European Solidarity Center and the Shipyard in Gdansk

The European Solidarity Center is the most impressive museum I've been in ever. Although the visitors walk alone with audio guides, it feels like you are getting a private guide. Moreover, this "private" tour is synchronized with other "private" tours in such a technique that there are no waiting or delays on the route. Instead, you just walk with the audio guide and learn the history of the Solidarity movement that withdrew communism. It's a fascinating story and a must-visit place in Gdansk.

The museum is located in the Gdansk Shipyard, a few meters from the impressive monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970. A memorial for the workers killed by the army during the bold strikes of 1970. Building the monument was one of the demands of Solidarity in the talks of 1980. The monument is 42 meters high and made from 139 tons of steel. It's the first anti-communist monument founded in a communist country.

The talks of 1980 between the 17,000 shipbuilders, led by Lech Wałęsa, and the government, took place in one shipyard's warehouse – Sala BHP. Today the hall is hosting a small free entrance museum with an exhibition of the strikes. The talks led to the legalization of the Solidarity movement and free elections in Poland.

The Shipyard Entrance

The Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970

Sala BHP

The European Solidarity Center

Views from the Roof of The European Solidarity Center