Sopot - the second city of the Tri-City, known as the "summer drawing room of Poland". It is picturesquely situated between the Baltic Sea and the forests of the Tri-City Hills (a landscape park). This elegant seaside resort is well-known for its casino, its long pier, its spa buildings, historic villas, and above all, the pedestrianized Monte Cassino Street, where you can meet famous politicians and representatives of Polish cultural life.

Sopot is both a health resort and a centre for active tourism and business tourism (conventions, congresses).

Sopot was never meant to be an industrial city not only because of its geographical location with not too much space for industrial park but it was laid out by its founders as a health and tourist resort. Most of the citizens are involved in many service areas in hotels, restaurants, repair businesses and shops. The production sector is relatively small in terms of the company size and building. Many people are involved in various crafts not only souvenirs for tourist but in small scale production in toys, electronics, machines, food and there are also a few construction companies. In various locations thought-out the city you can find many shops with goods from food to high end electronic gadgets and equipment. Most of the trade goes on the main street, with the most significant building The Trade House Laura (on the top picture), selling everything from electronics, cloths, CDs, souvenirs, jewelry, shoes and sport’s equipment. Sopot has only one mid size food supermarket Billa on the bottom picture, despite high competition which the marked created since its construction in 1994 in old Sopot market it did not drive small shops out of business. One of the things which might surprise you is high security and guards around and inside the building and do not be surprised when they ask you to live personal bags in safe room before shopping inside. The place was already victim to high profile gang assault; all involved were since then caught and prosecuted.

This year 2003, Sopot Festival celebrates its 40th birthday; it will take place as usual on 22th and on 23rd Augusts. The first day belongs to two Polish teams Skaldowie and Kaja, on the second day Ricky Martin will perform.

Sopot offers rich calendar of artistic and cultural events, which contribute to specific nature of the town. Undoubtedly, since 30 years, the song festival constitutes the attraction of the town. At the end of the August, the whole life is focused on the event. This most popular music festival takes place in Forest Opera. It is a beautiful amphitheatre with audience for 4,500 people, and its location, among forested hills, creates great acoustics. Each year, hundreds of people come to the town to listen to the stars performing on natural stage in Sopot. During the festival different types and styles of music are presented. Enthusiasts of theatre and painting may attend events on the Chamber stage of Wybrzeze Theatre, located in a house near the beach. Also the beach alternative theatres present their art. Numerous exhibitions are organized by galleries. People can admire paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photography and all other artistic works. Since 1996 Sopot has been trying to bring back the tradition of jazz festival from 1950s when the town was the cradle of Polish jazz.

In the year 2003 the International Song Festival, Sopot Festival, celebrates its 40th anniversary. The festival is one of the oldest song events in Europe. In the unique scenery of the Forest Opera representatives of various styles and genres of song and pop music come together.

Over these thirty-seven years the name of the festival, its formula and its organisers has changed a number of times. In the 1960s and at the beginning of the 70s the festival was a typical song contest organised by the Ministry of Culture and Art and the Polish Artistic Agency "Pagart". Among its participants were well-known and popular in those times performers like for instance Karel Gott (former Czechoslovakia), Frida Boccara (Monaco), Henri Dés (Switzerland), Isabelle Aubret (France), Salomé (Spain) and many many others.

In the middle of the 70s these same organisers together with the Committee For Radio and Television organised in Sopot the Intervision Festival, a festival regarded as the most prestigious song and musical event in Eastern Europe. It was there that the stars of the Eastern Block had their success - Helena Vondračkova, Jiži Korn, Frank Schäbel, Ałła Pugaczowa, Maryla Rodowicz.Since 1994 Telewizja Polska S. A has been the sole organiser of the festival. Thanks to the live broadcasts by Channel One of Telewizja Polska S.A. the festival concerts can be watched live by a multimillion audience.

Sopot is a town in which you cannot possibly be bored. With a very rich choice of sporting and leisure activities, it remains above all the Three Cities’ centre for cultural events and entertainment. Sopot’s advantages are the wide range of organised events, including exhibitions, garden parties, festivals, performances and concerts.

Sopot is a town redolent with the atmosphere of creativity, the meeting-place of outstanding artists, such as Cybulski, Miłosz and Dudziński, and also of promising musicians, actors and portrait-painters, whose work can be observed in the Monte Cassino pedestrian precinct.

The great pride of the town is the Sopot Festival, which has taken place for more than 30 years now in the Forest Opera. At the end of August the attention of the whole country is drawn to Sopot. A little earlier you can attend the recently revived Wagner Festival, or the Sopot Molo Jazz Festival on the pier. There are also many very popular concerts on the pier, filling up the calendar of festivals in Sopot.

Aficionados of theatre will have much to delight them in the Chamber Theatre, the Theatre of Expression or the Agnieszka Osiecka Atelier Theatre. Those who love the fine arts can attend exhibitions and varnishing-days at the following galleries: The State Art Gallery, Triada, Kinski, Ryton, Herman and Dworek Sierakowskich. Cinema-goers are invited to two cinemas: Polonia and Bałtyk.