Editing Elbląg (section)

==History==
===Truso===
{{Main|Truso}}
{{Quote box |width=25em |align=left |bgcolor=#B0C4DE
| title = Historical affiliations
| fontsize = 80% |quote=
{{flag|Teutonic Order}} 1246–1454<br>
{{flagicon image|Kingdom of Poland-flag.svg}} [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]] 1454–1569<br>
{{flag|Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth}} 1569–1772<br>
{{flag|Kingdom of Prussia|1803}} 1772–1871<br>
{{flag|German Empire}} 1871–1918<br>
{{flag|Weimar Germany}} 1918–1933<br>
{{flag|Nazi Germany}} 1933–1945 <br>
{{flag|People's Republic of Poland}} 1945–1989<br>
{{flag|Republic of Poland|1848}} 1989–present
}}
The settlement was first mentioned as "Ilfing" in ''[[Wikisource:Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader/The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan|The Voyages of Ohthere and Wulfstan]]'', an [[Old English|Anglo-Saxon]] chronicle written in [[King Alfred]]'s reign using information from a Viking who had visited the area.

During the [[Middle Ages]], the Viking settlement of [[Truso]] was located on [[Drużno|Lake Drużno]], near the current site of Elbląg in historical [[Pogesania]]; the settlement burned down in the 10th century.<ref>According to the Elbląg museum</ref> Early in the 13th century the [[Teutonic Knights]] conquered the region, built a castle, and founded Elbing on the lake, with a population mostly from [[Lübeck]] (today the lake, now much smaller, no longer reaches the city). After the uprising against the Teutonic Knights and the destruction of the castle by the inhabitants, the city successively came under the sovereignty of the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]] (1454), the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] (1772), and [[Germany]] (1871). Elbing was heavily damaged in [[World War II]], and its remaining German citizens [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|were expelled]] upon the war's end in accordance with the [[Potsdam Agreement]]. The city became again part of Poland in 1945 and was repopulated with Polish citizens.<ref name="thefirstnews.com"/>
[[File:Elbląg Bulwar Zygmunta Augusta.jpg|thumb|right|Elbląg seen from Granary Island in 1930]]

The seaport of '''Truso''' was first mentioned {{Circa|890}} by [[Wulfstan of Hedeby]], an [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] sailor, travelling on the south coast of the [[Baltic Sea]] at the behest of King [[Alfred the Great]] of [[England]]. The exact location of Truso was not known for a long time, as the seashore has significantly changed, but most historians trace the settlement inside or near to modern Elbląg on Lake [[Drużno]]. Truso was located at territory already known to the [[Roman Empire]] and earlier.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://chamberofcommerce.pl/amber/amber-road/ |title=Amber Road |date=February 28, 2018 | access-date = 12 March 2022}}</ref>

It was an important seaport serving the [[Vistula River]] bay on the [[Early Middle Ages|early medieval]] Baltic Sea [[trade route]]s which led from [[Birka]] in the north to the island of [[Gotland]] and to [[Visby]] in the Baltic Sea. From there, traders continued further south to [[Carnuntum]] along the [[Amber Road]]. The ancient Amber Road led further southwest and southeast to the [[Black Sea]] and eventually to [[Asia]]. The east–west trade route went from Truso, along the Baltic Sea to [[Jutland]], and from there inland by river to [[Hedeby]], a large trading center in Jutland. The main goods of Truso were [[amber]], furs, and slaves.

Archaeological finds in 1897 and diggings in the 1920s placed Truso at Gut Hansdorf. A large burial field was also found at Elbląg. Recent Polish diggings have found burned beams and ashes and thousand-year-old artifacts in an area of about 20 [[hectares]]. Many of these artifacts are now displayed at the [[Elbing Museum|Muzeum w Elblągu]].

