Poland – Gdansk

Gdansk (German: Danzig) is located on the Baltic coast in the northern part of Poland. It is neither a small, nor a big city with its population of around 450 000 inhabitants. Its origins date back to the 980s and throughout its history it was part of Prussia / Germany, Poland and even an independent “free city”.
It was an important port, shipbuilding town and center of trade for many centuries, being considered the wealthiest and the largest city of Poland until the moment when Warsaw grown rapidly in the 18th century.
Although nowadays its importance isn’t the same and despite being brought down to ruins during World War II, the city has retained the glorious echo from the times when it was a member of the Hanseatic League.

Dimo’s good-to-know tips when travelling to Gdansk:

• The Polish currency is złoty: you don’t need to exchange money in advance, as ATMs and POS terminals are widely available.
• The public transport is very well organized.
• Climb the St.Mary’s basilica tower and enjoy a magnificent rooftop view.
• Aside from cultural and architecture tourism, Gdansk can be also a beach destination. However, being so farther north, the sea can be too cold for swimming even in the summer months.
• Try as many local dishes as you can.

Gdansk isn’t amongst the most visited places in Europe. This, combined with its wonderful architecture and history makes it a hidden gem for weekend travellers.
You can imagine that a keen explorer as myself has booked the trip immediately after a direct low cost flight became available.
I have organized a standard weekend getaway: late Friday until Sunday with two nights at a moderate hotel a bit outside of the touristic area and not far from the train station.
The only baggage needed was a pair of jeans, shirt, flip-flops and a toothbrush.

Gdansk Transportation

My arrival time was after midnight, so I have prearranged a taxi from the hotel. The price was 60 zł (złoty, the Polish currency), which I found acceptable. 1 Euro = 4.25 zł. as of October 2018.
If you don’t arrive too late, there are good and much cheaper alternatives:

• Train costs 3.80zł, but you might need to change trains at Gdansk-Wrzeszcz.
• There is also a bus – number 210 to Gdansk.
• UBER is another option (information verified as of October 2018), which is usually cheaper than a taxi.

Within the city itself the main areas of interest can be explored on foot. Alternatively are options for renting bicycles and electro scooters.

After a comfortable taxi ride I have arrived at the hotel. Check-in was extremely fast, so I could go to bed in a very short time.

What To See In Gdansk

My exploration started on a beautiful and sunny Saturday morning. Mid-October usually gives you average high temperature of 12 degrees, but I was lucky as this was the minimum for the weekend. Still it felt a bit chilly in the morning, so an autumn jacket was a must. During the day with the sun always shining a t-shirt was just fine.

My starting point was at the north side of the Long Bridge (Długie Pobrzeże) – but I would recommend starting point somewhere at Long Lane (Ulica Długa) and then wandering the streets in north direction as the sun will remain behind you and will provide you with a better sightseeing and photo shooting conditions.

After Long Bridge I have made a turn to Long Lane. Long Lane is the typical touristic street with many restaurants, street art, souvenir shops and wonderful architecture surrounding you and guiding your walk down the pavement.

Walking along the city center gives you a feeling of being in Amsterdam, because all the buildings are the same Dutch style. I was amazed that everything was so beautifully matched. At some point it even feels like the streets are done with exactly the same pattern. I haven’t seen anything like this, so I rushed in the Internet to search for some explanation. The explanation was very simple. World War II has turned 90% of the city into ruins. So everything had to be rebuilt in the following decades. Because of understandable reasons the architects have scrapped all German designs, which were common for the pre-war identity of Gdansk. Instead they chose the old Dutch style, which was very characteristic of the city after the 1500s when a Dutch was the main architect and designed whole streets by Dutch pattern.

St. Mary’s Basilica was my next stop. One of the largest Gothic churches made by brick in Europe and presumably the largest in the world, about 20 000 people could fit inside it. Dominant over Gdańsk’s skyline St. Mary’s is one of the  landmarks of the city. It was destroyed during World War II, but was since almost fully restored.

I strongly recommend that you take the stairs to the tower of the church. There is a rewarding view at the top, which you wouldn’t regret. The entrance fee is 10zł.

After the stunning city view I have headed to the periphery of the city centre, where the St. Caterine’s Church and Great Mill (Wielki Młyn) are situated. This pre-industrial mill harnessed canal-directed water power to process tons of grain and flour for long centuries. It was used continuously until the end of World War II, when it was destroyed. Rebuilt in the 1960s, it has since become a mini shopping center. In 2014, the city has built a fountain in front of the mill.

I am not really into museums, but there is one particular museum, which in my opinion is worth checking out – the Amber museum.
For centuries Gdansk region has been one of the major amber mining and crafting centers in the world. Therefore, amber has influenced a lot the city’s development and history. And one can see this on the streets, where amber products and souvenirs dominate the shopping areas. Artisan amber items are practically found on every corner of Gdansk.
So I thought that going to the museum will help me learn more about the spirit of Gdansk. Entrance fee 12zł.

But what is Amber?

Ever since people started to use amber in everyday life (about six thousand years ago), people have been arguing about what exactly it is. Some believed it is hardened oil, others believed it is a fossilized honey of wild bees. There were even researchers who believed it is a sea foam, which have hardened under influence of sun beams.
There are also several myths and legends for its origins. I liked especially the Myth of Phaethon, which you can find at the bottom of the present post.
Coming back to the question: Amber is a fossilized resin of prehistoric trees that grew on Earth millions of years ago. Concretely the Baltic amber is derived from a variety of pines. Pines, that disappeared long time ago from the surface of the earth. Therefore, although it is sometimes referred to as amber stone, in fact it has organic origin.

