The Kashubian village of Hel was first mentioned in 1198 as a centre of
herring trade area named Gellen. In one of the Danish chronicles of 1219 it is
mentioned that a damaged ship of King Valdemar II the Victorious was set ashore
on an "Island of Hel". By 13th century the village became one of the
most important trade centres of the area, competing with the nearby town of
Gdańsk (German: Danzig). It was then that the village was granted city rights
by Duke Świętopełk II the Great of Pomerania. The privileges were later
confirmed in 1378 when the town came under the rule of the Teutonic Knights.
Initially the
