Gdansk

The principal port city of Poland is on the Baltic Sea and is the biggest city of the broader Tricity area including Sopot and Gdynia. Gdansk has a very rich history and it shows when you walk the streets. Sadly during WWII almost everything was destroyed, but the Poles have put good effort into making the city look authentic.

In 1308 the small village was in rebellion and the Polish king asked the Teutonic Knights to take care of the problem. The knights killed many and replaced the remaining ones with German settlers. They built a castle, fortified the town and changed the name to Danzig. 1361 it became part of the Hanseatic League. In 1440 the city participated in the foundation of the Prussian Confederation - an organization opposed to the Teutonic Knights. This resulted in a 13 year war and the Prussians came out on top. Danzig became part of the Polish kingdom, but was automomous and prospered. In 1577 the new king of Prussia and Poland sieged Danzig for 6 months and eventually killed all the mercenaries fighting for Danzig. But since he couldnt enter the city by force a compromise was made. Danzig had to pay their king and enemy the enormous sum of 200000 gulden as a payoff.

In the centuries to come Danzig or Gdansk belonged to the Polish-Lithauanian Commonwealth, Prussia, sometimes independent, Imperial Germany, Nazi Germany, Soviet controlled Polish People's Republic of Poland and finally to the Republic of Poland.

I got there late in the evening after a half a day at the bus station in Warsaw and and a half a day in the bus. Oil reffineries outside of the city point out the importance the port of Gdansk has these days. The old town is very nice with plenty of tourists strolling around or following somebody with a flag.
Buildings that stand out are the Mideivial crane that used to be used to put the masts into the newly built ships or load cargo. The biggest crane (30m) of it's time was propelled by men in a big wheel. Just like mice in a pet zoo.

During the communist period the Gdansk shipyard was the birthplace of the Solidarnosk movement. The first Workers Union east of the iron curtain. The shipyard lost some of its importance since the fall of the wall, but is still being used. A big monument and a decent museum tell the story.

In the torture house all the methods of torture during the Dark Age are well illustrated. There are some really cruel fantasies, that have been put into place.

I spent my time sightseeing, hanging with the people of the hostel and going out in the evenings. One side trip to the carneval of Sopot finished it of.