Polish Ports Research Articles

The Development of Tourist Space in Polish Port Cities

The main aim of this article is to present the results of the analysis of tourist space in Polish port cities. Particular attention has been paid to the aspect of tourism development in four cities (Szczecin, Świnoujście, Gdańsk and Gdynia). They are cities where ports of major importance for the national economy are located. This area is also characterized by significant tourist traffic. The state of tourist accommodation and tourist traffic intensity in four Polish port cities, according to some criteria, has been examined. It is indicated that the formation of tourism development is also dependent on the creation and implementation of policy. Due to the close relationship between effective transport and tourism, aspects of city logistics should be taken into account as well as others.

Power in Weakness: Musicals in Poland under Communism

Power in WeaknessMusicals in Poland under Communism Jacek Mikolajczyk (bio) On June 11, 1987, Pope John Paul II visited Gdynia, a major Polish port city by the Baltic Sea. Over 500,000 people assembled at Gdynia’s main square to meet him. A mass celebrated by John Paul II was broadcast all over the world. The government tried to undermine the importance of the event, but officials overlooked one important detail, which eventually contributed to its subsequent symbolic meaning. Adjacent to the square, there was a huge sign on the façade of the building of Gdynia’s Musical Theater advertising its most recent production. All over the world people saw pictures of the pope in the center of a city in communist Poland addressing a crowd beneath a string of large glittering letters spelling out the words “Jesus Christ Superstar!” This is how the world came to see that Broadway musicals were in fact being produced in the People’s Republic of Poland.1 Arguably, few people would expect musicals to be produced in communist countries.2 Musicals are a uniquely American genre, deeply rooted in an American system of commercial theatre, and communist regimes were typically anti-American. The government, having introduced proactive censorship after World War II, had all the means to control the culture in the country. Moreover, in the People’s Republic of Poland there was no free theatrical market as all theatres were run by the state. If musicals were to make it to the stage, the government must have approved or at least tolerated the musical as a genre. The conundrum is why the government would allow and tolerate such productions. An answer to this question presents a paradox. The power of the musical in Poland resided in its weakness. American musicals were staged in operetta theatres and, accordingly, they were regarded by the authorities [End Page 77] and members of the theatre industry as a relic of the old days of nineteenth-century operetta. This kind of theatre was tolerated only because of its popularity among less educated spectators, and it was largely scorned both by theatre artists and politicians. On the other hand, this is exactly why musical theatre artists sometimes had more artistic freedom than directors of more respected productions in dramatic theatres. Since musical productions seemed less serious, the government control was much less strict in their case. As it turned out, while resistance against the government grew and censors were increasing their pressure on dramatic theatre, there were far more productions that conveyed meaningful political attitudes in musical theatre. Interestingly, the musical genre was only introduced to Polish theatres because of the political change that accompanied the fall of the Stalinist dictatorship early in the history of communist Poland. In 1956, the so-called “Thaw,” announced in the Soviet Union by Nikita Khrushchev, coincided in Poland with both the death of Bolesław Bierut, a leader of the regional Communist Party, and the first mutiny of Polish laborers in Poznań. Władysław Gomułka, one of the leaders of Polish communists during the 1930s, became the new First Secretary of the Polish United Workers’ Party. His regime was much more liberal than the previous one. Censorship was loosened and culture in the country opened up to the West. Generally speaking, for eleven years following World War II, Poland was separated from the West; hence, it is not surprising to find Polish artists and consumers abruptly trying to catch up with recent developments in Western culture. In numerous theatres, plays by Beckett, Ionesco, and Sartre were staged, and the very availability of Western works encouraged managers of operetta theatres to look around the world’s stages. In 1956, the Everymen Opera Company visited Warsaw with their production of Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, and Ira Gershwin. It was probably the first visit of an American theatre group in Poland, and both audience and critics welcomed it as a sensational event. In the following year, Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate opened at the Comedy Theatre in Warsaw.3 This first production of the American musical sparked a veritable wave of Broadway musicals...

