Polish Ambassador to Germany, Józef Lipski, travelled to Bertesgaden yesterday to meet with German Foreign Minister Joachim Ribbentop. The topic of discussion is reportedly the Free City of Danzig.
The Free City of Danzig, a Baltic Sea port, was created on 10 January 1920, against the wishes of the local population but in accordance with the terms of Part III, Section XI of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919.
The Free City includes the city of Danzig and over two hundred nearby towns, villages, and settlements, all of which had been a part of the former German Empire. As the League of Nations decreed, the region is to remain separate from the nation of Germany, as well as the newly-resurrected nation of Poland. The Free City is not autonomous; it is under League of Nations "protection" and put into a binding customs union with Poland.
Poland also has other, special utilization rights towards the city. A peninsula, Westerplatte, is a munitions dumping ground as well as a military post. Poland also has a Post Office there and other support services.
Yesterday, October 24 is also the 17th anniversary of the Treaty of Warsaw.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
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