Ustka

Ustka
Port in Ustka
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Poland
Voivodeship	Pomeranian
County	Słupsk
Gmina	Ustka (urban gmina)
Established	13th century
Town rights	1935
Government
• Mayor	Jan Olech
Area
• Total	10.14 km2 (3.92 sq mi)
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population  (2006)
• Total	16,227
• Density	1,600/km2 (4,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	76-270
Area code	+48 59
Car plates	GSL
Website	http://www.ustka.pl

Ustka [Polish pronunciation: ['] ] (German: Stolpmünde; Kashubian and Pomeranian: Ùskô) is a town in the Middle Pomerania region of northwestern Poland with 17,100 inhabitants (2001). It is also part of Słupsk County in Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999, and was previously in Słupsk Voivodeship (1975-1998).

History

The area at the mouth of the river Stolpe (Słupia )was ceded to the town of Stolp (Słupsk) in 1337 with the purpose to built a harbour at the Baltic Sea. The town increased economic progress after Stolp (Słupsk) became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1382. As part of the Duchy of Pomerania, since 1181 an integral part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation , the town was given to Brandenburg-Prussia after the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648.

The railway was opened in Stolpmünde (Ustka) in 1878. The rails were transported by the sea and the bedding for the track was formed by sand taken from the dunes on the Western Beach. The first passenger train departed Stolpmünde (Ustka) on 1 October 1878. The rail was also used as a main transport facilitating the trade from the harbour. The rail track was extended to run into the harbour, trading mostly grain and spirits. Records state that in 1887, the Stolpmünde (Ustka) harbour shipped 5 million litres of plain spirits. With the conquest by the Soviet Union and administration of Poland after World War II the harbour declined, fishing taking priority to the former trade. The current shape of the harbour is a result of a main investment between 1899 and 1903, which made Stolpmünde (Ustka) the largest port between Stettin (Szczecin) and Danzig (Gdańsk).

Following the creation of the Polish Corridor, the German Ministry for Transport established a ferry connection to East Prussia ("Sea Service East Prussia" or Seedienst Ostpreußen) in 1922 to be independent of the transit through Polish administered territory. These ships also harboured in Stolpmünde (Ustka). Because of the increasing traffic it was planned for the harbour to be enlarged and modernized. The gigantic new development kicked off at the beginning of 1938. A third pier was started as docking station for the largest vessels. The construction of the new port was halted on 23 September 1939 after the German Invasion of Poland. The unfinished third pier battered by the sea attracts legends and myths related to Nazi Germany operations in World War II.

The old part of the town has retained its layout since the Middle Ages. The small residential buildings were modernised in the thirties of the 19th century, however the layout of the streets was not changed. Since 2005, Ustka's authorities and the European Union embarked on the Revitilisation Programme for Old Ustka. Many buildings have and are being restored.

Monuments in the town include a lighthouse from 1871 (rebuilt to include the octagonal tower in 1892), Main Post Office from 1875 and church from 1882. The first historic records mention the village of Ujsc or Ujscie of Pomerania in 1310. As part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation it was ruled by partial Slavic and German Dukes of Pomerania. Stolpmünde (Ustka), became part of the Kingdom of Prussia, then the German Empire until 1945 (Weimar Republic and finally, Nazi Germany). In 1945 the city was ceded to Poland at the Potsdam Conference. Its German population fled or was expelled mostly to western Germany. The town was resettled by Polish, some refugees from Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union and central Poland.

After World War II, Ustka embarked at clarifying its official name. It was know as: Ujść, Uszcz, Ustka - all three posted on the main railway station in 1945, Nowy Słupsk - as stated at the Main Post Office, Postomino - as stated at the Townhall; Słupioujście - as stated at the Harbour Master's Office, and Ujście. The final name, Ustka, was decided upon in the late 1940s.

Tourism

Ustka is a popular tourist destination and a fishing port on the south coasts of the Baltic. For a number of years, following the political changes in Poland, the town has won a string of local awards for the best summer place in the country. After the collapse of the Ustka Shipyard, the only shipyard in Poland to have manufactured fire-proof lifeboats, and a number of fish processing enterprises, the local authorities put tourism as a primary source of income for the town. Since the end of the 19th century, Ustka has been recognised as a summer holiday resort and various illnesses treament and recovery centre.

There are two beaches in Ustka. The Eastern Beach and the Western Beach, divided by the river Słupia. Since the eastern part of the town contains the centre, the Eastern Beach is more popular than the Western Beach. The Western Beach runs into the territory of the Navy Training Centre (CSSMW, Centrum Szkolenia Specjalistów Marynarki Wojennej), access to which was restricted beyond a certain point in the west. However, much more popular, developed and facilitated with numerous bars, restaurants, a concert hall, and a waterfront promenade (built in 1875), the Eastern Beach is more prone to "abrasia" (the erosion of the sea). The maintenance of the beach, which after the winter storm season becomes very narrow, is one the considerable expenses of Ustka authorities. The Eastern Beach is signified by high sand cliffs. The Western Beach is flat. In the summertime, there is a regular ferry service linking both beaches. The nearest and only bridge over the river Slupia is located outside the centre, in the western part of the town - just beyond the main railway station.

Near Ustka is a military exercise area from which Meteor-type sounding rockets were launched in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Ustka is a host of the annual International Contest of Fireworks, which takes place in the middle of July.

Population growth

• 1939: 4,739
  
• 1960: 6,100
  
• 1970: 9,000
  
• 1975: 12,400
  
• 1980: 15,200
  
• 2001: 17,100

Twin towns

Bielsko-Biała, Enkhuizen, Kappeln, Słupsk

External links

• Stolpmünde on 1709 map
• Ustka website Template:Pl icon
• China Daily article about mermaid statue of Ustka
• Ustka Old Town
• Stolpmünde: History until 1945 Template:De icon

54°35′N 16°51′E