Article Gdansk - Westerplatte

The German attack on this garrison on September 1, 1939, the Battle of Westerplatte, is considered the opening engagement and the beginning of World War II.
Before the war, the port of Gdańsk served both Polish and German ships, but the Poles were allowed to build a military material transshipment point at the entrance to it, namely on Westerplatte. And it was this transshipment point that became the scene of one of the first German attacks of World War II on September 1, 1939.

The remains of barracks, ammunition depots and trenches here show visitors the power of German bombing.

Westerplatte still serves as one of the most important places of remembrance where Poles commemorate the beginning and end of World War II. During the fighting, seventeen Polish defenders were killed and eighty other fighters were wounded. The losses of the German aggressors, on the other hand, amounted to four hundred fighters. Despite the lower number of fighters and despite poorer equipment, the Polish army was able to resist the German superior forces for seven days.

The small Polish garrison was attacked by overwhelmingly superior German ships and infantry, but the Polish soldiers held out for seven days to fight for Westerplatte. The tenacity and heroism of the Polish garrison at Westerplatte became, and remains, a symbol of the Polish nation's deter­mination to defend their homeland.

Pope John Paul II also visited the site of the fighting in 1987. He told the young Poles that each of them has their own private Westerplatte within them. That is, that each of them has something they must fight for and cannot capitulate for,”

The large sign „Never again war“ is the legacy of this place.

The peninsula is located far from the city center by the sea. Therefore, it is necessary to use public transport buses or regular boat transport. The boat trip runs along the giant Gdańsk Shipyards.

The peninsula also has beautiful sandy beaches, offering an interesting view of the Gdańsk port.

While sailing, you can see the well-preserved Wisłoujście Fortress near the mouth of one of the branches of the Vistula River.
The fortress was first built in 1308 in a strategic location at the mouth of the river into the sea, and its current, predominantly Gothic form was created during the 16th century.