INSIDE GUIDE
THE POLISH CITY HAS TRANSFORMED ITS FORMER PORT DISTRICTS, WITH TRENDY CRAFT BREWERIES AND HOTELS IN FORMER WAREHOUSES
The gateway to the beaches of the Polish Riviera and once a major seaport for northern Europe’s Hanseatic League merchants, Gdańsk is a city framed by water and defined by proud maritime traditions. Famed as the birthplace of the European Solidarity labour movement in the late 20th century, its former worker neighbourhoods, islands and Baltic port districts have undergone a transformation in recent years.
To understand the city, you need to explore its past. Start in the central Śródmieście district, which incorporates parts of the Gdańsk waterfront and its Old Town. The area’s pedestrianised Royal Way is a legacy of the period before the 18th century when Poland had a monarchy and Gdańsk was one of the country’s three royal cities. Stroll past its mansions and former merchant houses, many built in the 16th and 17th centuries during Gdańsk’s Golden Age. This thoroughfare is also home to many major museums, including the Amber Museum, which explores why Gdańsk is considered the world capital of amber. In summer, for a small fee, climb the tower in the nearby Historical Museum of Gdańsk for the best view of the city. muzeumgdansk.pl At the end of the Royal Way lies the lively Motlawa River Embankment, lined with cafes, restaurants and the brick-and-timber Gdańsk Crane — a medieval port relic and symbol of the city’s trading heritage. Nearing the end of a two-year renovation, it’s set to reopen in spring with a new permanent exhibition inside. Across the river lies the National Maritime Museum. Tickets grant entry to the museum, the Crane and several Bay of Gdańsk outposts, including the Shipwreck Conservation Centre. nmm.pl
The importance of the Gdańsk Shipyard and its workers is explored at the European Solidarity Centre, a 20-minute walk north of the Embankment. It’s well worth the trip to learn how they were integral to Solidarity, a trade union founded in Gdańsk in 1980 that gave rise to a wider, anti-communist movement that helped end Soviet rule in Poland in 1989. ecs.gda.pl
Dedicate at least one afternoon to exploring some of the city’s many former port and warehouse districts, which have been transformed into trendy neighbourhoods over the past 10 years. The island of Wyspa Spichrzów — connected to the rest of the city centre by several bridges — is a good starting point. Here, centuries-old grain warehouses eviscerated by Second World War bombs still sit alongside restored ones now housing hotels and boutiques. You could drop by Bar Mleczny Stągiewna for an old-school Polish canteen experience, complete with dishes that hark back to the cuisine of the communist era, including cheap borscht and cabbage rolls. barstagiewna.pl
Just north of the city, the former Gdańsk Shipyard has also been impressively trans
