Sopot is a seaside resort town on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. It is best known for its mineral waters, beautiful beaches and the longest wooden pier in Europe, which stretches out for over half a kilometre into the Bay of Gdańsk.

The first known settlements in the Sopot area date back to the 7th century, when it served as a commercial outpost. In the 10th century, its significance was reduced to a fishing village. From the 12th century, the Sopot area was administered by the Cistercian Monks, seated in nearby Oliwa.

In the 14th century the town fell under control of the Teutonic Knights and was only returned to the Kingdom of Poland after the Second Peace of Thorn in 1466. Since the 16th century, Sopot became a spa for wealthy families from Gdańsk. However, in the years 1733-34 invading imperial Russian troops looted and burned it to the ground. Its ruined manors were bought and rebuilt half a century later by the magnate family of Przebendowski.

In 1772, Sopot was annexed by the Kingdom of Prussia in the First Partition of Poland. In 1806, it was sold to Gdańsk/Danzig merchant Carl Christoph Wegner, who opened the town’s first public bath and spa. Although his undertaking was a financial failure, his idea was picked up by a former medic of the French Napoleonic army, Dr. Jean Georg Haffner, who in 1823 successfully established a new bath complex, followed by a sanatorium, 63-meter wooden pier, changing rooms and a park.

In 1870, Sopot was connected to the new Gdańsk-Kołobrzeg (Danzig-Kolberg) rail line, which was later extended to Berlin. Good accessibility added to its popularity and by 1900 the number of tourists visiting had reached almost 12,500 a year. The second sanatorium was constructed in 1881, and the pier was extended to 85 meters in length. In 1885, gas works were built, followed by tennis courts in 1887 and a horse-racing track a year later. Two new churches, Protestant and Catholic, were built in 1901.

From the late 19th century, Sopot saw a significant influx of German settlers. It was the favourite spa of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, who granted it city rights in 1901, spurring further rapid growth. New sanatoria, baths, hotels, restaurants, and a theatre were opened. Shortly before World War I, the city had 17,400 permanent inhabitants and over 20,000 tourists every year.

Following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Sopot became a part of the Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk) in customs union with the re-established Polish Republic. Due to the proximity of the Polish and German borders, the economy of the town soon recovered, its newly built casino becoming one of the main sources of income of the free-city state. In 1927, the city authorities built the Kasino Hotel, one of the most notable landmarks in Sopot today. After World War II, it was renamed as the Grand Hotel and continues to be one of the most luxurious hotels in Poland. The pier was extended to the present length of 512 meters. By the early 1930s, Sopot was being visited by more than 30,000 tourists annually, not including tourists from nearby Gdańsk (Danzig). However, with the rising popularity of Nazism in Germany and among local Germans, tourist numbers started to decline. In 1938, local German Nazis burned down Sopot’s synagogue.

During the Second World War, the Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk) was annexed by Germany and most of its local Polish, Kashubian and Jewish population was imprisoned, murdered, or expelled under the Nazi operation, Intelligenzaktion Pommern. Hitler used the Sopot Grand Hotel as his headquarters to oversee the invasion of Warsaw. The town remained under German rule until early 1945, when the Soviet Army took over the city after several days of fighting.

After the Potsdam Conference, Sopot was again reincorporated into Poland, which fell under the Communist rule. The remaining Germans who still lived in the town were expelled to make room for Polish settlers from former eastern Polish territories annexed by the Soviet Union.

Sopot quickly regained its status as a major tourist destination as a tram line to Gdańsk was opened and later replaced with the rail commuter line connecting the whole Tri-City area (Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia). Since the 1960s, the city hosts the Sopot International Song Festival in its unique Forest Opera venue.

The fall of communism in Poland brought yet another wave of investment and redevelopment to the city. It now boasts the highest property prices in Poland.