The Port of Gdansk is the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Poland and the country’s major seaport. It is on the southern shores of the Gdansk Bay off the Baltic Sea.
Port History
Granted municipal autonomy in 1260, the Port of Gdansk was developed as a trade center. Teutonic Knights took the city in 1308, holding it until Poland retook it in 1466. The city had been loyal to the Polish king, and he gave it more autonomy, greatly expanding its influence. During the Renaissance, it was the richest port on the Baltic Sea and, by 1754, the largest city in Eastern Europe.
Seventeenth Century Swedish wars brought the city’s growth to a halt. The Port of Gdansk was taken by Prussia in 1772, restricting port trade. While, Napoleon I made it a free city in 1807, separation from Poland destroyed its economy. The Congress of Vienna parceled Poland out to Russia, Austria, and Prussia, and the Port of Gdansk once again came under Prussian rule. The city never regained its stature as the major Baltic seaport.
The post-World War I Treaty of Versailles gave the Port of Gdansk status as a free city from 1919 to 1939. But Gdansk’s German-dominated assembly did not get along with the Polish government, and Poland created another port 10 miles away. The two ports grew, but Gdansk came under more German control as the Nazi Party dominated the assembly. Hitler demanded that Poland cede Gdansk to Germany in 1938. When Poland refused, Germany attacked and started World War II. The Port of Gdansk was seriously damaged during the war. It has since been reconstructed, and many of its buildings have been restored to their medieval condition.
The city has two port areas. Site of the first Polish maritime commission in 1568, Nowy Port is the industrial center for shipyards, timber mills, metallurgical and chemical plants, and food processing. In 1572, its shipyards launched Poland’s first warship. The shipyards have continued to be important and, in 1980, labor unrest in the Port of Gdansk’s shipyards led to the famous Solidarity union. The newer port, North Port, is the country’s biggest maritime development project.
Port Commerce
The Port of Gdansk Authority SA is responsible for constructing and managing port properties and infrastructure, planning and developing the port, acquiring properties, providing services, and protecting the marine environment. The ice-free Port of Gdansk covers 653 hectares of land and 413 hectares of water. Its operating quays are a total 11 kilometers long, and water depths range from 10.2 to 15 meters. Warehouses cover 10.6 hectares, and open storage areas cover almost 55 hectares. The Inner Port can handle 12 million tons of cargo, and the Northern Port has capacity for 43.5 million tons.
The Oliwskie Quay handles general cargo, steel products, and passenger cars and serves grain carriers and cruise liners. Its warehouses cover 17 thousand square meters with a capacity for 15 thousand tons. The Zbozowe Quay offers two grain elevators with capacity for 12 thousand tons.
The Port of Gdansk’s multi-purpose Wislane Quay handles coke, coal, grain, and general cargo. Its warehouses cover almost 29 thousand square meters, and it includes a grain elevator with capacity for 8500 tons. The Szczecinskie Quay handles both containerized and roll-on/roll-off cargo and has 95 stations for refrigerated containers. The Przemyslowe Quay handles dry bulk and can load cargo directly to trucks. The Chemikow Quay has a terminal for inorganic fertilizers, molasses, sulphuric acid, and phosphates.
The Port of Gdansk’s Gorniczy Basin handles a variety of cargoes including coal, grain, timber, fertilizers, chemicals, petroleum products, and iron and steel products. Connected by pipeline to onshore tanks and railway, the Obroncow Poczty Polskiej Quay handles dry bulk and liquid cargoes like granulated sulphur and molasses and heating, base, and edible oils.
The Port of Gdansk offers a deep-water container terminal covering 40 hectares and a draft of 13.5 meters depth. It has ground slots for six thousand TEUs of containerized cargo and a 40-meter wide roll-on/roll-off ramp. Opening in 2007, it handled 500 thousand TEUs in its first year. Upon completion, it will handle one million TEUs.
Near the port’s entrance is the Westerplatte Ferry Terminal at the Port of Gdansk. The terminal is dedicated to roll-on/roll-off cargo, ferries, and passenger ships. The terminal offers almost 20 thousand square meters of handling and storage yards and a warehouse of eight thousand square meters. The passenger terminal can serve up to a million passengers a year.
Cruising and Travel
Historic Gdansk is a popular destination for passenger cruise lines. Many consider it the most beautiful city on the Baltic Sea. Old Town Gdansk contains a rich collection of buildings well worth a visit: the Long Street and Long Market, Artus Court, Neptune Fountain and statue, rich houses along the Dlugie Pobrzerze, St. Mary’s Street and Church (that can hold 20 thousand people), and the Royal Chapel. Visitors will also enjoy the Nowy Port Lighthouse, several worthwhile museums, and many amber shops.
At one point in history, the Port of Gdansk was a world-class center for the beautiful amber creations and trade. The city still contains many museums and learning centers. Happy shoppers will delight in the amber treasures they find.
|
