About a year ago we were looking for new and interesting places in Poland to visit and we stumbled across two distinct locations which caught our eye. We traveled to the first place, Poznań, back in November and had a great time. The food was incredible while the history and architecture were mesmerizing. So, we were excited to experience the second, a little town on the Baltic Sea named Gdańsk.

As we started to do some research we could easily see the incredible beauty Gdańsk had to offer. As we dug deeper, we began to realize this was an up and coming travel destination. Several restaurants have been up for Michelin Stars, many new attractions had started to emerge over the years, and there was clearly an important history to be discovered.

This trip was a year in the making because Gdańsk is not an easy destination to get to unless you’re traveling by cruise ship. Previous to EasyJet’s new route from Berlin, it was a 6 hour drive or an 8 hour train ride to get here. Making it additionally difficult was the timing of the flights - departures at 6am on an infrequent basis. Fortunately, this week included a holiday and Oma & Opa came to town for a visit and could stay with Logan so we could enjoy our first trip as a couple in over four years. After a 4:30am cab, and a short 1 hour flight, we arrived ready to explore the city.

Gdańsk is the 4th largest city in Poland [~500k people] and serves as the principle port for the country. Sitting on the Baltic Sea, Gdańsk has been a critical trade route for hundreds of years. The city emerged as a stronghold in the late 10th century and has been a flash point in history ever since. Gdańsk has been under Polish, German [Prussian] and Russian rule at different times. It has also been one of the few independent “Free States” at different points in European history. Gdańsk played a key role in the fall of regional Communism, the fall of the Soviet Union, and most importantly was the powder keg that ignited WWII.

Growing up I heard many jokes about how inept the Polish people were. Living in Germany, you hear these same stereotypes all the time. Upon setting foot in the airport and driving into Gdańsk you understand all of the stereotypes come from a place of jealously. Gdańsk is as clean and advanced as any Scandinavian city. The streets are well cared for, there are new construction projects on every corner, and the people couldn’t be more friendly and hardworking.

We arrived in the early morning hours, on a rainy day in the middle of the week, and had the city to ourselves. We got checked into our hotel and set out to explore the town. In every place we visit we like to get a bird’s eye view so after exploring the streets for a bit we decided to get out of the rain and climb up the Gdańsk Archaeological Museum Tower. The museum was nice and heavily focussed on pre-modern civilizations in the area between the 9th and 10th centuries. However, the real reward is the tower. Resting on the banks of the Motława river, the renaissance designed tower provides a wonderful mid level view of the area.

As we looked over the city and took in the views, we noticed one of the more iconic sights: a walking street infamous for its stoops and cellars. The entire city of Gdańsk was leveled in the war. By 1945 all that remained were partial walls that were barely standing along with piles of rubble burying the stoops and cellars of the former homes. When the reconstruction started in ’47 it was important to the citizens that anything which could be preserved be preserved. Today much of the buildings are new but the bricks that were used are the original stone while the stoops and cellars remain some of the only original construction. When you get up close you can see the concave marks in the stone that were slowly worn down over 100’s of years. These stoops tell the daily stories of Gdańsk over the last 1,000 years.

At the end of WWI, Poland was a newly united country thanks to the Treaty of Versailles and formed on the bias of Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points” document [point 13 was that Poland would be a free and independent state]. At the time there were more German citizens living in Gdańsk than Polish citizens. This meant Gdańsk would become a “Free State” based on the auspices of the League of Nations so long as the state of Poland received fair access to the ports.

For just over 15 years Gdańsk lived in relative peace and prosperity. The “Free State” was seen as a beacon of hope and national pride for the Polish nation and it was truly a success story for The League of Nations.

Our second day in Gdańsk brought sunshine and perfect temperatures for sightseeing. First on the list was St. Mary’s Church [AKA: Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gdańsk]. This beautiful 14th century church is one of the largest brick religious buildings. During the reformation the church doubled as a Lutheran and Catholic religious meeting place - something rare for the time.

During the war much of the art was evacuated including the astronomical clock. The large wooden clock was the largest at the time of its construction and remains the largest wooden astronomical clock in the world today.

The interior of this church is beautiful; it’s easy to forget time, stare up at all the art, and think about all the people who have worshipped here over the past 700 years.

For 20 złoty [4 Euro] you can climb to the top and see all of Gdańsk. - from Baltic Sea to the North down the Polish landscape to the South and West. After soaking in the views, and meeting a few Americans from DC, we headed down for some breakfast and to plot our next move.

The local town hall is one of Gdańsk most visible buildings. It dates back to the 14th century and has been central to local government ever since. Today it’s a wonderful museum that showcases the stories of Gdańsk from 1327 to present day. Much of the original art and wood carvings were preserved during the war and reassembled during the rebuilding of the city.

The city’s pride is on display throughout the museum in some of the most hilarious ways. On the main floor there is a display of musical instruments that at first glance seems to be a collection of Polish memorabilia. Upon second look, it’s just a random local collection with placards that read “...similar to a guitar played by Jimmy Hendrix at Woodstock.” In the main drawing room where several portraits of Polish kings with placards that displayed historical and factual information and then conclude with “King [insert name] never visited Gdańsk” or “...only visited once but didn’t stay in the city overnight.” Truly a strange yet proud lens to view history through.

As you ascend the various levels of the building, the displays become more modern eventually leading to a room with modern photos on display. In 2018 the mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Bogdan Adamowicz, asked a local photographer, Chris Niedenthal, to capture the city throughout the course of the year. In the 20 years prior he had brought Gdańsk into the modern era and wanted the people to be proud of their city. Much of what we wanted to see and had researched was due to the leadership of Mayor Adamowicz. By all accounts he was an outstanding mayor who was selfless, caring, and proud of his city and country. For the photo project, he insisted that he not be a part of the exhibit. He was not to be featured in any way according to the contract with the photographer.

