Hel Peninsula
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Image:Hel peninsula landsat.jpg Image:Kite Poland 4.JPG Hel Peninsula (Polish: Mierzeja Helska; Kashubian: Hélskô Sztremlëzna; German: Halbinsel Hela) is a 35-km-long sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is located in Puck County of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
[edit] Geography
The width of the peninsula varies from approximately 300 m. near Jurata, through 100 metres in the most narrow part to over 3 kilometres at the tip (town of Hel). Since the peninsula was formed entirely of sand, it is frequently turned into an island by winter storms. Until the 17th century the peninsula was a chain of islands that formed a strip of land only during the summer.
There is a road and a rail road running along the peninsula from the mainland to the town of Hel located in the furthest point. It is a popular tourist destination. Other towns, ports and tourist resorts are Jurata, Jastarnia, Kuźnica, Chałupy and Władysławowo.
[edit] Military importance
After the peninsula became part of Poland after World War I, it acquired considerable military significance, and was turned into a fortified region, with a garrison of about 3,000. In the course of the Battle of Hel in 1939, Polish forces dynamited the peninsula at one point, turning it into an island. During the years of German occupation in 1939-1945 Hel's defences were further expanded, and a battery of three 406 mm guns was constructed, though in the end the guns were never installed. In 1945 the peninsula remained in German hands until the end of the war, and the forces there surrendered on May 10, 1945. After the war Hel continued to have military sigfinicance, with much of its area reserved for military use. Additional gun batteries were built during the 1940s and 1950s. Today many of the fortifications and batteries are open to tourists, though some areas of the peninsula still belong to the military.
[edit] See also
eo:Hel (duoninsulo) he:הל (חצי אי) csb:Hélskô Sztremlëzna pl:Mierzeja Helska sh:Hel (poluotok)