=== Prussian Crusade ===
{{Main|Prussian Crusade}}
[[File:Elbląg Warszawska 55 willa nr 644843 fota 7.JPG|thumb|right|Brick manors, built in the [[Neogothic]] style, can be seen in the outer suburbs of Elbląg]]
[[File:Elbląg Świętego Ducha 25.JPG|thumb|right|Holy Ghost Street, ''ulica Świętego Ducha'', possesses several pre-war examples of social housing]]
Attempts to conquer Prussian land began in 997, when [[Bolesław I the Brave]], at the urging of the Pope, sent a contingent of soldiers and a missionary ([[Adalbert of Prague]]) to the pagan Prussians, a non-Slavic people, on a crusade of conquest and conversion. The crusade encompassed much of the Baltic Sea coast east of the Polish city of [[Gdańsk]], up to [[Sambia]]. Starting in 1209 additional crusades were called for by [[Konrad I of Masovia|Konrad of Masovia]], who mainly sought to conquer Prussian territory, rather than actually convert the [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] Prussians. Despite heroic efforts, Old Prussian sovereignty would eventually collapse after a succession of wars instigated by [[Pope Honorius III]] and his frequent calls for crusade.

Before the Prussians were finally brought to heel, Polish rulers and the [[Duchy of Masovia]], both by then [[Christianity|Christianised]] peoples, would be continually frustrated in their attempts at northern expansion. Aside from minor border raids, major campaigns against the Prussians would be launched in 1219, 1220, and 1222. After a particularly sound defeat by Prussian forces in 1223, Polish forces in [[Chełmno]], the seat of [[Christian of Oliva]] and the [[Masovia|Duchy of Masovia]], were forced onto the defensive.

In 1226 Duke [[Konrad I of Masovia]] summoned the [[Teutonic Knights]] for assistance; by 1230 they had secured [[Chełmno]] (Culm) and begun claiming conquered territories for themselves under the authority of the [[Holy Roman Empire]], although these claims were rejected by the Poles, whose ambition had been to conquer Prussia all along. The Teutonic Order's strategy was to move down the Vistula and secure the delta, establishing a barrier between the Prussians and Gdańsk. The victorious Teutonic Knights built a castle at Elbing.

The [[Chronicon terrae Prussiae]]<ref>3.14</ref> describes the conflict in the vicinity of Lake [[Drużno]] shortly before the founding of Elbing:

:{{Lang|la-x-medieval|Omnia propugnacula, que habebant in illo loco, qui dicitur (list) ... circa stagnum Drusine ... occisis et captiis infidelibus, potenter expugnavit, et in cinerem redigendo terre alteri coequavit.}}

:"All the little redoubts that they had in that place, which are said to be (list) ... and around the Drusine marsh ... he (frater Hermannus magister) assaulted and levelled by rendering them into ash, after the infidels had been killed or captured."

Truso did not disappear suddenly to be replaced with the citadel and town of Elbing during the Prussian Crusade. It had already burned down in the tenth century, with the population dispersed in the area.

=== Teutonic Order ===
The [[Chronicon terrae Prussiae]]<ref>3.15</ref> describes the founding of Elbing under the leadership of [[Hermann Balk]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Heckmann |first=Dieter |date=2006-06-01 |title=Kriegstechnische Innovationen in den mittelalterlichen Deutschordenslanden Preußen und Livland |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/mgzs.2006.65.1.113/html |journal=Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift |language=en |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=120 |doi=10.1524/mgzs.2006.65.1.113 |issn=2196-6850}}</ref> After building two ships, the Pilgerim (Pilgrim) and the Vridelant (Friedland), with the assistance of Margrave [[Henry III, Margrave of Meissen|Henry III]] of [[Margraviate of Meissen]], the Teutonic Knights used them to clear the Vistula Lagoon (''Frisches Haff'') and the [[Vistula Spit]] of Prussians:
:... {{Lang|la-x-medieval|et recens mare purgatum fuit ab insultu infidelium}} ...
:... "and the Vistula Spit was purged of the insult of the infidels..."

