Gdańsk/Danzig and the 'Triple-town'
Wojewódschaft Pomerania, 462.700 inhabitants. All good things come in threes
That's why these three towns on the Polish Baltic coast have amalgamated to form a 'triple town' (Trójmiasto), with a population of almost 800.000. However, it would be hard to find three more different towns. First off there's Gdańsk/Danzig, with its colourful thousand years' history, its sights, its history as an important commercial centre and the myth of the freedom movement "Solidarność", which paved the way for democritisation in central Europe and European unification. Then there's Gdynia/Gdingen, which was little more than fishing village until 1926, but is now a major Polish port on the Baltic. And finally Sopot/Zoppot, which has the longest wooden pier in Europe (over 500 m) and has been an internationally renowned spa resort since the end of the 19th century. These dissimilar towns have not yet become one, but perhaps it will happen in the near future. After all, it was in Gdańsk that the first steps were taken to end the division of Europe.