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Features
- Bishop Edward O'Rourke
- An Irishman Remembered
- Scottish Gdańsk
- Christmas in Poland
- Gateaways of Gdańsk
- Local Beer
- Hotelcalculator with IYP
- The Return of the Resort House
- Copernicus in Gdansk
- Gdansk In Your Pocket in iPaper
- EURO 2012
- Where to find Gdansk In Your Pocket
- Pirat Andrzej
- Phoenix from the flames
- Local Gifts
- Local Nutter
- Wałęsa's old home
- The Pope in Gdansk
- Pole to Pole
- Pomerania
- Gunter Grass
- Goldwasser
- Know Gdansk
- August Accords
- Disaster at sea
More features:
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Gunter Grass
Often cited as ‘Germany’s collective conscience’, and commonly regarded as the country’s greatest living poet, novelist and playwright, Gunter Grass was born in the Free City of Danzig on October 16, 1927 and was awarded the Nobel prize for Literature in 1999.... -
Disaster at sea
The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff on January 30, 1945 rates as one of the worst maritime disasters in history.... -
Gateaways of Gdańsk
If Prague is the City of Spires, then that surely makes Gdańsk the City of Gateways. There are, simply speaking, a fair few, and while some stand out like neon toadstools others can be missed with the blink of an eye.... -
Where to find Gdansk In Your Pocket
If you would like a copy delivered to you outside of Poland please click here. Or if you are in town you can pick up copies of the guide, available at 5zl per copy, at the following outlets:EMPiK bookstore (CITY FORUM, ul.... -
An Irishman Remembered
For centuries Gdansk/Danzig was probably the most cosmopolitan city in this part of the world. As is ... -
Phoenix from the flames
Gdańsk is one of Europe’s best kept secrets. Expecting a glum commie city? Think again. The Old Town captivates, and couldn’t look any sweeter if it was built by the good Mr Kipling and his little helpers.... -
Know Gdansk
Anybody vaguely acquainted with history, or indeed heavy metal, will be familiar with the name of Danzig.... -
Local Gifts
VodkaPoland has long been associated with quality vodka, and as such it makes a perfect last-minute gift to anyone but children and alcoholics.... -
EURO 2012
The decision to make Poland a co-host of EURO 2012 was greeted with surprise both inside and outside Poland as well as by jubilation that Michel Platini and his UEFA committee had the foresight and courage to bring such a successful tournament here.... -
Pole to Pole
Born in Gdańsk on March 24, 1964, Marek Kamiński ranks as Poland’s greatest living explorer, and in 1995 became the first person in the world to reach both Poles unaided in the same year.... -
August Accords
Keen to add their own personal grievances, ideas suggested by various strikers ranged from the bizarre to the extreme: the idea of free elections was mooted, before being rejected out of fear this would spark an invasion by Soviet forces.... -
Local Nutter
Technically German, but born in Sopot, Klaus Kinski is arguably the town’s most famous son. Born into poverty, Kinski found himself flirting with adventure from an early age when he was forced to steal to feed his family.... -
Pirat Andrzej
One of the city's most recognisable figures passed away in hospital on Friday 13th of August 2010 following a stroke.... -
Scottish Gdańsk
If you’ve been reading our reviews and using our maps you may have noticed that the Tri-City is the home of two suburbs named Nowe and Stare Szkoty (New and Old Scots)....
At the Beach
Sobieszewo Island
Incorporated into Gdańsk’s city boundaries in 1973 this 11 kilometre beach is the longest in the tri-city, and measuring 200 metres wide in some parts, it’s easy to find solitude, no matter what cards the weather chooses to play. The island was formerly part of the mainland, but was cut off in 1895 during an ambitious operation to create a river. The celebrations, ordered at the behest of Kaiser Wilhelm II were conducted by Gustav van Gossler – president of West Prussia – and it was he who broke what was left of the Sobieszewo’s connection to the mainland with a spade on March 31, 1895.
There are two beaches of note to visit, Sobieszewo and Orle, both of which have lifeguards, showers, toilets, changing rooms and cordoned off areas for children. Treasure hunters will be pleased to learn that amber frequently washes up onto the shores following stormy weather, and the area has two nature reserves, including Ptasi Raj (Bird Paradise) which is home to over 300 species of birds. Numerous bike trails around the island make for sweaty afternoons, and while the area has few monuments it does have a 19th century dam in Przegalino, and is also home to the former residence of Nazi Gauleiter Albert Forster. Although his quarters are firmly cordoned off, visitors can still sneak a glimpse through a fence. If you want a tonic from the madhouse of Sopot, this is it.