Apparently the river was in [[Pomesania]], which the knights had just finished clearing, but the bay was in [[Pogesania]]. The first Elbing was placed in Pogesania:
:{{Lang|la-x-medieval|Magister ... venit ad terram Pogesanie, ad insulam illam ... que est in media fluminis Elbingi, in illo loco, ubi Elbingus intrat recens mare et erexit ibi castrum, quod a nomine fluminis Elbingum appellavit, anno dominice incarnacionis MCCXXXVII. Aliqui referunt, quod idem castrum postea ab infidelibus fuerit expugnatum, et tunc ad eum locum, ubi nunc situm est, translatum, et circa ipsum civitas collocata.}}<ref>Notes on the passage. [[Medieval Latin]] often used e for ae: {{Lang|la-x-medieval|Pogesanie}} for {{Lang|la|Pogesaniae}}, {{Lang|la-x-medieval|que}} for {{Lang|la|quae}}, etc. {{Lang|la|Recens mare}} is "the [[fresh water|fresh-water]] sea". [[Castrum]] is citadel, not yet of brick.</ref>

:"The master ... came to the region of Pogesania, to that island which is in the middle of the Elbing river, in that place where the Elbing enters the Vistula Lagoon, and built there a fort, which he called by the name of the Elbing River, in the year of the incarnation of the Lord, 1237. Others report that the same fort was attacked by the infidels and then was moved to the place where it is now situated, and the city gathered around it."

[[File:Elbląg, kostelní ulička III.JPG|thumb|Medieval Church Path between tenements connecting the churches of the Old Town]]
Both landings were amphibious operations conducted from the ships. The ''Chronicon'' relates that they were in use for many years and then were sunk in Lake Drużno. In 1238 the [[Dominican Order]] was invited to build a monastery on a grant of land. Pomesania was not secured, however, and from 1240 to 1242 the order began building a brick castle on the south side of the settlement. It may be significant that Elbing's first industry was the same as Truso's had been: manufacture of amber and bone artifacts for export. In 1243 [[William of Modena]] created the Diocese of Pomesania and three others. They were at first only ideological constructs, but the tides of time turned them into reality in that same century.

The foundation of Elbing was perhaps not the end of the Old Prussian story in the region. In 1825 a manuscript listing a vocabulary of the [[Baltic languages|Baltic]] [[Old Prussian|Old Prussian language]], commonly known in English as ''Elbing Vocabulary'', was found among some manuscripts from a merchant's house. It contained 802 words in a dialect now termed Pomesanian with their equivalents in an early form of High German.

The origin of the vocabulary remains unknown. Its format is like that of modern travel dictionaries; i.e., it may have been used by German speakers to communicate with Old Prussians, but the specific circumstances are only speculative. The manuscript became the Codex Neumannianus. It disappeared after a British [[Strategic bombing|bombing raid]] destroyed the library at Elbing but before then facsimiles had been made. The date of the MSS was estimated at ca. 1400, but it was a copy. There is no evidence concerning the provenance of the original, except that it must have been in Pomesanian.

[[File:Siegel Elbing 1350.jpg|thumb|upright|Seal of the city from 1350]]
In 1246 the town was granted a constitution under [[Lübeck law]], used in maritime circumstances, instead of [[Magdeburg rights]] common in other cities in [[Central Europe]]. This decision of the Order was in keeping with its general strategy of espousing the [[Industry trade group|trade association]] that in 1358 would become the [[Hanseatic League]]. The Order seized on this association early and used it to establish bases throughout the Baltic. The Order's involvement in the League was somewhat contradictory. In whatever cities they founded the ultimate authority was the commander of the town, who kept office in the citadel, typically used as a prison. Lübeck law, on the other hand, provided for self-government of the town.

Membership in the Hanseatic League meant having important trading contacts with [[England]], [[Flanders]], [[France]], and the [[Netherlands]]. The city received numerous merchant [[Privilege (law)|privileges]] from the [[List of the monarchs of the Kingdom of England|rulers of England]], Poland, Pomerania, and the Teutonic Order. For instance, the privilege of the Old Town was upgraded in 1343, while in 1393 it was granted an emporium privilege for grains, metals, and forest products.

