
In 1873 the village of Sopot became an administrative centre of the Gemeinde. Soon other villages were incorporated into it and in 1874 the number of inhabitants of the village rose to over 2,800.
At the beginning of the 20th century it was a favourite spa of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany. The city again became a holiday resort for the inhabitants of nearby Danzig, as well as wealthy aristocrats from Berlin, Warsaw
, and Königsberg
. Soon after World War I
a casino was opened in the Grand Hotel as the primary source of money for the treasury of the Free City of Danzig
.
In 1877 the self-government of the Gemeinde bought the village from the descendants of Dr. Haffner and started its further development. A second sanatorium was constructed in 1881 and the pier was extended to 85 metres. In 1885 the gas works were built. Two years later tennis court
s were built and the following year a horse-racing track was opened to the public. There were also several facilities built for the permanent inhabitants of Sopot, not only for the tourists. Among those were two new churches: Protestant
(September 17, 1901) and Catholic
(December 21, 1901).
On October 8, 1901, Wilhelm II granted Sopot city rights, spurring further rapid growth. In 1904 a new balneological sanatorium was opened, followed in 1903 by a lighthouse
. In 1907 new baths south of the old ones were built in Viking style. In 1909 a new theatre was opened in the nearby forest within the city limits, in the place where today the Sopot Festival is held every year. By 1912 a third complex of baths, sanatoria, hotels, and restaurants was opened, attracting even more tourists. Shortly before World War I the city had 17,400 permanent inhabitants and over 20,000 tourists every year.
Following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles
in 1919, Sopot became a part of the Free City of Danzig
. Due to the proximity of the Polish
and German
borders, the economy of the town soon recovered. The new casino
became one of the main sources of income of the tiny free-city state. In 1927 the city authorities rebuilt the Kasino-Hotel, one of the most notable landmarks in Sopot today. After World War II
it was renamed as the Grand Hotel
and continues to be one of the most luxurious hotels in Poland
.
A Richard Wagner
festival was held in the nearby Forest Opera in 1922. The festival's success caused Sopot to be sometimes referred to as the "Bayreuth
of the North". In 1928 the pier
was extended to its present length of 512 metres. Since then it has remained the longest wooden pier in Europe and one of the longest in the world. In the early 1930s the city reached its peak of its popularity among foreign tourists — more than 30,000 annually (this number does not include tourists from Danzig/Gdansk itself). However, by the 1930s, tensions on the nearby Polish-German border and the rising popularity of Nazism
in Germany
saw a decline in foreign tourism; in 1938 local German Nazis burned down Sopot's synagogue
.
broke out on September 1, 1939. The following day the Free City of Danzig was annexed by Nazi Germany
and most of the local Poles
, Kashubians
, and Jews were arrested and imprisoned or expelled. Due to the war, the city's tourist industry collapsed. The last Wagner Festival was held in 1942.
Sopot remained under German occupation until 1945. All this time Polish resistance
was active in the city and the region. On March 23, 1945 the Soviet Army
took over the city after several days of street battle, in which Sopot lost approximately 10% of its buildings.
As per the Potsdam Conference
, Sopot was incorporated into the post-war Polish state. The authorities of Gdańsk Voivodeship were located in Sopot until the end of 1946. Most of the German inhabitants who had remained in the city after the evacuation before the advancing Red Army were soon to be expelled
, and soon eastern settlers from Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union
would arrive.
way line to Gdańsk was opened, as well as the Higher School of Music, the Higher School of Maritime Trade, a library, and an art gallery. During the city presidency of Jan Kapusta) the town opened an annual Arts Festival in 1948. In 1952 the tramways were replaced by a heavy-rail commuter line connecting Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia
. Although in 1954 the Higher School of Arts was moved to Gdańsk, Sopot remained an important centre of culture, and in 1956 the first Polish jazz
festival was held there (until then jazz had been banned by the Communist authorities). This was the forerunner of the continuing yearly Jazz Jamboree
in Warsaw.
