Grand Gdańsk

Saturday August 30, 2025

Gdańsk, Poland

We are beginning today's blog with a quick look at some highlights from our day at sea!

Great day!

Fun Facts about Gdańsk, Poland:

• In Poland, everyone has a special holiday for their name.  All Polish names are associated with a specific date of the year. When you look at a Polish calendar, each date has a male and female name associated with the date. Polish people celebrate these days as if they are birthdays and are often given gifts of flowers or alcohol.

• Nicolaus Copernicus, was born in Poland in 1473. This Renaissance astronomer famously formulated the heliocentric model, which placed the Sun—not the Earth—at the center of our solar system.

• Marie Curie was born in Poland. She was a pioneering scientist who discovered radioactivity.

• Solidarity Movement: The city was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement, which played a crucial role in the fall of communism in Poland and Eastern Europe. 

• Gdańsk is known as the "Amber Capital of the World," with many shops and museums dedicated to this precious stone. 

• Gdańsk still has its historical Beer Bell that was used to announce the opening of pubs in the old times.

• The Legend of the Golden Gate: It is said that there is a hidden golden gate somewhere in Gdańsk, leading to a treasure trove. Many have searched for this mythical gate, but none have ever found it.

Today we headed out in the drizzling rain to tour Gdańsk, Poland. Our walk through this unique and beautiful Old Town area of Gdańsk demonstrated the resilience of the people in this area to honor their culture.

Poland, like Estonia, has had a history of invasions and resultant changes in leadership. I won't got through the history, but the country's location between Germany and Russia's historical boundaries explains a lot of it. The most recent invasions occurred during WWII when the city of Gdańsk was heavily bombed and buildings destroyed. The city and the people made the decision to recreate their city as close as possible to how it looked before the war. Parts of buildings that could be saved were restored, and new facades in the old styles were added to the buildings on the main streets. Large amounts of planning and funding were used to recreate the original beauty and style. The oldest structures that survived were renovated inside and repurposed to fill a variety of needs.

St. Mary's Basilica was built, destroyed, and rebuilt 3 times from 1379 - 1502. External structure sustained minimal damage. It is the largest brick church in Europe.

Prison Tower for 100's of years. Now a prison museum.

1200 year old Neptune Statue. The statue was hidden away when rumors of an invasion started,

and returned when the war was over.

Town Hall Building with Clock Tower - renovated inside and still used as a government building.

Old Armory Building, restored to be the School of Cultural Arts. The school expanded into a more modern looking building to the left.

Originally built to defend the town. The arches are one of the main entrances into town and is called the Green Gate, but it isn't green, it's red!

The Golden Gate (not the one in San Francisco) is not gold, it is green!

Home facades on the main street, beautiful art work, and roof designs mimicking the original homes. The red house has a portrait painting of Copernicus on the second level.

And this next picture is somewhat X-rated, but it demonstrates that Polish designers have always had a sense of humor. Can you spot the difference between the two lions below?

In the 1970's, Poland was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement. They still see this as a turning point for their country and culture. This photo is of a stature in a park built and dedicated to honoring the sacrifices made in the name of Solidarity.

And speaking of labor.... This is a picture of a crane used when Gdańsk first opened their shipyards. The Crane was built in the 15th century and opened the port to many larger boats and helped build their reputation as a shipping port. That original crane was run by people power - men working inside the structure powered the lifting power of the crane. With just 4 men it could lift a weight of up to 2 tons. The Crane is now a museum.

One last thought - The Polish Constitution is the second oldest in the world, after the USA's. And while the constitution does include a Monarch, that person is elected by the people!

This afternoon we had massages, and now we are off to dinner at the Chef's Table. Tomorrow we head to Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, AKA the "sunshine island." With the past few rainy days, we hope Bornholm lives up to its reputation. Please stay tuned in to find out whether our weather will bring us sunshine or rain.