Elbląg (Latin Elbinga, Elbingum, Elbingus, German Elbing, Prussian
Elbings, Kashubian Jelbiąg, Elbiąg) - a city with poviat rights in the
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The seat of the authorities of the Elbląg
poviat and the rural commune of Elbląg, but the city is not part of
them, constituting a separate unit of local government. Since 1992, the
capital of the Elbląg diocese.
The oldest city in the province,
one of the oldest in Poland and Germany (established in 1237, city
rights in 1246). The city had the right to actively participate in the
act of electing the king. The citizenship of Elbląg gave the privilege
of owning land.
According to the data of the Central Statistical
Office of June 30, 2021, Elbląg had 117,952 inhabitants and was the
second most populous city (after Olsztyn) in the Warmian-Masurian
Voivodeship, as well as the 30th most populous city in Poland.
Elbląg is a center of heavy industry (Zamech Marine company dealing with
the production of ship propellers and General Electric with Zakład
Metalurgiczne and Zakład Turbin), food industry (brewery being part of
Grupa Żywiec), furniture industry, also tourist industry (Elbląg Canal
with slipways). The city's development was for the period from June 1,
1975 to December 31, 1998, when Elbląg was the capital of the province.
At that time, there was a significant influx of people to the city.
Two national roads run through the Elbląg bypass: S7 connecting
Elbląg with Gdańsk, Warsaw and Kraków, and S22, which is the shortest
route connecting the west and east of Europe. From Elbląg to the east,
both roads have the status of an expressway.
It is one of the
archaeologically penetrated Polish cities, thanks to which the Elbląg
museum has unique exhibits (e.g. a medieval elevator).
Elbląg is the lowest situated city in Poland. It is situated at the
mouth of the Elbląg River to the Vistula Lagoon.
According to the
physico-geographical regionalization of Poland, the city is located on
the border of Żuławy Wiślane and the Elbląg Upland, which are part of
the Gdańsk Coast.
Historically, Elbląg is located in historic
Prussia, in the Malbork Land, in its north-eastern part, including
northern Pogezania. Ethnographically, it is also part of Powiśle.
Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas, 13th–15th century, rebuilt after a
fire caused by a lightning discharge on January 26, 1777, with valuable
interior furnishings (late Gothic triptychs, Gothic wooden figures of
the apostles in the central nave, a bronze baptismal font from 1387, a
Gothic reliquary of the Holy Cross, tombstones from the mid-13th century
)
Market Gate from 1309 and the remains of city fortifications,
Elbląg Canal
church path
chapel Sacred Heart of Jesus in Elbląg
post-Dominican church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 13th–16th century (now
Galeria "El"), partially demolished in 1945, reconstructed in the 1960s;
the former main altar has been preserved in the cathedral church, the
remaining equipment (organ prospectus, epitaphs, galleries) has been
destroyed.
Church of St. Wojciech,
Corpus Christi Church,
13th–15th century (before the fire of 1405, there was a church of St.
George with a lapidarium),
Church of the Holy Spirit, 14th century
Church of St. Anthony, 14th century
Church of Bl. Dorota,
half-timbered from the eighteenth century, moved from Kaczynos
Church
of St. George, first half of the 14th century
Church of St. Paul the
Apostle, 1895
Church of St. Trinity, 1838
Polish Catholic Church
of the Good Shepherd, 1880–1890
Orthodox Church of St. Mary
Magdalene, former Evangelical chapel, 1905
August Abbegg Palace
Palace, ul. Pułaskiego 10, XIX, garden
Museum in Elbląg
The
complex of the former castle and outer bailey
Jost von Kampen's
tenement house in Elbląg
late-gothic, renaissance and mannerist
tenement houses (mostly destroyed in 1945)
School at ul. Robotnicza
from 1926-1927 in the modernist style at ul. Robotnicza, formerly Junior
High School No. 2, currently Vocational School Complex No. 1 (moved from
ul. Zamkowa)
School at ul. Królewiecka from 1928, brick, in the
Expressionist style, originally intended for a vocational school for
girls, now the Complex of Economic Schools.
School at ul. Agrykola
from the years 1925–1929, in the modernist style, topped with a spire,
terrace-shaped building, designed by Walter Kleemann
Church of the Three Kings, 1881–1885, Neo-Gothic, earlier Gothic
(14th century), slightly damaged in 1945, demolished in the spring of
1954
Church of St. Anny, 1900–1901, neo-Gothic, partially destroyed
in 1945, demolished in the spring of 1954
Church of St. Anny, 1621,
demolished in 1899
Baptist Church, 1898, demolished after 1945
Church of Our Lady Queen of Poland (formerly Baptist), demolished in
1989, in its place stands a new church of the same name
Church of St.
James, 14th century, demolished in 1601
Castle Church of St. Andrew,
13th–14th century, destroyed in 1454 together with the Teutonic castle,
then demolished
tenement houses of the Old and New Town
New Town
Hall, demolished in the 19th century
Old Town Hall, 14th century,
burnt down in 1777, later demolished
The Town Hall of Elbląg,
1891–1894, in the style of Dutch mannerism, partially burnt down in
1945, demolished in 1948
old courthouse, 1858, burnt down after
hostilities in 1945, demolished in 1961
Schichau's villa, 19th
century, burnt down in 1945, later demolished
Ziesego's villa, end of
the 19th century, burnt down in 1945, demolished in 1961
Bismarck Tower in Elbląg
Square Victims of the Elbląg Case
Jewish synagogue, 1824, burned by the Germans during Kristallnacht on
November 9/10, 1938, later demolished
On Plac Słowiański, right next
to an oak and an obelisk with the date "1837" commemorating the 600th
anniversary of the city's location, there is a symbolic "grave" of the
Elbląg Voivodeship, unveiled on December 31, 1998. On the commemorative
plaque there is an inscription: "Here lies the Elbląg Voivodeship".
During the reconstruction of the medieval buildings of the city,
which lasted from the 1980s until today, each plot is entered earlier by
archaeologists. Thanks to this, over 800,000 items were found, including
several unique ones:
15th-century horn-rimmed glasses, the oldest
preserved in Europe
giterna - a medieval musical instrument, one of
the three preserved in Europe
A 13th-century freight elevator, one of
three preserved in Europe. Made of oak, approx. 70 cm high and 60 cm in
diameter. It operated on the capstan principle.
tortoise clasp from
around the middle of the 10th century
In 1982, an archaeologist
from Elbląg, Dr. Marek Jagodziński, discovered the remains of an early
medieval settlement in Janów Pomorski, 7 km south of the city. The
conducted excavations proved that it was sought for a long time, also in
Elbląg, Truso mentioned in medieval chronicles.
During the
archaeological supervision carried out in 2015 in the Modrzewie Park, a
fragment of the foundation (width 60 cm, height 45 cm) of Carl Zeise's
villa, which has not been preserved to this day, was uncovered.
