City of amber
Location: Northern Poland. The Baltic coast
Population: 457,000 (Tri-City: 747,000)
Number of students: 72,000
15 higher education institutions
Investor focus: IT, hi-tech, maritime
Biggest investors: Dr. Oetker, Farm Frites, ThyssenKrupp, GE Money, Philips, Nordea
BPO/SSC sector in Tri-city: Reuters, Zensar, Intel
Gdańsk is one of the oldest cities of Poland and one of the major economic centres in the Baltic region. The rich history of the city is proven by the numerous names the city had over the ages: Gyddanyzc, Kdansk, Gdanzc, Dantzk, Dantzig, Dantzigk, Danzig, Dantiscum and Gedanum.
Gdańsk is a part of the Tri-City, an urban area comprising Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot. Among these Gdańsk is the historic and cultural centre. Both Gdańsk and other cities of the region are interesting in terms of investment.
As for the attractiveness of Gdańsk for foreign investors, the city's situation is very good. The city area covered by land development plans accounts for 36% and is one of the largest among Polish cities. A problem to be solved is still the poor command of English among inhabitants and a certain underdevelopment of basic services that investors count on, e.g. few hotels of the highest standards, though this is compensated to some extent by the relatively larger number of hotels in the entire Tri-City area.
Did you know that...
- In 2007 a state-of-the-art DCT Gdańsk container terminal was opened in the Gdańsk harbour, which will service e.g. the Panamax ships, the largest vessels sailing on the Baltic Sea
- Gdańsk is the birthplace of e.g. Johannes Hevelius, astronomer; Arthur Schopenhauer, philosopher; Günter Grass, Nobel prize-winner; Lech Wałęsa, leader of Solidarity and Nobel Peace prize-winner
- Since 1260 Gdańsk has hosted Saint Dominic's Fair. Next to the Oktoberfest in Munich and Weinachtsmarkt in Hamburg, the Fair is one of the largest trade and cultural events in Europe.
