View source for Elbląg

{{short description|City in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland}}
{{redirect|Elbing}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Elbląg
| settlement_type = [[City with powiat rights|City county]]
| image_skyline = {{Photomontage|
| color = #ffffff
| photo1a = SM Elbląg Kościół św Mikołaja (3) ID 644686.jpg{{!}}St. Nicholas Cathedral
| photo2a = Buildings in Elblag.JPG{{!}}Elbląg Old Town
| photo2b = Elblag, Clock tower.JPG{{!}}Brama Targowa (Market Gate)
| photo3a = Elbląg, rzeka Elbląg, fota 8.jpg{{!}}Elbląg Canal
| spacing = 2
| border = 0
| size = 269 }}
| image_caption = {{hlist|Left to right: [[St. Nicholas Cathedral, Elbląg|St. Nicholas Cathedral]]|Elbląg Old City|''Brama Targowa'' (Market Gate)|[[Elbląg Canal]]}}
| image_flag = POL Elbląg flag.svg
| image_shield = POL Elbląg COA.svg
| pushpin_map = Poland
| pushpin_label_position = right
| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = {{POL}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship|name=Warmian-Masurian}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[Powiat|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = ''City county''
| leader_party = [[Civic Platform|PO]]
| leader_title = City mayor
| leader_name = Michał Missan
| established_title = Established
| established_date = 1237
| established_title2 = City rights
| established_date2 = 10 April 1246
| area_total_km2 = 79.82
| population_as_of = 31 December 2021
| population_total = 127,390 {{increase}} (27th)<ref name="population">{{cite web|url=https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/dane/teryt/jednostka|title=Local Data Bank|access-date=2022-08-02|publisher=Statistics Poland}} Data for territorial unit 2861011.</ref>
| population_density_km2 = 1595
| population_demonym = elblążanin (male) <br/> elblążanka (female) ([[Polish language|pl]])
| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset = +1
| timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST = +2
| coordinates = {{coord|54|10|0|N|19|24|0|E|region:PL|display=title,inline}}
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = 82-300 to 82-315
| area_code = +48 55
| blank_name = [[Vehicle registration plates of Poland|Car plates]]
| blank_info = NE
| blank1_name = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank1_info = [[Oceanic climate#Mild/cool summer subtype|Cfb]]
| blank_name_sec2 = [[Highways in Poland|Highways]]
| blank_info_sec2 = [[File:S7-PL.svg|32px|link=Expressway S7 (Poland)]]
| blank1_name_sec2 = [[National roads in Poland|National roads]]
| blank1_info_sec2 = [[File:DK22-PL.svg|32px]]
| website = {{Official URL}}
| area_total_ha = 7952
| area_water_ha = 102
| area_urban_ha = 1975
| geocode = 54.17216,19.41865
}}
'''Elbląg''' ({{IPA|pl|ˈɛlblɔŋk|lang|Pl-Elbląg.ogg}}; {{langx|de|Elbing}} {{IPA|de|ˈɛlbɪŋ||De-Elbing.ogg}}) is a [[city]] in the [[Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship]], in northern [[Poland]],{{TERYT}} located in the eastern edge of the [[Żuławy]] region with 127,390 inhabitants, as of December 2021.<ref name = population /> It is the capital of [[Elbląg County]].

Elbląg is one of the oldest cities in the province.<ref name="premier.gov.pl">{{cite web|url=https://www.premier.gov.pl/en/news/news/history-of-elblag.html|title=History of Elbląg|access-date=April 5, 2017|archive-date=February 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217154504/https://www.gov.pl/web/premier|url-status=dead}}</ref> Its history dates back to 1237, when the [[Teutonic Order]] constructed their fortified stronghold on the banks of a nearby river. The castle subsequently served as the official seat of the Teutonic Order Masters.

Elbląg became part of the [[Hanseatic League]], which contributed much to the city's wealth. Through the Hanseatic League, the city was linked to other major ports like [[Gdańsk]], [[Lübeck]] and [[Amsterdam]]. Elbląg joined Poland in 1454 and after the defeat of the Teutonic Knights in the [[Thirteen Years’ War (1454–1466)|Thirteen Years’ War]] was recognized as part of Poland in 1466. It then flourished and turned into a significant trading point, but its growth was eventually hindered by the [[Second Northern War]] and the [[Swedish Deluge]].

The city was transferred to [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]] after the [[first partition of Poland]] in 1772.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.castlesofpoland.com/prusy/elbl_hist_en.htm|title=History of Elblag - Castles of Poland|access-date=April 5, 2017}}</ref> Its trading role greatly weakened, until the era of [[Industrial era|industrialization]] in the 19th century. It was then that the famous [[Elbląg Canal]] was commissioned.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toursingdansk.pl/oferty,elblag-canal-tour.html|title=Elblag Ostroda Canal Tour|last=CoolPage.pl|access-date=April 5, 2017}}</ref> A tourist site and important engineering monument, it has been named one of the [[Seven Wonders of Poland]] and a [[List of Historic Monuments (Poland)|Historic Monument of Poland]].

After [[World War II]] the city again became part of Poland. The war casualties were catastrophic – especially the severe destruction of the Old Town district, one of the grandest in [[Prussia (region)|Prussia]]. The town's population hitherto was German-speaking. The people who had not fled or had returned [[Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II|were entirely expelled]] and new Polish settlers took their place.

Today, Elbląg has over 120,000 inhabitants and is a "vibrant city with an [[Tourism in Poland|attractive tourist base]]".<ref name="premier.gov.pl"/> It serves as an academic and financial center and among its numerous historic monuments is the Market Gate from 1309 and [[St. Nicholas Cathedral, Elbląg|St. Nicholas Cathedral]]. Elbląg is also known for its archaeological sites, museums and the country's [[Elbrewery|largest]] [[brewery]], founded in 1872.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.staypoland.com/cityHistory.aspx?TownId=16|title=History of Elblag|first=StayPoland Sp. z|last=o.o.|access-date=April 5, 2017}}</ref>

==Etymology==
''Elbląg'' derives from the earlier [[German-language]] ''Elbing'', which is the name by which the [[Teutonic Knights]] knew both the river here and the citadel they established on its banks in 1237.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://kultura.elblag.net/artykuly/skad-sie-wziela-nazwa-elblag-czy-ifing-to-ilfing-j,33265.htm |language=pl |title=Skąd się wzięła nazwa Elbląg? "Czy Ifing to Ilfing?" Jakub Jagodziński wyjaśnia | access-date = 12 March 2022}}</ref> The purpose of the citadel was to prevent the [[Old Prussians|Old Prussian]] settlement of [[Truso]] from being reoccupied, the German crusaders being at war with the pagan Prussians. The citadel was named after the river, itself of uncertain etymology. One traditional etymology connects it to the name of the [[Helveconae]], a [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribe]] mentioned in [[Ancient Greek]] and [[Latin]] sources, but the etymology or language of the [[tribal name]] remains unknown. The oldest known mention of the river or town Elbląg is in the form ''Ylfing'' in the report of a sailor Wulfstan from the end of the 9th century, in ''[[Wikisource:Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader/The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan|The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan]]'' which was written in Anglo-Saxon in [[King Alfred]]'s reign.

== Modern city ==
[[File:Elbląg, układ urbanistyczny Starego Miasta.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the Old Town]]

The city was almost completely destroyed at the end of [[World War II]]. Parts of the inner city were gradually rebuilt, and around 2000 rebuilding was begun in a style emulating the previous architecture, in many cases over the same foundations and utilizing old bricks and portions of the same walls. The western suburbs of the old city have not been reconstructed.

