The 3-City urban area is beautifully
located by the Bay of Gdańsk, in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. The unquestionable
charm and attractiveness of the 3-City is mainly due to the enormous diversity
of the area and the experiences offered by its individual parts: medieval Gdańsk,
19th century Sopot and 20th century Gdynia, which stretch between the seashore
and the woody moraine hills.
The specific unique character of Gdańsk's
environment is formed by brick, for centuries the traditional building material,
and the omnipresent water. The symbol of this brick city is St. Mary's Church,
the largest brick structure in the world. Gdańsk is the most aquatic of the
three cities. Besides the sea, it's got rivers, including the mouth of the Vistula,
the Queen of the Polish Rivers, canals, streams, creeks, ponds and lakes. It's
also the world capital of amber, the Gold of the Baltic. Traditionally, Gdańsk
has been a symbol of liberty, both economic and political.
The medieval Hanseatic League of Cities, a prototype for the European Union,
in which Gdańsk played a leading role through the ages, guaranteed the city
access to the free market in the Baltic and North Sea basins, from Russia to
England. After World War I its official name was: the Free City of Gdańsk. The
latter-day Gdańsk shipyard workers, in turn, under the banner of Solidarity,
won liberty for this part of Europe, leading to the collapse of the Berlin Wall
and ending a half-century of the Cold War.
Sopot is distinguished by the small-town
charm of its narrow streets and steepled houses with filigree, colorful
wooden verandas. It is also the 3-City recreation centre; a place of leisure
for both residents and tourists, a seaside spa
and entertainment centre, complete with a hippodrome, aquapark and night-life
attractions.
Gdynia, in turn, is distinguished
mainly by its modernism, in the flourish of its open public spaces; parks, squares
and streets and its characteristic modern architecture in the colours of the
sandy beach; as well as by the sea, ubiquitous
in this city; the beach in the centre, the Kashubian fishing boats by the high
cliff, the headquarters of the Polish Navy, its seafaring tradition, as well
as maritime administrative and educational centres and a broad maritime-based
economy.
Three grand, beautiful cities. Each of
them different from the others and unique in the world. It is these differences
that unite them, provide opportunities for partnership and for the joint achievement
of a significant place in Europe.
Roman Sebastyański