Tricity, Poland
Tricity (Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx) is an urban area in Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, primary consisting of the cities of Gdańsk, Gdynia, and Sopot on the shore of Gdańsk Bay. Inhabited by 960,000 people within the boundaries of the three cities, and approximately 1.09 million people across the surrounding metropolitan area, it is one of the principal urban areas of Poland and is home to several businesses and governmental institutions.
The concept of a singular Tricity metropolitan area first emerged following World War II, and the term is today widely used in several official and unofficial contexts.
Etymology and terminology
The Polish term Trójmiasto was first mentioned in the 1 February 1950 issue of Dziennik Bałtycki, within a headline regarding the integration of the three cities of Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia.<ref name = :0>Template:Cite web</ref> Tricity has also been referred to as the Gdańsk metropolitan area or the Gdańsk agglomeration.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name = :1>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
The recorded history of Gdańsk, the oldest city in the Tricity area, goes back to as far as the year 997;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sopot was first mentioned in 1283,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Gdynia, although extant as a small village as early as 1253, was only granted city rights in 1926, after the Polish government began an effort to expand it as a port to rival Gdańsk, which had become an independent free city following the Treaty of Versailles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The first time the three settlements would find themselves under the same administration as cities occurred in 1939, following the invasion of Poland. They were all placed under the occupation of Nazi Germany, which played a significant role in unifying and organizing the administrations of Gdańsk and Gdynia. In 1946, shortly after Poland retook all three cities, a nearly successful proposal was filed to unite them into one, though it ultimately failed. The first known mention of the Polish term Trójmiasto is found in a 1950 issue of Dziennik Bałtycki, a regional newspaper, and in the 1950s, various pan-Tricity organizations and publications were founded.<ref name = :0 />
Geography
Tricity is traditionally defined as consisting of the cities of Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> however, the broader metropolitan area also includes Tczew, Pruszcz Gdański, Kartuzy, Żukowo, Rumia, Wejherowo, Puck, Władysławowo, Jastarnia, and Hel. Gdańsk is at the core of Tricity, hosting most of its central administrative functions, but it is well-integrated with Gdynia and Sopot, as well as the other surrounding settlements. The area is located on the shore of Gdańsk Bay, a bay of the Baltic Sea.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Tricity, despite its seaside location, has varied terrain; Gdańsk is divided into two areas of higher and lower elevation referred to as the Upper Terrace (Górny Taras) and Lower Terrace (Dolny Taras) respectively,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with the Upper Terrace reaching altitudes of up to Template:Convert, whereas the lowest point of the Lower Terrace is found at Template:Convert below sea level.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tricity is generally bounded by hilly terrain to the east, covered by the Tricity Landscape Park and found at the western edge of the elevated Kashubian Lake District. On the other hand, its coastal areas to the west have allowed for the formation of low-lying and accessible beaches, although some are still surrounded by extreme features such as the Template:Ill.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tricity has a total land area of approximately Template:Convert, with broader definitions extending it to Template:Convert.<ref name = :2>Template:Cite report</ref>
Economy
Tricity, because of its favourable geographic position and infrastructure, is home to numerous companies, as well as large industrial and service sectors.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The largest companies in Tricity include the energy company Energa, fashion company LPP, insurance company Template:Ill, the Polish branches of Viterra and Jysk, Remontowa and Gdańsk Shipyard, and the Polish branch of Intel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Main sights
Notable attractions in Gdańsk include the Main City Hall, Artus Court, Neptune's Fountain, Uphagen's House, St. Mary's Church, Great Mill, Gdańsk Crane, European Solidarity Centre, Museum of the Second World War, and the National Museum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Attractions in Gdynia include the Emigration Museum, Template:Ill, the ships Dar Pomorza and Template:ORP, and the Template:Ill.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Sopot Pier, Sopot Lighthouse, Bohaterów Monte Cassino Street, and the Grand Hotel are among the attractions in Sopot.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Transport
Car transport
The S6 and S7 expressways go through or around Tricity;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a part of the former is known as the Tricity Ring Road.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2007, 43.5% of commuters in Tricity went to work by car.<ref name = :2 />
Rail transport
The Szybka Kolej Miejska (SKM), or the Rapid Urban Railway in English, is a commuter railway that primarily operates services in Rumia, Gdynia, Sopot, and Gdańsk; however, its network extends beyond these cities, as far as Tczew and Lębork.<ref name = :3>Template:Cite web</ref> The Pomeranian Metropolitan Railway, opened in 2015,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> operates trains from Gdańsk Wrzeszcz via the airport to Gdynia Główna.<ref name = :3 /> Gdańsk Główny and Gdynia Główna both serve a large amount of national and international destinations, largely operated by PKP Intercity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2007, 12.8% of commuters in Tricity went to work by train, the largest such percentage among all other major agglomerations and metropolitan areas in Poland.<ref name = :2 />
