THE BIRTHPLACE OF SOLIDARITY

Gdanzk, Sopot and Gdynia are neighbouring cities on the Baltic coast of Poland known collectively as the “Tri-city”.  We stayed on a camping site in Sopot which was not the sort of site we usually choose – it was large, crowded and noisy!  However, it was only a short cycle ride from the railway station where trains run every fifteen minutes into the centre of Gdansk.  These commuter trains are very crowded but we managed to squeeze our bikes in and for 79p each we were in the centre of Gdansk in just twenty minutes.

Gdansk Railway Station

  Although Gdansk suffered a great deal in the last war and was not improved by the years of Communist rule many lovely old buildings have survived and much reconstruction is still under way. 

The Great Armoury

 We visited at the time of the St Dominic’s Fair when the whole city centre seems to be turned into a street market with stalls selling all sorts of things, including many selling the amber for which the area is famous, while strange figures parade through the crowds.

St Dominic's Procession

 All the buildings are made of brick and the churches are often plain on the outside but elaborately decorated inside.  In St Nicholas’s Church a wedding was about to take place!

St Nicholas Church

There are many memories of past suffering.  Near the railway station is a memorial to the Jewish children who were sent to England without their parents in 1939 to save them from the Nazi death camps.

Memorial to Jewish child refugees to UK in 1939

And outside the old Post Office building is a memorial to the postal staff who died defending it from German attack later in 1939.

Monument to Post Office Defenders 1939

But Gdansk is probably now best known as the birthplace of Solidarity – the shipyard workers movement for freedom from Communist rule led by Lech Wałęsa in 1970. 

Solidarity Square Shipyard Gate

The Russian soldiers opened fire on striking shipyard workers killing many of them. 

Solidarity Square memorial to those who died

For us Solidarity Square had a sombre atmosphere similar to that at the Berlin Wall.

Solidarity Square

A short day’s journey from Gdansk took us to Malbork where there is a huge castle started in 1274.  It seems strange to us to see such ancient buildings, especially castles built from brick!

Malbork Castle

During WW2 it served as a prisoner of war camp – Stalag XX B housing 30,000 prisoners - and was “liberated” by the Russian army in 1945 in the process of which it was virtually destroyed!  However, painstaking renovation has restored it to its former glory.

Malbork Castle

From Malbork we moved on to the “Lake District” – a beautiful area of lakes surrounded by forest with the town of Giżycko at its centre.  Some of the lakes are huge but because of the lack of hills and the dense forest surrounding them they are difficult to see except from near the landing stages that most villages have.  Sailing is a very popular pastime here!

Lake Niegocin near Giżycko