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About
the VII c. in a place where currently Gdansk has been
found were small settlements of fishermen villages.
Very quickly through, because of its strategic position
on the arms of the Queen of Polish rivers - Vistula
was found here a big trade settlement. In the year 997
the Czech bishop Adalbert baptised the people in the
settlement what is considered as the foundation of Gdansk.
The city suddenly developed becoming one of main ports
on Baltic Sea. In the XIV c. Gdansk was conquered by
Teutonic Order and then joined to Hanzeatic Ligue. After
the Polish-Teutonic wars, Gdansk was joined once again
to Polish crown. Gdansk, for its loyalty was recompensated
with privileges which gave it independence as it could
become a free city - Gdansk. In the XVI century, Gdansk
was told as about the Granary of Europe because of the
amount of crops which was traded in the port. Gdansk
belonged to the largest European cities and had about
80000 inhabitants. During the partitions, Gdansk became
a part of Prussia for 123 years. Then was as a free
city of Gdansk under the protection of France. After
the World War I, Gdansk was a free city governed in
some part by Poles and by Germans. A conflict suddenly
appeared between Poland and Germany about so called
"passageway" which was a part of an area that
belonged to Poland and which separated Germany from
East Prussia. When Hitler rose to power, Germans started
to demand the attachment of the "passageway"
to Germany, what was a direct reason of the World War
II. On September the 1st., 1939 the Nazi army attacked
Gdansk. In the battle the Polish defenders distinguished
themselves with their heroic and devoted defence of
Westerplatte and Gdansk's Post. When the World War II
finished the city came back to Poland and was slowly
re-built of war destructions. The present history of
Gdansk is chiefly associated with the working anticommunist
movement "Solidarnosc" and his leader Lech
Walesa. "Solidarnosc" was the agent that caused
the fall of communist regime not only in Poland but
also in Central Europe.
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