Hel peninsula
Encyclopedia : H : HE : HEL : Hel peninsula
[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 the Puck County of Pomeranian Voivodship.
The width of the peninsula varies from approximately 300 m. near Jurata, through 100 metres in the most narrow part to over 1 kilometre 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; during the Battle of Hel in 1939, Polish forces dynamited the peninsula, turning it into an island.
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.
See also
- Hel fortified region
- Westerplatte
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