Tricity Trójmiasto | |
|---|---|
Urban area | |
.jpg)       | |
 A map of the Tricity agglomeration | |
  Tricity | |
| Coordinates:54°26′N18°33′E / 54.433°N 18.550°E /54.433; 18.550 | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Pomeranian |
| Government | |
| • Mayor of Gdańsk | Aleksandra Dulkiewicz |
| • Mayor of Gdynia | Aleksandra Kosiorek |
| • Mayor of Sopot | Magdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,077 km2 (802 sq mi) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 1,090,000 |
| • Density | 525/km2 (1,360/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Area code | +48 058 |
Tricity (Polish:Trójmiasto;Kashubian:Trzëgard;German:Dreistadt) is anurban area inPomeranian Voivodeship, in northernPoland, primary consisting of the cities ofGdańsk,Gdynia, andSopot on the shore ofGdańsk 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 followingWorld War II, and the term is today widely used in several official and unofficial contexts.
The Polish termTrójmiasto was first mentioned in the 1 February 1950 issue ofDziennik Bałtycki, within a headline regarding the integration of the three cities of Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia.[1] Tricity has also been referred to as theGdańsk metropolitan area or theGdańsk agglomeration.[2][3]
The recorded history ofGdańsk, the oldest city in the Tricity area, goes back to as far as the year 997;[4]Sopot was first mentioned in 1283,[5] andGdynia, 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 becomean independent free city following theTreaty of Versailles.[6]
The first time the three settlements would find themselves under the same administration as cities occurred in 1939, following theinvasion of Poland. They were all placed under the occupation ofNazi Germany, which played a significant role in unifying and organizing the administrations of Gdańsk and Gdynia. In 1946, shortly afterPoland 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 termTrójmiasto is found in a 1950 issue ofDziennik Bałtycki, a regional newspaper, and in the 1950s, various pan-Tricity organizations and publications were founded.[1]
Tricity is traditionally defined as consisting of the cities of Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia;[7] however, the broadermetropolitan area also includesTczew,Pruszcz Gdański,Kartuzy,Żukowo,Rumia,Wejherowo,Puck,Władysławowo,Jastarnia, andHel. 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, abay of theBaltic Sea.[8]
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,[9] with the Upper Terrace reaching altitudes of up to 180 metres (590 ft), whereas the lowest point of the Lower Terrace is found at 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) belowsea level.[10]
Tricity is generally bounded by hilly terrain to the east, covered by theTricity Landscape Park and found at the western edge of the elevatedKashubian 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 theOrłowo Cliff [pl].[11]
Tricity has a total land area of approximately 2,077 km2 (802 sq mi), with broader definitions extending it to 4,157 km2 (1,605 sq mi).[12]
Tricity, because of its favourable geographic position and infrastructure, is home to numerous companies, as well as largeindustrial andservice sectors.[13][14] The largest companies in Tricity include the energy companyEnerga, fashion companyLPP, insurance companyErgo Hestia [pl], the Polish branches ofViterra andJysk,Remontowa andGdańsk Shipyard, and the Polish branch ofIntel.[15]
Notable attractions in Gdańsk include theMain 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 theNational Museum.[16] Attractions in Gdynia include theEmigration Museum,Kościuszko Square [pl], the shipsDar Pomorza andORP Błyskawica, and theOrłowo Cliff [pl].[17] TheSopot Pier,Sopot Lighthouse,Bohaterów Monte Cassino Street, and theGrand Hotel are among the attractions in Sopot.[18]
TheS6 andS7 expressways go through or around Tricity;[19] a part of the former is known as theTricity Ring Road.[20] As of 2007, 43.5% of commuters in Tricity went to work by car.[12]
