Sopot (; or ) is a seaside

resort city A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...

Pomerelia Pomerelia, also known as Eastern Pomerania, Vistula Pomerania, and also before World War II as Polish Pomerania, is a historical sub-region of Pomerania on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland. Gdańsk Pomerania is largely c ...

on the southern coast of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

in northern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomerania Province and has the

status Status (Latin plural: ''statūs''), is a state, condition, or situation, and may refer to: * Status (law) ** Legal status, in law ** Political status, in international law ** Small entity status, in patent law ** Status conference ** Status c ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

– the smallest city in Poland to have that status. Sopot lies between the larger cities of

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

to the southeast and

Gdynia Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...

to the northwest. The three cities together form the Tricity

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

. Sopot is a major health-spa and resort destination. It has the longest wooden

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

in Europe, at 511.5 metres, stretching out into the

Bay of Gdańsk A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

. The city is also famous for the

Sopot International Song Festival The Sopot International Song Festival or Sopot Festival (later called ''Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix'', ''Sopot Top of the Top Festival'' from 2012–13 and ''Polsat Sopot Festival'' in 2014) is an annual international song contest held in S ...

, the largest such event in Europe after the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

. Among its other attractions is a fountain of

bromide A bromide ion is the negatively charged form (Br−) of the element bromine, a member of the halogens group on the periodic table. Most bromides are colorless. Bromides have many practical roles, being found in anticonvulsants, flame-retard ...

spring water, known as the "inhalation mushroom".

Etymology

The city's name is thought to derive from an old Lechitic word, ''sopot'', meaning "stream" or "spring". The same root occurs in a number of other Lechitic

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

s; it is probably

onomatopeic Onomatopoeia (or rarely echoism) is a type of word, or the process of creating a word, that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Common onomatopoeias in English include animal noises such as ''oink'', '' ...

, imitating the murmur (''Šepot'') of running water. The name is first recorded as ''Sopoth'' in 1283 and ''Sopot'' in 1291. The Germanized form ''Zoppot'' is derived from the original Polish name. In the 19th century and in the interwar years the German name was re-

Polonized Polonization or Polonisation ()In Polish historiography, particularly pre-WWII (e.g., L. Wasilewski. As noted in Смалянчук А. Ф. (Smalyanchuk 2001) Паміж краёвасцю і нацыянальнай ідэяй. Польскі ...

as ''Sopoty'' (a plural form). "Sopot" was made the official Polish name when the town returned under Polish rule in 1945.

History

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

Vistula The Vistula (; ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra i ...

river and to cities north across the

. 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 The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

Oliwa Oliwa () (; ; ) is a northern district of the city of Gdańsk, Poland. 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 Mat ...

. Another of the villages that constitute today's Sopot, Świemirowo, was first mentioned in 1212 in a document by

Mestwin I Mestwin I ( or , ; c. 1160 – 1/2 May 1219 or 1220) was Prince of Pomerelia (styled himself as ''princeps Pomoranorum'') from about 1205 until his death. Mestwin was a member of the Samborides dynasty, the son of Duke Sobiesław of Gdańsk ...

, who granted it to the

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular in the Catholic Chur ...

(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

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 Peace of Thorn or Toruń of 1466, also known as the Second Peace of Thorn or Toruń (; ), was a peace treaty signed in the Hanseatic city of Thorn (Toruń) on 19 October 1466 between the Polish king Casimir IV Jagiellon and the Teutonic K ...

the area was reincorporated into the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The spa for the citizens of

has been active since the 16th century. Until the end of that century most noble and

magnate The term magnate, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

families from Gdańsk built their

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

s in Sopot. During the negotiations of the

Treaty of Oliva The Treaty or Peace of Oliva (; ; ) was one of the peace treaties ending the Second Northern War (1655–1660).Frost (2000), p. 183 It was signed on .Evans (2008), p. 55 The Treaty of Oliva, the Treaty of Copenhagen in the same year, and the T ...

