When we were planning our Poland travel itinerary, we
debated whether to just include Warsaw and Krakow, or to add one more city. Gda?sk
seemed like the likely addition, but would it be worth it to include Gda?sk in
our Poland travel itinerary? The answer is an emphatic yes!
Gda?sk is a port city located on the Baltic coast, and the
historic city center is divided by picturesque canals. But Gda?sk is more than
just a pretty town. Gda?sk has been the center of multiple pivotal moments of
Poland’s history. Gda?sk should be included in your trip to Poland both because
it’s a beautiful city and because of how important it is to the country and its
history.
A little about Gda?sk’s importance in Poland’s history
.jpg "Gda?sk Ships and Crane")
Gda?sk’s location on the Baltic Sea gave it access to Baltic
amber, which was important to Poland’s economy. The vast majority of the
world’s amber deposits are found nearby. Gda?sk has been a center of production
of amber products for centuries and Poland is currently the world leader in the
production of amber jewelry.
.jpg "Gda?sk Royal Way and Neptune's Fountain")
Gda?sk played an important role in World War II as it is a
deep-water port and was Poland’s only direct connection to the Baltic. At the
time, Gda?sk was a semi-autonomous city-state called Danzig where many Germans
lived. Gda?sk was one of the first targets when Germany invaded Poland. The
first battle of World War II was on the Westerplatte Peninsula of Gda?sk.
Poland was ‘liberated’ by the Soviet Union at the end of
World War II and then was under Soviet control until 1989. The Solidarity
movement that started in Gda?sk’s shipyards in the 1980s played a crucial role
in bringing about the end of communist rule in Poland, which in turn
contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
What to do in Gda?sk
.jpg "Gda?sk Crane")
We arrived in Gda?sk by train from Warsaw, so we had the
afternoon to explore before heading to dinner. After checking into our hotel, we
walked along the water and viewed the Gda?sk
Crane, which at the time was closed to the public for renovation. The
port crane, a large wooden structure between two brick towers, is medieval
technology built in the 15th century.
We continued on to the Museum of the Second
World War which tells the story of the war that began in Gda?sk using
artifacts, design, storytelling, and archival footage. It can take two to three
hours to visit the museum and we highly recommend paying for the audio guide.
-Enhanced-NR.jpg "Gda?sk Uphagen House")
The next day was our one full day in Gda?sk. Our first stop
was Uphagen
House. The home was destroyed in World War II and is the only Gda?sk
mansion rebuilt as it was before 1945.
We continued along the Royal Way and stopped in the
old Post Office before visiting the Main Town
Hall, which contains a Renaissance hall.
-Enhanced-NR.jpg "Gda?sk Artus Court")
Artus Court
is the only surviving original hall in Baltic Europe. A highlight here is the
largest tile stove in Europe, covered in 530 colorful tiles of kings, almost
all of which are original and survived World War II bombs.
.jpg "Gda?sk Mariacka Street")
If you’re planning on purchasing amber while in Poland, Mariacka
Street is the best place to do so. Not only is Mariacka Street lined with
shops and workshops where artisans create and sell amber jewelry and art, it
also has beautiful architecture.
After purchasing some amber gifts, we visited St.
Mary’s Church, the largest brick church in the world built from 1343 to
1502 by the Teutonic Knights.
-Enhanced-NR.jpg "Gda?sk St. Nicholas Church")
We also visited St. Nicholas Church. This is the only
Gda?sk church to survive World War II, which it is believed is because St.
Nicholas is one of the cherished patron saints of Russian Orthodox.
We made a quick stop at the Market Hall because the
basement contains graves of medieval Dominican monks, which can be viewed over
a glass railing.
.jpg "Gda?sk St. Bridget's Church")
We visited two more churches that are close to each other. St.
Catherine’s Church is the oldest church in Gda?sk. St. Bridget’s Church
has an altar made entirely of amber.
.jpg "Gda?sk Museum of Amber")
We visited the Museum
of Amber, which is located within the Great Mill building. Here you can
learn about where amber comes from, see examples of amber with inclusions like
insects, and see jewelry and art created with amber. You can spend as little or
as much time as you want in this museum.
.jpg "Gda?sk European Solidarity Center")
Our final stop was Solidarity Square and the European Solidarity Center. Solidarity
Square contains the Monument of the Fallen Shipyard Workers, which commemorates
the bloodiest strike that took place in December 1970. The European Solidarity
Center is all about the end of communism and how the strike that started on
August 14, 1980 ended communism in Poland. Be sure to use the included audio
guide. There is an option to have a more condensed tour using the audio guide
if you want to complete your visit in an hour.
Gda?sk restaurants
A trip to Poland should include lunch at a milk bar at least
once. Milk bars, or bar mleczny in Polish, are cafeteria-style restaurants from
the communist era. They were state-subsidized eateries that provided affordable
and simple meals. Some of these milk bars still exist in Poland and serve
hearty, traditional Polish dishes. In Gda?sk we ate lunch at Stagiewna Bar Mleczny.
On our first night, we had dinner at Gda?ski Bowke, which is a casual
restaurant on the waterfront serving simple and good meals and live music.
On our second night, we had dinner at the fancier Restauracja Goldwasser, which has upper-floor seating overlooking the water.
Where to stay in Gda?sk
.jpg "Gda?sk Hotel Podewils")
For our two nights in Gda?sk, we loved our stay at the
historic Hotel
Podewils. The manor house was built in 1728 by stonemason Krzystof
Strzycki. We booked a premium deluxe room with views of the old town and
Motlawa River. The hotel also serves a lovely breakfast in the morning.
Carving out a full day and two nights to visit Gda?sk was
the right decision for our trip to Poland. Gda?sk feels small and intimate and
old world and yet is also the location of pivotal points in Poland’s history.
It is absolutely worth visiting Gda?sk.
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