Christianity
Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church:
Cathedral
Parish of St. Nicholas - Cathedral Church of St. Santa
Parish of St.
Adalbert - the church of St. Wojciech
church of st. Anthony
Parish
of Bl. Dorota from Mątów - the church of blessed. Dorothy from Mąty
Holy Family Parish
Parish of St. Rafał Kalinowski
Parish of St.
Paul the Apostle - Church of St. Paul the Apostle
Parish of St.
Joseph Robotnik
Parish of St. George
Parish of St. Brother Albert
Parish of Bl. Franciszka Siedliska - Church of Bl. Franciszka Siedliska
in Elbląg
Parish of St. Florian
All Saints Parish
Holy Trinity
Parish
Parish of St. Bruno of Querfurt
Parish of Our Lady Queen of
Poland
Divine Mercy Military Parish
Greek Catholic Church:
Parish of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Polish Catholic
Church in Poland:
Good Shepherd Parish
Orthodoxy
Polish
Autocephalous Orthodox Church:
Parish of St. Mary Magdalene
Protestantism
Evangelical Christian Community:
missionary
representation in Elbląg
Seventh-day Adventist Church in Poland:
Church in Elbląg
Church of God in Christ:
Community of the Church
of God in Christ in Elbląg "I am"
Church of Christ in Poland:
Church in Elbląg
Baptist Christian Church:
Church in Elbląg
Saturday Day Christian Church:
Church in Elbląg
Evangelical Faith
Christian Church:
Church in Elbląg
Evangelical-Augsburg Church:
Parish in Elbląg
Evangelical Methodist Church:
Parish in Elbląg
Local Church in Elbląg
Pentecostal church:
New Life Congregation
Restorationism
Jehovah's Witnesses: (Kingdom Hall, Kościuszki
84B)
Elbląg-Południe church
Elbląg-Północ congregation
Elbląg-Old Town church
Elbląg-Śródmieście church
Buddhism
Karma Kagyu Lineage Diamond Way Buddhist Association
center in Elbląg
Hinduism
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
local
center in Elbląg
By plane
Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport is about 70 kilometers away.
Bus 110 takes you to the Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz train station, from where
regional trains run to Elbląg almost every hour.
By train
There is a daily direct train from Gdynia and Gdańsk to Kaliningrad via
Elbląg. There is local transport via Tczew (Dirschau) to Danzig and
Gdynia, as well as in the direction of Olsztyn (Allenstein).
By
bus
Numerous buses run to Elbląg both from the neighboring towns and
from the smallest towns.
In the street
One of the longest
Polish expressways (the S22) runs through Elbląg. There is also a
connection to the S7, in the north from Gdansk, in the south from Warsaw
and Kraków.
By boat
Elbing is located on the river of the same
name, which flows into the Vistula Lagoon not far from the city. There
is no access to the Bay of Gdańsk and thus to the Baltic Sea, as the
only connection leads through Russian territory and has been closed to
international traffic. From western Masuria you can get to Elblag via
the Oberländische Kanal (Polish: Kanał Ostródzko-Elbląski), on which
excursion boats from Ostróda (Osterode) and Iława (Deutsch Eylau)
operate from May to September.
You should definitely not miss the
trip on the Oberländisches Kanal. Built in the 19th century, the canal,
which connects several natural bodies of water, was originally built to
transport timber to the Baltic Sea, but quickly gained tourist
destination status. The reason for this is on the one hand the unique
landscape and on the other hand the special technical features of the
canal. In addition to classic locks, this also includes a number of
funiculars, which transport the ships between the waters with the help
of oversized railway wagons. All of the technology is powered on-site by
hydroelectric power. A trip from Ostróda to Elbląg (timetable and
prices) takes about eleven hours, although sections of the route can
also be travelled.
Probably the easiest way to get around in Elbląg is by tram. From the train station you can take lines 1, 2 or 4 (from the opposite side of the street) either one (Plac Grunwaldzki) or two stations (1-go Maja (Sąd)) in the direction of the city center and thus save at least part of the approx. 15 -minutes walk to the city center. In addition, numerous bus lines open up the city (timetable according to line numbers, line scheme). Public transport runs between 6 am and 6 pm on weekdays and between 10 am and 4 pm on weekends. Single tickets are sold at kiosks for the equivalent of around EUR 0.23. Tickets that allow you to transfer are slightly more expensive.
The name Elbląg comes from the river Elbląg, recorded in 890 by the
traveler Wulfstan as Ilfing. The city took its name (Elbing) from the
river in 1237.
There is a version (e.g. according to Hofmann [in
other languages]) that the name Elbing is connected with the Helvecon
tribe (they belonged to the union of the Lugii). The Polish name Elbląg
is possible in two parts: Elb from the Helwekons and ląg from the Lugis.
Geographical and topographical list of towns in Prussia from 1835,
authored by J.E. Muller records the names of places in the fragment:
"Elbing (Elbinga, Polish Elbiag, auch Elblag)".
Middle Ages
Near the place where the Prussian trading settlement
of Truso was located until the 9th century, in the spring of 1237, the
Teutonic Knights under the command of Hermann von Balk built a small
wooden and earth stronghold on an island at the mouth of the Elbląg
River. A document confirming the endowment of the Dominican monastery
and the arrival of the monks to Elbląg is dated January 13, 1238. After
the fortification was probably destroyed by the tribes of the Prussian
Pogezans, the Teutonic Knights after 1240 moved to the place of today's
Old Town, where in the place of today's Podzamcze there was already a
settlement inhabited since the mid-10th century. The Teutonic Knights
brought German colonists to the settlement, the name of which was
derived from the Prussian name of the Ilfing River, and from there they
conducted military expansion towards the lands inhabited by the
Prussians. In the same year, they launched the third mint in the
Teutonic state. In 1242, Elbląg was one of the few places that resisted
the attacks of the Prussians during the First Prussian Uprising and the
invasion of the Gdańsk prince Świętopełk II, which means that the place
had to be fortified already then. This settlement, already under the
rule of the Teutonic Order, very quickly, in 1246, obtained a city
privilege under the Lübeck law, as well as much greater privileges than
the neighboring cities located under the Chełmno law. As in other Baltic
cities, the streets were laid out perpendicularly to the river, and the
street crossing them was the market square. Under the document of
February 15, 1242, the city seal with the image of a cog was used for
the first time. In the years 1245–1248, the construction of a brick
castle began, which in 1251 became the seat of the national master -
thanks to this, for the first 70 years Elbląg was the most important
center of urban life, the only seaport and the basic military base of
the organizing state of the Teutonic Order. In 1246, the first mention
of an Elbląg commander named Aleksander appeared for the first time. On
January 18, 1255, the Czech King Ottokar II, who was returning from
Sambia, stopped in Elbląg.
The Teutonic castle, built south of
the city, near the mouth of the Kumiela River to the Elbląg River, was
considered the most powerful and beautiful monastic castle after the
castle in Malbork. Until the construction of the latter, it served as
the administrative center of the Teutonic state until 1309 and was the
meeting place of the Prussian chapter.