King

John II Casimir of Poland John II Casimir Vasa (; ; 22 March 1609 – 16 December 1672) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1648 to his abdication in 1668 as well as a claimant to the throne of Sweden from 1648 to 1660. He was the first son of Sigis ...

and his wife Queen

Marie Louise Gonzaga Marie Louise Gonzaga (Italian: ''Maria Luisa'', , ; 18 August 1611 – 10 May 1667) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania by marriage to two kings of Poland and grand dukes of Lithuania, brothers Władysław IV and John II Casi ...

lived in one of them, while

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

negotiator

Magnus de la Gardie Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (15 October 1622 – 26 April 1686) was a Swedish statesman and military man. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1647 and came to be the holder of three of the five offices counted as the Gre ...

resided in another — it has been known as the ''Swedish Manor'' (''Dwór Szwedzki'') ever since. The Swedish Manor was later the place of stay of Polish Kings

Augustus II the Strong Augustus II the Strong (12 May 1670 – 1 February 1733), was Elector of Saxony from 1694 as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1697 to 1706 and from 1709 until his death in 1733. He belonged to the Albertine branch of the H ...

(in 1710) and

Stanisław Leszczyński Stanisław I Leszczyński (Stanisław Bogusław; 20 October 1677 – 23 February 1766), also Anglicized and Latinized as Stanislaus I, was twice King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, and at various times Prince of Deux-Ponts, Duk ...

(in 1733). During the 1733

War of the Polish Succession The War of the Polish Succession (; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a civil war in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth over the succession to Augustus II the Strong, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of ...

stayed in Sopot a few days before going to the nearby city of Gdańsk. Afterwards

Imperial Russian The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

troops besieged Gdańsk and a year later looted and burned the village of Sopot to the ground. Much of Sopot would remain abandoned during and in the following years after the conflict, as the

patricians The patricians (from ) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after the Conflict of the Orders (494 BC to 287 B ...

of Gdańsk, exhausted by the war, could not afford to rebuild the Sopot residences. In the 1750s,

Polish nobility The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

began to rebuild the village. In 1757 and 1758 most of the ruined manors were bought by the

family of Przebendowski. General

Józef Przebendowski Józef is a Polish language, Polish variant of the masculine given name Joseph. Art * Józef Chełmoński (1849-1914), Polish painter * Józef Gosławski (sculptor), Józef Gosławski (1908-1963), Polish sculptor Clergy * Józef Glemp (1929- ...

bought nine of these palaces and in 1786 his widow, Bernardyna Przebendowska (née

von Kleist The House of Kleist is the name of an old and distinguished Prussian noble family, originating in Pomerania, whose members obtained many important military and administrative positions within the Kingdom of Prussia and later in the German Empire. ...

), bought the remaining two. Also the Sierakowski family acquired some properties, including the destroyed Swedish Manor. After the

Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...

, in the 1790s, Count 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.

Kingdom of Prussia

Sopot was annexed by the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

in 1772 in the

First Partition of Poland The First Partition of Poland took place in 1772 as the first of three partitions that eventually ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth by 1795. The growth of power in the Russian Empire threatened the Kingdom of Prussia an ...

. Following the new laws imposed by King

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

, 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, compared to 301 in the year of Prussian annexation. Statue of Jean Georg Haffner in Sopot

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 French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

army, financed a new bath complex that gained significant popularity. In the following years, Haffner erected more facilities. By 1824, a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

was opened to the public, as well as a 63-metre

, 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 or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

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 Kołobrzeg (; ; ) is a port and spa city in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in north-western Poland with about 47,000 inhabitants (). Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast of the Baltic Sea (in the middle of the section ...

(then ''Kolberg'')

rail road Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...

that was later extended to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. Good rail connections added to the popularity of the area and by 1900 the number of tourists had reached almost 12,500 a year. Sopot-Parkowa5-B

In 1873, the village of Zoppot became an

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

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 court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...

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 Zoppot, not only for the tourists. Among those were two new churches:

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

(September 17, 1901) and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

(December 21, 1901). From the late 19th century, there was a significant influx of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

settlers with the slow growth of the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

population, resulting in a change in ethnic proportions in favor of the former. Zoppot Kurgarten 1900

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 Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, and

Königsberg Königsberg (; ; ; ; ; ; , ) is the historic Germany, German and Prussian name of the city now called Kaliningrad, Russia. The city was founded in 1255 on the site of the small Old Prussians, Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teuton ...