Buses
Template:Further information Gdańsk and Gdynia both have city bus networks. Gdańsk's bus system has 76 regular routes, 13 night routes, and 1 seasonal route,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and operates in many surrounding towns and gminas, including Sopot.<ref>Template:Cite act</ref> Gdynia's bus and trolleybus system has 79 regular routes, 9 express routes, and 7 night routes, also extending to the surrounding gminas and to Sopot.<ref name = :4>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2007, 32.6% of Tricity inhabitants commuted to work by bus.<ref name = :2 />
Trams and trolleybuses
Template:Main article Template:Main article Gdańsk has a fully-developed tram system, with 11 lines and a total track length of Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2007, 6.8% of Tricity inhabitants commuted to work by tram.<ref name = :2 /> Gdynia, on the other hand, has one of the few trolleybus systems in all of Poland, with 12 regular trolleybus routes in the city.<ref name = :4 />
Air and sea connections
The principal airport of the Tricity area is Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport, which has connections to cities and airports in several nations, primarily in Europe,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and processed 6,714,149 passengers in total in 2024, as well as Template:Convert of freight.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Additionally, Stena Line operates ferries from Gdynia to Karlskrona,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Polferries operates a ferry service between Gdańsk and Nynäshamn.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Ill also operates voyages from Sopot, Gdynia, and Gdańsk to Hel, from central Gdańsk to Westerplatte, and from Gdynia to the Vistula Spit, as well as tours of the Port of Gdynia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sport
Template:Main article Lechia Gdańsk and Arka Gdynia are the central association football teams of each of their respective cities, competing against one another each year in the Tricity Derby.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> RC Lechia Gdańsk, Ogniwo Sopot, and RC Arka Gdynia, the rugby union teams for their respective cities, have all repeatedly been national champions in the sport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Wybrzeże Gdańsk is a historically very successful handball team<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the basketball team Arka Gdynia has also seen repeated success in its respective discipline.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other notable teams include Trefl Gdańsk (volleyball)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Seahawks Gdynia (American football).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Politics
Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia, all officially being considered cities under Polish law,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> function within the bounds of the officially outlined regulations and procedures of city governments.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The mayor of Gdańsk is Aleksandra Dulkiewicz;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the mayor of Gdynia is Aleksandra Kosiorek;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the mayor of Sopot is Magdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2023 Polish parliamentary election, 46.67% of voters in Gdańsk voted for the Civic Coalition, 20.01% voted for Law and Justice, 14.47% voted for Trzecia Droga, and 10.97% voted for The Left.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Sopot, the percentages were 53.72% for the Civic Coalition, 20.46% for Law and Justice, 10.02% for Trzecia Droga, and 9.72% for The Left.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Gdynia, 46.74% voted for the Civic Coalition, 20.26% voted for Law and Justice, 13.66% voted for Trzecia Droga, and 11.25% voted for The Left.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Each of the cities of the Tricity is divided into districts (dzielnice). Gdańsk is subdivided into 36 (see Districts of Gdańsk), and the largest of them by population are Śródmieście, Przymorze Wielkie, Chełm, Wrzeszcz Dolny, and Wrzeszcz Górny.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Gdynia has 21 districts, with the most populous ones there being Chylonia, Obłuże, Template:Ill, Template:Ill, and Oksywie.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sopot consists of six districts: Template:Ill, Template:Ill, Template:Ill, Template:Ill, Template:Ill, and Template:Ill.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Education
Gdańsk is home to several universities and academies, including the University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk University of Technology, Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, and Gdańsk Medical University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Gdynia Maritime University and Polish Naval Academy are found in Gdynia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Demographics
In 2024, 960,000 people lived in Tricity proper,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> whereas the total population of the metropolitan area in 2021 was approximately 1.09 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Of the three cities of the urban area, Gdańsk is inhabited by 487,371 people;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Gdynia by 245,222 people;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Sopot by 32,962 people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Tricity is among the largest agglomerations in all of Poland,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> being the fourth-largest in the country as of 2023, behind the metropolitan areas of Warsaw, Katowice, and Kraków.<ref name = :1 />
See also
References
Template:Commons category Template:Wikivoyage Template:Wiktionary <references /> Template:Authority control Template:Portal bar Template:Metropolitan areas in Poland Template:Gdańsk