Elbląg resisted the tribes
of the Prussians during the Second Prussian Uprising in 1260–1274. After
the foundation and expansion of Malbork and the transfer of the seat of
the Grand Master from Venice to the Malbork Castle in 1309, the Elbląg
Castle became in 1312 the seat of the Grand Hospitaller of the Order
and, at the same time, the Commander of Elbląg. The source of the city's
wealth was the Teutonic Knights' granting it considerable estates in
Żuławy and the Elbląg Hill. In 1319, the construction of the Market Gate
was completed.
The basis for the development of the city was sea
trade, which resulted in the influx of not only goods, but also settlers
from various countries. Elbląg was settled by the Mecklenburgers and
Lübeckans, the Dutch, the Westphalians came in large numbers, the
Ostphalians (simplified: Saxons) in smaller numbers, and the English,
French and Scots.
The city actively participated in the life of
the Hanseatic League. Merchants from Elbląg sat in the exchange office
of Bruges and decided to admit other cities to the union. The Teutonic
Knights also appreciated the importance of Elbląg, erecting a great
castle here, destroyed during the Thirteen Years' War.
From the
mid-fourteenth century, Elbląg began to gradually lose its importance
compared to other Prussian port cities. Many factors contributed to
this. After the conquest of the Prussians, Elbląg ceased to be a war
base to the east, and after the Teutonic Knights seized Gdańsk Pomerania
and established the state capital in Malbork, Elbląg lost its character
as the main political and economic center of the state. Directing the
main mouth of the Vistula towards Gdańsk made it difficult to sail to
Elbląg, and the development of Gdańsk, which was more advantageously
located, began to attract most ships from the north and west of Europe
to it. A strong blow for the city was the founding of the rival Nowe
Miasto Elbląg by the Teutonic Knights in 1337 and granting it a location
privilege ten years later.
From the end of the 14th century,
Elbląg gradually lost its importance to Gdańsk, which later monopolized
the Polish grain trade. Nature also contributed to the weakening of the
city's position. Sea passages through the Vistula Spit gradually silted
up, which made it impossible for larger and larger ships to enter the
port. However, the regression was not as significant as previously
believed. This is evidenced by the numerous archaeological objects
collected, testifying to the relative prosperity of the city in the
modern era.
After the defeat of the Teutonic Knights with the
Polish-Lithuanian army at Grunwald in 1410, in which Elbląg stood on the
side of the Teutonic Knights, the Elbląg townspeople captured and
expelled the garrison along with the great hospital and the local
commander. On July 22, 1410, the inhabitants of Elbląg paid homage to
the Polish king Władysław Jagiełło. However, in September 1410 the
castle returned to the possession of the Teutonic Knights. In 1440, it
was in Elbląg that the Prussian Union was established. On February 12,
1454, as a result of the anti-Teutonic uprising, the Elbląg townspeople
captured the Teutonic castle after a 5-day siege, and then, fearing the
return of the Teutonic Knights, destroyed it. In the same year, the
inhabitants of Elbląg paid homage to King Casimir IV Jagiellon at the
captured Teutonic castle. In 1454, Elbląg received a great privilege
from King Kazimierz Jagiellończyk, confirming the old laws, extending
the powers of the Polish self-government, increasing the powers of the
City Court and increasing the territory of the city almost twice. The
city also took over the previous fishing rights of the commanders, their
mills and other goods. In return, Elbląg actively participated in the
defeat of the Order's fleet in the Battle of the Vistula Lagoon (1463).
According to the provisions of the Peace of Toruń ending the Thirteen
Years' War in 1466, Elbląg was granted to Poland, to which it belonged
for about 300 years, until 1772. In 1483, the construction of the
Jagiellonian Canal was completed, thanks to which Elbląg regained its
water connection with the Nogat River. On February 7, 1495, King Jan I
Olbracht visited Elbląg. From 1503, the city was the guardian of the
seal of Royal Prussia. On January 18, 1504, Nicolaus Copernicus arrived
in Elbląg. On May 29, 1535, the Elbląg Gymnasium was established, the
first high school in the country. In 1552, King Sigismund II August
stayed in Elbląg, two years later Wolfgang Dietmar opened the first
printing house in the city. In 1571, King Zygmunt II August ordered the
construction of the first Polish warship, the Dragon galleon, from the
Elbląg shipyard - unfortunately, the king's death interrupted the work,
which was never resumed. On September 10, 1576, King Stefan Batory
stayed in Elbląg, thanks to his decisions, from March 7, 1577, all
Polish maritime trade was to pass through Toruń and Elbląg, making the
local port the main port in the Commonwealth.
When on September 10, 1577, the war between the Republic of Poland
and Gdańsk broke out, the people of Elbląg repulsed the onslaught of the
inhabitants of Gdańsk. In 1584, the English open a branch of the Estland
Company in Elbląg, which is to deal with trade with the East. In 1592,
the Elbląg Library is established. In August 1601, the English theater
troupe of John Green, invited by the town councilor Andrzej Bartowicz,
staged the first performance of Shakespeare's plays in Poland in the
House of Seven Summits. From 8 to 12 June 1623, King Sigismund III Vasa
stayed in Elbląg.
As a result of the Polish-Swedish war over the
mouth of the Vistula in the years 1626-1635, a Swedish garrison was
stationed in the city, which withdrew from the city after signing the
truce in Sztumska Wieś. On February 11, 1636, King Władysław IV Vasa
visited Elbląg, and in 1651 his brother, King John II Casimir Vasa,
visited the city.
During the Deluge, the Swedish army occupied
the city on December 22, 1655. The destruction caused by the Swedish
occupation in 1656–1660 halted development, and the accompanying plagues
depopulated the city.
In June 1698, King August II of Poland, at
the congress in Jańsbork, signed a secret treaty with the elector
Frederick I Hohenzollern, under which the latter obtained permission to
occupy the city in exchange for 150,000. thalers. The siege, which began
in October of the same year, ended with an act of surrender signed by
the city council on November 10. The agitation of Polish public opinion
and the determined, despite the hypocritical conduct of August II,
desire to regain Elbląg, and also attempts at mediation on the part of
Denmark, Sweden and the emperor, prompted the elector to accept the
proposal of diplomatic talks. They were concluded with the agreement of
December 17, 1699, which gave consent for the return of Elbląg to
Poland, provided that the debts to the elector were paid. It was only a
temporary victory, as already in 1703 Frederick I Hohenzollern seized
the lands of Elbląg, depriving the city of 50% of its annual income. In
1700, the first bourgeois estate was established. It was located in
Bażantarnia, but was eventually taken over by Sebastian Stolz, who had
previously owned the Stolzenhof estate. In 1703, August II of Saxony
stayed in Elbląg, and a year later his successor, Stanisław Leszczyński.
During the Great Northern War, the city was successively occupied by
Swedish (1703–1710), Russian (1710–1712) and Saxon (1712) troops.