. 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 named it "the extension of Warsaw to the Baltic Sea". Germans and Russians also visited the city. At the beginning of the 20th century it was a favourite spa of Emperor

Wilhelm II of Germany Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty ...

On October 8, 1901, Wilhelm II granted Zoppot

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

, spurring further rapid growth. In 1904 a new balneological sanatorium was opened, followed in 1903 by a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

. In 1907, new baths south of the old ones were built in

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

style. In 1909 a new theatre was opened in the nearby forest within the city limits, in the place where today the

Sopot Festival The Sopot International Song Festival or Sopot Festival (later called ''Sopot Music Festival Grand Prix'', ''Sopot Top of the Top Festival'' from 2012–13 and ''Polsat Sopot Festival'' in 2014) is an annual international song contest held in So ...

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 World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty signed on 28 June 1919. As the most important treaty of World War I, it ended the state of war between Germany and most of the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers. It was signed in the Palace ...

in 1919, Zoppot became a part of the

Free City of Danzig The Free City of Danzig (; ) was a city-state under the protection and oversight of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) and nearly 200 other small localities in the surrou ...

customs union A customs union is generally defined as a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff.GATTArticle 24 s. 8 (a) Customs unions are established through trade pacts where the participant countries set u ...

with the re-established

Polish Republic Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. Due to the proximity of the

and

borders, the economy of the town soon recovered. The new

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it was renamed as the

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

and continues to be one of the most luxurious hotels in Poland. A

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

festival was held in the nearby Forest Opera in 1922. The festival's success caused Zoppot to be sometimes referred to as the "

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

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 Germanisation, or Germanization, is the spread of the German language, people, and culture. It was a central idea of German conservative thought in the 19th and the 20th centuries, when conservatism and ethnic nationalism went hand in hand. In l ...

, however a significant indigenous Polish community was still present in the city, and there was also a Jewish community. In 1928, the

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 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 Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and also among local Germans saw a decline in foreign tourism. The

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

, supported by many local Germans, took power in the city. Local Poles and Jews were discriminated against and in 1938 local German Nazis burned down Zoppot's

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

World War II (1939–1945)

broke out on September 1, 1939, after the German

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

. The following day the Free City of Danzig was annexed by Nazi Germany and most of the local Polish people, Poles, Kashubians, and Jews were arrested and murdered during the ''Intelligenzaktion Pommern, Intelligenzaktion'', 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 labour under German rule during World War II, forced laborers. 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; three days later, the Soviet 70th Army reached the Gdańsk Bay coast north of the city. As per the Potsdam Conference, Zoppot was incorporated into the post-war Polish state and its original name Sopot was restored. The authorities of Gdańsk Voivodeship (1945–1975), 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, after the evacuation before the advancing Soviet Army) were soon to be Expulsion of Germans after World War II, expelled, to make room for Polish settlers from Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union, former eastern Polish territories annexed by the Soviet Union.

Polish People's Republic (1945–1989)

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

. 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

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 Battle of Monte Cassino, 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 Adalbert of Prague, 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. 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.

Population

Main sights

Among the historic sights are: * Bohaterów Monte Cassino Street (popular ''Monciak''), main pedestrian zone of the city center, filled with restaurants, cafes, clubs and shops. * Pier in Sopot, Sopot Pier, the longest wooden pier in Europe, 450 metres from the edge of the shore, 650 m total *

* Balneotherapy Centre * Sopot Lighthouse * Grodzisko in Sopot, Grodzisko, a reconstructed early medieval Gord (archaeology), Slavic stronghold * * Church of the Saviour * Saint George Church and Saint Adalbert wayside shrine * Old manor houses and villas, including the 18th-century Dworek Sierakowskich, 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 * former Southern Baths (''Łazienki Południowe'') * Sopot Hippodrome in the Karlikowo district Other landmarks include: * the Sopot beach * ''Krzywy Domek'' ("Crooked House") at the ''Monciak'' * Forest Opera * ''Dom Zdrojowy'' ("Spa House") with the adjacent garden and the State Art Gallery (''Państwowa Galeria Sztuki'') * Ergo Arena, a multi-purpose indoor arena * ''Park Północny'' ("Northern Park") with the statue of Jean Georg Haffner * Home Army monument, statue of Wojtek (bear), Wojtek the Bear and memorial stone dedicated to Danuta Siedzikówna