In 1961 the Sopot International Song Festival
was inaugurated, although it was held in Gdańsk in its first three years – it moved to its permanent venue at Sopot's Forest Opera
in 1964. In 1963 the main street of Sopot (Bohaterów Monte Cassino, "street of the heroes of Monte Cassino
") was turned into a pedestrian-only promenade.
New complexes of baths, sanatoria, and hotels were opened in 1972 and 1975. By 1977 Sopot had approximately 54,500 inhabitants, the highest ever in its history. In 1979 the historical town centre was declared a national heritage centre by the government of Poland.
spring opened two years later, as a result in 1999 Sopot regained its official spa town
status.
In 2001 Sopot celebrated the 100th anniversary of its city charter.
Sopot is currently undergoing a period of intense development, including the building of a number of five star hotels and spa resorts on the waterfront. The main pedestrianized street, Monte Cassino, has also been extended by diverting traffic underneath it, meaning the whole street is now pedestrianized. Sopot, aside from Warsaw has the highest property prices in Poland.
and Gdańsk
municipal bus lines, the commuter rail line (with three stops: Sopot Wyścigi
, Sopot, and Sopot Kamienny Potok
), and the Polish national railway, PKP.
There are many popular professional sports teams in Sopot and the tri-city area. The most popular in Sopot today is probably basketball thanks to the award-winning Prokom Trefl Sopot
. Amateur sports are played by thousands of Sopot citizens, as well as in schools of all levels (elementary, secondary, and university).
Eastern Pomerania
Eastern Pomerania can refer to distinct parts of Pomerania:*the historical region of Farther Pomerania, which was the eastern part of the Duchy, later Province of Pomerania...
on the southern 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...
in northern 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 a population of approximately 40,000.
Sopot is a city with powiat
Powiat
A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used...
(county) status, in 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...
. Until 1999 it was in 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...
. It lies between the larger cities of Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
(to the south-east) and 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...
(to the north), the three towns together making up the metropolitan agglomeration called Trójmiasto (Tri-City).
Sopot is a major health-spa and tourist resort destination. It has the longest wooden pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
in Europe, at 515.5 metres, stretching out into the Bay of Gdańsk. The city is also famous for its Sopot International Song Festival
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
, the largest such event in Europe after the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. Among its other attractions is a fountain of bromide
Bromide
A bromide is a chemical compound containing bromide ion, that is bromine atom with effective charge of −1. The class name can include ionic compounds such as caesium bromide or covalent compounds such as sulfur dibromide.-Natural occurrence:...
spring water, known as the "inhalation mushroom".
Etymology
The name is thought to derive from an old SlavicSlavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
word sopot meaning "stream" or "spring". The same root occurs in a number of other Slavic toponyms; it is probably onomatopeic, imitating the sound of running water. (Today several streams run into the sea in the area of the town.)
The name is first recorded as Sopoth in 1283 and Sopot in 1291. The German Zoppot is a Germanization of the original Slavic name. In the 19th century and in the interwar years the German name was Polonized
Polonization
Polonization was the acquisition or imposition of elements of Polish culture, in particular, Polish language, as experienced in some historic periods by non-Polish populations of territories controlled or substantially influenced by Poland...
as Sopoty (a plural form) or Copoty (another plural form, closer to the German pronunciation). "Sopot" was made the official Polish name when the town came again under Polish rule in 1945.
Early history
The area of today's Sopot contains the site of a 7th-century Slavonic (Pomeranian) stronghold. Initially it was a commercial trade outpost for commerce extending both up the VistulaVistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
river and to cities north across 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...
. With time the significance of the stronghold diminished and by the 10th century it was reduced to a fishing village, eventually abandoned. However, a century later the area was settled again and two villages were founded within the borders of today's' city: Stawowie and Gręzowo. They were first mentioned in 1186 as being granted to the Cistercian abbey in Oliwa
Oliwa
Oliwa, also Oliva is one of the quarters of Gdańsk. From east it borders Przymorze and Żabianka, from the north Sopot and from the south with the districts of Strzyża, VII Dwór and Brętowo, while from the west with Matarnia and Osowa...