The modern city adjoins about half the length of the river between [[Lake Drużno]] and Elbląg Bay (''Zatoka Elbląska'', an arm of the [[Vistula Lagoon]]), and spreads out on both banks, though mainly on the eastern side. To the east is the Elbląg Upland (''Wysoczyzna Elbląska''), a dome pushed up by glacial compression, {{convert|390|km2|abbr=on}} in diameter and {{convert|200|m|2|abbr=on}} high at its greatest elevation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aber |first=James S. |date=2015 |title=Regional Glaciation of Southern & Eastern Baltic (ES 331/767 Lecture #14) |url=http://www.academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/ice/lec14/lec14.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129131512/http://www.academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/ice/lec14/lec14.htm |archive-date=2020-01-29 |access-date=2022-01-29 }}</ref>

Views to the west show flat fields extending to the horizon; this part of the Vistula Delta (''Żuławy Wiślane'') is used mainly for agricultural purposes. To the south are the marshes and swamps of Drużno. The [[Elbląg River]] has been left in a more natural state through the city, but elsewhere it is a controlled channel with branches. One of them, the Jagiellonski Channel (''Kanał Jagielloński''), leads to the [[Nogat]] River, along which navigation to Gdańsk is common. The [[Elbląg Canal]] (''Kanał Elbląski'') connecting Lake Drużno with [[Drwęca]] River and Lake [[Jeziorak]] is a tourist site.<ref name="thefirstnews.com">{{cite web| url = https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/wondering-where-to-take-a-train-choo-choose-elblag-16069 |title=Wondering where to take a train? Choo-choose Elbląg! | access-date = 12 March 2022}}</ref>

== Port of Elbląg ==
Elbląg is not a deep-water port. The draft of vessels using its waterways must be no greater than {{convert|1.5|m|2|abbr=on}} by law. The turning area at Elbląg is {{convert|120|m|2|abbr=on}} diameter and a pilot is required for large vessels.<ref>[http://www.polfracht.pl/polfracht/psal/localinf/elb/portelb1.htm Port Elbląg] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060805113641/http://www.polfracht.pl/polfracht/psal/localinf/elb/portelb1.htm |date=August 5, 2006 }}, site maintained by Polfracht Shipping Agency Ltd.</ref> Deep water vessels cannot manoeuvre; in that sense, Elbląg has become a subsidiary [[port of Gdańsk]]. Traffic of smaller vessels at Elbląg is within the river and very marginal, while larger vessels were unable to reach the open [[Baltic Sea]] after 1945 without crossing into [[Russia]]n territory. Construction of the [[Vistula Spit canal]] was completed in September 2022, allowing vessels access to the Baltic Sea while remaining within Polish territory.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://polishnews.co.uk/the-vistula-spit-the-dredging-of-the-shipping-canal-has-begun-the-first-units-are-to-sail-in-2022/ |title=The Vistula Spit. The dredging of the shipping canal has begun. The first units are to sail in 2022 |date=August 3, 2021 | access-date = 12 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.ndi.pl/en/vistula-spit-june-report |title=Vistula Spit – june report | access-date = 12 March 2022}}</ref> The city features three quay complexes, movable cranes, and railways.

==Geography==

=== Geographical location ===
Elbląg is located about {{convert|55|km|0|abbr=on}} south-east of [[Gdańsk]] and {{convert|90|km|0|abbr=on}} south-west of [[Kaliningrad]], [[Russia]].
The city is a [[port]] on the river [[Elbląg (river)|Elbląg]], which flows into the [[Vistula Lagoon]] about {{convert|10|km|0|abbr=on}} to the north, thus giving the city access to the [[Baltic Sea]] via the Russian-controlled [[Strait of Baltiysk]]. The Old Town ({{langx|pl|Stare Miasto}}) is located on the river [[Elbląg (river)|Elbląg]] connecting Lake [[Drużno]] to the [[Vistula Lagoon]], about {{convert|10|km|0|abbr=on}} from the lagoon and {{convert|60|km|0|abbr=on}} from Gdańsk.

===Climate===
The climate of Elbląg is an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfb'') closely bordering on a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfb''), owing to its position of the [[Baltic Sea]], which moderates the temperatures, compared to the interior of [[Poland]]. The climate is cool throughout the year and there is a somewhat uniform precipitation throughout the year. Typical of Northern Europe, there is little sunshine during the year.

{{Weather box
| location = Elbląg (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan record high C = 13.3
| Feb record high C = 17.7
| Mar record high C = 22.4
| Apr record high C = 29.0
| May record high C = 32.0
| Jun record high C = 33.1
| Jul record high C = 36.5
| Aug record high C = 35.7
| Sep record high C = 30.6
| Oct record high C = 26.5
| Nov record high C = 18.1
| Dec record high C = 13.0
| year record high C = 36.5
| Jan avg record high C = 7.3
| Feb avg record high C = 8.4
| Mar avg record high C = 15.0
| Apr avg record high C = 22.7
| May avg record high C = 26.2
| Jun avg record high C = 29.1
| Jul avg record high C = 30.3
| Aug avg record high C = 30.4
| Sep avg record high C = 25.3
| Oct avg record high C = 19.2
| Nov avg record high C = 12.3
| Dec avg record high C = 8.5
|year avg record high C = 32.0
| Jan high C = 0.9
| Feb high C = 2.2
| Mar high C = 6.3
| Apr high C = 12.9
| May high C = 17.8
| Jun high C = 20.8
| Jul high C = 22.9
| Aug high C = 23.0
| Sep high C = 18.1
| Oct high C = 12.1
| Nov high C = 6.0
| Dec high C = 2.2
| year high C = 12.1
| Jan mean C = -1.4
| Feb mean C = -0.5
| Mar mean C = 2.7
| Apr mean C = 8.2
| May mean C = 12.7
| Jun mean C = 15.9
| Jul mean C = 18.2
| Aug mean C = 18.0
| Sep mean C = 13.7
| Oct mean C = 8.6
| Nov mean C = 3.8
| Dec mean C = 0.2
| year mean C = 8.3
| Jan low C = -3.6
| Feb low C = -3.0
| Mar low C = -0.5
| Apr low C = 3.9
| May low C = 8.1
| Jun low C = 11.4
| Jul low C = 13.9
| Aug low C = 13.8
| Sep low C = 10.0
| Oct low C = 5.6
| Nov low C = 1.7
| Dec low C = -1.9
| year low C = 4.9
| Jan avg record low C = -14.9
| Feb avg record low C = -12.7
| Mar avg record low C = -7.4
| Apr avg record low C = -2.8
| May avg record low C = 0.8
| Jun avg record low C = 5.2
| Jul avg record low C = 8.6
| Aug avg record low C = 8.1
| Sep avg record low C = 3.6
| Oct avg record low C = -1.2
| Nov avg record low C = -5.4
| Dec avg record low C = -10.8
|year avg record low C = -17.7
| Jan record low C = -30.1
| Feb record low C = -30.0
| Mar record low C = -21.6
| Apr record low C = -6.2
| May record low C = -3.5
| Jun record low C = -0.2
| Jul record low C = 4.4
| Aug record low C = 3.4
| Sep record low C = -1.7
| Oct record low C = -8.5
| Nov record low C = -16.9
| Dec record low C = -22.2
| year record low C = -30.1
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 47.4
| Feb precipitation mm = 37.7
| Mar precipitation mm = 40.8
| Apr precipitation mm = 37.0
| May precipitation mm = 58.6
| Jun precipitation mm = 70.2
| Jul precipitation mm = 87.1
| Aug precipitation mm = 77.9
| Sep precipitation mm = 73.9
| Oct precipitation mm = 70.3
| Nov precipitation mm = 57.8
| Dec precipitation mm = 56.4
| year precipitation mm = 715.0
| Jan snow depth cm = 
| Feb snow depth cm = 
| Mar snow depth cm = 
| Apr snow depth cm = 
| May snow depth cm = 
| Jun snow depth cm = 
| Jul snow depth cm = 
| Aug snow depth cm = 
| Sep snow depth cm = 
| Oct snow depth cm = 
| Nov snow depth cm = 
| Dec snow depth cm = 
| year snow depth cm = 
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 18.8
| Feb precipitation days = 15.5
| Mar precipitation days = 15.0
| Apr precipitation days = 12.0
| May precipitation days = 13.3
| Jun precipitation days = 14.3
| Jul precipitation days = 14.6
| Aug precipitation days = 14.5
| Sep precipitation days = 13.6
| Oct precipitation days = 16.5
| Nov precipitation days = 17.0
| Dec precipitation days = 19.1
| year precipitation days = 184.1
| unit snow days = 0 cm
| Jan snow days = 
| Feb snow days = 
| Mar snow days = 
| Apr snow days = 
| May snow days = 
| Jun snow days = 
| Jul snow days = 
| Aug snow days = 
| Sep snow days = 
| Oct snow days = 
| Nov snow days = 
| Dec snow days = 
| year snow days = 
| Jan humidity = 87.5
| Feb humidity = 84.2
| Mar humidity = 77.8
| Apr humidity = 70.2
| May humidity = 71.7
| Jun humidity = 74.8
| Jul humidity = 76.6
| Aug humidity = 76.1
| Sep humidity = 80.4
| Oct humidity = 84.5
| Nov humidity = 89.4
| Dec humidity = 89.7
| year humidity = 80.3
| Jan sun = 40.4
| Feb sun = 67.0
| Mar sun = 128.6
| Apr sun = 199.8
| May sun = 257.0
| Jun sun = 243.5
| Jul sun = 246.7
| Aug sun = 237.5
| Sep sun = 164.8
| Oct sun = 104.4
| Nov sun = 44.0
| Dec sun = 29.5
| year sun = 1767.3
| Jan dew point C = -2
| Feb dew point C = -2
| Mar dew point C = 0
| Apr dew point C = 3
| May dew point C = 8
| Jun dew point C = 12
| Jul dew point C = 15
| Aug dew point C = 15
| Sep dew point C = 12
| Oct dew point C = 7
| Nov dew point C = 4
| Dec dew point C = 1
|source 1 = Meteomodel.pl<ref>
{{cite web
| url = https://meteomodel.pl/dane/srednie-miesieczne/?imgwid=354190160&par=tm&max_empty=2
| title = Średnie i sumy miesięczne
| date = April 6, 2018
| publisher = Meteomodel.pl
| language = pl
| access-date = 21 July 2022}}</ref>
|source 2 = Time and Date (dewpoints, 2005-2015)<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/poland/elblag/climate
| title = Climate & Weather Averages in Elbląg
| publisher = Time and Date
| access-date = 24 July 2022}}</ref>}}

