Sopot is a major health-spa and resort destination. It has the longest wooden pier in Europe, at 511.5 metres, stretching out into the Bay of Gdańsk. The city is also famous for the 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".
Etymology
The city's name is thought to derive from an Old Slavic word, sopot, meaning "stream"[1] or "spring".[2] The same root occurs in a number of other Old Slavic toponyms; it is probably onomatopeic, imitating the murmur (Šepot) of running water.
The name is first recorded as Sopoth in 1283 and Sopot in 1291. The German Zoppot is directly derived from the original name. In the 19th century and in the interwar years the German name was re-Polonized as Sopoty (a plural form, closer to the German pronunciation).[1] "Sopot" was made the official Polish name when the town came again under Polish rule in 1945.
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 Vistula 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 Cistercianabbey 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. At that time it was part of Poland until the 14th-century Teutonic invasion. 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.
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Spanish Manor (Dwór Hiszpański), one of the 18th-century manors of the Przebendowski family.
During the 1733 War of the Polish Succession, Stanisław Leszczyński stayed in Sopot a few days before going to the nearby city of Gdańsk.[3] Afterwards Imperial Russian troops besieged Gdańsk and a year later looted and burned the village of Sopot to the ground.[3] Much of Sopot would remain abandoned during and in the following years after the conflict, as the patricians of Gdańsk, exhausted by the war, could not afford to rebuild the Sopot residences.[4]
In the 1750s, Polish nobility of Pomerania began to rebuild the village.[4] In 1757 and 1758 most of the ruined manors were bought by the 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. Also the Sierakowski family acquired some properties, including the destroyed Swedish Manor.[4] After the Partitions of Poland, in the 1790s, Count Kajetan Onufry Sierakowski [pl] built the Sierakowski Mansion at the site of the Swedish Manor, a typical Polish manor house, which remains one of the most distinctive buildings of pre-spa Sopot.[5]
Sopot was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia 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 still being reconstructed and in 1806 the area was sold to the Danzig/Gdańsk merchant Carl Christoph Wegner. However, until 1819 it did not develop significantly, its population in 1819 was 350,[3] compared to 301 in the year of Prussian annexation.[5]
In 1819, Wegner opened the first public bath in Zoppot and tried to promote the newly established spa among the inhabitants of Danzig (Gdańsk), but the undertaking was a financial failure. However, in 1823 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 Zoppot every year had risen to almost 1,200.
In 1870 Zoppot saw the opening of its first rail line: the new Danzig-Kołobrzeg (then 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.
Church of the Saviour
In 1873, the village of Zoppot 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. In 1877, the self-government of the Gemeinde bought the village from the descendants of 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 courts 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 Zoppot, not only for the tourists. Among those were two new churches: Protestant (September 17, 1901) and Catholic (December 21, 1901). From the late 19th century, there was a significant influx of German settlers with the slow growth of the Polish population, resulting in a change in ethnic proportions in favor of the former.[4]
Since the late 19th century the city became a holiday resort for the inhabitants of nearby Danzig, as well as wealthy aristocrats from Berlin, Warsaw, and Königsberg. Poles visited the city in large numbers and the spa was very popular among the Polish intellectual elite, to the extent that the early 20th-century Polish writer Adolf Nowaczyński [pl] named it "the extension of Warsaw to the Baltic Sea".[4] Germans and Russians also visited the city.[4] At the beginning of the 20th century it was a favourite spa of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany.
Karlikowo Manor, place of stay of King John II Casimir of Poland in 1660, before demolition by the Germans in 1910
On October 8, 1901, Wilhelm II granted Zoppot 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.
