Gdańsk (Danzig in German) is a port city on the Baltic coast of Poland. It has a population of about 500,000 people, but the 2 nearby towns of Gdynia and Soport, add to the Metropolitan area, called the ‘Tricity’, with a total population of 1.5 million.

Gdańsk is Poland’s major seaport, situated at the mouth of the Motlawa River opening to the Baltic Sea. Having access to the sea has made this a strategic city with a wealth of history revolving around trade and conquering! It is also a centre for the world’s amber trade; boutiques throughout the city sell this ossified resin.

A little history of the area.

Gdańsk was first mentioned in 997 as part of the early Polish state, with an influx of Danes trying to spread Christianity to the Pagan population. In the Middle Ages, control shifted between Polish and that of the Teutonic Knights growing as a trading port. The Teutonic Knights were a German Catholic religious order of crusaders. They built over 150 Castles throughout the Polish lands, but after the 13 years War, they had ‘overextended’ themselves financially and had difficulties paying their bills/restitution. Consequently, many castles were sold off or fell into disrepair.

Gdansk subsequently partnered with the Hanseatic League and, with considerable autonomy, served as the Polish Crown's principal seaport and largest city until the early 18th century.

The Hanseatic League was a Medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Starting in Lübeck in the late 12th century, the league expanded between the 13th and 15th centuries and ultimately encompassed nearly 200 settlements across eight modern-day countries, ranging from what became Estonia and Russia in the northeast to the Netherlands and Great Britain in the west. 

Gdańsk was annexed by Prussia in 1793 as a result of the carving up of Polish States and was declared a ‘Free City’, again because of the Port and access to the Baltic Sea. The Prussians were Protestant, and the the other Polish state were Catholic. This duality lasted until the city was integrated into the German Empire in 1871. After the defeat of Germany in World War I, the population of mainly German speakers resulted in its renaming as Danzig, and it became a protectorate under the League of Nations.

The remainder of Poland also needed a port to access the Baltic, so they excavated the land by the coast, and built the Port of Gdynia, which is why these days there are two major ports in close proximity. Gdynia tends to handle passenger traffic, and Gdansk goods traffic.

On 1 September 1939, it was the site of a military clash at Westerplatte, which was one of the first events of World War II. Following Germany’s defeat, there were further border changes, and the City was renamed Gdańsk and German speakers were expelled. As a result of the War, the centre of the Main Town was 90% destroyed. Reconstruction continues to this very day, with the colourful facades of Long Market, now home to apartments, shops and restaurants.

After World War II, the Soviets wanted additional access to the Baltic; they captured the Baltic City of Konigsberg, renamed Kaliningrad, and to this day, is a Russian exclave. In Poland the influence of Communism prevailed, as a member of the Warsaw Pact until the 1980s. Again, Gdańsk was at the centre of change, this being the collapse of Communism. This started with the birth of the Solidarity Trade Union/movement. It was founded in August 1980 at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland. Subsequently, it was the first independent trade union in a Warsaw Pact country to be recognised by the state. The union's membership peaked at 10 million in September 1981, representing one-third of the country's working-age population. In 1983 Solidarity's leader Lech Wałęsa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and the union is widely recognized as having played a central role in the end of communist rule in Poland. This led to the appointment of the first noncommunist Prime Minister since the 1940s.

After Communism, Poland quickly allied itself to the ‘West’, by joining NATO in 1999, and the European Union in 2004. However, Poland is yet to adopt the ‘Euro’ and still uses the ‘zloty’.

Our tour today was to Marlbork Castle, the largest brick Gothic castle complex in the world, and also UNESCO World Heritage listed. It was constructed by the Teutonic Knights, in the form of an Ordensburg fortress in 1274 and named Marienburg in honour of their ‘mascot’, Mary, mother of Jesus. In 1309 the Knights moved their capital from Venice to Malbork; once there the Castle wasn’t deemed big enough, so a second castle was built to incorporate a Refectory, and then a third one for staff and visitors. So Malbork is now three castles; high, middle and low.

In 1457, following the Thirteen Years' War and the ‘bankruptcy’ of the Teutonic Knights, the Castle was sold by Bohemian mercenaries to King Casimir IV of Poland for 650 kilograms of silver in 1772, in lieu of indemnities. The remaining Teutonic Knights then moved their base to Kaliningrad. Marlbork then served as one of the Polish Royal residences as well as the seat of Polish offices and institutions, until 1772. From then on, it was back under German rule for over 170 years until 1945, albeit largely falling into disrepair as military technological advances rendered the castle a mere historical point of interest rather than a Fortress. There were attempts to renovate the Castle in the early 20th Century, but no plans could be found. In World War II 50% of the castle was destroyed, and following this it was then the Soviet times, and the focus was on recovery and housing for the people and not restoring castles.

Having explored Malbork, the tour returned to Gdańsk, where we had a lunch of traditional pork and beef Pierogi and beer, followed by Apple pie. It was quite a ‘heavy lunch’, so a walking tour of the City helped to recover. On the walk we toured some streets and squares as well as visiting the Neptune Fountain, a 17th-century symbol of the city topped by a bronze statue of the sea god. I was blown away by the Medieval streets and alleyways, and how the reconstruction was blending the old with the new. You still have to realise that this is reconstruction, and the real city streets are 1.5 metres below where we were walking. Having lived in the UK, I was aware of the wave of Polish Migration, in search of a better life. In recent times, more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees have settled in Poland and are being integrated into polish society.

The Tour concluded with a coastal drive through Soport, which is a resort town with beaches and hotels, before returning to Gdynia, and the ship. Our Baltic section continues with another new port for me, Visby on the Island of Gotland in Sweden.