Restructuring of environmental management in Baltic ports: case of Poland

Ports’ activities have a significant impact on the marine environment of the Baltic Sea, as well as on port cities. The environmental performance of ports is all the more important because of Baltic Sea's vulnerability. This unique basin is highly sensitive to the environmental impacts of human activities in its catchment area. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the environmental performance of Polish ports. The paper identifies current top environmental priorities of Polish ports, and highlights the progress in the field of environmental management after joining the EU in 2004. As all ports are obliged to meet the legal requirements, a particular attention is drawn to the policy's aim to improve environmental standards beyond those required under legislation. This paper also focuses on experiences, with the implementation of the environmental management systems like ISO 14001 or a similar system. It highlights different attitudes towards EMS process of certification. Moreover, as Polish ports are considered to be significant sources of pollution and greenhouse gas emission in their cities, ports’ initiatives aimed at reducing this negative impact are taken into consideration. The analysis is carried out in comparison with other ports of the Baltic Sea Region.

Rejs jako forma rekreacji

Cruises are a fast developing branch of tourism industry. Following first big cruise liners such as the Titanic, the modern history of cruising started seriously in the 1960s with the advent of the jet craft, which helped transfer passengers to remote ports of embarkation. The main trend in cruising is moving towards building huge cruise ships and providing tailor-made cruises for niche cruisers. This fashion is going to remain high in the near future according to main cruise lines. There are differences between first-times and repeaters whose intention of purchase of a cruise is guided by different motivators, price and general feeling, respectively. Nonetheless, the perceived value of cruises earned a high position and as a consequence the repeat rate is 60% and 80% for „luxurious class” cruises. Cruises do not constitute a mass market for Polish holiday-makers due to a lower average income and necessity to fly and arrange majority of cruises, and scarcity of cruises entering Polish ports as ports of call. However, the respondents of my questionnaire hold similar positive opinions of their experience

Organotin compounds in surface sediments from seaports on the Gulf of Gdańsk (southern Baltic coast)

Sediment samples were collected in two Polish ports of international significance--the Port of Gdańsk and the Port of Gdynia (Gulf of Gdańsk, Baltic Sea)--in order to assess their butyltin and phenyltin contamination; this was done in 2008, just after the total ban on using harmful organotins in antifouling paints on ships came into force. Altogether, 21 sampling stations were chosen to present a diversity of port sites: from port canals and shipyards to anchorages and dumping sites. The organic carbon content and grain size of all the sediment samples were determined, and some environmental parameters (oxygen content, salinity) were measured as well. Total concentrations of butyltin compounds in sediment samples were very different and ranged between 1 and 18,520 ng Sn g(-1) d.w. Phenyltin contents were distinctly lower and ranged from below the limit of detection (most samples) to 660 ng Sn g(-1) d.w. The highest concentrations of organotins were found in the shipyards, the maximum total organotin content (19,180 ng Sn g(-1) d.w.) being found in the Gdańsk Ship Repair Yard 'Remontowa'. Butyltin degradation indices indicate a recent tributyltin input into the port sediments. The results obtained from this work prove that the international ban on using organotins may not be enough to protect the marine environment. It is necessary to monitor organotin contamination in ports and establish concentration limits of these compounds for the disposal of dredged material at sea.

Occurrence probability of maximum sea levels in Polish ports of Baltic Sea coast

Occurrence probability of maximum sea levels in Polish ports of Baltic Sea coast In this work long-term probability of occurrence of maximum sea levels in some points of Polish Baltic Sea coast, was determined. Use was made of multi-year series of measurement data on maximum yearly sea levels, and their probability distributions were determined. To the analysis Gumbel's distribution and Pearson distribution of 3rd type as well as quantile methods and the highest credibility method, were applied. Kolmogorov test was used to examine conformity of the theoretical distributions with real random variable distribution. As results from the analysis, the highest sea levels of 1000- year return period can be expected in Polish ports of the west part of the coast, i.e. Kolobrzeg (750, 2 cm, i.e. 2,5 m above the average sea level) and Swinoujscie (723,6 cm). Lower sea levels of the same return period can be expected in Ustka (720,2 cm), Wladyslawowo (709,7 cm) and Gdansk (716, 7 cm), respectively.