Free City of Danzig
Following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Zoppot became a part of the Free City of Danzig in customs union with the re-established Polish Republic. 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 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 Zoppot to be sometimes referred to as the "Bayreuth of the North". As a result of the influx of Germans in the previous decades, who took over the most important functions in the city, some Poles became Germanized, however a significant indigenous Polish community was still present in the city, and there was also a Jewish community.[6] 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 1928, the city was visited by 29,192 visitors, mostly Poles[6] and in the early 1930s it reached the peak of its popularity among foreign tourists — more than 30,000 annually (this number does not include tourists from Danzig itself). However, by the 1930s, tensions on the nearby Polish-German border and the rising popularity of Nazism in Germany and also among local Germans saw a decline in foreign tourism. The Nazi Party, supported by many local Germans, took power in the city.[6] Local Poles and Jews were discriminated against[6] and in 1938 local German Nazis burned down Zoppot's synagogue.[3]
World War II (1939–1945)
German soldiers and custom officials reenact the removal of the Polish border crossing in Sopot in September 1939 for the purposes of Nazi German propaganda
World War II broke out on September 1, 1939, after the German invasion of Poland. The following day the Free City of Danzig was annexed by Nazi Germany and most of the local Poles, Kashubians, and Jews were arrested[7] and murdered during the Intelligenzaktion,[6] imprisoned or expelled. Due to the war, the city's tourist industry collapsed. The last Wagner Festival was held in 1942.
The city remained under German rule until early 1945. In March the Nazis began evacuating the German population along with forced laborers.[6] On March 23, 1945, the Soviet Army took over the city after several days of fighting, in which Zoppot lost approximately 10% of its buildings;[5] three days later, the Soviet 70th Army reached the Gdańsk Bay coast north of the city.[8]
As per the Potsdam Conference, Zoppot was incorporated into the post-war Polish state and renamed Sopot. 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, by 1 November 1945 6,000 Germans still lived in the town,[9] after the evacuation before the advancing Red Army were soon to be expelled, to make room for Polish settlers from former eastern Polish territories annexed by the Soviet Union.
Polish People's Republic (1945–1989)
The Sopot beach in the 1950s with the Grand Hotel in the background
Sopot recovered rapidly after the war. A tramway line to Gdańsk was opened, as well as the School of Music, the 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 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 annual Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw.
In 1961, the Sopot International Song Festival was inaugurated, although it was held in Gdańsk for 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, "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.
Third Polish Republic (1989 onwards)
In 1995, the southern bath and sanatoria complex were extended significantly and the Saint Adalbert (in Polish Św. Wojciech) spring opened two years later, as a result in 1999 Sopot regained its official spa town status. In 1999, Pope John Paul II visited Sopot, about 800,000 pilgrims attended his mass.[3]
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 boasts the highest property prices in Poland.
Saint George Church and Saint Adalbert wayside shrine
Old manor houses and villas, including the 18th-century Sierakowski Mansion and Spanish Manor, and the early 20th-century Sopot Belvedere (Sopocki Belwederek), place of stay of various Presidents and Prime Ministers of Poland during their visits to Sopot
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). Sopot held the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2014.
Ogniwo Sopot is a rugby club, founded in 1965. Since the 80s, Ogniwo is one of the most successful Polish rugby teams. They were undefeated since 1989 to 1993, with Edward Hodura as a coach.
^Lakowski, Richard (2008). "Der Zusammenbruch der deutschen Verteidigung zwischen Ostsee und Karpaten". In Müller, Rolf-Dieter (ed.). Die Militärische Niederwerfung der Wehrmacht. Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg. Vol. 10/1. München: Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt. pp. 491–681, here: 561. ISBN9783421062376.
^ abSylwia Bykowska (2020). The Rehabilitation and Ethnic Vetting of the Polish Population in the Voivodship of Gdańsk after World War II. Peter-Lang-Verlagsgruppe. p. 116. ISBN978-3-631-67940-1.
Cet article est une ébauche concernant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Vous pouvez partager vos connaissances en l’améliorant (comment ?) selon les recommandations des projets correspondants. Opération Ichi-Go Plan de l'offensive japonaise Informations générales Date avril – décembre 1944(~ 8 mois) Lieu Henan, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong et Guizhou en Chine Issue Victoire tactique japonaise Belligérants République de Chine États-Unis Empire du Japon Commandants Zhang Fakui Chen C...
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Namada Chilume – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Place in Karnataka, IndiaNamada chilumeCountry IndiaStateKarnatakaDistrictTumkuruLanguages • OfficialKannadaTime z...
