Westerplatte — Attraction in Gdansk

Being a history buff or not, the sole fact the world's bloodiest conflict ever began here, deserves your attention and imo your need to come here and visit it, as in some way everyone of us was affected by the horror of WWII.

Westerplatte is located north from Gdansk, some 15 min drive from downtown on a small flat peninsula stretching out into the Baltic sea. By the bus stop is a carpark (they told me it was free, maybe because it was Sunday, but double check), which was close to monuments and attractions. You can also come by bus, but we had our rented car which was cheap and convenient for us as we explored north Poland, driving as far as Wolf's Lair which is 3 hrs one way.

From the historic point of view main attractions are the ruined former barracks, the Polish defenders Memorial grave site with a Cross, and of course, the huge vertical monument to the defenders, which is on top a small hill reachable via circular pathway. Besides these, there's a kind of a scattered open air museum with info panels here and there, in both, Polish and English, explaining the history. I must admit I was disappointed with that, as imo such a place deserves a proper covered small museum dedicated to this site, and therefore I deduct one star.

Apart from the historic background Westerplatte is a nice nature area, as it stretches along the coast with a pleasant walkway by the sea and right across the Monument is a busy port with...

On our visit to Northern Poland last year, we stayed in Gdansk for memorable few days. One of the trips we made was from the main ferry jetty to Westerplatte.

The ferry trip was very reasonably priced and took us through some of the old docks that Gdansk is famous for.

We reached Westerplatte after about 25 minutes and on a gloriously sunny day took the walk to the fantastic memorial that marks the start on the 2nd World War. Knowing a little about the role of the Schleswig-Holstein in this part of history helped but there are many printed guides to help you if you don't, so you can 'bone up' before the trip.

Walking through the myriad of paths and seeing the bunkers where the gallant Poles held out for so long, with so little, is humbling.

At the jetty for the return trip to the main part of town, there is an innocuous looking café. Don't be fooled, their burgers are extraordinary..!

If this sort of thing is what floats your boat on holiday, then also visit the old Post Office in Gdansk, where a similar, less well known defiant stand took place on the same day as the shelling of Westerplatte... and you can get a memorable postcard and stamp to mark your visit....

It takes a long time to get there from the bus stop and boat drop off. You can pay to use a shuttle but even then the memorial is on the top of a hill which you still have to circle reach the top, and on a hot day its not very pleasant. If you have mobility issues you may struggle.

It is a nice memorial and an important one which people should visit. Given the purpose is for it to be seen, they could do more to make it more attractive for people to visit and accesible for torists.

However, there are some nice bits on the way. Including a museum(which i didn't get to see) and a ruined barracks, and a pump car (which was the best bit). For 6zl you get to ride it and if you are a man then consider yourself the operators (it was exhausting but worth every penny for the laugh). If you have time you can also walk to the sea and see the outside of a bunker.

Make sure you allow yourself atleast 2 hours. We had an hour because of the boat and due to the distance between things we had to power walk just to make it to the monument and back. (and we are young and fit), and even then we didnt have time to appreciate it really. ALLOW YOURSELF...