. Another of the villages that constitute today's Sopot, Świemirowo, was first mentioned in 1212 in a document by Mestwin I, who granted it to the Premonstratensian
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
(Norbertine) monastery in nearby Żukowo.
The village of Sopot, which later became the namesake for the whole city, was first mentioned in 1283 when it was granted to the Cistercians. By 1316 the abbey had bought all villages in the area and became the owners of all the area of the city. After the Second Peace of Thorn (1466) the area was reincorporated into the Kingdom of Poland
Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)
The Kingdom of Poland of the Jagiellons was the Polish state created by the accession of Jogaila , Grand Duke of Lithuania, to the Polish throne in 1386. The Union of Krewo or Krėva Act, united Poland and Lithuania under the rule of a single monarch...
.
The spa for the citizens of Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
has been active since the 16th century. Until the end of that century most noble and magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
families from Gdańsk built their manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
es in Sopot. During the negotiations of the Treaty of Oliva
Treaty of Oliva
The Treaty or Peace of Oliva of 23 April /3 May 1660 was one of the peace treaties ending the Second Northern War...
King John II Casimir
John II Casimir of Poland
John II Casimir was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania during the era of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Duke of Opole in Upper Silesia, and titular King of Sweden 1648–1660. In Poland, he is known and commonly referred as Jan Kazimierz. His parents were Sigismund III Vasa and...
lived in one of them, while Swedish
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
negotiator Magnus de la Gardie resided in another — it has been known as the Swedish Manor ever since.
During the 1733 War of the Polish Succession
War of the Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession was a major European war for princes' possessions sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II, King of Poland that other European powers widened in pursuit of their own national interests...
Imperial Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
troops besieged
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
the nearby city of Gdańsk and a year later looted and burned the village of Sopot to the ground. Much of Sopot would remain abandoned during and after the conflict.
Pomerania
Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
n magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
family of Przebendowski. General Józef Przebendowski bought nine of these palaces and in 1786 his widow, Bernardyna Przebendowska (née von Kleist
Von Kleist
Von Kleist is a Pomeranian Prussian noble family. Notable members of this family include:* Ewald Jürgen Georg von Kleist ; co-inventor of the Leyden jar* Ewald Christian von Kleist ; German poet and soldier...
), bought the remaining two.
Kingdom of Prussia
Sopot was annexed by the Kingdom of PrussiaKingdom 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...
in 1772 in the First Partition of Poland
First Partition of Poland
The First Partition of Poland or First Partition of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. Growth in the Russian Empire's power, threatening the Kingdom of Prussia and the...
. Following the new laws imposed by King Frederick the Great
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
, church property was confiscated by the state. The village was reconstructed and in 1806 the area was sold to the Gdańsk merchant Carl Christoph Wegner.
In 1819 Wegner opened the first public bath in Sopot and tried to promote the newly-established spa among the inhabitants of Danzig
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, but the undertaking was a financial failure. However, in 1823 Dr. Jean Georg Haffner
Jean Georg Haffner
Jean Georg Haffner was a medical doctor and the founder of the first spa located in Sopot....
, a former medic of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
army, financed a new bath complex that gained significant popularity. In the following years Haffner erected more facilities. By 1824 a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
was opened to the public, as well as a 63-metre pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
, cloakrooms, and a park. Haffner died in 1830, but his enterprise was continued by his stepson, Ernst Adolf Böttcher. The latter continued to develop the area and in 1842 opened a new theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and sanatorium. By then the number of tourists coming to Sopot every year had risen to almost 1,200.
In 1870 Sopot saw the opening of its first rail line: the new Danzig-Kolberg rail road that was later extended to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Good rail connections added to the popularity of the area and by 1900 the number of tourists had reached almost 12,500 a year.
In 1873 the village of Sopot became an administrative centre of the Gemeinde. Soon other villages were incorporated into it and in 1874 the number of inhabitants of the village rose to over 2,800.
At the beginning of the 20th century it was a favourite spa of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany. The city again became a holiday resort for the inhabitants of nearby Danzig, as well as wealthy aristocrats from Berlin, Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, and Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
. Soon after 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...
a casino was opened in the Grand Hotel as the primary source of money for the treasury of the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
.
