A Little History
At 4:45am on September 1, 1939, the German warship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on the Polish military transit depot at Westerplatte, on the outskirts of Gdańsk. The 182 Polish defenders held for seven days against overwhelming German force. Gdańsk, then the Free City of Danzig, a mostly German city under the protection of the League of Nations was the pretext that Hitler had used to launch his invasion of Poland.
Forty-one years later, Gdańsk was again the place where history changed and in August 1980, workers at the Lenin Shipyard launched a strike that led to the creation of Solidarity, the first independent trade union in the Soviet bloc which ultimately to the dismantling of communist rule across Central and Eastern Europe.
The Long Market (Długi Targ)
Gdańsk's main street was restored after the wartime destruction and showcases Flemish Mannerist and Dutch Renaissance architecture, reflecting the city's history as a major Baltic trading port and member of the Hanseatic League. The Artus Court, the Golden Gate, and the Church of St. Mary (one of the largest brick churches in the world) are major attractions.
The European Solidarity Center
On the grounds of the former Lenin Shipyard, the European Solidarity Center museum opened in 2014 and it is a rust-corten steel building shaped like the hull of a ship, containing a museum that traces the history of the Solidarity movement, the wider struggle for freedom in communist Europe, and the peaceful revolution of 1989. Allow 3–4 hours.
Amber
Gdańsk is the amber capital of the world. The Baltic coastline produces 90% of the world's amber which is fossilized tree resin ranging from 44 to 100 million years old, and Gdańsk has been trading it for over 1,000 years. There are dozens of craftspeople on Mariacka Street selling amber jewellery directly which is far better than the tourist trap shops.
The Tri-City
Gdańsk is part of the Trójmiasto (Tri-City) agglomeration with Gdynia (a modern interwar port) and Sopot (the Baltic beach resort with Poland's longest wooden pier). All three of these cities are connected by the SKM commuter train.