The road to freedom via Gdansk

Ranjita Biswas 

Is there a connection between Poland’s port city Gdansk on the Baltic Sea and the advent of World War II? Unlikely? But when you discover that it was earlier named Danzig, the coin drops. The place was under German domination and the War literally started with the invasion of Poland by Germany at Westerplatte peninsula nearby. 

Gdansk is also Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa’s city. He was at the forefront of the Solidarity Movement in the late 1980s against Soviet Union’s domination and broke free from the Eastern Bloc. Poland’s example was followed by other countries in the Bloc, eventually Perestroika happened, and Soviet Russia disintegrated.

A visit to the shipyard where it all started is almost mandatory. The Monument to the Fallen Shipyards Workers stands here to commemorate victims of the bloody workers’ strike in 1970, which later became the rallying point of the Solidarity Movement.

The old port of Gdansk is on the Motlawa river, and historically significant. It was the only port in Poland then and provided an outlet for goods produced in east Europe, even Asia. Thus, the city became very rich. A huge ‘Crane’ with an immense wooden wheel dominates the riverside harking to that time. It was used for cargo, putting up ship masts, and even served as a city gate. Today the picturesque site also hosts the National Maritime Museum and Lech Walesa’s office. 

Gdansk is a thousand-year-old city. Its Long Street at the centre of the old town is regarded as one of the most beautiful in Europe. A walk along the street flanked by colourful, medieval buildings and rich merchants’ houses with a statue of Neptune in the middle, take you back a few centuries.

This part of Poland lacks stones for buildings, but bricks make up for it. The St Mary’s Church, entirely made of brick, took 150 years to build and can accommodate 25,000 people! It is believed to be the largest brick church in the world. During the Solidarity Movement when there was a crackdown by the authorities, workers had taken refuge here. There is an enormous astronomical clock inside dating back to 1464. Legend says that the clock’s maker had his eyes gauged out so that he could not replicate it elsewhere.   

The Oliwa Cathedral at the outer suburb is famous for the gigantic organ built in mid 18th century. It has 7,896 pipes and 110 registers. People go there to listen when the organ is played at certain hours. Admission is free. Sometimes, it’s so crowded that one has to sit on the floor. But the glorious musical notes from the magnificent organ make you forget it. Every summer, the International Festival of Organ Music is held here.

Gdansk is also a centre for art aficionados as many cultural festivals are held throughout the year. Perhaps many do not know that Nobel Laureate German writer Gunter Grass was born here. The statue of Oskar, the hero of his famous book The Tin Drum can be seen in the park near the writer’s original house. 

For lovers of gems, Gdansk is a haven for shopping. It’s the world capital of amber. Unlike the general idea that amber is only in brown and yellow colours, there are as many as 240 shades ranging from white to almost black. Amber is formed by sticky resin trees lying under the ground for millions of years; the largest deposits of Baltic amber are along the beaches of Gdansk. The Amber Museum is the right place to get an idea of the gem’s origin and inspect astounding pieces of jewellery made from amber. The city holds the Amberif, the biggest amber trade fair in the world every year.