In 1877 the self-government of the Gemeinde bought the village from the descendants of Dr. Haffner and started its further development. A second sanatorium was constructed in 1881 and the pier was extended to 85 metres. In 1885 the gas works were built. Two years later tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s were built and the following year a horse-racing track was opened to the public. There were also several facilities built for the permanent inhabitants of Sopot, not only for the tourists. Among those were two new churches: Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
(September 17, 1901) and Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
(December 21, 1901).
On October 8, 1901, Wilhelm II granted Sopot city rights, spurring further rapid growth. In 1904 a new balneological sanatorium was opened, followed in 1903 by a lighthouse
Lighthouse in Sopot
Lighthouse in Sopot - the navigation facility on the Polish Baltic coast, located in Sopot. Built in 1903-4 as a part of Balneological Institute. Since reducing the extent of the light to , according to existing criteria in that matter, it is no longer formally a lighthouse, but still is called so....
. In 1907 new baths south of the old ones were built in Viking style. In 1909 a new theatre was opened in the nearby forest within the city limits, in the place where today the Sopot Festival is held every year. By 1912 a third complex of baths, sanatoria, hotels, and restaurants was opened, attracting even more tourists. Shortly before World War I the city had 17,400 permanent inhabitants and over 20,000 tourists every year.
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 1919, Sopot became a part of the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
. Due to the proximity of the Polish
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...
and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
borders, the economy of the town soon recovered. The new casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
became one of the main sources of income of the tiny free-city state. In 1927 the city authorities rebuilt the Kasino-Hotel, one of the most notable landmarks in Sopot today. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was renamed as the Grand Hotel
Grand Hotel (Sopot)
Grand Hotel in Sopot, Poland, originally built in 1924–1927 as the most refined hotel in Sopot - the Kasino Hotel, enchants its guests with lavish style and elegance, this awesome structure was the jewel of Sopot in a time when the city was regarded as the Monaco of the Baltic...
and continues to be one of the most luxurious hotels in 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...
.
A Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
festival was held in the nearby Forest Opera in 1922. The festival's success caused Sopot to be sometimes referred to as the "Bayreuth
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
of the North". In 1928 the pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
was extended to its present length of 512 metres. Since then it has remained the longest wooden pier in Europe and one of the longest in the world. In the early 1930s the city reached its peak of its popularity among foreign tourists — more than 30,000 annually (this number does not include tourists from Danzig/Gdansk itself). However, by the 1930s, tensions on the nearby Polish-German border and the rising popularity of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
saw a decline in foreign tourism; in 1938 local German Nazis burned down Sopot's synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
.
World War II (1939-1945)
World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out on September 1, 1939. The following day the Free City of Danzig was annexed by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and most of the local Poles
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
, Kashubians
Kashubians
Kashubians/Kaszubians , also called Kashubs, Kashubes, Kaszubians, Kassubians or Cassubians, are a West Slavic ethnic group in Pomerelia, north-central Poland. Their settlement area is referred to as Kashubia ....
, and Jews were arrested and imprisoned or expelled. Due to the war, the city's tourist industry collapsed. The last Wagner Festival was held in 1942.
Sopot remained under German occupation until 1945. All this time Polish resistance
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
was active in the city and the region. On March 23, 1945 the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
took over the city after several days of street battle, in which Sopot lost approximately 10% of its buildings.
As per the Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
, Sopot was incorporated into the post-war Polish state. The authorities of Gdańsk Voivodeship were located in Sopot until the end of 1946. Most of the German inhabitants who had remained in the city after the evacuation before the advancing Red Army were soon to be expelled
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
, and soon eastern settlers from Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union
Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union
Immediately after the German invasion of Poland in 1939, which marked the beginning of World War II, the Soviet Union invaded the eastern regions of the Second Polish Republic, which Poles referred to as the "Kresy," and annexed territories totaling 201,015 km² with a population of 13,299,000...
would arrive.