Cody SimpsonSimpson pada tahun 2013Informasi latar belakangNama lahirCody Robert SimpsonLahir11 Januari 1997 (umur 27)Gold Coast, Queensland, AustraliaAsalGold Coast, Queensland, AustraliaGenrePopPekerjaanPenyanyi-penulis laguInstrumenVokal, gitarTahun aktif2009–sekarangLabelAtlanticSitus webcodysimpson.com Cody Robert Simpson (lahir 11 Januari 1997) adalah penyanyi dan penulis lagu asal Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, yang saat ini menandatangani kontrak dengan label rekaman Amerik...
Peoples living without sustained contact to the world community Members of an uncontacted tribe photographed in 2012 near Feijó in Acre, Brazil Uncontacted peoples are groups of indigenous peoples living without sustained contact with neighbouring communities and the world community. Groups who decide to remain uncontacted are referred to as indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation.[1] Legal protections make estimating the total number of uncontacted peoples challenging, but estimat...
Manuel Piter Urbinas Wakil Bupati Raja Ampat ke-2Masa jabatan17 Februari 2016 – 17 Februari 2021PresidenJoko WidodoGubernurAbraham Octavianus AtururiEko Subowo (Pj.)Dominggus MandacanBupatiAbdul Faris Umlati PendahuluInda ArfanPenggantiPetahana Informasi pribadiLahir10 Maret 1972 (umur 52)Sorong, Papua BaratKebangsaanIndonesiaPartai politikNasDemSunting kotak info • L • B Manuel Piter Urbinas, S.Pi., M.Si. (lahir 10 Maret 1972) adalah Wakil Bupati Raja Ampat ...
In matematica, più precisamente in teoria degli ordini, una relazione d'ordine di un insieme è una relazione binaria tra elementi appartenenti all'insieme che gode delle seguenti proprietà: riflessiva; antisimmetrica; transitiva. Si definisce insieme parzialmente ordinato (oppure ordine) la coppia costituita da un insieme e da una relazione d'ordine su di esso. Le relazioni d'ordine si indicano spesso con i simboli ≤ {\displaystyle \leq } , ⊆ {\displaystyle \subseteq } , ...
American columnist (1922–2009) Army ArcherdArcherd at the 1988 Academy AwardsBornArmand Andre Archerd(1922-01-13)January 13, 1922Bronx, New York City, U.S.DiedSeptember 8, 2009(2009-09-08) (aged 87)Los Angeles, California, U.S.Alma materUniversity of California, Los AngelesSpouses Joan Paul (m. 1944; div. 1969) Selma (Fenning) Archerd (m. 1969) Children2 Armand Andre Archerd (January 13, 192...
For the Romanian town called Erzsébetváros in Hungarian, see Dumbrăveni. You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Hungarian. (December 2009) Click [show] for important translation instructions. View a machine-translated version of the Hungarian article. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accura...
Ji Fang Chinese politician Ji Fang (Chinese: 季方; April, 1890 – December 17, 1987) was a Chinese male politician, who served as the vice chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. [1][2] References ^ 何虎生, 李耀东, 向常福主编 (2003). 中华人民共和国职官志. 北京: 中国社会出版社. ISBN 9787800883934.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) ^ 历届全国政协委员人名辞典. 北京: �...
2010 United States Senate election in Utah ← 2004 November 2, 2010 2016 → Nominee Mike Lee Sam Granato Scott Bradley Party Republican Democratic Constitution Popular vote 390,179 207,685 35,937 Percentage 61.56% 32.77% 5.67% County resultsLee: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%Granato: ...
Legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan29th Saskatchewan LegislatureTypeTypeUnicameral chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature HistoryFounded1905 (1905)Preceded byNorth-West Legislative AssemblyLeadershipSpeakerRandy Weekes, Independent since November 30, 2020 Deputy SpeakerFred Bradshaw, Saskatchewan Party since October 10, 2023 PremierScott Moe, Saskatchewan Party since February 2, 2018 Leader of the OppositionCarla Beck...
