Residents/Population:	38 584
Area:	1 728 km2
Expenditure per capita:	7 262,08 zł
Website:	www.sopot.pl
Rulers/Leaders:
Jacek KarnowskiCity President	Wojciech FułekLeader of the City Council

Wide sandy beaches, unique Art Nouveau architecture, a knowledge-based economy and excellent proximity to neighbours on all sides, this is only the start of the long list of advantages of Sopot – the famous seaside resort, spa nightlife centre of the Gdansk Metropolitan Area and a prestigious location for investment as well as the capital of Polish basketball.

Sopot is Poland's smallest city with county rights and the most famous seaside resort in Poland. This remarkable city sits between the sea coast and moraine hills and stands at the centre of nearly one million inhabitants the Gdansk Metropolitan Area. Crowds of tourists are attracted each year by the charm and atmosphere of this seaside resort rich in culture and one which never sleeps.

One of its most popular attractions is the longest wooden pier in Europe, which consists of two parts - the famous promenade and Skwer Kuracyjny (literally Therapeutic Square), where concerts and festivals are regularly organised.

Sopot is also famous for ‘Monciak’ – Heroes of Monte Cassino Street - the most famous promenade in the country. Sopot is home to an entirely unique facility in Poland - the recently renovated Forest Opera, a covered outdoor amphitheatre with some of the best and most beautiful acoustics in Europe.

The Sopot Hippodrome is a special place for horse racing fans among others and covers an area of over 40 hectares. It is one of the oldest and just one of three surviving places of its kind in Poland.

The oldest monument in Sopot is an early medieval settlement with the remains of a fort which existed here from the VIII to X centuries. However what most delights connoisseurs of architecture are the historic houses and mansions from the first half of the nineteenth century, designed using typical forms of classicism. From the second half of the nineteenth century come the many pensions and residential buildings which, although constructed using simpler means, captivate with the intricate wooden designs that adorn their porches and bay windows. You will also find a number of Art Nouveau buildings in Sopot.

The most famous contemporary architectural jewel is the Crooked House (Krzywy Dom) which you will find on the main street – Heroes of Monte Cassino Street. In Sopot there are many dynamic cultural institutions including the Museum of the City of Sopot; the State Chamber Philharmonic and a number of theatres. With its coastal location combined with its position in the metropolitan area, Sopot is an important cultural, scientific and economic centre where many entrepreneurs are inspired and which offers the perfect conditions for rapid development particularly in the sphere of tourism services.

Sopot is the smallest city with county rights in Poland in terms of population. Despite this it is a rapidly growing city in every respect. The Economic and Management departments of the University of Gdansk are located in the city. In addition the Sopot Higher School, European School of Hospitality and Sopot School of Management and University of Social Sciences and Humanities have their headquarters here. 

The educational institutions located in the city raise the prestige of Sopot and attract many young people.  Nearly two-thirds of the population are people of working age (62.78%). The high economic activity of the residents of Sopot means that for a number of years the city has the lowest unemployment rate in all of the Pomeranian municipalities and one of the lowest in the entire country. Some of the country’s wealthiest people also live in the city.

The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Micro Incubator provides great assistance and support for emerging companies where every aspiring entrepreneur mentoring and assistance in the management and reduction of costs associating with running a business. Foreign investors, on the other hand, receive support in the form of Strategic  Investment Assistance – people experienced in the realities of Polish law and the economic life of the region.

The well educated and enterprising resident of Sopot have created a dynamic economy in the city. The top developing sectors are market services in  tourism, hotel and catering. Sopot has long topped the national rankings for cities with county rights. You will find large international firms operating in the city including ERGO Hestia Group, together with the insurance company STU Ergo Hestia SA , Accor/Sofitel (France ), Starwood/Sheraton (USA), Min Hoong Development Ltd (Singapore), NDI SA Capital Group (Netherlands - Poland), and MT Ship Management & Transport Gdynia Ltd (Cyprus).

Thanks to the convenient location of the city, entrepreneurs and investors operating in Sopot have access to the wide range of business environment institutions, which are located in the Gdansk Metropolitan Area. By creating a friendly and knowledge-based economic base, Sopot is appreciated in rankings and surveys, as evidenced by the many prestigious awards. The economic monthly FORBES has twice singled out Sopot, which took first place in the category of business -friendly cities and second place in the category of cities friendly to foreign investors. In recent years, the city has also received awards for ‘Active Community’, ‘Modernisation of the Year’ and ‘Stars on the Sand’ , which Polityka magazine ranked the coastal waters with the largest possible number of stars - five. These awards are examples of a long list of awards for which the city has worked hard.

Many awards are designed to encourage the residents of Sopot to take care of their surroundings such as contests organized to recognise the prettiest properties. These regular competitions help shape the attitude of shared responsibility for the image of Sopot in the eyes of its residents and to improve the aesthetics of the city.

For fans of active recreation there are six walking/cycling routes around the city, coast and neighbouring forest named Squirrel , Wild Boar, Gull, Hare, Roe Deer and Fox trails. The city can also boast a rich sports infrastructure. Sopot is home to sports clubs competing at the highest level including the national championship winning teams in women's volleyball, Atom Trefl Sopot and the men's basketball team Trefl Sopot, (heirs of Prokom Trefl) who in 2010 moved to the new Ergo Arena, located on the border of Sopot and Gdansk. This complex allows you to organize concerts, exhibitions, conferences and various sports competitions, including the aforementioned basketball and volleyball.