People's Republic of Poland(1946-1989)
Sopot recovered rapidly after the war. A tramTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way line to Gdańsk was opened, as well as the Higher School of Music, the Higher School of Maritime Trade, a library, and an art gallery. During the city presidency of Jan Kapusta) the town opened an annual Arts Festival in 1948. In 1952 the tramways were replaced by a heavy-rail commuter line connecting Gdańsk, Sopot and 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...
. Although in 1954 the Higher School of Arts was moved to Gdańsk, Sopot remained an important centre of culture, and in 1956 the first Polish jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
festival was held there (until then jazz had been banned by the Communist authorities). This was the forerunner of the continuing yearly Jazz Jamboree
Jazz Jamboree
Jazz Jamboree Festival, one of the biggest and oldest jazz festivals in Europe, takes place in Warsaw. Organized by .-History:The first Jazz Jamboree was organised by Hot-Club Hybrydy. It was three days long and it was called "Jazz 58". The first three editions of the festival took place in the...
in Warsaw.
In 1961 the Sopot International Song Festival
Sopot International Song Festival
The Sopot International Song Festival is an international song contest held in Sopot, Poland. It was the biggest Polish music festival altogether with the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole, and one of the biggest annual song contest in Europe...
was inaugurated, although it was held in Gdańsk in its first three years – it moved to its permanent venue at Sopot's Forest Opera
Forest Opera
The Forest Opera is a large, open-air amphitheatre located in Sopot, Poland, with a capacity of 4400 seats, the large orchestra pit can contain up to 110 musicians....
in 1964. In 1963 the main street of Sopot (Bohaterów Monte Cassino, "street of the heroes of Monte Cassino
Battle of Monte Cassino
The Battle of Monte Cassino was a costly series of four battles during World War II, fought by the Allies against Germans and Italians with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome.In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans...
") was turned into a pedestrian-only promenade.
New complexes of baths, sanatoria, and hotels were opened in 1972 and 1975. By 1977 Sopot had approximately 54,500 inhabitants, the highest ever in its history. In 1979 the historical town centre was declared a national heritage centre by the government of Poland.
Third Polish Republic (1989 onwards)
In 1995 the southern bath and sanatoria complex were extended significantly and the Saint AdalbertSaint Adalbert
Saint Adalbert may refer to:*Adalbert of Prague , bishop of Prague, was martyred in his efforts, to convert the Baltic Prussians*Adalbert of Magdeburg , sometimes known as the Apostle of the Slavs, first Archbishop of Magdeburg...
spring opened two years later, as a result in 1999 Sopot regained its official spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
status.
In 2001 Sopot celebrated the 100th anniversary of its city charter.
Sopot is currently undergoing a period of intense development, including the building of a number of five star hotels and spa resorts on the waterfront. The main pedestrianized street, Monte Cassino, has also been extended by diverting traffic underneath it, meaning the whole street is now pedestrianized. Sopot, aside from Warsaw has the highest property prices in Poland.
Famous people
The following is a list of notable personalities born or living in the city.- Jerzy Afanasjew, poet, director
- Kiejstut BereźnickiKiejstut BereznickiKiejstut Bereźnicki is a Polish painter.-External links:*...
, painter - Janusz ChristaJanusz ChristaJanusz Christa was a Polish author of comic books, creator of the comic book series Kajtek i Koko and his perhaps most famous, Kajko i Kokosz series. He debuted in 1957 and many of his works have been printed in the Wieczór Wybrzeza and Świat Młodych magazines...
, comic book author - Larry Ugwu, actor, musician and the director of Baltic Sea Cultural Centre in GdańskGdanskGdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
- Oscar G. Dahlberg, graphic artist
- Maciej Dejczer, film director
- Jerzy Doerffer, ship constructor and engineer
- Andrzej Dudziński, cartoonist
- Stanisława Fleszarowa-Muskat, novelist
- Winfried GlatzederWinfried GlatzederWinfried Glatzeder is a German television actor and playwright.-External links:*...
, German actor - Lech KaczyńskiLech KaczynskiLech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
, former President of Poland - Klaus KinskiKlaus KinskiKlaus Kinski, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski , was a German actor. He appeared in more than 130 films, and is perhaps best-remembered as a leading role actor in Werner Herzog films: Aguirre, the Wrath of God , Nosferatu the Vampyre , Woyzeck , Fitzcarraldo and Cobra Verde .-Early...
