Hel

is a town and urban gmina at once in the province of Pomerania. It is situated at the tip of the Hel Peninsula. Directly adjacent to the Baltic Sea and the urban gmina of Jastarnia. Sandy beaches and open landscape like the Baltic delight thousands of tourists who come here every year. Except that Hel is a place for vacation in the summer. Throughout the whole year Hel plays the role as a seaport. It is also an important fishing center. Life on the Hel Peninsula is concentrated around the sea. It is based Navy garrison there. Attention of fans of the shipping captured yachts and passenger sailing vessels, anchored in the harbor.

In addition, Hel is also the presidential resort. Aleksander Kwasniewski and Lech Kaczynski spent their holidays here. Summer residence of Polish President also visited Angela Merkel and George W. Bush during their visits in Poland.

In the city you must visit the main attractions:

• St. Peter and Paul Church from the fifteenth century - which currently houses the Museum of Fisheries,
• Lighthouse of 1942,
• Fishing houses from the eighteenth and nineteenth century
• Church of the 30s of twentieth century

Hel town

For the first time people heard about the Hel Peninsula in 1198. Then rapidly gained its popularity as an operating center of trade of herring.

Originally the town was located about 1,5 miles from the present center. In this area there were a church, hospital, town hall, two markets, a few guest houses and small port. However, nature has its own rules. It related to people, living here in fifteenth century. As a result of erosion the peninsula began to decrease on a regular basis. The city moved to a safer place. Hel developed very fast, however, it had to give way to faster growing city of Gdansk. In 1466 the Polish king Casimir IV granted Hel for lords from Gdansk. It ended century-old struggle for dominance over the economy of Gdansk.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries prolonged warfare and natural disasters had seriously damaged the city. Before the totally collapse saved Hel the fishing port, built here in 1893. Apart from the fact that it constituted a shelter for fishing vessels, it has also become a popular destination for weekend tours for the people from Gdansk and Sopot. In 1896 the village was granted the status of a seaside resort.

When Poland recaptured its independence, Hel has become an important point on the military map of the country, because from Hel it is possible to protect the access to Gulf of Gdansk.

During World War II this city was the best fortification in Poland. Resisting the German invaders, Hel was defending from 1 September until 2 October 1939. Thus Hel became a last independent place in Poland, despite the fact that it was defended by not many soldiers.