==History==
===Truso===
{{Main|Truso}}
{{Quote box |width=25em |align=left |bgcolor=#B0C4DE
| title = Historical affiliations
| fontsize = 80% |quote=
{{flag|Teutonic Order}} 1246–1454<br>
{{flagicon image|Kingdom of Poland-flag.svg}} [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]] 1454–1569<br>
{{flag|Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth}} 1569–1772<br>
{{flag|Kingdom of Prussia|1803}} 1772–1871<br>
{{flag|German Empire}} 1871–1918<br>
{{flag|Weimar Germany}} 1918–1933<br>
{{flag|Nazi Germany}} 1933–1945 <br>
{{flag|People's Republic of Poland}} 1945–1989<br>
{{flag|Republic of Poland|1848}} 1989–present
}}
The settlement was first mentioned as "Ilfing" in ''[[Wikisource:Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader/The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan|The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan]]'', an [[Old English|Anglo-Saxon]] chronicle written in [[King Alfred]]'s reign using information from a Viking who had visited the area.

During the [[Middle Ages]], the Viking settlement of [[Truso]] was located on [[Drużno|Lake Drużno]], near the current site of Elbląg in historical [[Pogesania]]; the settlement burned down in the 10th century.<ref>According to the Elbląg museum</ref> Early in the 13th century the [[Teutonic Knights]] conquered the region, built a castle, and founded Elbing on the lake, with a population mostly from [[Lübeck]] (today the lake, now much smaller, no longer reaches the city). After the uprising against the Teutonic Knights and the destruction of the castle by the inhabitants, the city successively came under the sovereignty of the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]] (1454), the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] (1772), and [[Germany]] (1871). Elbing was heavily damaged in [[World War II]], and its remaining German citizens [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|were expelled]] upon the war's end in accordance with the [[Potsdam Agreement]]. The city became again part of Poland in 1945 and was repopulated with Polish citizens.<ref name="thefirstnews.com"/>
[[File:Elbląg Bulwar Zygmunta Augusta.jpg|thumb|right|Elbing seen from Granary Island in 1930]]

The seaport of '''Truso''' was first mentioned {{Circa|890}} by [[Wulfstan of Hedeby]], an [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] sailor, travelling on the south coast of the [[Baltic Sea]] at the behest of King [[Alfred the Great]] of [[England]]. The exact location of Truso was not known for a long time, as the seashore has significantly changed, but most historians trace the settlement inside or near to modern Elbląg on Lake [[Drużno]]. Truso was located at territory already known to the [[Roman Empire]] and earlier.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://chamberofcommerce.pl/amber/amber-road/ |title=Amber Road |date=February 28, 2018 | access-date = 12 March 2022}}</ref>

It was an important seaport serving the [[Vistula River]] bay on the [[Early Middle Ages|early medieval]] Baltic Sea [[trade route]]s which led from [[Birka]] in the north to the island of [[Gotland]] and to [[Visby]] in the Baltic Sea. From there, traders continued further south to [[Carnuntum]] along the [[Amber Road]]. The ancient Amber Road led further southwest and southeast to the [[Black Sea]] and eventually to [[Asia]]. The east–west trade route went from Truso, along the Baltic Sea to [[Jutland]], and from there inland by river to [[Hedeby]], a large trading center in Jutland. The main goods of Truso were [[amber]], furs, and slaves.

Archaeological finds in 1897 and diggings in the 1920s placed Truso at Gut Hansdorf. A large burial field was also found at Elbląg. Recent Polish diggings have found burned beams and ashes and thousand-year-old artifacts in an area of about 20 [[hectares]]. Many of these artifacts are now displayed at the [[Elbing Museum|Muzeum w Elblągu]].

=== Prussian Crusade ===
{{Main|Prussian Crusade}}
[[File:Elbląg Warszawska 55 willa nr 644843 fota 7.JPG|thumb|right|Brick manors, built in the [[Neogothic]] style, can be seen in the outer suburbs of Elbląg]]
[[File:Elbląg Świętego Ducha 25.JPG|thumb|right|Holy Ghost Street, ''ulica Świętego Ducha'', possesses several pre-war examples of social housing]]
Attempts to conquer Prussian land began in 997, when [[Bolesław I the Brave]], at the urging of the Pope, sent a contingent of soldiers and a missionary ([[Adalbert of Prague]]) to the pagan Prussians, a non-Slavic people, on a crusade of conquest and conversion. The crusade encompassed much of the Baltic Sea coast east of the Polish city of [[Gdańsk]], up to [[Sambia]]. Starting in 1209 additional crusades were called for by [[Konrad I of Masovia|Konrad of Masovia]], who mainly sought to conquer Prussian territory, rather than actually convert the [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] Prussians. Despite heroic efforts, Old Prussian sovereignty would eventually collapse after a succession of wars instigated by [[Pope Honorius III]] and his frequent calls for crusade.

Before the Prussians were finally brought to heel, Polish rulers and the [[Duchy of Masovia]], both by then [[Christianity|Christianised]] peoples, would be continually frustrated in their attempts at northern expansion. Aside from minor border raids, major campaigns against the Prussians would be launched in 1219, 1220, and 1222. After a particularly sound defeat by Prussian forces in 1223, Polish forces in [[Chełmno]], the seat of [[Christian of Oliva]] and the [[Masovia|Duchy of Masovia]], were forced onto the defensive.

In 1226 Duke [[Konrad I of Masovia]] summoned the [[Teutonic Knights]] for assistance; by 1230 they had secured [[Chełmno]] (Culm) and begun claiming conquered territories for themselves under the authority of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], although these claims were rejected by the Poles, whose ambition had been to conquer Prussia all along. The Teutonic Order's strategy was to move down the Vistula and secure the delta, establishing a barrier between the Prussians and Gdańsk. The victorious Teutonic Knights built a castle at Elbing.

The [[Chronicon terrae Prussiae]]<ref>3.14</ref> describes the conflict in the vicinity of Lake [[Drużno]] shortly before the founding of Elbing:

:{{Lang|la-x-medieval|Omnia propugnacula, que habebant in illo loco, qui dicitur (list) ... circa stagnum Drusine ... occisis et captiis infidelibus, potenter expugnavit, et in cinerem redigendo terre alteri coequavit.}}

:"All the little redoubts that they had in that place, which are said to be (list) ... and around the Drusine marsh ... he (frater Hermannus magister) assaulted and levelled by rendering them into ash, after the infidels had been killed or captured."

Truso did not disappear suddenly to be replaced with the citadel and town of Elbing during the Prussian Crusade. It had already burned down in the tenth century, with the population dispersed in the area.

