Wow! We just realized that we are 1/3 of the way through our trip.
And wow for Gdansk. Last evening’s taste of Gdansk was just the tip of the iceberg. The beauty of the city is breathtaking. We so enjoyed strolling the streets and eating outdoors on the plazas. To make the most of our time here, we went on two walking tours covering about 7 miles. (We should sleep well tonight.) The morning tour covered Gdansk history up to 1939 and the start of World War 2. The afternoon tour focused on the war, post war Communist Poland, the Solidarity Movement and the fall of Communism throughout Eastern Europe.
Gdansk history dates to the 900s. It is amazing how the structures have survived over time or have been restored. There are still a few sections of the medieval city gate. The original Medieval entrance gate became a prison and is now home to the Amber museum. From the 14th to 17th centuries is said to be Gdansk’s Golden Age. It was very important as a fishing port and in the grain trade. It was a rich city and Kings and nobility from all over Europe traveled to Gdansk. The main, Long Lane or Long Street, was also called Kings Row or Royal row.
The Golden Gate, at one end of Long Lane, was a symbol of the prosperity and wealth of Gdansk rather than a defensive gate. Kings Row extended from the Golden Gate to the Green Gate. The Green Gate was built in about 1588 and was the main entrance to Gdansk at the time. Both are beautiful structures with completely restored facades. The Great Armory is another building who’s exterior has been completely restored. It is now part of the Fine Arts School and houses art exhibits. Artus Court, gathering place for the rich merchants, was completed in about 1350 and is now part of the Gdansk Historical Museum. It too has been restored. (Between 70 & 90% of the city was destroyed in 1945. It is a great tribute to the architects, craftsmen and workers who donated their time in the efforts to restore and rebuild Gdansk. Many museum pieces had been evacuated and stored for safekeeping.)
Gdansk ship yards
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World War 2 is said to have begun with German attacks on the city of Gdansk. After 7 days, it was annexed by the Third Reich and the Gdansk ship yards were used for the production of German submarines. Part of the defense of Gdansk included between 40 & 50 postal workers who fought for 17 hours to prevent the Germans from taking over the main post office. Gdansk and all of Poland suffered severely from the war. Twenty percent of the population was killed during the war. March 1945, marked the destruction of Gdansk as the Red Army and Allies defeated the Germans. It was during this siege that between 70 & 90% was destroyed (percent varies depending on your information source) with 20,000 buildings totally destroyed. The goal of the Red Army was to completely level the city.
Following the war, the decision was made to restore the historically important buildings like Main Town Hall. They also decided not to raze the buildings that had walls left standing. Where possible they restored the facades and built all new interiors in the Soviet style. When the row houses were rebuilt they were not as deep as the original building. (Like Amsterdam, taxes were based upon street frontage so the houses were narrow and deep.) This has allowed for more green area in the rebuilt city. It has also lead to an interesting system for numbering the houses. There is one number for the front door and another for the back for some of these buildings. Following the war there was a severe shortage of housing. While Gdansk does have a number of concrete block apartment houses typical of Communist countries, they are dotted with balconies and different exterior paint patterns to break up the monotony.
When the war finally ended, the people of Gdansk and all of Poland suffered under the Communist rule. Economic times were very difficult and there was strict government censorship. Stalin was both feared and hated. There was much rejoicing and hope for better times with his death in 1953. In 1956, Khrushchev made some concessions and the Polish people were able to have limited private property like a bicycle, an apartment, up to 100 hectares of land for farmers and some small businesses.
During the Soviet occupation, the Catholic Church remained very influential. On June 12, 1987 Pope John Paul II (now St. John Paul II), himself a native of Poland, visited Gdansk and spoke out strongly in support of the Solidarity movement. Many people view Gdansk as the place where the Communist Bloc began its disintegration.