People

* Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski (1888–1974), statesman and economist * Karol Maria Splett (1898–1964), a German Roman Catholic priest and Bishop of Danzig * Anton Plenikowski (1899–1971), a German communist politician of the

and East Germany * Fritz Houtermans (1903–1966), a Dutch-Austrian-German atomic and nuclear physicist * Klaus Kinski (1926–1991), a German actor * Janusz Christa (1934–2008 in Sopot), a Polish author of comic books * Winfried Glatzeder (born 1945), a German television actor and playwright * Lech Kaczyński (1949–2010), a Polish lawyer and politician, President of Poland from 2005 to 2010 * Jarosław Kaczyński (born 1949), a Polish politician and lawyer, former Prime Minister of Poland 2006–2007 * Janusz Lewandowski (born 1951), politician, economist, Commissioner for Budgetary Affairs of the European Commission * Jacek Tylicki (born 1951), a Polish artist who settled in New York City in 1982 * Jurek Jatowitt (born 1952), an Austrian judoka, competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics * Włodzimierz Julian Korab-Karpowicz (born 1953), a Polish philosopher and political theorist * Janusz Śniadek (born 1955), a Polish labour and political leader, Chairman of Solidarity 2002–2010 * Donald Tusk (born 1957), a Polish politician, Prime Minister of Poland 2007-2014 and 2023-present and President of the European Council 2014-2019 * Marek Biernacki (born 1959), a Polish lawyer and politician * Janusz Pawłowski (born 1959), a retired male judoka from Poland, bronze medallist at the 1980 Summer Olympics * Leszek Możdżer (born 1971), a Polish jazz pianist, music producer and film music composer * Joanna Zastróżna (born 1972), a Polish photographer and filmmaker * Wojciech Kasperski (born 1981), a Polish screenwriter, film director and producer

Transport

The city is covered by both the

and

municipal bus lines, the regional Szybka Kolej Miejska (Tricity), commuter rail line (with three stops in the city: Sopot Wyścigi (SKM stop), Sopot Wyścigi, Sopot railway station, Sopot, and Sopot Kamienny Potok (SKM stop), Sopot Kamienny Potok), and the Polish national railway, PKP. Sopot is one of four Polish towns to have trolleybuses. The others are Lublin, Tychy and

Sports

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 Athletics, IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships, 2014. * Prokom Trefl Sopot - men's basketball team, six times Polish Champion, who played in the Euroleague, before relocating to

, since 2009 replaced by Trefl Sopot, also playing in the Polish Basketball League. * Idea Prokom Open - Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP and Women's Tennis Association, WTA tennis tournament held in August. Rafael Nadal and Flavia Pennetta won in 2004. * 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. * PDP Ogniwo Sopot - men's football club. * Sopot was the training base for the Republic of Ireland national football team, Republic of Ireland during the Euro 2012.

Economy

Major corporations in the town include: * STU Ergo Hestia SA * BEST SA

Higher education

* Sopot University of Applied Sciences * Faculty Economics of University of Gdańsk and Faculty Management of University of Gdańsk * University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Psychology in Sopot, SWPS University

International relations

Sopot is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Ashkelon, Israel * Frankenthal,

* Karlshamn, Sweden * Lake Worth, Florida, Lake Worth, Florida, USA * Næstved, Denmark * Ratzeburg, Germany * Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom * Zakopane, Poland Former twin towns: * Petergof, Peterhof, Russia On 10 March 2022, Sopot terminated its partnership with the Russian city of Peterhof as a response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

References

External links

*
History of Sopot

Tourist attractions of Sopot
*
Sopot City Guide

Top 10 beaches in Poland (Sopot in 3rd place)

German Page about Sopot
{{Authority control Sopot, Cities and towns in Pomeranian Voivodeship City counties of Poland Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea Port cities and towns in Poland Spa towns in Poland