The Sources of Amber

The Baltic Sea area has been the original source for amber ever since Prehistoric times. Baltic amber nowadays constitutes more than 90% of the total quantity of amber already collected worldwide.

General note to souvenir buyers (not related to the Museum). Nowadays fake Baltic amber has flooded the market. It is difficult to distinguish genuine from fake pieces, so have a precaution, when deciding on spending a high amount on an amber product.

After about one hour spent learning interesting facts about amber and seeing exceptional artwork and jewelery, I headed to my next stop – the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 (Pomnik Poległych Stoczniowców 1970), Plac Solidarności. Built in 1980, this memorial commemorates striking shipyard workers killed by police during strikes in 1970. The memorial is the first to visibly commemorate victims of the communist regime.

Short Trip To Westerplatte

Just about 10 km from Gdansk, the Wersterplatte Peninsula is the location, where World War II has started in the early  hours of 1 September 1939.
Those were amongst the darkest days of humanity, which I hope would never repeat. Respectively visiting the memorial isn’t a happy event by itself. I went there under the motto: Remember what happened in the past, so it doesn’t repeat in the future.

How To Get To Westerplatte From Gdansk

I would suggest taking the bus 106 from the Central Station.
Note that it is running between long intervals, so it makes sense that the current timetable is checked in advance.Тhe timetable as of October 2018.
Ticket costs 3.20 zł. and could be purchased form ticket machine on the bus stop.

When I got to the monument I sensed the strong contrast between the beautiful park and surroundings, which you see nowadays and the tragic events that happened some 80 years ago. The place has a lot of energy, which you can feel in the air. I left the monument somehow humbled.

Eat and drink in Gdansk

Wandering around the city center, you will see plenty of nice restaurants and bars.

My advice would be to skip the most touristic-like places, such as Long Street and head rather to the small streets on the side.
This is how I got to Red Light Pub a very cool place for a drink or two, which I recommend.
A tip: there is a small garden on the backside of the bar, where you can sit on the open and enjoy the bells ringing at the nearby cathedral just before 18:00 🙂

Local dishes include dried fish, fish soup and many others: I don’t eat a lot and for the limited time of a weekend, I couldn’t try a lot 🙂

Short Trip To Sopot

It was a Sunday morning and my flight was in the early afternoon. So I still had time to make the short trip to Sopot – a seaside resort and spa city, which is part of the so called Tricity amalgamation together with Gdansk and Gdynia. The city is famous for the longest wooden pier in Europe – 515 metres, cutting into the sea in the Bay of Gdansk. Another highlight is the Sopot International Song Festival (to be honest I didn’t know that such festival exists :-), the largest such event in Europe after the Eurovision Contest. Among other attractions is also the fountain of bromide spring water or the “inhalation mushroom” as locals refer to it 🙂

The journey takes no longer than 20 minutes with a train, which you take from the Central station in Gdansk and costs about 4 zł. Trains run on short intervals, so you don’t need to make any prior arrangement.

Short but worth it

I spent three wonderful hours in which I saw a glimpse of what is a nice small resort town with superb beach and really long pier (the longest, remember? :-). I wish I could stay longer, but the return flight was approaching so I headed back to Gdansk and the airport.

In conclusion I can say that visiting Gdansk and its surroundings is definitely worth it. The place has a lot to offer and weekend there is the absolute minimum. I strongly recommend it and I hope that you will soon have the chance to go and experience it by yourself 🙂

Yours, Dimo

P.S.: I have promised the full Myth of Phaethon, which explains the origins of amber according to Greek mythology:

Myth of Phaethon

Phaethon was the son of Helios – God of Sun in the Greek mythology. His mother Clymene also had a divine origin – she was the daughter of Thetis – Goddess of Sea. The myth tells that Phaethon was a very proud young man. And pride, as we know, always have a fall.
Once a friend of his said to him playfully that Phaethon’s father was not the God of Sun, but just a mere mortal. The friend couldn’t have possibly known that, what he meant as just a playful joke, would have a serious impact on humankind. Phaethon has taken this to his hearth and went to his mother, demanding explanations from her. And she sent him straight to his father so he could brush off any doubts.

Helios, in his effort to calm his upset boy, made a promise to fulfill any wish made by his son to prove its god origins. Phaethon, a young man, took advantage and immediately wished that his father lets him ride the golden carriage, in which the God of Sun day in and day out – from dawn till dusk – made the journey in the skies lighting and warming up the Earth. Helios knew that this requires powers that his son didn’t possess, but he had to deliver on his promise, that he regretted conceding so lightheartedly.

So Helios let Phaethon ride the carriage. The son’s pride blinded and deafened him and didn’t listen to his father’s instructions and advises on how to control the ride. The young boy was just happy of fulfilling a dream and being a real god at least for one day.
Unfortunately, as it often happens in life, the unexperienced boy wasn’t strong and skilled enough to hold the wild horses as they rushed leaving their usual path: at one moment soaring up and touching the stars and at another – sweeping along the earth as a fire hurricane, burning forests and cities. The skies went black. All live on Earth was threatened by a fire destruction.

Then Gaea – the Goddes of Earth – screamed to the mightiest of Gods:
– Oh, Zeus, save me!

Hearing the desperate plea of Gaea, Zeus responded by throwing a lightning to Phaethon’s carriage. It broke it to pieces. The horses run away, while the boy fell from the sky on the bank of the Eridanus River. His mother Clymene and his sisters – the Heliades – found the body of their beloved boy and cried over him for so long that the Gods felt sorry for them and turned them into beautiful poplars. But their grief was so strong that they continued dropping resin tears in the cold waters of the Eridanus River forever.
The tears hardened in the water and turned into amber.

More inspirations for weekend escapes you can find here.