Subsequent stays of foreign troops depleted the city's treasury. The
dilapidated city became easy prey for Prussia.
At the beginning
of the 18th century, the city's trade was already in decline, the work
of the shipyard was dying. Under Prussian rule, the largest city in East
Prussia next to Königsberg became the main port of the Vistula basin,
but only until Frederick II seized Gdańsk. Twenty years of operation in
privileged conditions allowed Elbląg to stand out economically thanks to
improving the operation of the port - deepening the Nogat, the Elbląg
River, the port roadstead and the expansion of port facilities. However,
the economic revival was short-lived, and the intensive silting up of
the fairway again hampered the development of the port and trade. In
1737, the 500th anniversary of the city was celebrated, and a year
later, on September 6, 1738, the seagoing ship Stadt Elbing was
launched, commissioned by the local burgher, Henryk Doring. In 1765, the
town was visited by an envoy of the Polish king, Stanisław August
Poniatowski.
Already during the first partition of Poland in
1772, Elbląg found itself under the Prussian rule. The invader's army
captured the city on September 12, and a day later the Polish garrison
left the city. Elbląg was deprived of its previous privileges, the
Lübeck law was taken away from it, and thus its self-government was
abolished. The city authorities were subordinated to Prussian state
officials, which was emphasized by the visit of the Prussian king
Frederick II the Great, which took place on June 6-7, 1773. On September
10, 1773, the Prussian authorities abolished the Lübeck law and changed
the local government system, Elbląg became a provincial county town. In
order to make Poland economically dependent on Prussia, the invader
imposed a duty on Polish goods. This had a negative impact on Gdańsk and
Toruń, which still remained within the borders of Poland, and positively
on the trade turnover of Elbląg itself, to which numerous merchants
began to move. However, this did not last long, as already in 1807 a
commercial crisis began. During the storm on April 26, 1777, the tower
of the church of St. Nicholas and the Old Town Hall, in 1779 the city
councilors decided to build a new town hall in a new location, on the
New Market Square, the construction was completed in 1782. On May 31,
1787, the first Elbląg newspaper was published under the title
Elbingsche Anzeigen von Handlingngs-ökonomischen, historischen und
literarischen Sachen , its editor was Fryderyk Traugott Hartmann. In
1801, Albert Abbeg purchased land in Bażantarnia and started building a
manor house and outbuildings. On May 8-9, 1807, the French Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte stayed in Elbląg. In 1811, the Gasthaus inn was
opened in Bażantarnia.
From 1815 to 1920 Elbląg belonged to the district of Gdańsk in the
Prussian province of West Prussia (temporarily in the years 1829–1878
Prussia). On July 1, 1818, the district of Elbląg (Elbing) was created,
whose first starost was Johann Christian Ludwig Bax. At that time, King
Frederick William III came to visit Elbląg, and a month later his son,
the heir to the throne, Frederick William IV. In the same year, the
operation of the first permanent theater stage was inaugurated at
Deutsches Haus. At the beginning of the 19th century, the city was
relegated to the role of a river port for local trade. Elbląg was
looking for new ways of economic development and slowly began to turn
into an industrial, administrative and military center. On February 17,
1828, the Industrial Society (Elbinger Gewerbe-Vereins) was founded,
which opened and ran the Industrial School. Ferdinand Schichau. On
August 24, 1828, the first tourists traveled on the steamship
"Coppernikus" to Krynica Morska. On April 3, 1837, Henrich von Plauen
Schule was established, the first men's gymnasium which was a municipal
higher school.
Already in the second half of the 19th century,
next to Szczecin and before Gdańsk and Królewiec, Elbląg was a strong
Prussian center of the metal industry. Local merchants began to invest
in manufactories and factories. The weaving, dyeing and glass industry
developed. Numerous agricultural and food processing plants, tobacco
factories, soap factories, oil factories and starch factories were
established. Shipbuilding continued to be an important branch of
industry. A major role in this field was played by Ferdinand Schichau,
who in 1837 opened a machine factory in the city, and in 1854 his
shipyard, which later became the main German manufacturer of torpedo
boats. The nineteenth-century Elbląg focused primarily on the
development of modern industry. During this period, there were Tiessen's
iron foundry, Neufeld's metal works, Loser & Wolff's cigar factory,
Komnick's car factory. The economic development brought with it the
creation of a working class, the core of which were metalworkers. The
employment of children, too long working days, low wages led to the rise
of revolutionary sentiments. Workers' strikes began in the city. In
1840, a company was established to operate the sea line connecting
Elbląg with Królewiec. In 1846, the construction of the Municipal
Theater was completed, the building of which was erected at today's ul.
Rycerska. In the same year, the construction of a railway line
connecting Braniewo and Malbork via Elbląg began. In 1849, the first
steamship was built, which was built from scratch in Elbląg. On October
19, 1852, a railway connection was launched together with the railway
station at today's Aleja Grunwaldzka. On November 28, 1859, the
municipal gasworks began operating. In 1863, the municipal district of
Elbląg (Stadtkreis) was separated from the Elbląg district. In 1865 the
City Museum was established, in 1875 a professional fire brigade, and in
1880 the English Brunnen brewery was opened. In 1882, the city council
bought the area of Pheasantry (Vogelsang) from the heirs of Albert
Abbeg. On March 26-29, 1888, the city experienced one of the largest
floods in its history: the Nogat and Kumiela flooded its banks, and over
a thousand people lost their jobs as a result of flooding the factories.
In December 1892, the municipal slaughterhouse began operating. On
November 22, 1895, the first trams left the city, with a total of 3.88
km. On May 20, 1899, the first section of the Zalewowa Railway was
launched, connecting Elbląg with Frombork. In 1902, the first municipal
hospital with 250 beds was opened, in 1912 the building of the district
court and the new seat of the Henryk von Pluen School (currently the
building of the municipal office) were put into use. Cells of the Social
Democratic Party of Germany began their activities in the city. Workers
began to form into organizations that carried out a wide-ranging
propaganda campaign. Until the outbreak of World War I, successive waves
of riots rolled through the city, sometimes brutally suppressed by the
police. However, this did not stop the economic development of the city,
which lasted until the world economic crisis in 1918. On May 19, 1916,
during a visit to Elbląg, Emperor Wilhelm II, at his own request, took a
tram ride around the city, got on at the railway station and arrived at
the Schichau shipyard.
With the outbreak of war, the city's
situation deteriorated significantly. Since 1914, tens of thousands of
refugees have passed through Elbląg. The result was widespread chaos,
lack of food, etc. The economic downturn of the war years resulted in
the closure of many industrial plants, and as a result, the increase in
unemployment. In the final years of the war, thousands of inhabitants
suffered from hunger and often lacked a roof over their heads. On July
8, 1917, a fire destroyed the High Bridge (rebuilt in 1926).
