1. Location, area, population 

Hel is the most sea located town of Poland, lying on the Hel Peninsula, 33 kilometres from its beginning to the town centre.

Administrative borders of town range over 21.27 km², 85% of which are forest areas.

In administration terms, Hel is a community which of the whole area has a status of town. The community of Hel is located in Puck Poviat, in Pomeranian Voivodeship (district).

Hel has a total population of 4100, with low density as for a municipal unit - 193 persons/ km². Municipal community of Hel is a part of Puck Poviat. Hel places itself in the group of "small" towns of the Voivodeship.

The town of Hel is surrounded by waters of Baltic Sea and Gdañsk Bay, and only on a small part of land it borders with Jastarnia community. This border runs perpendicularly to the coastline through Hel Peninsula.

2. Climate

The climate on the town area is shaped by masses of air floating from the sea or the bay, and has the traits of maritime climate (small daily, monthly and annual amplitudes of air temperature, significant delays of thermal seasons of year and lengthening of transitional periods between summer and winter, high humidity of air, strong winds and big volatility of weather conditions).

The warmest month is August with average temperature of 17.3°C, and the coldest is February with average temperature of - 1.3°C. Annual average temperature amounts to 7.7°C.

Average number of days with ground frost amounts to 96.5 days per year, number of cold days - 26.1 days per year, hot - 9.8 days per year.

The winds mostly blow from western direction, strongest ones from October to March. Average annual wind speed is 4.1 m/s and the share of days without wind is 8.9% per year.

The total amount of precipitation equals 560 mm per year, and the maximum of precipitation occurs in July and August. From June to October the precipitation is higher than from November to May.

3. Fauna and flora

Fauna on the area of Hel town is relatively poor. However, this area plays an important role in the time of spring and autumn bird journeys. It lies on one of the main routes of flights in eastern-Atlantic system of bird journeys. In wintertime the basin of Hel harbour and coastal waters of Gdañsk Bay have a major significance for the birds, as an important Baltic winter shelter.

On the beaches of Hel peninsula you can sometimes see the grey seal. A Maritime Station of Gdañsk University was founded in Hel, and its aim is the protection and renovation of population of grey seal on the area of Baltic Sea.

On the area of town Hel, in its administrative borders there is one huge forest complex, with the road and railroad going through the middle of it. The forest area of 1840 ha stretches from the border between towns Hel and Jastarnia to the headland of the peninsula. The only not forested areas are beaches, municipal built-up areas, and part of military areas.

The forest consists mainly of dry and mesic forest. In the damp, swampy lower parts of land you can witness damp forest, alder forest and swamp forest [forest names taken from Polish system of classification of forests]. Also some part of the dunes, where there are some trees is counted as forested areas. The predominant tree specie is Scotch pine, there is lesser occurrence of black pine, with addition of birch, acacia, maple, oak, adder, sycamore, poplar, aspen and willow. Also the dwarf mountain pine occurs on some areas as compact bush.

In the undergrowth there may occur the serviceberry, dwarfed oak, hazel, mezereon, rose, elderberry, common sea-buckthorn.

The forests on the area of Hel are protected. The age of standing timber reaches 80-140 years, and in some parts even more than 160 years. There is a very low share of timber aged under 40.

On the municipal area, along the streets and on green spaces, there are maple, linden, poplar, birch, alder, horse chestnut, pine, acacia, serviceberry.

4. Demographic and social situation in town

Number of inhabitants

Number	Year
4737	2000
4629	2001
4551	2002
4517	2003
4492	2004
4224	2005
4100	2006

Births and deaths in 2006

Specification	Number
Births	59
Deaths	43

Migration Saldo

Year	Specification	Number
2000	Register in	132
	Register out
2001	Register in	69
	Register out
2002	Register in	88
	Register out	131
2003	Register in	70
	Register out	130

2004	Register in	147
	Register out	243
2005	Register in	97
	Register out	223
2006	Register in	97
	Register out	205

Age structure on date: 31.12.2005r.

Age interval	Number
0 - 4:	238
5 - 9:	241
10 - 14:	249
15 - 19:	280
20 - 24:	344
25 - 29:	403
30 - 34:	396
35 - 39:	304
40 - 44:	395
45 - 49:	323
50 - 54:	297
55 - 59:	276
60 - 64:	132
65 - 69:	134
70 - 74:	100
75 - 79:	79
80 - 84:	23
85 i wiæcej:	10

5. Register of historical buildings and monuments

No.	Object	Address	Time of construction
1	The Fisheries Museum - Department in Hel	ul. Bulwar  Nadmorski  2	XV century
2	Parish church of "Corpus Christi"	ul. Ýeromskiego.	Raised in years 1932 - 1933
3	Fishermen's houses	Situated along  ul. Wiejska
4	Military objects	Situated In forest areas of Hel community	1931-1956
5	Lighthouse complex	Situated on the verge of town, nearby crossing of Sosnowa and Baùtycka streets.	1942
6	Built up area - ul. Generaùa Waltera - now named "Wiejska" - covering area from parcel No. 2 to parcel No. 81/96 (now area from building No. 2 to building No. 143).	ul. Wiejska	1128

