Westerplatte

Westerplatte is a wooded peninsula at the mouth of the Dead Vistula, five kilometres from Gdansk's Old Town. Here, on 1 September 1939, the German navy opened fire on a small Polish military transit depot in what is generally taken to be the opening engagement of the Second World War. The seven-day defence of Westerplatte, hopelessly outnumbered, became one of the defining symbols of Polish resistance.

The peninsula is now a memorial site. The ruins of the garrison buildings remain largely as they were left, overgrown and bullet-scarred. A large monument from the communist era dominates the hilltop. There is a small museum on site. The atmosphere is sombre and the walk through the trees among the ruins is more affecting than the official monuments.

You can reach Westerplatte by tram from Gdansk city centre or by one of the small excursion boats that run from the waterfront near the Crane in summer. The boat trip past the shipyard and port is worth doing in its own right.

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A story
On 1 September 1939, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on the small Polish garrison at Westerplatte at 4:45 in the morning — the first shots of the Second World War. The 182 Polish soldiers held out for seven days against a German force that outnumbered them more than ten to one, expecting relief that never came. The garrison commander, Major Henryk Sucharski, became a national hero. He gave the surrender order on September 7th; the men were taken prisoner and survived the war.