We spent two nights in the tri-city area of Gdynia-Gdansk-Sopot with our hotel being in the old town center of Gdansk and the ability to walk to all the main sights.
This is where the Vistula River meets the Baltic Sea, and the area evolved from a small 10th-century fishing settlement into one of Europe’s most prosperous trading hubs
Gdansk is one of the Hanseatic cities which became incredibly wealthy in the 16th and 17th centuries with the export of grain and timber. On the Royal Way each colorful building is a little different as Gdańsk’s wealthy merchants wanted to show how rich and important they were! Like in the Netherlands in those days, structures were taxed based on frontage, so most of the houses were built narrow and deep.
It was in Gdansk that on September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler sparked World War II by firing on the munitions depot at the city’s harbor. Under Nazi occupation, the city was renamed Danzig and the local Poles were forced to build military submarines (the infamous Nazi U-boats) in their shipyards. In early 1945, as the Soviet Red Army advanced the battle leveled Gdańsk. Nearly 80 percent of the city was destroyed. Using pre-war photographs, historical paintings, and original bricks salvaged from the rubble, the entire city center was rebuilt to its 16th-century golden era aesthetic.
While there we fixed our own lunch by making pierogies!
We also visited the Oliwa Cathedral and heard a recital played on the organ which is actually three organs with a total of 8,000 pipes!
St. Mary’s Basillica in the old town is the largest brick built church in Europe, originally built by Franciscan monks in the 15th century, and was also rebuilt following the war. The rococo ceiling above the altar depicts clouds with angels heads poking through and looking down on us below!
The Gdańsk astronomical clock (in St. Mary’s) is from the 15th century and was the largest such clock in the world at the time of completion.
The clock’s dials show the time and date, phase of the Moon, the position of the Moon and Sun in relation to zodiac signs, and a calendar of saints. Adam and Eve ring the bell on the hour, and at noon, a procession appears that features Adam and Eve alongside the Three Kings, the Apostles, and Death.
Lastly, we visited Sopot, a spa town on the Baltic on the most gorgeous of days and walked the 511 meter Sopot wooden pier – longest in Europe – to the end and back. It is easy to see why the town has been a destination for local and foreign tourists over the last several centuries.
Finally – the Crooked House!