After Germany lost the war, as a result of the provisions of the
Versailles Treaty of 1919, from November 28, 1920 Elbląg, together
with the eastern part of West Prussia, remained in Germany after the
creation of the Polish Pomeranian Voivodeship, i.e. the so-called of
the Polish corridor, found itself in the province of East Prussia.
Restrictions imposed on Germany and the loss of natural outlets
led the Elbląg economy to a crisis. The city was war-weary, chaos
reigned, unemployment and high prices prevailed. In this situation,
there were strikes and demonstrations, but they were more economic
than political in nature. A cell of the German revolutionary
organization - the Spartacus Union - operated in the city. On
November 11, 1918, the Workers' Council was established, but its
activities were limited to organizing a few rallies. Nevertheless,
an outpost of the German Communist Party, established at the end of
that year, had some influence in the city until Hitler came to
power. On July 1, 1922, the city bought a tram company. In 1926, the
coat of arms of the Elbląg district was established.
In the
1930s, industry flourished again in the city. Elbląg became one of
the largest garrison towns in the Third Reich. A school of military
aviation was established at the airport, which had already been
established during the war. Barracks for artillery, cavalry,
engineers and infantry were erected in various parts of the city.
The gathering of a large number of troops in the city gave it a
military character and, on the other hand, caused the development of
the city's infrastructure. Numerous new housing estates appeared, a
modern military hospital was commissioned. Higher education
developed in the city, a pedagogical, engineering and agricultural
school was established. There were two museums, a library, an
archive in the city, and among many offices and institutions there
were also consulates: Swedish, Swiss and Polish. The successful
state of the Elbląg economy allowed the city to make new municipal
and industrial investments. Modernization of the gas and sewage
networks was undertaken, tram lines were rebuilt, the port was
modernized, and the waterway to the Vistula Lagoon was deepened. On
December 19, 1933, the construction of the motorway to Königsberg
began. In 1934, Melchior Wańkowicz stayed in Elbląg collecting
materials for the book Na tropach Smętka. In 1935, Adolf Hitler came
to Elbląg to receive the insignia of the Honorary Citizen of the
City. In 1937, the city celebrated its 700th anniversary, when the
first permanent bus line was launched.
During World War II, the entire economic and social life of Elbląg
was subordinated to the needs of war. The city was overcrowded as a
result of the resettlement of people from Mecklenburg, Masuria, as well
as prisoners of various nationalities. From March 1940, there was one
and later two sub-camps of the Stutthof concentration camp. Food
rationing was introduced. From the moment the war began, Elbląg was
almost untouched by military operations. When at the beginning of 1945
the Red Army entered East Prussia, German soldiers began to arrive in
Elbląg.
The first units of the Soviet army approached Elbląg on
January 23, 1945. In a short time, the city was surrounded on three
sides. Heavy fighting began. The Nazi forces in the city numbered about
10,000. Wehrmacht soldiers and about 4 thousand. members of the
Volkssturm. About 5,000 people died during the fighting. the Germans.
The rest were taken prisoner. 2,731 Soviet soldiers from the 2nd Shock
Army and the 5th Guards Tank Army of the 2nd Belorussian Front under the
command of Marshal K. Rokossowski also died in the fighting. The city
was occupied by the Red Army on February 10, 1945 (the Monument of
Gratitude was erected after the war in Agrykola Street in honor of
Soviet soldiers). Fierce fighting in late January and early February
reduced the city to rubble. The historic buildings of the Old Town were
destroyed, as well as the entire Śródmieście. Civilian human losses were
difficult to determine. Many of the pre-war residents of Elbląg drowned
during a panic escape to the West through the Vistula Lagoon.
In
the first months after the front passed, the Northern Territories were
managed by the Soviet state authorities. Within a few months, they
exported all the machines and equipment of the Elbląg factories deep
into the USSR. Immediately after the occupation of the city, the NKVD
set up a special camp in the city.
On May 19, 1945, in front of the town hall, a ceremony was held to
hand over the symbolic keys to the city by the Soviet headquarters to
the Polish authorities, who were appointed on April 3. After more than
170 years, Elbląg found itself again within the borders of the Polish
state. The priority of the new authorities was to give the city a Polish
national identity and to deport the German population. Red Army soldiers
dismantled and transported to the USSR the equipment of factories,
workshops and workplaces. Works of art, musical instruments and
furnishings of the surviving apartments were plundered. The
reorganization of the strained economy and the slow reconstruction of
the destroyed city began. Already in 1945, the milling plant resumed its
work. In 1946, an expanded power plant, the Elbląskie Zakłady
Piwowarsko-Słodownicze and the Elbląskie Zakłady Pomocy Samochodów were
launched. At the end of 1948, Zakłady Mechaniczne im. General Karola
Świerczewski (later Zamech), which in its best years employed 5,100
employees). In 1948, Elbląskie Zakłady Przemysłu Przemysłu Truso, and in
the following year, Zakłady Mięsne, were established. After the war,
native Elbląg residents accounted for only 2% of the population. In
1949, the city was affected by the Stalinist terror in the events known
as the Elbląg Affair. In the years 1951-1953, Zakłady im. of the Great
Proletariat, which produced industrial furniture. Since 1952, the
Cooperative of Work for them. Feliks Dzierżyński, producing central
heating boilers, and from 1963 Styrene Plastics Plant. In 1954, the
district museum was opened. In 1956, in addition to the existing tram
communication, bus lines were launched. From the academic year
1961/1962, a consulting point of the Higher School of Economics in Sopot
operated in Elbląg, as well as the Evening Engineering School and the
Vocational Administrative Study. At the beginning of the 1950s, the
ruins of Nowe Miasto were demolished and the first post-war housing
estate was built with the old street grid partially preserved. The
completely destroyed Old Town was cleared away only in the 1960s,
earlier demolition works were carried out, and the acquired brick was
transported in accordance with the order of the central authorities for
the reconstruction of Warsaw and then Gdańsk. At the beginning of the
1960s, the first housing estate of multi-family buildings located
outside the downtown part of the city was built at Saperów Street.
During the events of December 1970 in Elbląg, Tadeusz Marian Sawicz was
shot dead. At the beginning of the 1970s, it was initially planned to
build a block of flats in the Old Town. However, lack of funds prevented
the implementation of these plans.
In 1972, the reconstruction of
the Old Town began, and the houses on Wigilijna Street were the first to
be rebuilt. In 1974, the city was awarded the Order of the Banner of
Labor, 1st class.
From June 1, 1975, under the Act of May 28,
1975, Elbląg became the capital of the voivodship, consisting of the
eastern poviats of the former Gdańsk Voivodeship (districts: Elbląg,
Nowodworski, Malbork, Sztum, Kwidzyn) and the north-eastern part of the
former Olsztyn Voivodship (districts: Braniewo, Pasłęk, part of Iława
and Morąski).
In the 1980s, the construction of the city center
began, but instead of rebuilding the tenement houses to resemble the
pre-war ones, modern buildings were built with a shape and size similar
to the medieval ones. The works on the foundations resulted in the
uncovering of the foundations of the former buildings, which showed the
greatness and wealth of the former Elbląg.
