subject: Gdansk - The Spot Where Communism Started to Crumble [print this page] Gdansk - The Spot Where Communism Started to Crumble
Nowadays, the Polish metropolis of Gdansk is a fashionable tourist location. Together with it's neighbouring towns of Sopot and Gdynia, people arrive there to savour the beaches, ambiance and way of life. Its setting on the Baltic has meant that Gdansk being without doubt one of the most significant ports in Northern Europe.
Previously known as Danzig, the city was the subject of dispute between Germany and Poland and it had been here that the opening shots of World War II were fired as Germany officially annexed the metropolis and integrated into Prussia.
After World War II, Poland fell under control of the Soviet Union and became a fundamental place in the Soviet ship construction programme. Gdansk was a hectic shipyard on the Baltic coast and it was in the Lenin Shipyards where Lech Walesa's Solidarity Union was organized in 1980. It was the first union in any Warsaw Pact state which was not in the control of the Communist Party.
Under pressure from Moscow, the Polish authorities attempted to curb Solidarity by arresting significant union members and imposing Martial Law. Nevertheless, the Polish people were in no mood to be subdued and Solidarity grew to be a national movement, eventually pressuring the government into discussions in 1989. The union was instrumental in the start of the fall of Communism and the account of their activities are located in the Solidarity Museum. Addititionally there is a monument in Gdansk to the 45 shipyard workers who were killed during protests in opposition to the Communist regime in 1970.
These days, Gdansk is a lovely city with loads of history with the energetic hype of a modern metropolis. Various of the old architectural structures destroyed in the war have been reconstructed and there are plenty of bars, dining establishments and dance clubs to take it easy thought the night. It has been picked as a host city for the Euro 2012 Championships with the newly built PGE Arena planned to have 3 group matches and a quarterfinal match.