By car: 15km from Gdańsk. Head to the Warsaw road and turn left after about 10km following the signs to Sobieszewo.
By bus: Bus N˚112 and 186 from Gdańsk Główny train station. Journey time approx. 35mins.
Brzeźno
On a sunny day Brzeźno claims to attract more visitors than Sopot Beach, a claim made credible by the jungle of 70s residential tower blocks in the area. The pier has seen more growth spurts than a child. Constructed in 1900 as 100 metre long structure it was extended to 200 metres between the wars, and has now shrivelled to 130 metres. Once a resort for the rich it was once home to numerous spas and bathouses, now replaced by cut-price food cabins and snack bars.
In 1899 the Hala Brzegowa was added to the landscape; a lavish seaside building with galleries and viewing towers. Since demolished the site was leased to a Mr Borejko in 1993, under the promise he would build an exact replica by 1997. Needless to say he didn’t, and the city recently won a court case against him – only to find he had sold the land to a Wrocław firm that has planned to build a hotel on the site as of August. Other points of interest include the remains of Fort Brzeźno (built 1908-1910); a few bomb shelters and ruins survive to this day and are popular with climbers, while the metal lighthouse at the end of the peninsula dates from 1832. The beach is the only one in the tri-city with a Blue Flag certificate for cleanliness.
By tram: trams N˚13 and 15 run to Brzeźno Plaza.
Jelitkowo
Once known as Glettkau the jewel of this beach was the pier built in 1904. You won’t catch sight of it now, it fell victim to stormy weather back in 1914. First mentions of Jelitkowo date to 1480 when this was a fishing settlement, and you’ll still find classic fishermans cottages dating from the 18th and 19th centuries on ul. Bałtycka. It’s here where you’ll find an area sometimes called ‘Little Montmatre’ by the locals, in reference to the colony of artists who have made the area their domain. By 1875 the area had begun to transform into a spa resort for wealthy Germans, and evidence of their presence can still be discerned by the existence of a number of plush villas.
The beach itself comes with showers and lifeguards, and is also the site of the annual Walrus Club swim each New Years’ Day. The cycle path running from Brzeźno to Sopot passes through the scenic Jelitkowski Park and is a must for those who embrace the outdoors. Until August 31 the beach will be home to the ‘Lech Active Summer’, a series of events sponsored by the Lech brewery. Expect beach football and climbing walls, and from 21:00 a beach party each Friday, featuring laser shows and DJs. When hunger strikes repair to the Parkowa restaurant on ul. Pomorska 57.
Sopot
The one everyone makes a beeline for, though the further you walk towards Gdynia the more space you’ll find. The pier is apparently the longest in Europe, and harks back to the day when Sopot was the preserve of the scurrilously wealthy.
The one everyone makes a beeline for, though the further you walk towards Gdynia the more space you’ll find. The pier is apparently the longest in Europe, and harks back to the day when Sopot was the preserve of the scurrilously wealthy.
The resort of Sopot is commonly accepted to have been founded in 1823 by the Alsatian doctor Jean Georg Haffner and though classy hotels and restaurants abound, Sopot is better known as a party town; a fact reflected by Hawaii style beach bars like Tropikalna Wyspa and Copacabana. Snack shacks abound, with Bar Przystań rated as being one of the best fish bars in the whole country. As suits its resort image, the beach has endless opportunites for outdoor types; ranging from cruises on mock pirate boats to being dragged behind a speedboat on a banana. Beach football and volleyball tournaments take place pretty much each day, and August 4, 8 and 25 will see swimming races around the pier take place. If you fancy your chances you’ll need to register before 10:00 on the day of the race.
Gdynia
Choose from two beaches. Gdynia Orłowo (get off at Orłowo train station and head straight down ul. Orłowska) is the quieter, with an eroding cliff that proves popular with paragliders, and the scenic forest trails that lead to the top come populated with families of wild boar. Although the pier is closed until August this is still an interesting spot and in summer theatre performances take place on the beachfront open-air stage, courtesy of the Municipal Theatre. The central beach to the north is found right by Skwer Unii Europejski, and its 200 metre length is often packed to bursting point. Lifeguards, showers, toilets and daily beachball tournaments are part of the drill, and you may be interested to know that the first ever ice-cream on a stick was created on the nearby Świętojańska street back in 1932.