Elbląg served as the seat of the voivodeship authorities until the last administrative reform in 1999, when on 1 January 1999 it became part of the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship with poviat rights against the will of the majority of the inhabitants, who strongly supported the city's belonging to the Pomeranian Voivodeship. In the same year, as the only Polish city, it received the European Union award for achievements in the field of ecology and the prestigious award - the Flag of Europe.
Elbląg is a center of heavy industry (steam and gas turbines),
furniture and food industry. In the city there are also areas of the
Warmia and Mazury Special Economic Zone, and qualified staff is provided
by Elbląg universities.
There are 7 shopping centres, 4
electronic markets, 3 hypermarkets, a DIY store and 24 food discount
stores in the city.
Within the city limits there is a part of the Elbląg Upland Landscape
Park and the Protected Landscape Area of the Elbląg Upland - West.
There are 68 nature monuments in Elbląg, including 62 animate and 6
inanimate.
According to the data of the Central Statistical Office, as of June 30, 2015, the population of Elbląg was 121,994 people. Currently, the number of inhabitants is systematically declining, which is influenced by large economic emigration (mainly to Great Britain and Germany), demographic decline and moving of more affluent residents to municipalities near Elbląg. The highest ever number of people lived in Elbląg at the turn of 1999/2000 and amounted to 130,160.
Elbląg is not divided into settlements in the administrative sense
(auxiliary units of the commune). The list below contains historically
separated estates whose names are commonly used by the inhabitants, but
they do not constitute an official administrative division of the city.
Southern districts and estates
Śródmieście/ Downtown
Stare
Miasto/ Old Town
Łasztownia
Zawodzie
Osiek
Zatorze
Dębica
Nowe Miasto
Nowe Pole
Dąbki
Warszawskie Przedmieście
Przy
Młynie
Witoszewo
Winnica
Wyspa Spichrzów
Truso
Stagniewo
Rakowo
Gardens
Ogrody
Stawnik
Kępa Północna
Zawada
Zakrzewo
Kamionka
Nad Jarem
Na Stoku
Dąbrowa
Drewnik
Zajazd
Bielany
Modrzewina
Rubno Wielkie
Krasny Las
Próchnik
Bażantarnia - a forest park that is an integral part of the city
Public transport in Elbląg is supervised by the Public Transport Authority in Elbląg Sp. z o. o. Public transport is operated by three transport companies: a consortium of PKS Grodzisk Mazowiecki and PKS Gostynin, Tramwaje Elbląskie Spółka z o.o. and PKS Elbląg. ZKM in Elbląg covers the city of Elbląg and the towns adjacent to it (Nowakowo, Gronowo Górne, Milejewo, Stagniewo).
Elbląg has direct railway connections with Gdańsk, Malbork, Tczew,
Słupsk, Koszalin, Szczecin, Olsztyn, Ełk and Białystok.
The
railway line from Berlin to Königsberg (which was launched on October
19, 1852) runs through the city. In 1897, the first works began on the
construction of the Nadzalewowa Railway, which was to connect Elbląg
with Królewiec. In May 1899, the section from Elbląg to Frombork was
commissioned, and in September of that year, the section from Frombork
to Braniewo.
At that time, the Elbląg Miasto railway station and
the Elbląg Angielskie Spring railway station were also commissioned. The
Elbląg Miasto station was connected with the eastern station by a
railway line running through the city center, which existed until the
early 1980s.
It was liquidated after the construction in the
years 1975-1982 of the ring road connecting the Elbląg station, i.e. the
former Eastern Railway Station, with the Elbląg Zdrój station.
Railway stations and stops
current
Elbląg
Elblag Zdroj
Rubno
Wielkie
old
Elbląg City
Elbląg Drawbridge
Elbląg does not have its own airport, and the nearest one is located
approx. 70 km from the city of Gdańsk-Rębiechowo (Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa
Airport).
Elbląg airport
In the Nowe Pole district, there has
been a grassy airport since 1915, currently an aeroclub. Its development
and transformation into a communication airport are being considered.
Alternatively, conversion of the nearby Królewo Malborskie airport into
the Tri-City-Elbląg airport is being considered, which, unlike the
grassy airport in Elbląg, has a full-size concrete runway.
The Elbląg seaport is located in Elbląg. The new quays were built at
the cost of PLN 30 million. Next to the cargo part, there is a passenger
terminal - a border checkpoint with a one-time capacity of 200 people
and 30 passenger cars.
Elbląg as one of the two ports on the
Vistula Lagoon (next to Frombork) has a sea border crossing, enabling
the clearance of yachts going to the Królewiec circuit.
There are
active road drawbridges here.
State Higher Vocational School in Elbląg
Elbląg University of
Humanities and Economics
Higher School Bogdan Jański in Elbląg - a
branch of a higher education institution in Warsaw
Teachers' College
of Foreign Languages - Regent College
Higher Theological Seminary in
Elbląg
University of Warmia and Mazury, Faculty of Law and
Administration - Administration in Elbląg
University of Gdańsk,
Faculty of Social Sciences - Political Science in Elbląg
Provincial Integrated Hospital
Elbląg Specialist Hospital with
SPZOZ Outpatient Clinic
Municipal Hospital of St. John Paul II
El-Vita Hospital
Multinational Division North East Headquarters
13th Elbląg
Anti-Aircraft Regiment - disbanded 2011-12-31
16th Żuławy Repair
Battalion
command support regiment of the Multinational Division
North East Headquarters (formerly 16th Command Battalion)
16 Chemical
Company – disbanded 2010-12-31
16th Supply Battalion - disbanded
21st Military Economic Detachment
Military Police Branch
Center for European Meetings Światowid
Elbląg Chamber Orchestra
Youth Cultural Center in Elbląg
Dance Center "Promyk"
Housing
Estate Social and Cultural Complex "Jar"
Cooperative House of Culture
"Zakrzewo"
Cinemas and theaters
Theatre. Aleksander Sewruka
(formerly Drama Theatre)
Tights Theater
Cinema City - cinema
Multi-cinema - cinema
World of Cinema
Galleries
Art Center
Galeria EL – art gallery
Art Miś Gallery – an art gallery
Arbiter
Hotel Atrium Gallery – art gallery
Zachęta Gallery
ART-PIK Art
Gallery
Studnia Gallery Club
Museum in Elbląg - archaeological and historical museum
Libraries
Elbląg Library them. Cyprian K. Norwid
Warmian-Masurian
Pedagogical Library in Elbląg
Library of the Major Seminary of the
Diocese of Elbląg
Main Medical Library Stanisława Konopka in Warsaw
Branch in Elbląg
Entertainment and leisure
stadiums, swimming
pools, swimming pools
stadium at ul. winged
Mlexer Elbląg stadium
city stadium ul. Agricola 8
stadium at ul. Krakus
ice rink at ul.
