June 16 – Gdańsk
We docked in Gdynia around noon so excursions don’t disembark until early afternoon which is fine by me; a little more R&R for the lazy wanderer!
At the crack of 2 pm we board our bus for the scenic drive from Gdynia to Gdańsk through the town of Oliwa for a walking tour of Old Town. Our tour guide, Ella, talked about the history of the region and pointed out interesting and not so interesting sights en route. I’m not sure she had time to breathe, lol!
In the 10th century, Gdańsk was part of Poland but it changed hands many times over the next few centuries. In 1308, when the Teutonic Knights come home from the crusades in the Holy Land they ruled Gdańsk, next the city was part of Prussia, between WWI and WWII Gdańsk was a free state under protection of the League of Nations and then it became part of Germany (Danzig). Finally after WWII, the city reverted back to Poland and is now her third largest city.
After WWII, many things changed in Poland. The Germans that had settled here went back home and Poles living abroad came home as part of the biggest migration in history.
Gdańsk suburbs were destroyed by Allies but the downtown core was destroyed by Russians as revenge for how badly their cities had been treated by the Germans during WWII.
Poland was shocked by the Russian invasion but her citizens quickly sprang into action welcoming refugees into their country and their homes. Poland, a country with 39 million citizens, have so far accepted 3 million Ukrainian refugees.
We drove past the Gdańsk Shipyard and the Solidarity Monument Square with its famous monument commemorating the deaths of shipyard workers shot down in December 1970. Ella pointed out Gate Number 2 famous entrance to Gdańsk shipyard where Lech Wałęsa took on the former USSR.
Arriving at Gdansk’s old town, we left the bus behind and started our guided walking tour. We stopped on the bridge to take a few pics of buildings that were formerly granaries when Ukraine was part of Poland. We also spied an automated delivery ”drone” that seemed a bit confused by the hoarded of people crossing the street.
We entered the historic heart of the city, through the Green Gate aka Vendor’s Gate built in 16th century. It’s not green so not sure how it got that name!
Passing through the gate, we continued along Long Street, lined with marvelous buildings decorated with elaborate facades crowned by a myriad of ornate gables. Buildings resemble those in Amsterdam because they were built by the Dutch. Wide staircases in the back of these buildings make moving furniture a breeze so the hooks on their fronts are purely decorative.
Our route also included the Town Hall where the lions are looking at the Golden Gate and waiting for the arrival of the Polish king. Long Market and the beautiful 15th-century merchants’ palace of Artus Court were also along the route to Neptune’s Fountain; a monumental symbol of Gdansk’s Hanseatic past.
At this point, Ella’s nonstop prattle became too irritating so I decided to head off exploring on my own and meet the group at the assigned meeting point later in the afternoon.
I strolled up, St. Mary’s Street, to the pride of Gdansk, Gothic St. Mary’s church. St Mary’s is the world’s largest brick church, accommodating a whopping 25,000 worshippers. Situated in the center of Old Town, this medieval church took 159 years to build, and its deceivingly plain exterior belies a bright, spacious interior with large windows and more than 30 beautifully decorated chapels. The high altar displays a lovely polyptych, the floor is covered with ancient tombstones and the northern transept holds an amazing 15th century astronomical clock, complete with the zodiac cycle and a calendar of the saints.
Continuing along I found the Golden Gate, a grand ornamental arch built by Dutch Mennonites in the 17th century. This gate once allowed access through the medieval city’s defensive wall.
There are lots of churches in Gdansk so I stumbled on a few more in my wandering around town.
I also stumbled on this monument dedicated to the struggles of the Polish people for independence and represents the people who died defending Poland over the course of 700 years.
A few pics of the things that caught my eye along the “route”.
Toodling around can make you quite thirsty so I grabbed a pint of Polish lager close to where we were to meet for our return to the ship.
Judy’s Rambles 