6. Tourism (available accommodation)

Available accommodation in  2001-2006

Year	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Objects (rooms to let, B&B, camping sites)	29	29	30	31	31
Beds to rent - including all year service	392/220	392/220	408/220	447/220	447/220
Tourist resorts (i.e. hotel+ infrastructural facilities)	4	4	4	4	4
Beds to rent in tourist resorts	1135	1135	1135	1135	1135

7. Education

Municipal kindergarten:

·   Altogether there is 126 children and 10 teachers

·   In class "0"[1] there is 54 children in 3 groups

·   There are 6 other groups with 72 children attending them

School Complex including primary school, gimnazjum (secondary school part 1) and liceum (secondary school part 2)[2]

Tutors teach in various types of schools and there are altogether 52 tutors.

Primary School:

271 pupils in 15 groups.

Gimnazjum:

136 pupils in 7 groups.

Liceum:

45 students in 2 groups.

8. Non-governmental organisations

1. "Ventus" Foundation.
2. Association "Friends of Hel"
3. Kashubian-Pomeranian association, subsidiary in Hel.
4. Association of St. Antonio from Padua.
5. "Ray of Hope" - association supporting disabled children and youth
6. Voluntary Fire Brigade
7. Association of Former Professional Soldiers and Standby Officers of Polish Army
8. Association of Maritime Fishermen

9. Information on the status of community possession on date: 30 October 2006.

Grounds located in administrative boarders of town                      2127ha

Grounds that are property of the community (in total)                   22,63ha

Given to hereditary tenure                                                          2,90ha

incl. urbanised and built up areas                                                2,90ha

land resources                                                                           22,63ha

specification:

built up and urbanised areas                                                       5,48ha

agricultural areas                                                                       2,01ha

roads                                                                                        5,56ha

forests                                                                                      4,36ha

other areas and waste lands                                                       5,22ha

10. Health service

·   Hospitals                                                     1

·   Non-public institutions of health service         2

·   Municipal Centre For Social Help                1

·   Pharmacies                                                 2

11.  Leisure and recreation objects

·   Sport halls                                                   2

·   Tennis courts                                              2

·   Sports and leisure ballpark (pitch)                 1

 12. Identification of problems

The most important social problems in the town are:

·   Relatively high unemployment, including long-term unemployment.

·   Relatively high unemployment rate amongst youth.

·   Low qualifications of the unemployed, not adjusted to the needs of labour market.

·   Insufficient equipment of didactic studios in schools and other educational posts.

·   Limited access to services of specialised doctors (limits set by NFZ -National Health Fund, which is the national payer for the services provided by health service providers)

·   Hospital facilities requiring modernisation and extension

·   Low activity of citizens and locality

13. Goals of Hel strategy

Economy

Assumed actions in order of stimulating economical development with use of number of legislative, financial and organisational instruments include:

-         preparation of investment grounds

-         help in acquiring of external funds for development of small business

-         application of preferences and small business tax relief

-         creating conditions for complete and professional town promotion

Crucial element stimulating local labour market is the participation in implementation of projects co-financed by structural funds of EU and World Bank funds.

Infrastructure

-          creating conditions to enable the modernisation of water, rainwater and sewerage system, and modernisation of communication system (roads, railroad, water routes)

-          concentration of efforts concerning complex management of solid wastes (including segregation and utilisation) through locating a dump site outside the area of Hel Peninsula

-          providing cheap, common access to Internet,

-          consistent development of sports and leisure infrastructure with taking into account the playgrounds for kids

Space

-          acquisition of terrain currently belonging to the army, which will cause influx of investments resulting in further development of hotel and gastronomy services and in the potential possibility of increment of inhabitants of town by migration to town

-          creation of conditions for renovation of monuments and historical areas and for improvement of architecture of existing buildings

Community

-          providing professional equipment of didactical studios for the educational posts and broadening the educational offer

-          intensification of actions towards increase of security 

14. Managing social problems 

Homelessness

-          assistance to persons and families who haven't substantive place of accommodation and cannot ensure themselves such accommodation/shelter by own efforts

-          assistance to persons devoid of means essential to satisfy the elementary needs

-          assistance to persons permanently marginalised due to dissolution of social bonds

Unemployment

-          providing possibilities of employment to persons who are capable of working and who want to work, but cannot find employment

Disability

-          integration with the disabled who, because of the limited physical or psychical functions, experience problems of day-to-day functioning in society.

Alcoholism and violence

-          intensification of existing forms of help for persons and families touched by the problem of  alcoholism or violence

-          broadening the accessibility of therapeutic and remedial aid.