TheSzybka Kolej Miejska (SKM), or the Rapid Urban Railway in English, is acommuter railway that primarily operates services in Rumia, Gdynia, Sopot, and Gdańsk; however, its network extends beyond these cities, as far asTczew andLębork.[21] ThePomeranian Metropolitan Railway, opened in 2015,[22] operates trains fromGdańsk Wrzeszcz viathe airport toGdynia Główna.[21]Gdańsk Główny and Gdynia Główna both serve a large amount of national and international destinations, largely operated byPKP Intercity.[23][24] 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.[12]
Gdańsk and Gdynia both have city bus networks. Gdańsk's bus system has 76 regular routes, 13 night routes, and 1 seasonal route,[25] and operates in many surrounding towns andgminas, includingSopot.[26] 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.[27] As of 2007, 32.6% of Tricity inhabitants commuted to work by bus.[12]
Gdańsk has a fully-developedtram system, with 11 lines and a total track length of 65 km (40 mi).[28] As of 2007, 6.8% of Tricity inhabitants commuted to work by tram.[12] Gdynia, on the other hand, has one of the fewtrolleybus systems in all of Poland, with 12 regular trolleybus routes in the city.[27]
The principal airport of the Tricity area isGdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport, which has connections to cities and airports in several nations, primarily in Europe,[29] and processed 6,714,149 passengers in total in 2024, as well as 11,681 t (12,876 short tons) offreight.[30] Additionally,Stena Line operates ferries from Gdynia toKarlskrona,[31] andPolferries operates a ferry service between Gdańsk andNynäshamn.[32]Żegluga Gdańska [pl] also operates voyages from Sopot, Gdynia, and Gdańsk toHel, from central Gdańsk toWesterplatte, and from Gdynia to theVistula Spit, as well as tours of thePort of Gdynia.[33]
Lechia Gdańsk andArka Gdynia are the centralassociation football teams of each of their respective cities, competing against one another each year in theTricity Derby.[34]RC Lechia Gdańsk,Ogniwo Sopot, andRC Arka Gdynia, therugby union teams for their respective cities, have all repeatedly been national champions in the sport.[35]Wybrzeże Gdańsk is a historically very successfulhandball team[36] and thebasketball teamArka Gdynia has also seen repeated success in its respective discipline.[37] Other notable teams includeTrefl Gdańsk (volleyball)[38] andSeahawks Gdynia (American football).[39]
Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia, all officially being considered cities under Polish law,[40] function within the bounds of the officially outlined regulations and procedures of city governments.[41] Themayor of Gdańsk isAleksandra Dulkiewicz;[42] the mayor of Gdynia isAleksandra Kosiorek;[43] and the mayor of Sopot isMagdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim.[44] In the2023 Polish parliamentary election, 46.67% of voters in Gdańsk voted for theCivic Coalition, 20.01% voted forLaw and Justice, 14.47% voted forTrzecia Droga, and 10.97% voted forThe Left.[45] 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.[46] 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.[47]
Each of the cities of the Tricity is divided into districts (dzielnice). Gdańsk is subdivided into 36 (seeDistricts of Gdańsk), and the largest of them by population areŚródmieście,Przymorze Wielkie,Chełm,Wrzeszcz Dolny, andWrzeszcz Górny.[48] Gdynia has 21 districts, with the most populous ones there beingChylonia,Obłuże,Chwarzno-Wiczlino [pl],Witomino [pl], andOksywie.[49] Sopot consists of six districts:Karlikowo [pl],Dolny Sopot [pl],Górny Sopot [pl],Świemirowo [pl],Kamienny Potok [pl], andBrodwino [pl].[50]
Gdańsk is home to several universities and academies, including theUniversity of Gdańsk,Gdańsk University of Technology,Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, andGdańsk Medical University.[51][52][53][54] TheGdynia Maritime University andPolish Naval Academy are found in Gdynia.[55][56]
In 2024, 960,000 people lived in Tricity proper,[57] whereas the total population of the metropolitan area in 2021 was approximately 1.09 million.[58] Of the three cities of the urban area, Gdańsk is inhabited by 487,371 people;[59] Gdynia by 245,222 people;[60] and Sopot by 32,962 people.[61] Tricity is among the largest agglomerations in all of Poland,[62] being the fourth-largest in the country as of 2023, behind the metropolitan areas ofWarsaw,Katowice, andKraków.[3]
