Westerplatte, Gdańsk, Poland - SpottingHistory.com

Westerplatte is a long peninsula at the entrance to the harbour. When Gdańsk became a free city after WWI, Poland was permitted to maintain a post at this location, at the tip of the port zone. It served both trading and military purposes and had a garrison to protect it. WWII broke out here at dawn on 1 September 1939, when the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein began shelling the Polish guard post. The garrison, which numbered just 182 men, held out for seven days before surrendering.

The site is now a memorial, with some of the ruins left as they were after the bombardment, plus a massive monument put up in memory of the defenders.

References:

Lonely Planet

User Reviews

Bermet Akerova (Bema) (9 months ago)
Historical place. Need to visit with guide! Very beautiful... Meaningful.. ?? Peaceful sky suits each country

Adam (2 years ago)
Powerful place, packed full of history

Marcus Gaughanus (2 years ago)
Very unique experience especially in the late evening, ruins, flames, memorials, benches to chill and reflect

Robert Kopacz (2 years ago)
Very powerful place. Making you think especially when you get into the barracks you start to feel big history. Respect for those who died there for our freedom

Patrycja Wiktoria Walford (2 years ago)
Bigger place than I anticipated. If you're getting there by the ship I would recommend staying for 2h instead of 1h. We booked to stay for just 1h and it was barely enough time to get to the monument and back to the ship. We missed out on the museum and everything else that's around, all the boards with the history if the place, etc. Wish we booked to stay longer.

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