Working out a Polish itinerary is difficult unless you have a month to see this large and varied country. Two places usually considered include well-preserved renaissance Krakow (close to the Tatra mountains) or the gritty interesting capital city of Warsaw; Gdansk is however another great alternative just 3 hours’ train ride north of Warsaw on the Baltic Sea.

Gdansk had a largely Baltic German heritage until around 1945, colonized by the Teutonic Knights in the early 1300s and then a trading port of the Hanseatic League (see here for more on that https://wp.me/p7Jh3P-IG). Gdansk was passed back and forth between various Polish and other rulers but came to be part of Prussia in the 18th century and was commonly known under its German name of Danzig.

After WW1, Danzig was run independently as a Free City within Poland until it was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1939. In 1946, it was finally absorbed as Gdansk into Communist Poland as Germany’s border shifted west to its current place.

Gdansk’s unique contribution to Poland’s identity notably occurred in the 20th century with two pivotal events – the start of WW2 with the German assault on the Westerplatte fortress on September 1, 1939; and in the opposition to Soviet Russian rule in the 1970s and 1980s. Both events are end pieces to a tough period of Polish history between 1939 and 1989, and Gdansk was pivotal to both events.

Much of the city was wrecked in WW2, and what you see today is postwar restoration which apparently toned down the Baltic German architectural influence and is not a close replica.

Gdansk’s well-restored and extensive historical center, which runs either side of Long Street and Long Market (Ulica Dlugi/Dlugi Targ) to the Mlatwa Vistula River, gets a bit overrun with tour buses these days, so while you should have a wander round to see the immaculately restored medieval/renaissance layout and the river, including the unusual medieval wooden waterfront warehouse and loading dock, there are plenty of other things to see.

Gdansk Shipyard and European Solidarity Centre (ecs.gda.pl pl. Solidarności 1). The 1980 Lenin Gdansk Shipyard strike sought labor reforms under the Solidarity Trade Union, after a period of political unrest.  You can now walk through the largely unchanged shipyard gate (although the name is now simply Gdansk Shipyard), and pass through the same check in as a worker would have done. The shipyard has some new buildings but is operating at a less busy level, and it’s possible to walk around large sections of it.

Located just behind Gdansk’s famous main shipyard gate, the solidarity center is located in a new rust-colored building that evokes the steel sides of ships, and houses a museum and library. It is worth a couple of hours of your time to understand how a largely peaceful industrial protest started to tip Soviet ideology over and hasten the end of Communist occupation in Eastern Europe.

The museum explains the history of one of the world’s major shipbuilding centers and covers the history of protest against Communist rule, including the tumultuous December 1970 strikes and protests throughout northern Poland, where over 40 people were killed and 1,000 injured.

At the core of the display is the history of the 1980 shipyard strike, one of whose leaders was Lech Walesa, who went on to become one of Poland’s post-communist prime ministers. You can even see the plywood board on which they wrote up their demands to the Communist Government.

There is extensive political material from both the Communist era and subsequent elections. If you want to see the building where the negotiations took place, the BHP Hall http://www.salabhp.pl/en/ is nearby at Popieluszki 6.

Museum of the Second World War (Plac Wladyslawa Bartoszewskiego 1) Opened in 2017, the museum (muzeum1939.pl) covers WW2 with emphasis on the Polish experience, including the 1939 campaign, resistance and the overseas Polish forces that continued to fight. There is an extensive section on the Jewish genocide and the Nazi occupation of Europe.

National Museum at Gdansk (Torunska 1). Mainly worth the walk south of town to see the renaissance art, including the 15th-century Last Judgment triptych. This was closed through December 2019, so check before you go.

Gdansk Historical Museum (Dluga 46). Right in the heart of the old town, it’s actually worth a look to understand how the city evolved as a trading port and was reconstructed from rubble after WW2. There is also access to the main tower with great city views.

Gunter Grass and the Tin Drum. Fans of Gunter Grass can take a walk in the author’s footsteps and get some insight into his novel inspired by his Danzig childhood – Grass was born in 1928 and lived in Danzig until being drafted into the German armed forces. There is an art gallery in his name at Szeroka 34/35 – look out for the flounder outside – and a link to the walking tour (and other suggested by the City) is here https://www.gdansk.pl/en/for-tourists/walking-in-guenter-grass-steps-in-gdansk,a,3028

Other places worth considering include the National Maritime Museum (Olowianka 9-13) and the Westerplatte Fortress, which is 11km north of the city center but reachable by  bus and worth seeing as the place WW2 in Europe began. On September 1, 1939, the fortress was bombarded at point blank range by a German warship (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_Uko02IoDg) before being assaulted by the army; the Polish troops held out for a week before running out of ammunition. There is a large Communist-era memorial and the damaged fortifications. Further inshore along the east side of the Martwa Vistula River is the earlier (developed between the 14th-19th centuries) Wisloujscie Fortress (Stara Twierdza 1), which can be visited with a guide.

Logistics. Gdansk is quite compact and walkable, with the main Gdansk Glowny railway station about a kilometer northwest of town. Gdansk definitely suffers from large numbers of tourist groups with resulting generic streetside heatlamp restaurants, so in general I would look to stay and entertain yourself slightly away from the old town itself. Unless you have a good recommend, the vicinity of the east-west Dluga/Dlugi Targ, Piwna and Mariacka streets are a bit overrun. I stayed at the Gotyk House (Mariacka 1) which had modern yet cramped rooms, perfectly fine but a bit close in. Swojski Smak (Jana Heweliusza 25/27 ) and Tawerna Mestwin (Straganiarska 20/23) have great Polish standards. Pierogarnia Mandu Centrum (Elzbietanska 4/8) for great pierogi and Restauracja Magiel (Torunska 12) with a more modern take on Polish food, are also worth a visit. For snacks, the Cukiernia W-Z is good local bakery just outside of the main drag at Slodownikow 1.

There are plenty of excellent craft beer options given Poland’s vibrant brewery culture. Start at the pedestrianized Stragianarska Street just east of Lawendowa and you will find Pulapka and Lawendowa 8 to be two great options with outdoor seating. Further south, Labeerynt (Szeroka 97) has a comprehensive selection with either underground or streetside seating.