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A stormy day in Sopot, Sopot Pier

Sopot is a seaside town in Eastern Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000.
Sopot is a city with powiat (county) status, in Pomeranian Voivodeship. Until 1999 it was in Gdańsk Voivodeship. It lies between the larger cities of Gdańsk (to the south-east) and Gdynia (to the north), the three towns together making up the metropolitan agglomeration called Trójmiasto (Tri-City).
Sopot is a major health-spa and tourist resort destination. It has the longest wooden pier in Europe, at 515.5 metres, stretching out into the Bay of Gdańsk. The city is also famous for its Sopot International Song Festival, the largest such event in Europe after the Eurovision Song Contest. Among its other attractions is a fountain of bromide spring water, known as the "inhalation mushroom".

Sopot has a reputation as the hip brother of Gdynia and Gdansk, and if it's nightlife you're looking for, and not to mention shops, cafes and a cracking seaside location - you should jump on the train to Sopot without delay (it's a twenty-five minute journey from Gdansk's main station).

Sopot's image as an affluent destination with a bubbly social scene dovetails well with its pre-war reputation. Zoppot was a highly fashionable resort during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when a colourful, and often rather louche international crowd of aristocrats and artists descended on the resort. Originally it was the magnificent baths and seaside air that kickstarted Sopot's popularity. The baths were in fact created by an energetic former doctor of Napoleon, who fell in love with the location - as well as with the daughter of a local Gdansk patrician!
However, there were soon plenty of other attractions to hold peoples' attentions. Indeed, with its splendid seaside setting and flambuoyant architecture, Sopot was a fine place to have a flutter at the races, hang out at the casinos and, if one was really keen to keep the doctor happy, pay a trip to the baths. Many of the old fin-de-siecle villas of the pre-war crowd have survived, some of which have been reborn as hotels, whilst the splendid old pier still provides marvellous views over the Baltic.

Sopot Pier

Since the pleasant climate and restorative properties of Sopot were discovered in the 1500’s, people have come to its quiet shores for reflection and recuperation. Many wealthy visitors built summer homes and bathing centers, but it wasn’t until Napoleon’s defeat in Russia that the city’s future took shape. What does Napoleon have to do with it? Well, during the retreat from Moscow, a surgeon named J.J. Haffner left the army and settled in Gdansk. In 1823 he bought some land in Sopot and began building bathhouses, parks, and eventually, the first pier, which stretched 41 beautiful meters into the sea!

Sopot’s economy and reputation took off and soon the 'Riviera of the North’ had everything from fine villas to tennis courts, and by 1927, a casino and Grand Hotel. A number of extensions had been made to the Pier by that time, but during that year Sopot pulled out all the stops, went big, and elongated the Pier to its present length of 516 meters making it the longest wooden pier in Europe.
Today, visitors must shed a meager two zloty for a walk on this famed plank, a fee that goes towards the maintenance of the aging structure. During the day, it's crowded with families, tourists, and people relaxing on the ergonomically pleasing wooden benches. When the sun sets, the Pier is well-lit, and young couples flock to its smooth surface like moths to a flame. The dark waters and cool air are certainly romantic, especially after a glass of wine at one of Sopot’s fine restaurants. (Source: Sopot-Poland & wikipedia)