The Managing Of The Navigational Safety OfShips In Port Water Areas

Existing ports are expected to service ships greater than those for which they were designed. The main restriction is the depth of port waters. The under keel clearance of a maneuvering ship determines ship movement safety. In Polish ports, maximal keel clearance is fixed as determined by port law, but it is possible to change the maximum ship draught depending on the present and predicted conditions regarding the water level. This paper presents an assessment of navigational risk as a combination of impact against the ground and the results of ship hull damage. The results of this research can be used to improve ship movement safety in order to optimize the exploitation of ports.

Ship Operation In Small Polish Ports Of Szczecin Lagoon

Szczecin Lagoon ports fulfil various functions and serve different kinds of crafts. Mainly of those ports' actions are based on such functions as loads fishery, yachting and passenger transport. The main goal of seaports as load transshipment is gradually disappearing. However, there are the chances of their development on the basis existing supra- and infrastructure.

Polish ports in the period of transformation

Polish ports are located peripherally with respect to main shipping routes on the Baltic and the North Sea. In order to develop the hinterland of the ports, in market conditions, the development of transport north‐south connections is of fundamental importance. Transport lines in the east‐west directions adversely affect port economy.

Reconstructing Polish ports and shipping

Dramatic efforts to put Poland's economy back on the right track indicate an urgent need to undertake studies concerning the future shape and structure of the Polish Merchant Marine as well as Poland's share in international maritime transport. Changing ownership and structure of enterprises, modernization of tonnage, improvement of domestic and foreign infrastructure, implementation of proper manning policy in the fleet and improvement of managerial techniques in the daily operation of ports and ships are some of the tasks which must be considered by those responsible for the future of Polish ports and shipping companies.

Swedish-Polish trade negotiations at the end of the second world war and their results

Abstract Commercial relations between Sweden and Poland have been important for many centuries. This was perhaps particularly true at the end of the sixteenth century, when the Swedish king Sigismund was monarch of both Poland and Sweden, and again in the seventeenth century, when successful warmaking enabled Sweden to conquer northern Poland and exploit the wealthy Polish ports to finance a large part of the war costs. Much has come to light concerning the very important trade of this period. Such relations were reestablished during the twentieth century.

Danzig and Gdynia

O N the southern shores of the Baltic only a few miles apart stand two of the great ports of that sea-Danzig and Gdynia. In other respects they are far apart. What greater contrasts could be conceived than those that lie between the old Hanse town with six centuries of notable economic history behind it and the Polish port, twelve years ago a fishing hamlet? The new rivalry marks for Danzig the latest phase of a career in the shaping of which political geography has played a strong part. Danzig has been a storm center of rival aspirants since the fighting order of Teutonic Knights acquired control in I308. When that control was shaken off a century and a half later, Danzig became nominally a protectorate of Poland and so remained until the partitions. The conclusion of the Napoleonic wars found Prussia the successful claimant for the city, against the Russian ambition to secure the entire Basin, with Danzig its key. In the often-quoted words of Frederick the Great, He who possesses the of the and Danzig is more the master of the country than the King who reigns there. It was to provide an outlet for Poland and thus make economically effective the acquisition of the bed of the Vistula by a politically independent Poland that the Treaty of Versailles and subsequent conventions declared Danzig a free city in 1920. In consequence much controversy has risen between German and Polish interests bearing on the legality and ethics of operations of the authorities seated at Danzig and Warsaw. Out of the situation an important literature has developed containing much of interest to the geographer. It is with this that the present discussion is concerned.