=== Teutonic Order ===
The [[Chronicon terrae Prussiae]]<ref>3.15</ref> describes the founding of Elbing under the leadership of [[Hermann Balk]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Heckmann |first=Dieter |date=2006-06-01 |title=Kriegstechnische Innovationen in den mittelalterlichen Deutschordenslanden Preußen und Livland |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/mgzs.2006.65.1.113/html |journal=Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift |language=en |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=120 |doi=10.1524/mgzs.2006.65.1.113 |issn=2196-6850|url-access=subscription }}</ref> After building two ships, the Pilgerim (Pilgrim) and the Vridelant (Friedland), with the assistance of Margrave [[Henry III, Margrave of Meissen|Henry III]] of [[Margraviate of Meissen]], the Teutonic Knights used them to clear the Vistula Lagoon (''Frisches Haff'') and the [[Vistula Spit]] of Prussians:
:... {{Lang|la-x-medieval|et recens mare purgatum fuit ab insultu infidelium}} ...
:... "and the Vistula Spit was purged of the insult of the infidels..."

Apparently the river was in [[Pomesania]], which the knights had just finished clearing, but the bay was in [[Pogesania]]. The first Elbing was placed in Pogesania:
:{{Lang|la-x-medieval|Magister ... venit ad terram Pogesanie, ad insulam illam ... que est in media fluminis Elbingi, in illo loco, ubi Elbingus intrat recens mare et erexit ibi castrum, quod a nomine fluminis Elbingum appellavit, anno dominice incarnacionis MCCXXXVII. Aliqui referunt, quod idem castrum postea ab infidelibus fuerit expugnatum, et tunc ad eum locum, ubi nunc situm est, translatum, et circa ipsum civitas collocata.}}<ref>Notes on the passage. [[Medieval Latin]] often used e for ae: {{Lang|la-x-medieval|Pogesanie}} for {{Lang|la|Pogesaniae}}, {{Lang|la-x-medieval|que}} for {{Lang|la|quae}}, etc. {{Lang|la|Recens mare}} is "the [[fresh water|fresh-water]] sea". [[Castrum]] is citadel, not yet of brick.</ref>

:"The master ... came to the region of Pogesania, to that island which is in the middle of the Elbing river, in that place where the Elbing enters the Vistula Lagoon, and built there a fort, which he called by the name of the Elbing River, in the year of the incarnation of the Lord, 1237. Others report that the same fort was attacked by the infidels and then was moved to the place where it is now situated, and the city gathered around it."

[[File:Elbląg, kostelní ulička III.JPG|thumb|Medieval Church Path between tenements connecting the churches of the Old Town]]
Both landings were amphibious operations conducted from the ships. The ''Chronicon'' relates that they were in use for many years and then were sunk in Lake Drużno. In 1238 the [[Dominican Order]] was invited to build a monastery on a grant of land. Pomesania was not secured, however, and from 1240 to 1242 the order began building a brick castle on the south side of the settlement. It may be significant that Elbing's first industry was the same as Truso's had been: manufacture of amber and bone artifacts for export. In 1243 [[William of Modena]] created the Diocese of Pomesania and three others. They were at first only ideological constructs, but the tides of time turned them into reality in that same century.

The foundation of Elbing was perhaps not the end of the Old Prussian story in the region. In 1825 a manuscript listing a vocabulary of the [[Baltic languages|Baltic]] [[Old Prussian|Old Prussian language]], commonly known in English as ''Elbing Vocabulary'', was found among some manuscripts from a merchant's house. It contained 802 words in a dialect now termed Pomesanian with their equivalents in an early form of High German.

The origin of the vocabulary remains unknown. Its format is like that of modern travel dictionaries; i.e., it may have been used by German speakers to communicate with Old Prussians, but the specific circumstances are only speculative. The manuscript became the Codex Neumannianus. It disappeared after a British [[Strategic bombing|bombing raid]] destroyed the library at Elbing but before then facsimiles had been made. The date of the MSS was estimated at ca. 1400, but it was a copy. There is no evidence concerning the provenance of the original, except that it must have been in Pomesanian.

[[File:Siegel Elbing 1350.jpg|thumb|upright|Seal of the city from 1350]]
In 1246 the town was granted a constitution under [[Lübeck law]], used in maritime circumstances, instead of [[Magdeburg rights]] common in other cities in [[Central Europe]]. This decision of the Order was in keeping with its general strategy of espousing the [[Industry trade group|trade association]] that in 1358 would become the [[Hanseatic League]]. The Order seized on this association early and used it to establish bases throughout the Baltic. The Order's involvement in the League was somewhat contradictory. In whatever cities they founded the ultimate authority was the commander of the town, who kept office in the citadel, typically used as a prison. Lübeck law, on the other hand, provided for self-government of the town.

Membership in the Hanseatic League meant having important trading contacts with [[England]], [[Flanders]], [[France]], and the [[Netherlands]]. The city received numerous merchant [[Privilege (law)|privileges]] from the [[List of the monarchs of the Kingdom of England|rulers of England]], Poland, Pomerania, and the Teutonic Order. For instance, the privilege of the Old Town was upgraded in 1343, while in 1393 it was granted an emporium privilege for grains, metals, and forest products.

Except for the citadel and churches, Elbing at the time was more of a small village by modern standards. Its area was {{convert|300|x|500|m|2|abbr=on|lk=out}}. It featured a wharf, a marketplace and five streets, as well as a number of churches. The castle was completed in 1251. In 1288 fire destroyed the entire settlement except for the churches, which were of brick. A new circuit wall was started immediately. From 1315 to 1340 Elbląg was rebuilt. A separate settlement called New Town was founded ca. 1337 and received [[Lübeck rights]] in 1347. In 1349 the [[Black Death]] struck the town, toward the end of the European plague. After the population recovered it continued building up the city and in 1364 a [[crane (machine)|crane]] was built for the port.

The German-language ''Elbinger Rechtsbuch'', written in Elbing documented among other laws for the first time Polish common law. The German-language Polish laws are based on the [[Sachsenspiegel]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8NYNAAAAYAAJ&q=elbing+vocabular&pg=PA337 |title=Archiv für das Studium der neueren ... - Google Books |date=September 21, 2007 |access-date=July 8, 2009}}</ref> and were written down to aid the judges. It is thus the oldest source for documented Polish [[common law]] and is in Polish referred to as the ''Księga Elbląska'' (Book of Elbląg<ref>Towarzystwo Naukowe Warszawskie: The Journal of Juristic Papyrology, 1946</ref>). It was written down in the second half of the 13th century.

In 1410, during the [[Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War]], the inhabitants of the city rebelled against the Teutonic Knights and expelled them, while welcoming Polish troops and paying homage to Polish King [[Władysław II Jagiełło]], who afterwards vested Elbląg with new privileges.<ref>{{cite book|last=Potkowski|first=Edward|year=1994|title=Grunwald 1410|language=pl|location=Kraków|publisher=Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza|pages=61–62}}</ref> As the castle was lightly defended by a Polish garrison, the Teutonic Knights managed to retake it, promising the Polish defenders that they will be given free passage back to Poland. After the castle was taken, the Knights broke their promise and subsequently murdered a number of the captured defenders while imprisoning the rest.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gierszewski|first=Stanisław|year=1978|title=Elbląg: przeszłość i teraźniejszość|language=pl|publisher=Wydawnictwo Morskie na zlec. Wydziału Kultury i Sztuki Urzędu Wojewódzkiego w Elblągu|page=49}}</ref>

===Kingdom of Poland===
[[File:SM Elbląg Wigilijna3 (0).jpg|thumb|right|Preserved tenements often resemble [[Amsterdam]] and [[Gdańsk]]]]
In February 1440, the city hosted a convention at which delegates from various cities (including Elbing itself) and nobility from the region decided to establish the anti-Teutonic [[Prussian Confederation]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Górski|first=Karol|title=Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych|year=1949|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|location=[[Poznań]]|language=pl|page=XXXI}}</ref> In April and May 1440, further meetings were held in Elbing, at which more towns and noblemen joined the organisation.<ref>Górski, p. XXXVII</ref> In 1454, the organisation led the revolt against the rule of the Teutonic Knights, and then its delegation submitted a petition to King [[Casimir IV of Poland]] asking him to include the region within the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]]. The King agreed and signed the act of incorporation of the region (including Elbing) to the Kingdom of Poland in March 1454 in [[Kraków]],<ref>Górski, p. 59-60</ref> which sparked the [[Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466)|Thirteen Years' War]], the longest of all Polish–Teutonic wars. The local mayor pledged allegiance to the Polish King during the incorporation in March 1454,<ref>Górski, p. 71–72</ref> and the burghers of Elbląg recognized Casimir IV as rightful ruler. After paying homage to the King, the city was granted great privileges, similar to those of [[Toruń]] and [[Gdańsk]]. Since 1454, the city was authorized by King Casimir IV to mint Polish coins.<ref>Górski, p. 63</ref> The war ended in a Polish victory in 1466, with the [[Second Peace of Thorn (1466)|Second Peace of Thorn]], in which the Teutonic Order renounced any claims to the city and recognised it as part of Poland.<ref>Górski, p. 91</ref>

