# Poland's Wedding to the Sea (1920)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1920-poland-s-wedding-to-the-sea
Location: Puck

At Puck, General Józef Haller threw a platinum ring into the Baltic to celebrate Poland's regained access to the sea after Pomerania was handed over under the Treaty of Versailles. Within the broader World War I & Independence period: The First World War destroyed the partitioning empires. Poland regained independence in November 1918 and fought for its borders in a series of wars and uprisings until 1921. At this point in the timeline (10 February 1920), the governing authority was Józef Piłsudski (Chief of State). Architect of independence and Chief of State; after the 1926 coup he remained Poland's dominant figure until his death in 1935. Poland's Wedding to the Sea mattered because it altered the structure of power and the direction of Polish statehood. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Poland's Wedding to the Sea mattered because it altered the structure of power and the direction of Polish statehood.

Ruler at the time: [Józef Piłsudski](https://poland-history.com/rulers/jozef-pilsudski)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Poland's Wedding to the Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland's_Wedding_to_the_Sea)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Poland's Wedding to the Sea](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Poland%27s+Wedding+to+the+Sea)
- [Wikipedia — History of Poland during World War I (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_during_World_War_I)