Gdansk Bay and the Baltic Spit

Gdansk Bay, which at all times was an important strategic object, at the dawn of the twentieth century turned into a recreation area. Here, for example, is one of the largest Polish resorts - Sopot.

The Baltic Spit of the Gdansk Bay

The sandy peninsula, called the Baltic Spit, was created by nature itself. This natural shaft owes its appearance to the sea currents and the sands of the Vistula. The Baltic Spit occupies the space between Gdansk and Baltic - Polish and Russian cities. Territorially the Baltic Spit is located on the southeast coast of Gdańsk Bay and ends near Sobieszewski Island.

Natural resort

This special, formed for many years, the area has long been chosen by holidaymakers. Here there are four natural reserves: "Bird Paradise", "Mevya Laha", "Fishermen's corners" and "Buki Vyslyanoi spit".

The Baltic sandy spit of the Gdańsk Gulf attracts tourists with open, miraculous thermal salt springs and pine forests.

The fishing villages of Piaski, Yantar and Mikoshevo are equally popular with travelers. Saturated with iodine and moisture, air combined with sunlight makes these places a climatic health resort. It is here that the famous Krynica-Morska is located - the warmest place in these parts.

The beauty of local landscapes

To get to the Gdansk Bay (Gdansk bay), you first need to reach the coast of the Baltic Sea from Russia or Poland. The name of the bay was due to the nearby settlement - the city of Gdansk.

The Baltic Sea is considered to be the youngest, shallowest and most salty water in the World Ocean. The landscape of the seabed is flat, and the soil, which is covered with clayey sediments in the Baltic Strait, is composed mainly of sand from the coast. The closer to the shore, the shallower and lighter the sand.

This area is also famous for its natural beaches. The sand here is soft and so light that it looks snowy on a fine day.

The Gdansk Bay is dotted with underwater depressions, the deepest - the northern (more than 100 m). In other parts of the bay, the depth varies mainly from 50 to 70 m, but in some places it reaches 90 m.

In the warm (uncharacteristic for the Baltic) waters of Gdańsk Bay, fish at a depth of more than 10 m. Here you can see shoals of Baltic cod, croissants, flounder, badge, halibut, Baltic herring and sprat. Especially lucky travelers managed to meet Baltic salmon, sea trout and whitefish, and also local mammals: Baltic seals and sea pigs.

The form and orientation of the Gdańsk Gulf currents predetermine the location of two adjacent sandy peninsulas adjacent to it: in the western part of the bay there is the Helna spit, and in the east - the Baltic.

Historical past and present

The historical events taking place in Europe more than once affected the Gulf of Gdansk.

The first people, according to archaeologists, appeared in these places at the beginning of the Bronze Age, and the settlements of the descendants of the ancient Slavs, found during the regular excavations, date back to the V century.

The first document, which featured the Gdansk Bay, the coordinates of Gdansk and the Vistula, was a historical reference, dated 997, when these places were visited by Bishop Adalbert of Prague. The missionary's goal was to convert the local pagans into the Christian faith. Here he was killed.

Slavic princes, who ruled Gdansk in the XI century, turned the city into a shopping center. The merchant vessels from Holland and Scotland moored to a large pier. These lands were also seen by Flemish, French and Oriental merchants, and the merchant naval "Amber Route", stretching from Gdansk to the Balkans, was lost near the banks of Byzantium and again "emerged" far to the east.

The Baltic Spit today

Today Gdansk Bay is washed by the banks of one of the oldest and largest Polish cities. Gdansk is distinguished among other resort areas by the state of ecology. This is perhaps the most green and environmentally friendly port city, where tourists come from Sweden, Denmark and other European countries.

In German, the Baltic Spit is called "Frishe Nerung", that is, "the land that emerged from the sea near the freshwater bay". From the pier there is a road to the Western Fort - an old building built during the reign of William the First. But the main attraction of the Baltic Spit is the aerodrome Noitif, built by German engineers. In 1937 it was one of the most modern, equipped with the latest technology facilities, and later - one of the best Nazi airbases.

Aerodrome Noitif as a historical monument is a kind of evidence of the competence and professionalism of specialists working on its erection. The flight control tower, which was repeatedly attacked by Soviet bombers, has been well preserved to the present day.