RSSGdansk – The Spot Where Communism Began to Collapse
Apr 30
Today, the Polish city of Gdansk is a fashionable tourist destination. Along with it is adjoining towns of Sopot and Gdynia, people travel here to take delight in the beaches, ambiance and way of life. It’s location on the Baltic has meant that Gdansk being among the most important ports in Northern Europe.
Formerly known as Danzig, the metropolis was the topic of dispute among Germany and Poland and it also was here that the opening shots of World War II were unleashed as Germany officially annexed the urban centre and incorporated into Prussia.
Soon after World War II, Poland fell under control of the Soviet Union and became a key place in the Soviet ship construction programme. Gdansk had been a very busy shipyard on the Baltic coast and it had been in the Lenin Shipyards where Lech Walesa’s Solidarity Union was formed in 1980. It was the first union in any Warsaw Pact country that was not in the control of the Communist Party.
Under pressure from Moscow, the Polish government tried to eliminate Solidarity by arresting vital union people and imposing Martial Law. However, the Polish people were in no mood to be subdued and Solidarity became a nation wide movement, in due course forcing the government into talks in 1989. The union was critical in the beginning of the fall of Communism and the report of their activities can be found in the Solidarity Museum. Addititionally there is a memorial in Gdansk to the 45 shipyard workers who were killed in the protests in opposition to the Communist regime in 1970.
Now, Gdansk is a charming city with lots of heritage with the energetic buzz of a modern day urban centre. A good number of of the old architectural structures wrecked in the war have been reconstructed and there are loads of cafes, restaurants and dance clubs to rest thought the night. It has also been chosen as a host city for the Euro 2012 Finals with the newly constructed PGE Arena scheduled to have 3 group matches and a quarterfinal match.
Gdansk is one of the more important ports on the Baltic and it was here in the shipyards of the city where Communism began to fall apart. It is also one of the host venues for the Euro 2012 Championships.
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