Except for the citadel and churches, Elbing at the time was more of a small village by modern standards. Its area was {{convert|300|x|500|m|2|abbr=on|lk=out}}. It featured a wharf, a marketplace and five streets, as well as a number of churches. The castle was completed in 1251. In 1288 fire destroyed the entire settlement except for the churches, which were of brick. A new circuit wall was started immediately. From 1315 to 1340 Elbląg was rebuilt. A separate settlement called New Town was founded ca. 1337 and received [[Lübeck rights]] in 1347. In 1349 the [[Black Death]] struck the town, toward the end of the European plague. After the population recovered it continued building up the city and in 1364 a [[crane (machine)|crane]] was built for the port.

The German-language ''Elbinger Rechtsbuch'', written in Elbing documented among other laws for the first time Polish common law. The German-language Polish laws are based on the [[Sachsenspiegel]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8NYNAAAAYAAJ&q=elbing+vocabular&pg=PA337 |title=Archiv für das Studium der neueren ... - Google Books |date=September 21, 2007 |access-date=July 8, 2009}}</ref> and were written down to aid the judges. It is thus the oldest source for documented Polish [[common law]] and is in Polish referred to as the ''Księga Elbląska'' (Book of Elbląg<ref>Towarzystwo Naukowe Warszawskie: The Journal of Juristic Papyrology, 1946</ref>). It was written down in the second half of the 13th century.

In 1410, during the [[Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War]], the inhabitants of the city rebelled against the Teutonic Knights and expelled them, while welcoming Polish troops and paying homage to Polish King [[Władysław II Jagiełło]], who afterwards vested Elbląg with new privileges.<ref>{{cite book|last=Potkowski|first=Edward|year=1994|title=Grunwald 1410|language=pl|location=Kraków|publisher=Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza|pages=61–62}}</ref> As the castle was lightly defended by a Polish garrison, the Teutonic Knights managed to retake it, promising the Polish defenders that they will be given free passage back to Poland. After the castle was taken, the Knights broke their promise and subsequently murdered a number of the captured defenders while imprisoning the rest.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gierszewski|first=Stanisław|year=1978|title=Elbląg: przeszłość i teraźniejszość|language=pl|publisher=Wydawnictwo Morskie na zlec. Wydziału Kultury i Sztuki Urzędu Wojewódzkiego w Elblągu|page=49}}</ref>

===Kingdom of Poland===
[[File:SM Elbląg Wigilijna3 (0).jpg|thumb|right|Preserved tenements often resemble [[Amsterdam]] and [[Gdańsk]]]]
In February 1440, the city hosted a convention at which delegates from various cities (including Elbing itself) and nobility from the region decided to establish the anti-Teutonic [[Prussian Confederation]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Górski|first=Karol|title=Związek Pruski i poddanie się Prus Polsce: zbiór tekstów źródłowych|year=1949|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|location=[[Poznań]]|language=pl|page=XXXI}}</ref> In April and May 1440, further meetings were held in Elbing, at which more towns and noblemen joined the organisation.<ref>Górski, p. XXXVII</ref> In 1454, the organisation led the revolt against the rule of the Teutonic Knights, and then its delegation submitted a petition to King [[Casimir IV of Poland]] asking him to include the region within the [[Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Kingdom of Poland]]. The King agreed and signed the act of incorporation of the region (including Elbing) to the Kingdom of Poland in March 1454 in [[Kraków]],<ref>Górski, p. 59-60</ref> which sparked the [[Thirteen Years' War (1454–1466)|Thirteen Years' War]], the longest of all Polish–Teutonic wars. The local mayor pledged allegiance to the Polish King during the incorporation in March 1454,<ref>Górski, p. 71–72</ref> and the burghers of Elbląg recognized Casimir IV as rightful ruler. After paying homage to the King, the city was granted great privileges, similar to those of [[Toruń]] and [[Gdańsk]]. Since 1454, the city was authorized by King Casimir IV to mint Polish coins.<ref>Górski, p. 63</ref> The war ended in a Polish victory in 1466, with the [[Second Peace of Thorn (1466)|Second Peace of Thorn]], in which the Teutonic Order renounced any claims to the city and recognised it as part of Poland.<ref>Górski, p. 91</ref>