, German actor - Seweryn KrajewskiSeweryn KrajewskiSeweryn Krajewski is a Polish singer and songwriter who rose to fame in the 1960s and 70s with the popular Polish band Czerwone Gitary...
, composer, pop-singer - Eugeniusz KwiatkowskiEugeniusz KwiatkowskiEugeniusz Kwiatkowski was a Polish politician and economist, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, government minister and manager of the Second Polish Republic....
, statesman, economist - Janusz LewandowskiJanusz LewandowskiJanusz Antoni Lewandowski is a Polish politician and economist belonging to the Gdansk liberals group, and a member of the Europea n Parliament , Chairman of the Committee on Budgets...
, politician, economist, member of the European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world... - Marian Mokwa, painter
- Leszek MożdżerLeszek MozdzerLeszek Możdżer is a Polish jazz pianist. He is also a music producer and a film music composer.He has graduated from the Academy of Music in Gdansk, Poland...
, jazz musician and composer - Anton PlenikowskiAnton PlenikowskiAnton Plenikowski was a German communist politician of the Free City of Danzig and East Germany.- Biography :...
, politician - Carl Maria SplettCarl Maria SplettCarl Maria Splett was a German Roman Catholic priest and Bishop of Danzig, after World War II he was imprisoned in Poland and exiled in West Germany.-Early life:...
, bishop of Danzig - Donald TuskDonald TuskDonald Franciszek Tusk is a Polish politician who has been Prime Minister of Poland since 2007. He was a co-founder and is chairman of the Civic Platform party....
, prime minister of Poland - Fritz HoutermansFritz HoutermansFriedrich Georg "Fritz" Houtermans was a Dutch-Austrian-German atomic and nuclear physicist born in Zoppot near Danzig, West Prussia...
, physicist - Barbara Kaczmarowska Hamilton, portrait painter
Mayors
- 1902–1905 dr Volkmar von Wurmb
- 1905–1908 dr Johannes Kollath
- 1908 Baron von Gagern
- 1908–1919 Max Woldmann
- 1919–1930 dr Erich Laue
- 1930–1934 dr Hermann Lewerenz
- 1934–1936 dr Wilhelm Fließbach
- 1936–1941 Erich Temp
- 1942 Gerchard Koß
- 1942 Schröder
- 1942–1945 ?
- 1945 Henryk Michniewicz
- 1945 Tadeusz Soboń
- 1946 Antoni Turek
- 1946–1948 Leonard Wierzbicki
- 1948 Srebrnik
- 1948 Bolesław Śliwiński
- 1948–1949 Jan Kapusta
- 1949–1950 Piotr Novak
- 1950–1952 Alfred Müller
- 1952–1954 Hieronim Kozieł
- 1954–1958 Roman Kosznik
- 1958–1965 Stanisław Podraszko
- 1965–1969 Zenon Bancer
- 1969–1978 Bolesław Robakowski
- 1978–1981 Lech Świątkowski
- 1981–1984 Cezary Dąbrowski
- 1984–1990 Andrzej Plona
- 1990–1992 Henryk Ledóchowski
- 1992–1998 Jan Kozłowski
- 1998–present Jacek Karnowski
Higher education
- Department of Economy, Department of Management
- College of Finances and Administration
- Sopot College
- College of Physical Education and Tourism
Transport
Sopot does not have its own municipal mass transit. The city is covered by both the GdyniaGdynia
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...
and Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
municipal bus lines, the commuter rail line (with three stops: Sopot Wyścigi
Sopot Wyscigi (SKM stop)
Sopot Wyścigi is an SKM stop in Sopot, Poland. It is the first stop of this urban train entering Sopot. This stop is not connected with a railway station.The name is derived from nearby horse racing centre .-External links:...
, Sopot, and Sopot Kamienny Potok
Sopot Kamienny Potok (SKM stop)
Sopot Kamienny Potok is an SKM stop in Sopot, Poland. It is the last stop of this urban train in Sopot. This stop is not connected with any railway station.-External links:* at Google Local...