Karowa
Dolphin swimming pool
Water Recreation Center "Dolinka" -
open from 1934 to 2011 swimming pool with a length of 340 by 100 m; it
was the largest pool in Europe filled with water from the river
(Kumiela). At its deepest point, it was 3 meters, at its shallowest - 40
cm. The reservoir was divided into two parts - one was intended for
bathers, in the other one you could use floating equipment
Bażantarnia city forest
Park Modrzewie
Michał Kajka Park
Park Dolinka
Romuald Traugutt Park
Polish Army Park
Planty Park
Winter sports
ice rink
CSB Sports and Entertainment Hall, Sports and Business Center
MOSiR hall
other
Holiday Complex "New Holland"
Cyclical
events in Elbląg
"Polityka" Summer Gardens
Week with
"Rzeczpospolita"
Elbląg Nights of Theater and Poetry
National
Festival of the Art of the Word "...Is this love?"
International
Dance Festival "Baltic Cup" (since 2000)
International Art Meetings
Elbląg Festival of Hopeless and Embarrassing Music (since 2014)
Elbląg Music Masterclass
Replicas of the Polish Film Festival in
Gdynia
Summer Music Salons in Bażantarnia
Warmia and Mazury
Meetings with the Theater on the Water
Garmin Iron Triathlon (since
2016)
Elbląg Special Feast
Elbląg Bread Festival
Elbląg Rocks
Europa - Alternative Music Festival in Elbląg
Superleague Downhill
Elbląg - downhill cycling competition
Festival for children "In the
land of King Piegus"
MEGAzlot Elbląg Summer - an event for
motorization enthusiasts organized by the Fan Club of Renault Users in
Elbląg
Feast of Fools - the event takes place on April 1 each year.
It is prepared by the juggling and theater group Ignis Fatuus and
friends
Elbląg 3run Gathering - the event takes place every year, a
rally of freerunners from all over Poland.
Student juwenalia
(Turbinalia) organized by the State Higher Vocational School in Elbląg
In the years 1965-1973, international artistic meetings were held under
the name of the Biennale of Spatial Forms
Football
KKS Hanza
Elbląg - women's football, III league
Olimpia Elbląg – men's
football, II league
Concordia Elbląg – men's football, 3rd league
Concordia II Elbląg - men's football, district class
Olimpia II
Elbląg – men's football, IV Liga
Handball
Start Elbląg –
women's handball (Ekstraklasa)
Meble Wójcik Elbląg – men's handball
(1st league)
MKS Truso Elbląg – men's handball, junior category
Volleyball
UKS Adam Elbląg - an amateur group of men-volleyball
players, a contender for the 1st place in the 4th edition of the
Awandard Volley League 2013!
IKS Atak Elbląg – disabled volleyball,
men
MKS Truso Elbląg - women's and men's volleyball, juniors, cadets,
juniors
E. Leclerc Orzeł Elbląg – women's volleyball, Women's II
League, Group I (season 2013/2014)
Basketball
MKS Truso Elbląg
- women's and men's basketball, juniors, cadets, juniors
martial
arts
Boxing: Tiger Elbląg vs Elbląg
Judo: UKS Kosai Judo, UKS
Truso Elbląg, UKS Tomita Elbląg, UKS Olimpia Judo-Elbląg
Capoeira:
Abada Caporeira Elbląg, Cordao de Ouro Elblag
Unifight: SSW Fighter
Elbląg
Combat Sambo: SSW Fighter Elbląg
mma: Fight Club Elbląg
k1: Fight Club Elbląg
Aikido: Ronin Aikido School in Elbląg
Karate: Elbląg Karate Club - Karate section (Shotokan) and kickboxing
section, Andrex Karate Academy (Shotokan)
Wrestling: Olimpia Elblag
Aikido: Elbląg Aikido Aikikai Association
Wrestling: Elbląg Wrestling
Club
Other
water sports: Water Group
social dance: Elbląg
Dance Club "Jantar", Formation "Lotos - Jantar"
athletics: MKS Truso
Elblag
marina, sailing: Bryza Elbląg, Wodnik Elbląg
canoeing
marina: Olimpia Elbląg, PKS "Korona" Elbląg
swimming, shooting,
modern pentathlon: UKP Jedynka Elbląg, UKS Pirat Elbląg, UKS Delfin 2
Elbląg, KS Orzeł Elbląg, UKS Orlik Elbląg, IKS Atak Elbląg (also
volleyball for the disabled)
sports aviation: Aero Club of Elbląg
skating: KS Orzeł Elbląg
figure skating: UKS "Szóstka" Elbląg
sled
hockey: IKS Atak Elbląg
modern dance: Hipnotic, Broadway,
Destination, Dance Vision, Cadmans
Rugby: "Rugby Club Elbląg"
Non-governmental organizations
Elbląg Association for Supporting
Non-Governmental Initiatives
Elbląg Cultural Society
Elbląg
Foundation
Polish Association for People with Mental Handicap
Elbląg Europe Association
Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Dzieci, branch in
Elbląg
Polish Scouting Association Troop Elbląg
Regional Volunteer
Center in Elbląg
Elbląg Consultative Council for People with
Disabilities
Elbląg Association of Social Welfare Organizers
Elbląg Center for Mediation and Social Activation
Polish Tourist and
Sightseeing Society Branch of the Elbląg Land in Elbląg
Association
of People of German Descent from the Elbląg Land
Rifle Unit 1008
Press
"Magazyn Elbląski" - quarterly
"Tygiel" - cultural
quarterly
"Elbląg Journal"
Internet portals
Elbląg Internet
Journal Info.Elblag.pl
Elbląg Internet Newspaper portEl.pl
Expresselblag.pl
Elbląg Information Service elblag24.pl
elblag.net
Radio stations
Radio Eska Elbląg (former Radio El) – publicly
available local private radio station
Radio Olsztyn - regional radio
station of Polish Radio in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, editorial
office in Elbląg
Radio Gdańsk - regional station of Polish Radio in
the Pomeranian Voivodeship, frequency range 103.7 MHz FM from the period
when Elbląg was in the Gdańsk Voivodeship, editorial office in Elbląg
TV stations
Truso.tv – a local cable TV channel about Elbląg
Elbląg, thanks to its border location, participates in many
international projects, in recent years especially with the Królewiec
district. On his initiative, the Euroregion Baltic was created, which
includes most of the countries around the Baltic Sea (Poland, Russia,
Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark). Its permanent international
secretariat is also located in Elbląg.
As proof of the close
cooperation between Elbląg and the French city of Compiègne, a
roundabout at Nowowiejska Street was built in 2007, which was named
Rondo Compiègne, and the roundabout from Compiègne towards Paris was
named Rondo Elblag in 2003.