انهيار سوق الأوراق المالية 1973-1974 هو الانهيار لأسواق الأوراق المالية الذي استمر بين يناير 1973 وديسمبر 1974، وأثر على جميع أسواق الأوراق المالية الرئيسية في العالم، ولا سيما المملكة المتحدة ([1])، كانت واحدة من أسوأ حالات الركود سوق الأوراق المالية في التاريخ الحديث[2]، ...
Swimming and boating athletic club Dolphin ClubLocation502 Jefferson Street, San Francisco, Calif., U.S.Coordinates37°48′28″N 122°25′17″W / 37.807891°N 122.421304°W / 37.807891; -122.421304Home waterAquatic Park CoveFounded1877; 147 years ago (1877)Former namesDolphin Swimming and Boating ClubKey peopleWard Bushee (President)Membership1,500ColoursBlue and WhiteWebsitedolphinclub.orgAcronymDC The Dolphin Club, also known as the Dolphin Swim...
Anonimo sacerdote egizio d'epoca ellenistica o poco successiva. Museo Nazionale di Alessandria, Alessandria d'Egitto Manetone (in greco: Μανέθων, Manèthōn, o Μανέθως, Manèthōs; in latino: Manĕthō; ... – ...; fl. III secolo a.C.) si ritiene sia stato uno storico e sacerdote egizio originario di Sebennito (in egizio: Djebnetjer) vissuto in epoca tolemaica, all'inizio del III secolo a.C. Indice 1 Nome 2 Dibattito sull'esistenza e sulle opere 3 Aegyptiaca 3.1 Paternità dell...
German actor This article does not cite any sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Kurt Vespermann – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Kurt VespermannVespermann in 1917Born(1887-05-01)1 May 1887Culmsee, West Prussia, German Empire (today Chełmża, Poland)Died13 July 1957(1957-07-13)...
Brenton ThwaitesLahirBrenton Thwaites09 Agustus 1989 (umur 34)Cairns, Queensland, AustraliaPekerjaanAktorTahun aktif2010–sekarangSitus webthwaitesweb.com Brenton Thwaites (lahir 09 Agustus 1989) adalah Aktor berkebangsaan Australia. Ia dikenal karena perannya sebagai Luke Gallagher dalam drama remaja Fox8, SLiDE, dan Stu Henderson dalam opera sabun Home and Away.[1] Thwaites juga membintangi The Giver sebagai salah satu pemimpin pria, Jonas, disamping Jeff Bridges dan Mer...
French footballer and coach Youl Mawéné Mawéné whilst at Preston North EndPersonal informationFull name Youl Alidor Mawéné[1][2]Date of birth (1979-07-16) 16 July 1979 (age 45)[1]Place of birth Caen, FranceHeight 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1]Position(s) DefenderTeam informationCurrent team Salford City (Strength & Conditioning Coach)Senior career*Years Team Apps (Gls)1998–1999 Lens B 15 (0)1999–2000 Lens 6 (0)2000–2004 Derby County 5...
Canadian violinist and string teacher Left hand finger patterns, after George Bornoff George Bornoff (5 November 1907 – 1998) was a Canadian violinist and string teacher. He notably developed the method of string teaching bearing his name, the Bornoff Method, which emphasizes an early focus on five patterns of half- and whole-steps formed by the fingers of the left hand. His book on violin instruction, Bornoff's Finger Patterns for Violin, was published by Thompson, C. Fischer in 1948. In 1...
Martiniquan writer (1916–1955) Mayotte CapéciaMayotte Capécia (right) with writer and literary critic Léo LarguierBornLucette Céranus(1916-02-17)February 17, 1916Le Carbet, MartiniqueDiedNovember 24, 1955(1955-11-24) (aged 39)Paris, FranceOccupationAuthorNotable workI Am a Martinican Woman Lucette Céranus Combette (17 February 1916 – 24 November 1955), known by her pen name Mayotte Capécia was a writer from Martinique. She is best known for her novel I Am a Martinican Woman (Fr...
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