), and the Polish national railway, PKP.
Sports
-
- See also: Sports in TricitySports in TricityThe following is a list of sport teams in the area of Tricity aglomeration, which includes the Polish cities of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot.* Arka Gdynia - football team...
- See also: Sports in Tricity
There are many popular professional sports teams in Sopot and the tri-city area. The most popular in Sopot today is probably basketball thanks to the award-winning Prokom Trefl Sopot
Prokom Trefl Sopot
Asseco Prokom Gdynia is a Polish professional basketball team, based in Gdynia, Poland. The team plays in the Polish Basketball League and the Euroleague...
. Amateur sports are played by thousands of Sopot citizens, as well as in schools of all levels (elementary, secondary, and university).
- Prokom Trefl SopotProkom Trefl SopotAsseco Prokom Gdynia is a Polish professional basketball team, based in Gdynia, Poland. The team plays in the Polish Basketball League and the Euroleague...
- men's basketball team, Polish Champion 2004= 1st place in Era Basket Liga, will play in basketball Euroleague - Idea Prokom Open - ATPAssociation of Tennis ProfessionalsThe Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
and WTAWomen's Tennis AssociationThe Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
tennis tournament held in August. Rafael NadalRafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
and Flavia PennettaFlavia PennettaFlavia Pennetta is an Italian professional tennis player. She became Italy's first top 10 female singles player on 17 August 2009 and also the first ever Italian Tennis player to be ranked No.1 in Doubles on 28 February 2011. As of 10 October 2011, Pennetta is ranked World No. 18 in singles and...
won in 2004. - Ogniwo Sopot - [MKS Ogniwo Sopot] is a rugby club, founded in 1965. Since the 80's, Ogniwo is one of the best Polish rugby teams. They were undefeated since 1989 to 1993, with Edward Hodura as a coach.
- Klub Piłkarski Sopot (KP SopotKP SopotKP Sopot is a Polish football club based in Sopot, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland. In the 2010–11 season, they played in the sixth tier of Polish football, Klasa A, grupa Gdańsk I...
) – Football Club founded in 1987. In 2007/08 season it won the Regional Polish CupPolish CupThe Polish Cup in football or officially Remes Puchar Polski, is an elimination tournament for Polish football clubs, held continuously from 1950, and is the second most important national title in Polish football after the Ekstraklasa title...
.http://www.kpsopot.com - PDP Karlikowo Sopot - Men's football club
Twin towns - Sister cities
Sopot is twinned with:| Frankenthal Frankenthal Frankenthal is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.- History :Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, after the founder, as the Erkenbertruine — still stand today in the town... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... Ratzeburg Ratzeburg Ratzeburg is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the Kreis of Lauenburg.-History:... , Germany Peterhof, Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... Karlshamn Karlshamn Karlshamn is a locality and the seat of Karlshamn Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 12,957 inhabitants of the city core and 30 918 in the municipality .... , Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
Southend on Sea, United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... Næstved, Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... Ashkelon Ashkelon Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age... , Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... Zakopane Zakopane Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a... , 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... |
See also
- Tricity
- GdańskGdanskGdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
- GdyniaGdyniaGdynia 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...
- Sports in TricitySports in TricityThe following is a list of sport teams in the area of Tricity aglomeration, which includes the Polish cities of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot.* Arka Gdynia - football team...
- Sopot (station)
- Grand Hotel (Sopot)Grand Hotel (Sopot)Grand Hotel in Sopot, Poland, originally built in 1924–1927 as the most refined hotel in Sopot - the Kasino Hotel, enchants its guests with lavish style and elegance, this awesome structure was the jewel of Sopot in a time when the city was regarded as the Monaco of the Baltic...
External links
Municipal website Gdańsk website Gdynia website Danzig-Online Sopot- History of Sopot
- Sopot Guide Sopot's attractions, beaches, nightlife and more courtesy of Gdansk-life.com
- Sopot Gallery
- The inhalation mushroom
- Images from Sopot