Gdansk Travel Guide

Gdansk is located near the Baltic Sea, at the mouth of the Vistula River. The city has a temperate climate with winter temperatures often dropping -15°C in January and February and reaching 20-25°C during summer months. The climate is maritime and therefore the weather is often changeable, with rapid temperature fluctuations.

Being a port city, it concentrates on related activities and industries, such as shipbuilding and shipping. Gdansk has carried its unbelievable charm and beauty through the many disasters it was confronted with over its history. The city got caught in the fire of World War II in 1939. It was here that Hitler got around his crazy plans to conquer Europe and the rest of the world. Later, after the Yalta Agreement was signed, it fell into the rule of another totalitarian regime for several decades.

Gdansk is the birthplace of the renowned Solidarity movement, which was supposed to promote democratic values in East Europe and eventually led to the end of the Communist rule in 1989.

The war crippled the city beyond recognition. There are very few old houses in the entire city that survived the bombing raids. Only two nice buildings in the Dlugi Tag (Long Market) were reported to have remained intact after the war. Most homes that were razed to the ground during the war were fully rebuilt later.

As of today, Gdansk is a place of attraction for tourists due to its sophisticated architecture, unique geographic location and rich educational potential. The Gdansk University was established in 1970. There are also schools of fine arts, engineering, and medicine.