Within the Kingdom of Poland, the city was administratively part of the [[Malbork Voivodeship]] in the newly established [[autonomous area|autonomous province]] of [[Royal Prussia]], later also within the larger [[Greater Poland Province, Crown of the Kingdom of Poland|Greater Poland Province]]. The city was known to the Polish crown by its Polish name '''Elbląg'''. With the creation of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] in 1569, the city was brought under direct control of the Polish crown. As one of the largest and most influential cities of Poland, it enjoyed voting rights during the [[Royal elections in Poland|royal election]] period in Poland.<ref>Polska Encyklopedia Szlachecka, t. I, Warsaw 1935, p. 42.</ref>

Elbląg was often visited by [[Nicolaus Copernicus]] between 1504 and 1530.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://szlakkopernikowski.pl/pl/elblag|title=Elbląg|website=Szlak Kopernikowski|access-date=24 September 2023|language=pl}}</ref>

With the 16th century [[Protestant Reformation]] the burghers became [[Protestantism|Lutherans]] and the first Lutheran [[Gymnasium (school)|Gymnasium]] was established in Elbląg in 1535.

From 1579 Elbląg had close trade relations with [[England]], to which the city accorded [[free trade]]. English, [[Scotland|Scottish]], and [[Ireland|Irish]] merchants settled in the city. They formed the Scottish Reformed Church of Elbląg and became Elbląg citizens, aiding Lutheran [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] in the [[Thirty Years' War]]. The rivalry of nearby Gdańsk interrupted trading links several times. By 1618 Elbląg had left the Hanseatic League owing to its close business dealings with England.

Famous inhabitants of the city at that time included native sons [[Hans von Bodeck]] and [[Samuel Hartlib]]. During the [[Thirty Years' War]], Swedish Chancellor [[Axel Oxenstierna]] brought the [[Moravian Church|Moravian Brethren]] refugee [[John Amos Comenius]] to Elbląg for six years (1642–1648). In 1642 [[Johann Stobäus]], who composed with [[Johann Eccard]], published the '' Preussische Fest-Lieder'', a number of evangelical Prussian songs. In 1646 the city recorder Daniel Barholz noted that the [[city council]] employed ''Bernsteindreher'', or ''Paternostermacher'', licensed and guilded amber craftsmen who worked on [[prayer beads]], [[rosary|rosaries]], and many other items made of amber. Members of the Barholz family became mayors and councillors.

[[File:Elbląg- miedzioryt z XVIII wieku.jpg|thumb|View of Elbląg from a 1720 atlas by [[Pieter van der Aa]], based on an earlier print by [[Matthäus Merian]]]]
During the [[Thirty Years' War]], the Vistula Lagoon was the main southern Baltic base of King [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden]], who was hailed as the protector of the Protestants. By 1660 the Vistula Lagoon had gone to Elector [[Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg|Frederick William]] of [[Brandenburg|Brandenburg-Prussia]], but was returned in 1700.

The poet [[Christian Wernicke]] was born in 1661 in Elbląg, while [[Gottfried Achenwall]] became famous for his teachings in [[natural law]] and [[International human rights law|human rights law]]. In 1700–1710 it was occupied by Swedish troops. In 1709 it was besieged, taken by storm on February 2, 1710, by Russian troops with support of Prussian artillery. The city was handed over to [[List of Polish monarchs|Polish King]] Augustus II in 1712.

The Royal-Polish mathematician and cartographer [[Johann Friedrich Endersch]] completed a map of [[Warmia]] in 1755 and also made a [[copper]] [[etching]] of the galley named "The City of Elbing".

