Lying right outside famous gate no. 2 to the Gdańsk Shipyards (formally the Lenin Shipyards) the monument was unveiled in 1980 to commemorate the events of 1970 when 45 people died during street riots protesting against the communist regime.
The right to erect this memorial was one of Solidarity's main demands during the 1980 lock-in. The 42-metre, 139-tonne steel sculpture stands on the spot where the first three victims of the 1970 riots were killed. There are three crosses to represent the three victims and the crosses themselves signify the suffering and sacrifice of all the protestors.
Lech Wałęsa referred to this enormous steel structure as 'a harpoon driven through the body of a whale. No matter how hard the whale struggles, it can never get rid of it.'
The right to erect this memorial was one of Solidarity's main demands during the 1980 lock-in. The 42-metre, 139-tonne steel sculpture stands on the spot where the first three victims of the 1970 riots were killed. There are three crosses to represent the three victims and the crosses themselves signify the suffering and sacrifice of all the protestors.
Lech Wałęsa referred to this enormous steel structure as 'a harpoon driven through the body of a whale. No matter how hard the whale struggles, it can never get rid of it.'
Along with the Roads to Freedom exhibition, which is situated a two minute walk away, this monument is a must-see for anyone visiting Gdansk.It is an easy, twenty minute walk from the centre of town.Most of the plaques and memorial stones are in Polish so, unless you're on a guided tour, it might be an idea to do what I did and pick up one of the booklets available from the on-site souvenir kiosk. They explain, in various languages, the history of the monument and mine cost me 6zl.