Within the Kingdom of Poland, the city was administratively part of the [[Malbork Voivodeship]] in the newly established [[autonomous area|autonomous province]] of [[Royal Prussia]], later also within the larger [[Greater Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Greater Poland Province]]. With the creation of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] in 1569, the city was brought under direct control of the Polish crown. As one of the largest and most influential cities of Poland, it enjoyed voting rights during the [[Royal elections in Poland|royal election]] period in Poland.<ref>Polska Encyklopedia Szlachecka, t. I, Warsaw 1935, p. 42.</ref>

Elbląg was often visited by [[Nicolaus Copernicus]] between 1504 and 1530.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://szlakkopernikowski.pl/pl/elblag|title=Elbląg|website=Szlak Kopernikowski|access-date=24 September 2023|language=pl}}</ref>

With the 16th century [[Protestant Reformation]] the burghers became [[Protestantism|Lutherans]] and the first Lutheran [[Gymnasium (school)|Gymnasium]] was established in Elbląg in 1535.

From 1579 Elbląg had close trade relations with [[England]], to which the city accorded [[free trade]]. English, [[Scotland|Scottish]], and [[Ireland|Irish]] merchants settled in the city. They formed the Scottish Reformed Church of Elbląg and became Elbląg citizens, aiding Lutheran [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] in the [[Thirty Years' War]]. The rivalry of nearby Gdańsk interrupted trading links several times. By 1618 Elbląg had left the Hanseatic League owing to its close business dealings with England.

Famous inhabitants of the city at that time included native sons [[Hans von Bodeck]] and [[Samuel Hartlib]]. During the [[Thirty Years' War]], Swedish Chancellor [[Axel Oxenstierna]] brought the [[Moravian Church|Moravian Brethren]] refugee [[John Amos Comenius]] to Elbląg for six years (1642–1648). In 1642 [[Johann Stobäus]], who composed with [[Johann Eccard]], published the '' Preussische Fest-Lieder'', a number of evangelical Prussian songs. In 1646 the city recorder Daniel Barholz noted that the [[city council]] employed ''Bernsteindreher'', or ''Paternostermacher'', licensed and guilded amber craftsmen who worked on [[prayer beads]], [[rosary|rosaries]], and many other items made of amber. Members of the Barholz family became mayors and councillors.

[[File:Elbląg- miedzioryt z XVIII wieku.jpg|thumb|View of Elbląg from a 1720 atlas by [[Pieter van der Aa]], based on an earlier print by [[Matthäus Merian]]]]
During the [[Thirty Years' War]], the Vistula Lagoon was the main southern Baltic base of King [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden]], who was hailed as the protector of the Protestants. By 1660 the Vistula Lagoon had gone to Elector [[Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick William]] of [[Brandenburg|Brandenburg-Prussia]], but was returned in 1700.

The poet [[Christian Wernicke]] was born in 1661 in Elbląg, while [[Gottfried Achenwall]] became famous for his teachings in [[natural law]] and [[International human rights law|human rights law]]. In 1700–1710 it was occupied by Swedish troops. In 1709 it was besieged, taken by storm on 2 February 1710, by Russian troops with support of Prussian artillery. The city was handed over to [[List of Polish monarchs|Polish King]] Augustus II in 1712.

The Royal-Polish mathematician and cartographer [[Johann Friedrich Endersch]] completed a map of [[Warmia]] in 1755 and also made a [[copper]] [[etching]] of the galley named "The City of Elbing".

During the [[War of the Polish Succession]] in 1734, Elbląg was placed under [[military occupation]] by [[Russian Empire|Russia]] and [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]].<ref>''{{in lang|de}} Book: Merian-Chronik, Cöln 1737/8: Elbingische Geschichte Zu gleicher Zeit Danzigs Belagerung 1734... Ordentliches Tage-Register von den Unternehmungen der Russen und Sachsen by der Belagerung der Stadt Dantzig. Nachricht, Wie viele Personen das 1734te Jahr durch in der Stadt Dantzig getauffet/verehelichet und begraben worden...''</ref> The town came again under occupation by Russia from 1758 to 1762 during the [[Seven Years' War]].

===Kingdom of Prussia===
During the [[First Partition of Poland]] in 1772 Elbląg was annexed by King [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederick the Great]] of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. Elbing became part of the newly established province of [[West Prussia]] in 1773. In the 1815 provincial reorganization following the [[Napoleonic Wars]], Elbing and its hinterland were included within [[Regierungsbezirk Danzig]] in West Prussia.

In October and November 1831, various Polish infantry, cavalry and artillery units, engineer corps and sappers of the [[November Uprising]] stopped in the city and its environs on the way to their internment locations, whereas the general staff with Commander-in-Chief General [[Maciej Rybiński]] and generals [[Józef Bem]], [[Marcin Klemensowski]], [[Kazimierz Małachowski]], [[Ludwik Michał Pac]] and [[Antoni Wroniecki]] was interned in the city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kasparek|first=Norbert|editor-last=Katafiasz|editor-first=Tomasz|year=2014|title=Na tułaczym szlaku... Powstańcy Listopadowi na Pomorzu|language=pl|location=Koszalin|publisher=Muzeum w Koszalinie, Archiwum Państwowe w Koszalinie|pages=138–140|chapter=Żołnierze polscy w Prusach po upadku powstania listopadowego. Powroty do kraju i wyjazdy na emigrację}}</ref> On 22 December 1831 the Prussian army attempted to pacify the Polish insurgents and launched a charge on the disarmed Poles, who resisted relocation, fearing deportation to the Russian Partition of Poland.<ref>Kasparek, p. 153</ref> Some insurgents eventually left partitioned Poland for the [[Great Emigration]], including [[Józef Bem]], who was expelled by the Prussians in December 1831, and [[Maciej Rybiński]], who left the city in February 1832.<ref>Kasparek, pp. 157, 169</ref>

[[File:Elbląg Holy Trinity church Kielecka 24-007.JPG|thumb|right|[[Timber-framed]] Holy Trinity Church]]
Elbing [[industrialisation|industrialized]]. In 1828 the first steamship was built by Ignatz Grunau. In 1837 [[Ferdinand Schichau]] started the [[Schichau-Werke]] company in Elbing as well as another shipyard in Danzig (Gdańsk) later on. Schichau constructed the ''Borussia'', the first [[Screw ship|screw-vessel]] in Germany. Schichau-Werke built [[hydraulics|hydraulic]] machinery, ships, [[steam engine]]s, and [[torpedo]]es. After the inauguration of the railway to [[Königsberg]] in 1853, Elbing's industry began to grow. Schichau worked together with his son-in-law Carl H. Zise, who continued the industrial complex after Schichau's death. Schichau erected large complexes for his many thousands of workers.

[[Georg Steenke]], an engineer from Königsberg, connected Elbing near the Baltic Sea with the southern part of Prussia by building the Oberländischer Kanal ([[Elbląg Canal]]).

Elbing became part of the Prussian-led [[German Empire]] in 1871 during the [[unification of Germany]]. As Elbing became an industrial city, the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] (SPD) frequently received the majority of votes; in the 1912 [[Reichstag (German Empire)|Reichstag]] elections the SPD received 51% of the vote. After [[World War I]], as most of the province of West Prussia was reintegrated with the reborn [[Second Polish Republic|Polish Republic]], Elbing was joined to the German province of [[East Prussia]], and was separated from [[Weimar Republic|Weimar Germany]] by the so-called [[Polish Corridor]].

