History
Until the 13th century, the spit had navigable straits in the middle, which allowed the city of Elbląg part of the monastic State of the Teutonic Knights, direct access to the Baltic Sea. The natural closing of the straits in the late 13th century reduced Elbing's status as an important trading seaport. This and the Teutonic takeover of Danzig (Gdańsk) and Polish Pomerania in 1308, led to the increased importance of Gdańsk.
Read more about this topic: Vistula Spit
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“The best history is but like the art of Rembrandt; it casts a vivid light on certain selected causes, on those which were best and greatest; it leaves all the rest in shadow and unseen.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)