Gdansk, Poland -- May 21
Our first time in Poland!!
Gdańsk is widely known as the city of glowing amber and Gothic cathedrals. Its luster goes back to medieval times when it was one of the most prosperous cities in the Hanseatic League, the mercantile powerhouse of the Baltic.
The city's rich history is on display in the remarkably restored Old Town, a splendid mix of Gothic, Renaissance and baroque styles----from the royal residence of Green Gate to the 15th-century Artus Court, a merchant's palace.
One of its most fascinating structures is the Gdańsk treadwheel crane, a 14th-century human-powered device that loaded and unloaded cargo. Two men to a wheel. Four men could lift 11 tons of cargo.
The German attack on the Polish military depot at Westerplatte marked the start of World War II and the city was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1939.
World War 2 began here and I never knew it until our visit to Gdansk.
This city was destroyed by Russia during the second World War after Germany took over Poland. Gdansk was a major port area at that time and remains so today. It was voted afterward to rebuild Gdansk in the former architectural style.
A monument to the shipyard strike led by Gdansk native, Lech Walesa, is erected in Gdansk shipyard area. A shipyard electrician by trade, Wałęsa became the leader of the Solidarity movement, and led a successful pro-democratic effort which in 1989 ended the Communist rule in Poland and ushered in the end of the Cold War. Lech Wałęsa became the first democratically elected President of Poland since 1926 and the first-ever Polish President elected in popular vote. He also received the Nobel Peace Prize.
In the last few months over 3 million residents of Ukraine have fled to Poland. Ukraine flags fly everywhere in support of the citizens, who are being murdered by Russia.
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