===Nazi Germany===
[[File:Elblag-stutgoff (1).jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of a subcamp of the [[Stutthof concentration camp]]]]
During [[World War II]], under [[Nazi Germany]], a Nazi prison,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1233|title=Haftanstalt Elbing|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=19 September 2021|language=de}}</ref> a [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] subcamp of the [[Stalag I-A]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|POW camp]],<ref>{{cite journal|last=Necio|first=Jerzy|year=2011|title=Stalag I A Stablack. Próby upamiętnienia|journal=Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny|location=[[Opole]]|language=pl|volume=34|page=61}}</ref> a forced labour subcamp of the [[Stalag XX-B]] POW camp,<ref>{{cite book|last=Daniluk|first=Jan|editor-last=Grudziecka|editor-first=Beata|title=Stalag XX B: historia nieopowiedziana|language=pl|location=[[Malbork]]|publisher=Muzeum Miasta Malborka|page=11|chapter=Stalag XX B Marienburg: geneza i znaczenie obozu jenieckiego w Malborku-Wielbarku w latach II wojny światowej|date=May 9, 2024 |isbn=978-83-950992-2-9}}</ref> and three subcamps of the [[Stutthof concentration camp]] were operated in the city.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gliński|first=Mirosław|title=Podobozy i większe komanda zewnętrzne obozu Stutthof (1939–1945)|journal=Stutthof. Zeszyty Muzeum|language=pl|volume=3|pages=167, 177, 180|issn=0137-5377}}</ref> The Germans also enslaved Poles as forced labour in the city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2017|title=Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|page=104|isbn=978-83-8098-174-4}}</ref> The [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish resistance]] was active and infiltrated the German arms industry.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chrzanowski|first=Bogdan|year=2022|title=Polskie Państwo Podziemne na Pomorzu w latach 1939–1945|language=pl|location=Gdańsk|publisher=IPN|page=48|isbn=978-83-8229-411-8}}</ref> Dozens of [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish resistance]] members were held in the local prison, and at least 15 were sentenced to death in the city in 1942.<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Encyklopedia konspiracji Wielkopolskiej 1939–1945|year=1998|location=Poznań|language=pl|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|pages=57, 69, 106, 117, 120, 137–138, 142, 148, 157, 160, 162, 194, 227, 249, 254, 284, 303, 336, 338, 503, 535, 558, 561, 564, 582, 594, 675–676, 678–680, 682, 684–685, 687–690, 693–694, 697, 701, 703, 706, 712–713, 737, 751|isbn=83-85003-97-5}}</ref>

The prison and forced labour camps were closed and many of the German inhabitants [[Evacuation of East Prussia|forced to flee]] as the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Red Army]] approached the city toward the end of the war. Laid under siege since 23 January 1945, about 65% of the city infrastructure was destroyed, including most of the historical city center. The town was captured by the Soviet Red Army during the night of 9–10 February 1945.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.castlesofpoland.com/prusy/elbl_hist_en.htm|title=History of Elblag - Castles of Poland|website=www.castlesofpoland.com|access-date=May 28, 2017}}</ref> During the first days of the siege most of the population of approximately 100,000 persons fled. After the end of war, in spring 1945, the region together with the city became again part of Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, as a result of the [[Potsdam Conference]]. As of 1 November 1945 16.838 Germans remained in the town.<ref name=Byk>{{cite book|title=The Rehabilitation and Ethnic Vetting of the Polish Population in the Voivodship of Gdańsk after World War II|author=Sylwia Bykowska|publisher=Peter-Lang-Verlagsgruppe|page=116|date=2020|isbn=978-3-631-67940-1}}</ref> Polish rule over the town was implemented on 1 April 1945, hence, much before the Allies' decisions at the later [[Potsdam Conference]]. Many of Elbings' residents were interned, and finally [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|expelled]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Die Vertreibung der deutschen Bevölkerung aus den Gebieten östlich der Oder-Neisse|series=Dokumentation der Vertreibung der Deutschen aus Ost-Mitteleuropa|volume=I/2|year=1984|publisher=Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag|pages=453–456|language=de}}</ref> The Polish authorities made a determined effort to establish a demographic ''fait accomplit'' before the Allies would take decisions on Germany's future.<ref>{{cite book | last=Yoshioka | first=Jun | title=Imagining Their Lands as Ours: Place Name Changes on Ex-German Territories in Poland after World War II| publisher=Hokkaido University Press | year=2007 | isbn=978-4-938637-43-9 | url=https://src-h.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/coe21/publish/no15_ses/14_yoshioka.pdf| access-date=2023-08-16|pages=276–277}}; {{cite book | last=Schechtman | first=J.B. | title=Postwar Population Transfers in Europe, 1945-1955 | publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press, Incorporated | series=Anniversary Collection | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-5128-0654-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VVIrEAAAQBAJ |jstor=j.ctv513716 | access-date=2023-08-21|pages=214}}</ref>

===History after 1945===
The area was settled by Poles after remaining Germans were either [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|transferred or fled]] to Germany. Elbląg was part of the so-called [[Recovered Territories]] and out of the new inhabitants, 98% were [[Poles (people)|Poles]] expelled from former [[Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union|eastern Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union]]. Parts of the damaged historical city center were completely demolished, with the bricks being used to rebuild [[Warsaw]] and [[Gdańsk]]. The [[People's Republic of Poland|Communist authorities]] had originally planned that the Old Town, utterly destroyed during the fighting since 23 January 1945, would be built over with [[Tower block|blocks of flats]]; however, economic difficulties thwarted this effort. Two [[church (building)|churches]] were reconstructed and the remaining ruins of the old town were torn down in the 1960s.

[[File:Butelki piwa EB.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Elbrewery|EB]], [[Beer in Poland|Polish beer]] produced by the [[Elbrewery|Elbrewery Company]] in Elbląg]]
Along with [[Tricity, Poland|Tricity]] and [[Szczecin]], Elbląg was the scene of the [[Polish 1970 protests]]. Since 1990 the German minority population has had a modest resurgence, with the Elbinger Deutsche Minderheit Organization counting around 450 members in 2000{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}.

Restoration of the Old Town began after 1989. Since the beginning of the restoration, an extensive archaeological programme has been carried out. Most of the city's heritage was destroyed during the construction of basements in the 19th century or during World War II, but the backyards and [[latrine]]s of the houses remained largely unchanged, and have provided information on the city's history. In some instances, private investors have incorporated parts of preserved stonework into new architecture. By 2006, approximately 75% of the Old Town had been reconstructed.

Elbląg is also home to the [[Elbrewery]], Poland's largest brewery, which belongs to the [[Żywiec Brewery|Żywiec Group]] (Heineken). The history of the Elblag Brewing Tradition dates back to 1309, when Teutonic Master Siegfried von Leuchtwangen granted brewing privileges to the city. The present brewery was founded in 1872 as the Elbinger Aktien-Brauerei. In the early 1900s, the brewery was the exclusive supplier of [[Pilsner|Pilsner beer]] to the court of German Emperor [[Wilhelm II]].

==Historic buildings==
[[File:SM Elbląg Brama Targowa (1) ID 644716 (cropped).jpg|thumb|''Brama Targowa'' (Market Gate)]]
[[File:Ratusz Staromiejski w Elblągu.JPG|thumb|Postmodern Old Town City Hall]]
Until World War II there were many [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]], [[Renaissance in Poland|Renaissance]] and [[Baroque in Poland|Baroque]] houses in Elbląg's Old Town; some of them are reconstructed. Other preserved buildings are:
*[[St. Nicholas Cathedral, Elbląg|St. Nicholas Cathedral]] - a monumental 13th-century Gothic church (cathedral only from 1992, before it was a [[parish church|parochial church]]), destroyed by fire in the late 18th century, then damaged in World War II and repaired
*''Brama Targowa'' (Market Gate) - erected in 1319
*St. Mary's Church - former Dominican church, erected in the 13th century, rebuilt in the 14th and 16th centuries; damaged in World War II and reconstructed in 1961 as an [[art museum|art gallery]]; remnants of cloister are partially preserved
*Holy Ghost church with hospital, from the 14th century
*Corpus Christi church from the 14th century
*''Ścieżka kościelna'' (Church Path) - medieval path between tenements connecting the churches of the Old Town
*Gothic houses at 13 Świętego Ducha Street and 34 Studzienna Street (reconstruction)
*Mannierist houses of the Old Town, e.g. Jost van Kampen House at 12 Garbary Street
*Postmodern reconstruction of the Old Town with new Old Town City Hall
*Church of Good Shepherd - originally [[Mennonites|Mennonite]], now [[Polish-Catholic Church of the Republic of Poland|Polish Old Catholic]] church from 1890

The [[Elbląg Canal]], built in 1825–44, is a tourist site of Elbląg. The canal is believed to be one of the most important monuments related to the history of [[engineering]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Canal in Elbląg |url=https://www.poland.travel/en-us/technological-and-industrial-monuments/the-canal-in-elblag |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406021604/https://www.poland.travel/en-us/technological-and-industrial-monuments/the-canal-in-elblag |archive-date=2017-04-06 |access-date=2017-04-05}}</ref> and has been named one of the [[Seven Wonders of Poland]].<ref>{{in lang|pl}} As per results of a plebiscite for the [http://www.budowle.pl/news,153,wyniki-plebiscytu-na-siedem-cudow-polski.html 'Seven Wonders of Poland'] conducted by [[Rzeczpospolita (newspaper)]], cited at www.budowle.pl.</ref> The canal was also named one of Poland's official national [[List of Historical Monuments (Poland)|Historic Monuments]] (''[[Pomnik historii]]'') in 2011. Its listing is maintained by the [[Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa|National Heritage Board of Poland]].

