Puck ( , , ) is a town in northwestern Poland
with 11,350
inhabitants. It is in Gdańsk Pomerania
on the south coast of the Baltic Sea
(Bay of Puck).
Previously
in the Gdańsk Voivodeship
(1975-1998), Puck has been the capital of Puck County
in the Pomeranian Voivodeship
since 1999.
History
The settlement became a marketplace and a seaport as early as the
7th century. The name, as was common during the
Middle Ages, was spelt differently: Pauzigk,
Pautzke (in a 1277 document Putzc, 1277 Pusecz, 1288 Puczse and
Putsk, 1289 Pucz, see historical maps below)
[23588]. In 1309 it came under the rule of the
Teutonic Order as part of
Pomerelia. It achieved town status in 1348.
Together with the rest of
Royal
Prussia it joined Poland in 1454 (
1466) and was the place of the local
County Administration (
Starostwo). Since the Polish kings
tried to create a fleet at Danzig, but independend
Hanseatic Danzig would not allow them in their
territory, some chartered by Poland ships had to land at Pautzke
(Puck) in 1567. Poland tried to establish a
Polish Navy, got to use some harbors in Livonia
and Finland, but a standing navy never materialize.
Swedish-Lithuanian
Vasa King of
Poland-Lithuania
Sigismund III again
tried to establish a fleet in his attempts to wrest the crown of
Sweden from King
Gustavus
Adolphus of Sweden, but Sigismund's attempts at creating a
fleet were destroyed in 1628.
The first actual Polish Navy was founded at the end of
World War I in 1918 with heavy French and
British involvement.
In 1772,
through the Partitions of
Poland, the western Prussian town was incorporated into the
Kingdom of
Prussia
. After 1919 it was
assigned to the Second Polish Republic
as part of the Polish
Corridor by the Treaty of
Versailles. In 1920 Poland celebrated
Poland's Wedding to the Sea in
Puck.
Until 1939 Puck
was the main war harbour of the Polish Navy and the only Polish
harbour until Gdynia
was built in
the 1920s. A branch of the Stutthof
concentration camp
existed in Puck in the years 1941 to 1944.
After 1945 it became part of the
People's Republic of
Poland.
Interesting places
.jpg/200px-Pla%C5%BCa_w_Pucku_-_kitesurfers_-_beach_in_Puck_(6).jpg)
Kitesurfing
.jpg/200px-PuckU_(12).jpg)
Marina
Former hospital for the poor (18th
century)
- Town Hall (1865)
- St Peter and Paul's church (13th century)
- Burghers' houses at the main square (Plac Wolności),
17th century, rebuilt in the 19th century
- Flooded port (8th-10th century) located some 500 metres from
the shore
- Remnants of a brick castle (14th century)
- Memorials of gen. Józef
Haller and Poland's
Wedding to the Sea
- Puck region museum (Muzeum Ziemi Puckiej)
- Wooden pier
- Marina
- Caves in Mechowo
- Coastal Landscape Park
(Nadmorski Park Krajobrazowy)
Population
| Year |
Population |
| 1895 |
1 904 |
| 1900 |
2 093 |
| 1960 |
6 800 |
| 1970 |
9 300 |
| 1975 |
10 500 |
| 1980 |
11 100 |
| 1998 |
11 600 |
| 2005 |
11 350 |
Land use
| Land use in Puck in
2005 [23589] |
in ha |
in % |
| Total |
490 |
100,0 |
| agricultural lands area, of which: |
188 |
38,4 |
| arable land |
118 |
24,1 |
| orchards |
0 |
0,0 |
| meadows |
59 |
12,0 |
| pastures |
11 |
2,2 |
| Forests and forest land |
3 |
0,6 |
| Other and wastelands |
299 |
61,0 |
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Puck, Poland is
twinned
with:
Cieszyn
, Stein
, Konz
, Guéret
See also
External links
Gallery
File:PuckU.jpg|
Timber framed building
of hospital for the poor from 18th century, now seat of Puck region
museumFile:Plaża w Pucku - kitesurfers - beach in Puck (4).jpg|Puck
is an important
water sports
centre
File:Kutry podczas pielgrzymki rybackiej do
Pucka.jpg|Port in Puck during annual pilgrimage of fishermen
from Hel
Peninsula
to a church
fair of St. Peter and Paul in PuckFile:PuckU (15).jpg|Small
marina and pier in PuckFile:PuckU (12).jpg|Marina in PuckFile:Puck
miejsce zaslubin z morzem.JPG|Memorials of gen.
Józef Haller and
Poland's Wedding to the
SeaFile:PuckU (5).jpg|Restaurant on pier in PuckFile:Puck -
wieczorem.jpg|An evening view of the town
.jpg/250px-PuckU_(10).jpg)
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
