My First Month in Gdańsk , Part One

Update: Poland's new prime minister, Donald Tusk, stated that the new government will seek to end the Polish military presence in Iraq next year after it takes power. The story is at CNN.

Today, November 1, is the public holiday of Wszystkich Świętych (All Saints' Day) in Poland. It is a day when families gather together, light candles, and visit the graves of deceased relatives. Halloween is not celebrated here.

My train ride to Gdańsk was about eight hours long. I managed to catch up on sleep by napping through the first half of the ride, an act I don't necessarily recommend since the train worked itself into my dreams. My ride was shared with Alex, the only other Fulbrighter living in Gdańsk with me. As Alex was the only other male of asimilar age to me that wasn't married, he was also my suite mate in Wrocław. His project at the University of Gdańsk involves some sort of liver cancer research. After arriving in Gdańsk, Alex and I split up, taking taxis to our respective residences. After arriving at mine, the Hotel Asystencki 2, I unpacked some, bought food at the closest grocery store, Biedronka (which means "ladybug"), and relaxed after cooking pasta for dinner.

The first record of Gdańsk (Danzig in German) dates to 997 AD when its inhabitants were baptized by Saint Adalbert of Prague on order of the Polish duke, Boleslaw the Brave. It was ruled by a Polish duchy until it was conquered by the Teutonic Knights. German influence in the city increased under the Knights' control. In 1361, Gdańsk became a full member of the Hanseatic League, a powerful guild that controlled trade in the Baltic Sea and northern Europe. After changing hands a few more times, Gdańsk, which was now known as Danzig by this time, was recognized as an autonomous city under the protection of the Polish crown in 1457. With the various divisions of Poland at the end of the 18th century, Danzig was annexed by Prussia in 1793 and remained part of the German Empire until 1919.

At the end of World War One, Danzig was declared an autonomous free-city under the protection of the League of Nations. As its population was primarily German by this point, the city was not given to the Poles even though the newly reconstituted Republic of Poland greatly desired Danzig's shipbuilding capabilities and port. The city was very close to the non-contiguous German province of East Prussia. In 1933, the German Nazi party took control of Danzig's government though it was still technically a free-city and not part of Germany. Upon Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939, the city was annexed into Germany once more.

During World War Two, Danzig was heavily bombed by both the Allies and the Soviets. Like Wrocław, most of the German inhabitants of Danzig fled the approach of the Red Army, which captured the city in March 1945. The city was given to Poland and the remaining German inhabitants expelled following the Yalta and Potsdam conferences.

Rebuilt over the next two decades, Gdańsk became a major industrial and shipping center in communist Poland. It is probably more famous in the West for being the scene of several anti-government movements. In 1980, the Solidarity trade union movement, which would be pivotal in bringing down the communist government in 1989, was born in Gdańsk at its Lenin Shipyards. Lech Wałęsa, the leader of Solidarity and inhabitant of Gdańsk, was elected the first president of Poland following communist rule.

Gdańsk, with a population of about 460,000, is the capital and largest city of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With the nearby cities of Sopot and Gdynia, Gdańsk forms a metropolitan area of over a million people referred to as the Trójmiasto ("tri-city"). While still a major industrial and shipping center for Poland, Gdańsk and the rest of the Trójmiasto is also a major tourism draw for both Poles and foreigners. With its location on the Baltic coast, Poles often visit the area during the summer and holidays. Germans visit Gdansk's city center for its German heritage and with daily ferries across the Baltic (there are literally street signs reading Stockholm and Helsinki), Scandinavians visit for cheap shopping. Gdańsk is also a center of eduction with at least 14 institutes of higher learning, the largest being the Uniwersytet Gdański, where I teach.

The city of Gdańsk can be divided into different parts. The Główne Miasto (Main Town) and Stare Miasto (Old Town) are the center and oldest parts of the city. There you will see the city's famous Ulica Długa and Długi Targ (street and square) as well as most of the cathedrals and museums. Northeast of city center is Oliwa, where the primary campus of the University is located and where I teach. Oliwa, though residential, is also very commercial. Besides the numerous auto dealers and smaller shops, there are at least three large shopping malls along its main drag. To the north of the city center are Nowy Port (New Port) and Breźno. Nowy Port is, well, the port. The ferries depart and arrive there and some of the Gdańsk's shipyards are nearby. Breźno, by comparison, is almost entirely residential. It also happens to be where I live. The area has a reputation for being kind of rundown, but I haven't noticed this to be the case. While there are plenty of old, communist-style, apartment buildings along Breźno's main road, Hallera, a block off the road are gated, middle to upper middle-class, single-family houses. Breźno is also the location of Gdańsk's public gardens, where one can rent a small plot in order to grow food.
Hotel Asystencki 2, which translates as "teachers' hostel #2," is one of those communist-style apartment buildings. The buildings are four stories high and have about 16-20 apartments per floor. Luckily, my building has been renovated. I live on the third floor in apartment 210. My apartment is roughly square with a quarter being devoted to the toilet, shower, sink, and refrigerator. The rest of the room contains a wardrobe and shelves, a desk, a table, a futon, an incredibly small bed, and a bedside table. I sleep on the folded-out futon as it is very uncomfortable as a sofa and the bed is too small for my liking. Each floor also contains a communal laundry room (washer, no dryer) and a kitchen so I am able to cook a meal every night. I have internet access in the room and heat. Click on the pictures for a better view.

From Hotel Asystencki, it is about a five minute walk to a small grocery store, Biedronka, which provides most of my diet. The closest tram stop is located across from the grocery store. From there, I can take Tram #15 to the University or #12 to the city center. The trams make a loop through Nowy Port (New Port) and Breźno so it is easier and quicker for me to hop off the tram and walk the ten minutes back to my apartment than riding the tram all the way around. There is another grocery store, Lidl, near this tram stop that is larger than Biedronka. Hotel Asystencki is also only located about half a kilometer from the Baltic coast, something that will prove to be interesting when the weather gets warmer.

Most locations mentioned in my posts can be found in my map via the link to your right. Pictures are also available for some things. Also, if you have any questions at all, feel free to comment on my posts or email me. I will try to respond promptly.