During the [[War of the Polish Succession]] in 1734, Elbląg was placed under [[military occupation]] by [[Russian Empire|Russia]] and [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]].<ref>''{{in lang|de}} Book: Merian-Chronik, Cöln 1737/8: Elbingische Geschichte Zu gleicher Zeit Danzigs Belagerung 1734... Ordentliches Tage-Register von den Unternehmungen der Russen und Sachsen by der Belagerung der Stadt Dantzig. Nachricht, Wie viele Personen das 1734te Jahr durch in der Stadt Dantzig getauffet/verehelichet und begraben worden...''</ref> The town came again under occupation by Russia from 1758 to 1762 during the [[Seven Years' War]].

===Kingdom of Prussia===
During the [[First Partition of Poland]] in 1772 Elbląg was annexed by King [[Frederick II of Prussia|Frederick the Great]] of the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. Elbing became part of the newly established province of [[West Prussia]] in 1773. In the 1815 provincial reorganization following the [[Napoleonic Wars]], Elbing and its hinterland were included within [[Regierungsbezirk Danzig]] in West Prussia.

In October and November 1831, various Polish infantry, cavalry and artillery units, engineer corps and sappers of the [[November Uprising]] stopped in the city and its environs on the way to their internment locations, whereas the general staff with Commander-in-Chief General [[Maciej Rybiński]] and generals [[Józef Bem]], [[Marcin Klemensowski]], [[Kazimierz Małachowski]], [[Ludwik Michał Pac]] and [[Antoni Wroniecki]] was interned in the city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kasparek|first=Norbert|editor-last=Katafiasz|editor-first=Tomasz|year=2014|title=Na tułaczym szlaku... Powstańcy Listopadowi na Pomorzu|language=pl|location=Koszalin|publisher=Muzeum w Koszalinie, Archiwum Państwowe w Koszalinie|pages=138–140|chapter=Żołnierze polscy w Prusach po upadku powstania listopadowego. Powroty do kraju i wyjazdy na emigrację}}</ref> On December 22, 1831, the Prussian army attempted to pacify the Polish insurgents and launched a charge on the disarmed Poles, who resisted relocation, fearing deportation to the Russian Partition of Poland.<ref>Kasparek, p. 153</ref> Some insurgents eventually left partitioned Poland for the [[Great Emigration]], including [[Józef Bem]], who was expelled by the Prussians in December 1831, and [[Maciej Rybiński]], who left the city in February 1832.<ref>Kasparek, pp. 157, 169</ref>

[[File:Elbląg Holy Trinity church Kielecka 24-007.JPG|thumb|right|[[Timber-framed]] Holy Trinity Church]]
Elbing [[industrialisation|industrialized]]. In 1828 the first steamship was built by Ignatz Grunau. In 1837 [[Ferdinand Schichau]] started the [[Schichau-Werke]] company in Elbing as well as another shipyard in Danzig (Gdańsk) later on. Schichau constructed the ''Borussia'', the first [[Screw ship|screw-vessel]] in Germany. Schichau-Werke built [[hydraulics|hydraulic]] machinery, ships, [[steam engine]]s, and [[torpedo]]es. After the inauguration of the railway to [[Königsberg]] in 1853, Elbing's industry began to grow. Schichau worked together with his son-in-law Carl H. Zise, who continued the industrial complex after Schichau's death. Schichau erected large complexes for his many thousands of workers.

[[Georg Steenke]], an engineer from Königsberg, connected Elbing near the Baltic Sea with the southern part of Prussia by building the Oberländischer Kanal ([[Elbląg Canal]]).