Unfortunately, in January of 2019 he was stabbed to death while giving a speech at a charity event - just weeks before the exhibit was to be unveiled. It’s hard to over emphasize the positive impact Paweł had on Gdańsk. His influence can be felt in so many of the various modern projects around the city and his portrait can be found hanging in many of the buildings and cafes.

Paweł Bogdan Adamowicz was one of the great leaders The Free State of Gdańsk has ever seen. Unfortunately Gdańsk has had its fair share of tyrants.

A few years after the Nazi party took over in the early ‘30s, Albert Forester was instated as Gauleiter [a regional party leader]. Albert was a nationalist who openly hated Poles and Jews. His early letters back to Berlin would later prove the ICCs ‘premeditated mass extermination’ case at his trial in Warsaw. In the lead up to the invasion his rhetoric grew stronger as did his followers. He openly stoked racial fears and promoted pogroms [violent riots aimed to massacre a subset of people]. Forester is no small person in history. His story has been lost to more famous Nazis of the time but without Forester it’s hard to see how Hitler would have justified his annexation of Gdańsk. Albert Forester was responsible for the death of over 60k Poles and Jews and expelled more than 170k to concentration camps between ‘39-40 - he claimed to have been responsible for 87k deaths.

He was found hiding out in British occupied Germany in 1948 and returned to the People’s Republic of Poland in 1948. On February 28th, 1952 he was hanged for his crimes.

What was happening in Poland between 1933-1939, in particular what was happening in Gdańsk, was being used to stoke hate and fear throughout Germany.

Perhaps it’s because of this history the people of Gdańsk loved Paweł Bogdan Adamowicz so much. His amazing leadership in a community that has suffered so much meant more than words could explain to these people. With this in mind photographer Chris Niedenthal decided to break his contract and feature Paweł in the exhibit. At the start of the photo exhibition is a touching tribute to Paweł truly showcasing the resilience and fortitude of Gdańsk.

As we meandered the streets we thought about the rich history that had adorned this place. With the sun out the cruise ship tourists began filling the streets. The juxtaposition of what this city was like in 1939 to now is extraordinary.

After a brief afternoon break we set out again, this time heading up the Motława river for an evening stroll. In this area you can really see some of the more modern additions to the city - including outdoor art installations and a pedestrian drawbridge.

For dinner, Doreen made reservations at one of the restaurants that had previously been up for a Michelin Star. Prologue is an up and coming fine dining restaurant that is starting to get a lot of attention. The head chef Wojciech Korfel is an award winning gastronomy expert who has worked under the likes of Gordon Ramsay at Claridges and Heston Blumenthal where he helped establish Crown Towers in Melbourne. He was a part of the team at the famous Fat Duck where he helped them win 3 Michelin stars. Previous to opening Prologue, he was Senior Sous Chef at Atelier Amaro where he helped them win the first ever Michelin star for a restaurant in Poland.

We started with the Gruyère and Raclette cheese balls along with the beef tartar. For our main dishes we split the Slow Cooked Pork Belly and the Organic Chicken which came with veggies and a potato puree.

The meal and service was fantastic. It’s no wonder that Michelin has their eye on this young chef. It’s not if he will win his own star, it’s a matter of when.

For our final day in the city we headed back down the river to one of Gdańsk more modern attractions, the WWII museum. Originally opened in 2008 the museum was retooled in 2017. The entire WWII exhibit is underground which gives it a sense of confinement and claustrophobia. Only a small sliver of light peeks through the cement celling three stories above. The guided tour is incredible and details the war from the build-up in the early ‘30s to the Nuremberg and Warsaw trials in the late ’40’s. The museum carefully tells the broader story of the war through individual accounts using memorabilia, video and interactive displays. We planned on spending 1.5 hours and had to leave without seeing everything 3 hours later.

In 1937 Hitler demanded Gdańsk be returned to Germany along with a new highway, cut through the Polish countryside, which would also be German territory. The Polish president and the League of Nations repeatedly opposed this ridiculous demand. On September 1st, 1939 the Nazis invaded Poland, with the promise to annex Gdańsk and starting WWII - Poland would never be the same again.

The story of Gdańsk is one of independence, resistance and resilience. When we were walking through the Town Hall we ran across a picture of Polish citizens standing on the rubble of Gdańsk days after the victory in Europe. The caption read “Many Polish nationals returned to Gdańsk days after to help in the rebuilding.” We wondered what would drive someone to return here. Why this place of all the places in Europe after so much devastation, bloodshed and heartache. As we spent more time in Gdańsk we began to see why. This place is a beacon of freedom and hope for the Polish people. From the 14th century through the end of WWI Gdańsk has had an independent spirit which has attracted people seeking freedom from tyranny.

When we tell people that we are going to Poland on holiday they condescendingly ask why. When there is something wrong in the balance of the EU often the pundits blame Poland. I wonder if these people have ever been to Poland, sat down and had a meal, or talked with some locals. Our experience is of a polite and friendly people who are proud, hardworking, and cherish freedom. In many respects they remind me of Americans. People travel to Poland to see the concentration camps and to study the holocaust but there is so much more to see and experience here. 75 years ago Americans fought their way through Europe so that countries like Poland could exist. Those soldiers would be proud of the Gdańsk we saw.

Until Next Time,

The McNeills