The first person to see the maritime potential of Sopot was Karol Krzysztof Wegner, who completed the first investment referred to as a bathhouse in 1818. The venue, which looked somewhat like a wooden shed, was located near the Grand Hotel.
In the 19th century, health-promoting sea baths performed in coastal seas throughout Europe were very popular.
The facility, which resembled a wooden shed, was located near the Grand Hotel.
The investment was overtaken by Jan Jerzy Haffner, who built a grand new bathhouse located in the area of the old pier entrance, on land purchased from Wegner. With this, Sopot thrived. The heart of Sopot, one of the most important health spas of pre-war Europe, however, ceased to exist near the end of the war.
Sopot at night, photo: Pomorskie Travel/ M. Ochocki
Today, there are few witnesses to the fire which engulfed the Health Resort House and 48 tenements in the very centre of town during the end-of-war turmoil. There are also no witnesses to the torching of the lower terrace development located near the Friend of Sopot Square. The year 1946 was the time for cleaning up the war’s rubble and the creation of a large square, while the bricks from the burned down buildings were given over to the reconstruction of Warsaw. The return to Sopot’s rich traditions began with the start of the rebuilding of the New Health Resort House.
