Danzig

Danzig is the German name for the Polish city of Gdańsk, located on the Baltic coast in northern Poland. It has long been a major port and trading center, with a history dating back to medieval times as a member of the Hanseatic League. The city’s bilingual and multicultural heritage reflects its complex historical affiliations with Germany and Poland.

In the 20th century, the Treaty of Versailles established the Free City of Danzig in 1920, a semi-autonomous city-state under the protection of the League of Nations. It held a largely German-speaking population with a Polish minority and provided Poland with access to the sea via the Polish Corridor. In 1939, Nazi Germany invaded and annexed the Free City, integrating it into German territory during World War II. After the war, borders were redrawn and the city became part of Poland again, renamed Gdańsk; the German population was expelled and Polish settlement increased.

Today, Gdańsk is a major Polish city and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. It retains a historic center that was rebuilt after the war and remains an important cultural and economic hub, with shipbuilding and other industries continuing to play a role. The city is notable for its association with the beginnings of the Solidarity movement in 1980, when strikes at the Gdańsk Shipyard helped catalyze political changes in Poland and beyond.

Danzig is also the name of an American heavy metal band formed in 1987 by Glenn Danzig; the band’s name is a proper noun separate from the city’s historical usage.