Currently, Elbląg cooperates with 13
partner cities from 12 countries:
Germany: Leer (Ostfriesland)
Sweden: Ronneby
Estonia: Narva
Lithuania: Druskininkai
Ukraine:
Ternopil
China: Laibin
Latvia: Liepaja
France: Compiegne
United Kingdom: Trowbridge
Chile: Coquimbo
China: Baoji
Taiwan:
Tainan
Poland: Nowy Sacz
In November 2007, the city of Elbląg
initiated the international campaign "Baltic Ukraine", aimed at building
a Ukrainian port complex in the city. These plans are closely related to
the decision of the Polish government to build a canal through the
Vistula Spit[68]. In 2017, the roundabout at the intersection of
Konopnickiej and Niepodległości streets was named after the Ukrainian
partner city of Tarnopol, in connection with the 25th anniversary of
cooperation between the two cities.
Titles awarded before 1945
Adolf Hitler
Hermann Göring
Joseph Goebbels
Titles awarded after 1989 (date of title award)
John Paul II (1999)
Lech Walesa (2011)
Jerzy Julian Szewczynski
(2015)
Lech Baranowski (1995) – founder of the first Post Office in
Elbląg after the war
Gerhard Jürgen Blum-Kwiatkowski (2011) –
initiator of the Art Laboratory "Galeria EL"
Ryszard Tomczyk (2011) –
writer and publicist associated with Elbląg.
Marian Biskup (2007) –
professor, outstanding expert on the history of Gdańsk Pomerania and the
history of the Teutonic Order
Henryk Iwaniec (2006) – world-famous
mathematician, deals with prime numbers
Fr. Mieczysław Józefczyk
(1994) – lover of the history of Elbląg, chaplain of "Solidarity",
chaplain of former Home Army soldiers
Father Czesław Klimuszko (2004)
– Franciscan Father, herbalist and visionary
brigadier general
Bolesław Nieczuja-Ostrowski (1992) - the legendary commander of the
106th Division of the Home Army
Stanisław Piekarski (1994) – tram
driver, one of the Elbląg pioneers
Helena Pilejczyk (2002) – speed
skater, Olympic medalist
Ryszard Rynkowski (2002) - Polish singer,
formerly associated with the "Vox" group, now a soloist
Hans G.
Schrock-Opitz (1997) – former resident of Elbląg, promoter and sponsor
of the Elbląg dance community residing in Germany
Hans-Jürgen Schuch
(2003) – born in Elbląg, residing in Germany, retired director of the
Wollbeck Museum and chairman of the Truso Association
Stanisław
Wójcicki (1993) – one of the Elbląg pioneers, a member of the Maritime
Operational Group organizing the lives of the first inhabitants of the
city.
Parliamentarians
The inhabitants of Elbląg elect
deputies from the Elbląg constituency, a senator from constituency No.
84, and deputies to the European Parliament from constituency No. 3.
Elbląg is the oldest city in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.
The
seat of the rural commune of Elbląg is located in Elbląg, which is
currently the largest city with the seat of a rural commune in Poland.
The intersection of Nowowiejska, Traugutta and Górnośląska Streets in
Elbląg is named "Rondo Compiegne", in memory of the cooperation with
this French city. One of the circular intersections in Compiègne is
called "Rondo Elbląg" (Carrefour d'Elbląg).
In Elbląg there are the
ruins of the largest outdoor swimming pool in Europe, 340 m long, 100 m
wide and with a total water surface of 3.4 ha. It was built in 1934 and
was open until 2011.
During the capture of Elbląg (February 9, 1945),
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was arrested.
In Elbląg there was a wooden
Bismarck tower.
In 1913, the ship SMS Elbing was built, which was
sunk in 1916 in the Battle of Jutland.
In the years 1966-1990, the
Polish Navy had a ship named after the city of ORP "Elbląg".
On
October 16, 1954, the Polish Post issued a stamp worth PLN 0.20 and a
circulation of 1.52 million copies, with a panorama of Elbląg according
to Christian D. Pietesch's shift (17th/18th century) Historical and
geographical facts
Elbląg is the oldest city in the Warmian-Masurian
Voivodeship.
The seat of the rural commune of Elbląg is located in
Elbląg, which is currently the largest city with the seat of a rural
commune in Poland.
The intersection of Nowowiejska, Traugutta and
Górnośląska Streets in Elbląg is named "Rondo Compiegne", in memory of
the cooperation with this French city. One of the circular intersections
in Compiègne is called "Rondo Elbląg" (Carrefour d'Elbląg).
In Elbląg
there are the ruins of the largest outdoor swimming pool in Europe, 340
m long, 100 m wide and with a total water surface of 3.4 ha. It was
built in 1934 and was open until 2011.
During the capture of Elbląg
(February 9, 1945), Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was arrested.
In Elbląg
there was a wooden Bismarck tower.
In 1913, the ship SMS Elbing was
built, which was sunk in 1916 in the Battle of Jutland.
In the years
1966-1990, the Polish Navy had a ship named after the city of ORP
"Elbląg".
On October 16, 1954, the Polish Post issued a stamp with a
value of PLN 0.20 and a mintage of 1.52 million copies, featuring a
panorama of Elbląg according to Christian D. Pietesch's shift (17th/18th
century)
1964 - Elbląg - dir. Lech Lorentowicz (tourist and sightseeing film)
1970 – Landscape after the Battle – dir. Andrzej Wajda (outdoors in
Bażantarnia and on the highway)
1974 – Polewacz glade (or Elbląg –
cinemalaboratory) – dir. Paweł Kwiek, Karol Cichecki (experimental film)
1975 - Elbląg - dir. Zbigniew Ryszard Frankowski (documentary)
2002 –
The Holy Father in Elbląg – dir. Miroslaw Salicki (documentary)
2003
– New life of the Old Town (documentary film, Russian production)
2003 - documentary film produced by German (TV ARD)
2007 – Michael
Palin's New Europe (BBC series)
2007 – Crown Witness – dir. Jarosław
Sypniewski, Jacek Filipiak (sensational film); plein-airs in the
vicinity of Elbląg
2007 – Inverted dir. Jarosław Sypniewski, Michał
Gazda (crime series); plein-airs in the vicinity of Elbląg
2008 –
Travel 2008 – the program in the Polish version was implemented in
Elbląg (there was also a section on Elbląg, Travel Channel)
2012 –
Battle of Voices, 2nd edition – Ryszard Rynkowski's band (TVP2 and TVP2
HD)
2012 – Baby Blues – dir. Katarzyna Rosłaniec (drama); Gallery
2013 – Magda Gessler's kitchen revolutions, restaurant "Szprota" (TVN
and TVN HD)
2015 – Kitchen revolutions, “Duchówka” restaurant (TVN
and TVN HD)
2015 – Blood from blood 2 (TVP2 series)
2018 - Fall in
love with Poland, Elbląg Channel (TVP1)
2019 - Arrivals; A 30-minute
film about post-war pioneers in Elbląg
2019 - Fall in love with
Poland, Elbląg (TVP1)
2022 – Kitchen revolutions, restaurant "Bar
Pomidor Cud Malina" (TVN and TVN HD)