Elbing became part of the Prussian-led [[German Empire]] in 1871 during the [[unification of Germany]]. As Elbing became an industrial city, the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] (SPD) frequently received the majority of votes; in the 1912 [[Reichstag (German Empire)|Reichstag]] elections the SPD received 51% of the vote. After [[World War I]], as most of the province of West Prussia was reintegrated with the reborn [[Second Polish Republic|Polish Republic]], Elbing was joined to the German province of [[East Prussia]], and was separated from [[Weimar Republic|Weimar Germany]] by the so-called [[Polish Corridor]].

===Nazi Germany===
[[File:Elblag-stutgoff (1).jpg|thumb|Memorial at the site of a subcamp of the [[Stutthof concentration camp]]]]
During [[World War II]], under [[Nazi Germany]], a Nazi prison,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=1233|title=Haftanstalt Elbing|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=19 September 2021|language=de}}</ref> a [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labour]] subcamp of the [[Stalag I-A]] [[German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II|POW camp]],<ref>{{cite journal|last=Necio|first=Jerzy|year=2011|title=Stalag I A Stablack. Próby upamiętnienia|journal=Łambinowicki rocznik muzealny|location=[[Opole]]|language=pl|volume=34|page=61}}</ref> a forced labour subcamp of the [[Stalag XX-B]] POW camp,<ref>{{cite book|last=Daniluk|first=Jan|editor-last=Grudziecka|editor-first=Beata|title=Stalag XX B: historia nieopowiedziana|language=pl|location=[[Malbork]]|publisher=Muzeum Miasta Malborka|page=11|chapter=Stalag XX B Marienburg: geneza i znaczenie obozu jenieckiego w Malborku-Wielbarku w latach II wojny światowej|date=May 9, 2024 |isbn=978-83-950992-2-9}}</ref> and three subcamps of the [[Stutthof concentration camp]] were operated in the city.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gliński|first=Mirosław|title=Podobozy i większe komanda zewnętrzne obozu Stutthof (1939–1945)|journal=Stutthof. Zeszyty Muzeum|language=pl|volume=3|pages=167, 177, 180|issn=0137-5377}}</ref> The Germans also enslaved Poles as forced labour in the city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wardzyńska|first=Maria|year=2017|title=Wysiedlenia ludności polskiej z okupowanych ziem polskich włączonych do III Rzeszy w latach 1939-1945|language=pl|location=Warszawa|publisher=[[Institute of National Remembrance|IPN]]|page=104|isbn=978-83-8098-174-4}}</ref> The [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish resistance]] was active and infiltrated the German arms industry.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chrzanowski|first=Bogdan|year=2022|title=Polskie Państwo Podziemne na Pomorzu w latach 1939–1945|language=pl|location=Gdańsk|publisher=IPN|page=48|isbn=978-83-8229-411-8}}</ref> Dozens of [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish resistance]] members were held in the local prison, and at least 15 were sentenced to death in the city in 1942.<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Encyklopedia konspiracji Wielkopolskiej 1939–1945|year=1998|location=Poznań|language=pl|publisher=Instytut Zachodni|pages=57, 69, 106, 117, 120, 137–138, 142, 148, 157, 160, 162, 194, 227, 249, 254, 284, 303, 336, 338, 503, 535, 558, 561, 564, 582, 594, 675–676, 678–680, 682, 684–685, 687–690, 693–694, 697, 701, 703, 706, 712–713, 737, 751|isbn=83-85003-97-5}}</ref>

