Gdansk Shipyard
Forever written into the annals of Polish – nay, European – history, the Gdansk Shipyard has become hallowed ground for supporters of democracy and political freedom on the continent. Back in 1980, one local electrician, Lech Wałęsa, emerged as the figurehead of a trade union here; a union that was to become a powerful institution of more than ten million members. Organising strikes and marches on the shipyards, he struggled against persecution and totalitarian law for more than a decade, all before the efforts of the movement – Solidarity – contributed greatly to the eventual retreat of Communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Don’t miss the immersive European Solidarity Centre that’s right on-site.