Koncepcje żeglugowego obejścia Gdańska w okresie międzywojennym
Concepts of the Shipping Bypass of Gdańsk in the Interwar Period

Summary/Abstract: Since the establishment of the Second Polish Republic and the Free City Danzig, the Polish side sought to connect the Vistula River to the Polish sea (Gdynia) by waterway, bypassing Gdańsk (Danzig). This issue has not been discussed in the literature, and the current study is primarily based on contemporary articles by water engineers and press reports. As early as 1919, there were ideas to run a water canal from Gniew through Kashubia to the Polish coast and from Tczew, bypassing the border of the Free City of Danzig, to Gdynia. Later, the idea of a canal running from Świecie or Bydgoszcz through Kashubia to Gdynia was born. The latter option was initially developed and discussed in 1937 at conferences held in Gdynia and Grudziądz. The possibility of creating a sea port in Tczew and connecting it to the sea was also considered. The options included deepening the Vistula to allow seagoing ships to navigate the river or constructing a separate sea canal. The canal had to be routed through the Free City of Danzig territory, and its route depended on its mouth on the sea. In the case of an exit in Nowy Port, a canal reaching Gdańsk was planned. The most popular option was the canal route from Tczew to Martwa Wisła, with an exit in either Świbno or Górki. The third method of connecting the Vistula with Gdynia involved using river barges to navigate from Gdańsk to Gdynia through the waters of the Bay of Gdańsk. Proposals were made to adapt river barges for sailing on sea waters, to transport barges on a specially adapted ship, or to build a canal or pier to protect barges navigating at sea. Except for floating barges between Gdańsk and Gdynia, which sailed between these ports on calm days, the remaining solutions were suggestions and visions of engineers. These ideas were very expensive, technically difficult to implement, and remained largely theoretical; nevertheless, they were widely discussed.

• Details
• Contents