Well, I'm italian but I know Danzig was a very german town until 1945, afterwards polish and russians made a total ethnic cleaning of the city and nowadays is a polish town. The truth of the history can't be deleted or confuted, but unfortunately in Poland there are still a lot of nationalists.

Where should we start in the history? With the Goths? These have to settled 1,600 years ago on the Vistula, and talked a precursor of the German language. "Gothiscandza" - later "Gyddanyzc" - means Coast of the Goths. To 1224 gave the Pomeranian Duke de Zwantepolc Danceke - a Kashubian - the townright to Luebeck the German merchant settlement, which was developed in the area of present-day Long Market. In 1295 the Polish king Przemyslaw II conferred on the city the Magdeburg Law. Danzig was a city of the Hanseatic League, a free city under Polish suzerainty outside the Holy Roman Empire. So was Gdansk Polish or German? At least you have spoken  the German language in Danzig, even though Polish-speaking people living around!

M y dear Polish nationalists! Isn� �t it the same situation with Lvov / Lviv / Lemberg? After World War I, this city was also a Polish-speaking island with Yiddish, German, Ukrainian-s peaking and other ethnic groups in Ukraine. Poland has attacked in the 1920s its eastern neighbors and incorporated an area with a Polish-speaking population, only 25%? What is the town? The polish Lvov, the ukrainian Lviv, the german-yiddish Lemberg?

The aristocratic rulers did not care what language their subjects spoke. Remember, also Poland had an Saxonian King from 1697, elected by the polish Aristocrats! Th e German Danzig was a free city, founded by German free city status. Poland's Gdansk is the birth of the East European freedom - Solidarność,Solida rity. Let’s use our common history, to build a future together, in Solidarity and peace.

@Eurasian --- Once again, you are becoming less and less credible every time you comment because you always blame the Jews. You must have had a bad experience with one. Did a Jewish girlfriend dump you or something? :)

Well, Dronf... Of course that Polish nationalism is no better than any other. 
As to the free city of Danzig, you are absolutely right. Poles were only 3-11% (dependant on the sources) of the whole population. But this was due to German/Prussian oppression which lasted over a 100 years. In the whole 1000 years history of Gdansk, it was in Teutonic Order/Prussian/Germa n hands for approximately 275 years versus over 700 years being Polish. "By historical accounts", I think you are missing the point ... or you are just making those "historical accounts" up as you go along. 
As to the next point. Yes, you Germans should be extremely touchy about the history, indeed. And, yes, of course you Germans living in Poland have suffered... Yes, it was Poles who  murdered 6 millions of Germans in concentration camps, mass executions and other hostile actions against your country during the II WW. Yes it is Polish troops who invaded Germany in September 1939. Of course it was the Poles... uhm... hang on...  Stop talking nonsense.

Tomasz (unregistered) wrote in #5You guys turn a sports article into a debate about politics? Seriously, are your lives so sad that you can't even enjoy competitive sports?!*****  Well SCUM American JEW that IS what you DO ALL the time here trying to exploit Poland seeing how weak their politicians are and create Russio-phobia/hyster ia. Ah now try to play intelectual and peacefuly DUMB Hypocrite?

Polish nationalism is no better than any other!!

In the year 1923 the population of Danzig was 95% German and only 3% Polish... so, it's just nonsense to call it a call 'Polish city' by historical account. It surely is Polish today, but that doesn't change a bit about history and it doesn't change the fact that Germans who have lived in Poland throughout history have suffered just as well and the we Germans are also very touchy about the past.

So... just put your one-sided view of life in a place, where it's dark and warm.

Danzid was Free City from 1920...Gdansk is really polish city, those political niuances are really sad, unfair and uncalled for...but that might be the only way you get people to read your pitifull article

To the author of this article: Writing that Gdansk "was actually german" reveals serious gaps in your education and/or proves a degree of historical ignorance. You might be a good sports journalist but my advice is not to go beyond that subject into other areas, (i.e. history) as it only shows your weaknesses.
So just to put an erratum on your article, to whomever it may concern...
Gdansk settlement has been recorded for the first time in 997 and formed a part of Kingdom of Poland up until 1308, when it became a part of the Teutonic Order's lands. After Thirteen Years' war in 1466 it became Polish again up until "partitioning" in 1793, where Polish lands were divided between Prussia, Austria and Russia. In 1920, the Treaty of Versaille created a Free City of Danzig which almost effectively became a part of Poland before the city was claimed by Nazis in 1939...
So, in fact it wasn't a German city up until 1945. To be precise it was German only in the years 1871 - 1920 & 1939 - 1945 and Prussian 1793 - 1805 & 1815 - 1871.
And yes, we Poles are very touchy on the subject of our history as we have some bad experience from the past... I hope you understand. 

I hope Greece wins but Germany is the better team and one of  hand full of  teams to go all the way.

Greece is a very skillful team, individual and as a team.  I'm sure that they will take the game to the germans. 

You guys turn a sports article into a debate about politics? Seriously, are your lives so sad that you can't even enjoy competitive sports?!

why all that hate toward the great people of Greece? Today Greece will be victorious today—I cal feel it.

Greeks are the laziest in Europe and they deserve what they get. Next is Greeks become enslaved and used in reconstruction of a mighty Europe. Today you will see a strong Germany defeating the filthy country of Ellada, which, whithout German help, wouldn't have even had today's Acropolis. Greece was indeed a German colony and now the had been tought a lesson due to not obbeying their masters. Next is Syria, then Iran.

Can't wait to see Germany crushing the Greek team like a fly.

Today: I wish Greece get the chance to teach Germany the pain of austerity and economic imperialism- if Greece wins it will uplift the people and will create hopeful sense of defiance and solidarity in the face of economic war against Greece led by Germany.