Elbląg
[key], city, Warmińsko-Mazurskie prov., N Poland. A seaport near
the Vistula Lagoon, it has shipyards, machinery plants, and an important
metallurgical industry. In 1237 the Teutonic Knights built a castle, around
which developed a settlement. Elbląg joined the Hanseatic League in
the late 13th cent. Along with other Prussian towns, it revolted against the
Teutonic Knights c.1450 and submitted to the rule of Poland. It gained
increasing importance in the 16th and 17th cent. as a commercial port. The
city was ceded to Prussia in 1772. It suffered heavy damage in World War II,
after which it passed to Poland.
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