==Culture==
[[File:Biblioteka w Elblągu, dawny szpital.jpg|thumb|Cyprian Norwid Elbląg Library]]
The primary cultural institutions in Elbląg are the Archaeological and Historical Museum, the Cyprian Norwid Elbląg Library, the EL Gallery Art Center and the Aleksander Sewruk Theater. The museum presents many pieces of art and items of everyday use, including the only 15th century [[binoculars]] preserved in Europe.

==Population==
{{Historical populations
| align = none|cols=2
|1772|11952
|1781|15768
|1831|17761
|1875|33520
|1880|35842
|1885|38278
|1890|41576
|1900|52518
|1910|58636
|1925|67878
|1933|72409
|1939|83190
|1945<ref name=Byk/>|22179
|1950|48112|1960|76513|1970|90051|1980|110221|1990|126056|2000|128305|2010|126049|2020|118582
|2021|117390}}

== Transport ==
{{See also|Trams in Elbląg}}
[[File:Elbląg_train_station_short_time_before_end_of_modernization_-_1.jpg|thumb|Elbląg Main Train Station]]

The [[Expressway S7 (Poland)|S7 Expressway]] runs through the south of the city. The [[Expressway S22 (Poland)|S22 Expressway]] also runs through the city.

The city is served by rail transit through PKP Intercity and Polregio through Elbląg Main station in the south of the city.

The city maintains an extensive [[Trams in Elbląg|tram network]] with 5 lines. In addition to this, the city also operates a bus network that services the entire city.

==Institutions of higher education==
[[File:Elbląska Uczelnia Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna w Elblągu 3.jpg|thumb|Elbląg Higher School of Arts and Economics]]
[[File:Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne w Elblągu.JPG|thumb|Theological Seminary in Elbląg]]
* Elbląg Higher School of Arts and Economics ({{langx|pl|Elbląska Uczelnia Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna}})<ref>{{cite web |url=http://euhe.edu.pl/ |title=Elbląska Uczelnia Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna |publisher=Euhe.edu.pl |access-date=October 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217111917/http://www.euhe.edu.pl/ |archive-date=December 17, 2007 |df=mdy }}</ref>
** Faculty of Pedagogy
** Faculty of Administration
** Faculty of Health Sciences
** Faculty of Economics and Politics
* Elbląg Higher State College of [[Vocational education|Vocational Education]] (''Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa'')<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pwsz.elblag.pl/ |title=Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Zawodowa w Elblągu :: Studia dzienne bezpłatne :: Strona główna |publisher=Pwsz.elblag.pl |access-date=October 10, 2009}}</ref>
** Faculty of Pedagogy and Foreign Languages
** Faculty of Economics
** Faculty of Applied Computer Science
** Faculty of Technical Sciences
* Bogdan Jański Higher School, Faculty in Elbląg (''Szkoła Wyższa im. Bogdana Jańskiego'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.janski.pl/uczelnia/wydzial.html |title=Studia: Zarządzanie, Socjologia, Pedagogika, Politologia, Gospodarka przestrzenna :: Szkoły Wyższe im. B. Jańskiego |publisher=Janski.pl |date=June 24, 2009 |access-date=July 25, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010151636/http://www.janski.pl/uczelnia/wydzial.html |archive-date=October 10, 2007 |df=mdy }}</ref>
** Faculty of Management and [[Land management|Land Management]]
* Elbląg Diocese [[Seminary|Theological Seminary]] (''Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne Diecezji Elbląskiej'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seminarium.elblag.opoka.org.pl/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912192634/http://www.seminarium.elblag.opoka.org.pl/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 12, 2012 |title=WyĹźsze Seminarium Duchowne Diecezji ElblÄ…skiej |publisher=Seminarium.elblag.opoka.org.pl |access-date=October 10, 2009 }}</ref>
* Regent College - [[Foreign language|Foreign Language]] [[Teacher education|Teacher Training]] College (''Regent College - Nauczycielskie Kolegium Języków Obcych'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anglistyka.edu.pl/ |title=Regent College - Aktualności |publisher=Anglistyka.edu.pl |access-date=October 10, 2009}}</ref>
** Faculty of [[English studies|English Studies]]

==Sports==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|+ Professional sports teams
|-
!Club
!Sport
!League
!Trophies
|-
|[[Start Elbląg]]
|Women's [[handball]]
|[[Polish Women's Superliga (women's handball)|Superliga]]
|2 Polish Championships (1992, 1994)<br>3 Polish Cups (1993, 1994, 1999)
|-
|[[Olimpia Elbląg]]
|Men's [[Association football|football]]
|[[II liga]]
|0
|}

==Politics==

===Constituency===
[[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]] ([[Sejm of the Republic of Poland|Sejm]]) elected from Elbląg constituency.

* [[Jan Antochowski]], [[Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)|SLD]]-[[Labour Union (Poland)|UP]]
* [[Danuta Ciborowska]], [[Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union|SLD-UP]]
* [[Witold Gintowt-Dziewałtowski]], SLD-UP
* [[Stanisław Gorczyca]], [[Civic Platform|PO]]
* [[Jerzy Müller]], SLD-UP
* [[Adam Ołdakowski]], [[Samoobrona]]
* [[Andrzej Umiński]], SLD-UP
* [[Stanisław Żelichowski]], [[Polish People's Party|PSL]]
<!--

===Municipal politics===
to be written yet-->

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Poland}}

===Twin towns — sister cities===
Elbląg is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref name="Elbląg twinnings">{{cite web|url=http://www.info.elblag.pl/index.php?id=niezbednik_&pid=31&strona=1|title=Elbląg - Podstrony / Miasta partnerskie |access-date=August 1, 2013 |work=Elbląski Dziennik Internetowy|language=pl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315153700/http://info.elblag.pl/index.php?id=niezbednik_&pid=31&strona=1 |archive-date=March 15, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2">{{cite web|url=http://www.elblag.net/niezbednik/miasta-partnerskie,65|title=Elbląg - Miasta partnerskie|access-date=August 1, 2013 |work=Elbląg.net|language=pl}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Ternopil]], Ukraine <small>''(since 1992)''<ref name="Elbląg twinnings"/><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2"/></small>
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Leer, Lower Saxony|Leer]], [[Lower Saxony]], Germany <small>''(since 23 June 2001)''<ref name="Elbląg twinnings"/><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2"/></small>
*{{flagicon|SWE}} [[Ronneby]], Sweden <small>''(since 1991)''<ref name="Elbląg twinnings"/><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2"/></small>
*{{flagicon|LTU}} [[Druskininkai]], Lithuania <small>''(since 1996)''<ref name="Elbląg twinnings"/><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2"/><ref name="Druskininkai twinnings">{{cite web |url=http://www.druskininkai.lt/go.php/Tarptautinis%20bendradarbiavimas889 |title=Tarptautinis Bendradarbiavimas |trans-title=Druskininkai international cooperation |work=Druskininkų savivaldybės administracija |date=March 22, 2012 |language=lt |access-date=August 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130803232932/http://www.druskininkai.lt/go.php/Tarptautinis%20bendradarbiavimas889 |archive-date=August 3, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref></small>
*{{flagicon|LVA}} [[Liepāja]], Latvia <small>''(since 1991)''<ref name="Elbląg twinnings"/><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2"/></small>
||