The prison and forced labour camps were closed and many of the German inhabitants [[Evacuation of East Prussia|forced to flee]] as the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Red Army]] approached the city toward the end of the war. Laid under siege since January 23, 1945, about 65% of the city infrastructure was destroyed, including most of the historical city center. The town was captured by the Soviet Red Army during the night of February 9/10, 1945.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.castlesofpoland.com/prusy/elbl_hist_en.htm|title=History of Elblag - Castles of Poland|website=www.castlesofpoland.com|access-date=May 28, 2017}}</ref> During the first days of the siege most of the population of approximately 100,000 persons fled. After the end of war, in spring 1945, the region together with the city became again part of Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, as a result of the [[Potsdam Conference]]. As of 1 November 1945 16.838 Germans remained in the town.<ref name=Byk>{{cite book|title=The Rehabilitation and Ethnic Vetting of the Polish Population in the Voivodship of Gdańsk after World War II|author=Sylwia Bykowska|publisher=Peter-Lang-Verlagsgruppe|page=116|date=2020|isbn=978-3-631-67940-1}}</ref> Polish rule over the town was implemented April 1, 1945, hence, much before the Allies' decisions at the later [[Potsdam Conference]]. Many of Elbings' residents were interned, and finally [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|expelled]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Die Vertreibung der deutschen Bevölkerung aus den Gebieten östlich der Oder-Neisse|series=Dokumentation der Vertreibung der Deutschen aus Ost-Mitteleuropa|volume=I/2|year=1984|publisher=Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag|pages=453–456|language=de}}</ref> The Polish authorities made a determined effort to establish a demographic ''fait accomplit'' before the Allies would take decisions on Germany's future.<ref>{{cite book | last=Yoshioka | first=Jun | title=Imagining Their Lands as Ours: Place Name Changes on Ex-German Territories in Poland after World War II| publisher=Hokkaido University Press | year=2007 | isbn=978-4-938637-43-9 | url=https://src-h.slav.hokudai.ac.jp/coe21/publish/no15_ses/14_yoshioka.pdf| access-date=2023-08-16|pages=276–277}}; {{cite book | last=Schechtman | first=J.B. | title=Postwar Population Transfers in Europe, 1945-1955 | publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press, Incorporated | series=Anniversary Collection | year=2016 | isbn=978-1-5128-0654-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VVIrEAAAQBAJ |jstor=j.ctv513716 | access-date=2023-08-21|pages=214}}</ref>

===History after 1945===
The area was settled by Poles after remaining Germans were either [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|transferred or fled]] to Germany. Elbląg was part of the so-called [[Recovered Territories]] and out of the new inhabitants, 98% were [[Poles (people)|Poles]] expelled from former [[Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union|eastern Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union]]. Parts of the damaged historical city center were completely demolished, with the bricks being used to rebuild [[Warsaw]] and [[Gdańsk]]. The [[People's Republic of Poland|Communist authorities]] had originally planned that the Old Town, utterly destroyed during the fighting since January 23, 1945, would be built over with [[Tower block|blocks of flats]]; however, economic difficulties thwarted this effort. Two [[church (building)|churches]] were reconstructed and the remaining ruins of the old town were torn down in the 1960s.

[[File:Butelki piwa EB.jpg|thumb|upright|right|[[Elbrewery|EB]], [[Beer in Poland|Polish beer]] produced by the [[Elbrewery|Elbrewery Company]] in Elbląg]]
Along with [[Tricity, Poland|Tricity]] and [[Szczecin]], Elbląg was the scene of the [[Polish 1970 protests]]. Since 1990 the German minority population has had a modest resurgence, with the Elbinger Deutsche Minderheit Organization counting around 450 members in 2000{{citation needed|date=April 2019}}.

Restoration of the Old Town began after 1989. Since the beginning of the restoration, an extensive archaeological programme has been carried out. Most of the city's heritage was destroyed during the construction of basements in the 19th century or during World War II, but the backyards and [[latrine]]s of the houses remained largely unchanged, and have provided information on the city's history. In some instances, private investors have incorporated parts of preserved stonework into new architecture. By 2006, approximately 75% of the Old Town had been reconstructed.

Elbląg is also home to the [[Elbrewery]], Poland's largest brewery, which belongs to the [[Żywiec Brewery|Żywiec Group]] (Heineken). The history of the Elblag Brewing Tradition dates back to 1309, when Teutonic Master Siegfried von Leuchtwangen granted brewing privileges to the city. The present brewery was founded in 1872 as the Elbinger Aktien-Brauerei. In the early 1900s, the brewery was the exclusive supplier of [[Pilsner|Pilsner beer]] to the court of German Emperor [[Wilhelm II]].