ELBLAG

German Elbing, city, capital of Elblag wojewdztwo (province), north-central Poland. It lies along the Elblag River near the Nogat River, which is the eastern mouth of the Vistula River. Founded in 1237 by the Teutonic Knights, the castle and settlement were granted town rights in 1246 and joined the Hanseatic League in the late 13th century. By 1580 it had become the chief East Prussian port in trade with England. Silting then obstructed Vistula Lagoon, reducing Elblag to an inland port. In 1945 during World War II, a great deal of the town was destroyed by the Germans. Elblag has subsequently been rebuilt, although work on rebuilding the old town portion of the city began only in 1991. Elblag is a rail junction and port; its economy depends upon metallurgy, heavy-machinery manufacture (including turbines), sawmilling, brewing, and agriculture. The 99-mile- (159-kilometre-) long Elblag Canal, completed in 1872, connects Elblag with the inland port of Ostrda to the south. There is a branch of Gdansk Technical University at nearby Zamech. Pop. (1990 est.) 125,200.