*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Compiègne]], France <small>''(since 2002)''<ref name="Elbląg twinnings"/><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2"/></small>
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Trowbridge]], West Wiltshire, UK <small>''(since March 31, 2000)''<ref name="Elbląg twinnings"/><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2"/><ref name="Trowbridge twinnings">{{cite news|title=Trowbridge - Market town twins with Arab city|date=October 3, 2006 |publisher=BBC News Channel|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/5401592.stm|work=BBC News |access-date=August 1, 2013 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021084445/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wiltshire/5401592.stm |archive-date=October 21, 2007}}</ref></small>
*{{flagicon|CHI}} [[Coquimbo]], Chile <small>''(since 1995)''<ref name="Elbląg twinnings"/><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2"/></small>
*{{flagicon|PRC}} [[Baoji]], [[Shaanxi]], People's Republic of China <small>''(since 1997)''<ref name="Elbląg twinnings"/><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2"/></small>
*{{flagicon|ROC}} [[Tainan]], Taiwan <small>''(since April 29, 2004)''<ref name="Elbląg twinnings"/><ref name="Elbląg twinnings 2"/><ref name="Tianan twinnings">{{cite web |url=http://www.tainan.gov.tw/tainan/Intro.asp?nsub=L1A400 |script-title=zh:姊妹市暨友誼市 |work=Tainan City Government |language=zh |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805172419/http://www.tainan.gov.tw/tainan/Intro.asp?nsub=L1A400 |archive-date=August 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 22, 2016 |df=mdy }}</ref></small>
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Nowy Sącz]], Poland<ref name="Nowy Sącz twinnings">{{cite web |url=http://www.nowysacz.pl/miasta_partnerskie |title=Miasta partnerskie i zaprzyjaźnione Nowego Sącza |work=Urząd Miasta Nowego Sącza |language=pl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523172036/http://www.nowysacz.pl/miasta_partnerskie |archive-date=May 23, 2013 |access-date=August 1, 2013}}</ref>

|}

===Former twin towns===
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Kaliningrad]], [[Kaliningrad Oblast]], Russia <small>''(since 1994 until 2022)''</small>
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Baltiysk]], [[Kaliningrad Oblast]], Russia <small>''(since 1994 until 2022)''</small>
*{{flagicon|BLR}} [[Novogrudok]], Belarus <small>''(since 1995 until 2022)''</small>

On 28 February 2022, Elbląg ended its partnership with the Russian cities of Kaliningrad and Baltiysk and the Belarusian city of Novogrudok as a response to the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]] and its active support by the Republic of Belarus.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://elblag24.pl/miasto-elblag-zrywa-wspolprace-z-rosyjskimi-miastami-partnerskimi/ |language=pl |title=Miasto Elbląg zrywa współpracę z rosyjskimi miastami partnerskimi |date=February 28, 2022 |access-date = 5 March 2022}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[List of mayors of Danzig|Georg Kleefeld]] (1522–1576), mayor of Danzig
* [[Hans von Bodeck]] (1582–1658), diplomat and Chancellor of Brandenburg
* [[John Amos Comenius]] (1592–1670), educator
* [[Samuel Hartlib]] ({{circa|1600–1662}}), teacher and scientist
* [[Christian Wernicke]] (1661–1725), epigrammist and diplomat
* [[Charles Aloysius Ramsay]] (1677–1680) Scottish-Prussian writer on stenography and translator 
* [[Johann Friedrich Endersch]] (1705–1769), mathematician geographer
* [[Gottfried Achenwall]] (1719–1772), statistician
* [[Eberhard Gottlieb Graff]] (1780–1841) German philologist.
* [[Wilhelm Baum (surgeon)|Wilhelm Baum]] (1799–1883) a German surgeon 
* [[Wilhelm Eduard Albrecht]] (1800–1876), lawyer, member of [[Göttinger Sieben]]
* [[Bruno Erhard Abegg]] (1803–1848), statesman of [[Königsberg]]
* [[Ferdinand Schichau]] (1814–1896), founder of the ''Schichau-Werke'' in Elbing and [[Danzig]]
* [[John Prince-Smith]] (1809–1874), liberal economist and politician in Germany
* [[Johannes Kohtz]] (1843–1918), German chess player
* [[Reinhold Felderhoff]] (1865–1919) German sculptor.
* [[Maximilian Consbruch]] (1866–1927), German classical philologist and gymnasium principal 
* [[Hermann Schulz (politician)|Hermann Schulz]] (1872–1929), German politician 
* [[Paul Pulewka]] (1896–1989) German [[pharmacology|pharmacologist]]
* [[Max Reimann]] (1898–1977), president of the [[Communist Party of Germany]]
* [[Erich Brost]] (1903–1995) publisher
* [[Günter Kuhnke]] (1912–1990), Admiral
* [[Hans-Dieter Lange]] (1926–2012), journalist
* [[Hans-Jürgen Krupp]] (born 1933) German politician, economist and University professor 
* [[Brigitte Birnbaum]] (born 1938) German author of books, mainly for children and young people
* [[Ursula Karusseit]] (1939–2019), German actress
* [[Bernd Neumann]] (born 1942), German politician
* [[Ortwin Runde]] (born 1944), mayor of [[Hamburg]] from 1997 to 2001.
* [[Andrzej Sakson]] (born 1950), sociologist and director of the [[Western Institute]]
* [[Henryk Iwaniec]] (born 1947), mathematician
* [[Wojciech Cejrowski]] (born 1964), journalist, writer
* [[Adam Fedoruk]] (born 1966), footballer
* [[Ewa Białołęcka]] (born 1967), [[fantasy|fantasy writer]]
* [[Piotr Wadecki]] (born 1973), cyclist
* [[Maciej Bykowski]] (born 1977), footballer
* [[Adam Wadecki]] (born 1977), cyclist
* [[Dominika Figurska]] (born 1978), actress
* [[Radosław Wojtaszek]] (born 1987), [[chess grandmaster]]
* [[Krzysztof Jotko]] (born 1989), [[MMA]] fighter
* [[Joanna Wołosz]] (born 1990), [[volleyball]] player

==See also==
* [[Elbrewery|EB]] - [[Beer in Poland|Polish beer]] produced by the Elbrewery Company

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikivoyage}}

=== Government websites ===
* [http://www.elblag.eu/ Municipal website]
* [http://www.gminaelblag.pl/ Gmina of Elbląg] {{in lang|pl}}
* [http://www.powiat.elblag.pl/ Elbląg County] {{in lang|pl}}

=== Tourism and historical sites ===
* [http://www.castlesofpoland.com/prusy/elblag_en.htm CastlesOfPoland.com]
* [http://plan.elblag.com.pl/ Interactive map of Elbląg] {{in lang|pl}}
* [http://www.it.elblag.com.pl/index.php?new_lang=en Tourism information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620070521/http://www.it.elblag.com.pl/index.php?new_lang=en |date=June 20, 2006 }}
* [http://donelaitis.vdu.lt/prussian/Elbin.pdf Elbing Vocabulary], presentation by Dr. Letis Palmaitis
* [https://sztetl.org.pl/en/towns/e/854-elblag Jewish community of Elbląg] on Virtual Shtetl

=== Web portals ===
* [http://www.elblag.pl/ Wirtualny Elbląg - portal] {{in lang|pl}}
* [http://www.portel.pl/ Elbląska Gazeta Internetowa - portal] {{in lang|pl}}
* [http://www.elblag24.pl/ Elblag24 - portal] {{in lang|pl}}
* [http://info.elblag.pl/ info.elblag.pl - portal] {{in lang|pl}}
* [http://www.nocnyelblag.pl/ Nocny Elbląg - portal] {{in lang|pl}}
* [http://www.wm.pl/index.php?ct=elblag Dziennik Elbląski newspaper] {{in lang|pl}}
* [http://www.many-roads.com/libraries/prussia-histories/ Extensive East & West Prussian Historical Materials] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914082324/http://www.many-roads.com/libraries/prussia-histories/ |date=September 14, 2014 }} {{in lang|en|de}}
{{Navboxes
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{{Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship|state=autocollapse}}
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{{Hanseatic League}}
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[[Category:Elbląg| ]]
[[Category:City counties of Poland]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Members of the Hanseatic League]]
[[Category:Cities with powiat rights]]
[[Category:Populated riverside places in Poland]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the Baltic Sea]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in Poland]]