I am blown away at how beautiful they this building and installations are. Its quite artistic. The…read moreaudio guide is excellent and there is an overwhelming amount of information and documentation about this movement. I highly recommend it and encourage all to learn about Polands fight for solidarity.

During our Viking Cruise this last summer, the European Solidarity Centre was our slam dunk shore…read moreleave highlight of the trip. Gayle and I love history, and remember well Lech Wałęsa, the Solidarity movement, the influence of Pope John Paul, and the roll all this this played in the eventual fall of the Soviet Union. I had also previously heard Lech Wałęsa speak at the Athenian School (Danville CA) several years ago, so this trip was part of a fascinating learning journey for me. The European Solidarity Centre (Polish: Europejskie Centrum Solidarności) is a museum and library devoted to the history of Solidarity and other opposition movements of Communist Eastern Europe. It opened in 2014 on the grounds of the old former ship yard in Gdansk. The design of the outer walls evoke the hulls of ships built here. My only complaint is that both Gayle and I would have liked more time here to better explore the museum. There's a lot to see here, with lots of interesting exhibits and history to appreciate. And there's a lot more here including a library that contains around 100,000 books and documents, a research and academic centre, and associated programs and conferences. I was also taken with the large open Lobby that allowed me to take it all in after we finished our tour of the exhibits. Gdansk is an interesting international city in itself, with lots to explore. But everything else I experienced here paled in comparison to my visit to Europejskie Centrum Solidarności. If you find your way here, don't miss it!

Nice place to spend an hour. 3 floors with a variety of restored furniture, artifacts and a history…read moreof Gdansk.

We visited Anne Frank's house in June and when we knew we'd be in Poland in September, I knew we'd…read morehave to visit Stutthof. Stutthof was established by the Nazis in 1939 after the invasion of Poland. This was a very difficult visit on many levels. It is impossible to totally comprehend the atrocities committed here and at other camps. Located about 20 miles outside of Gdansk, the museum shows the camp as it existed and illustrated the harsh, inhumane conditions experienced by those forced to be there. The camp opened September 2, 1939 just after Germany's invasion of Poland and closed in 1945 just before the end of the war. Residents included political prisoners, "undesirables", and Jews. It is estimated that approximately 60,000 people were murdered here. When detainees arrived at the camp, they surrendered their clothes and shoes and were given simple "uniforms" to wear. An identifying mark on the uniform indicated which "undesirable" group you were a part of. One of the first displays was a huge display box which over 50,000 pairs of shoes which were taken as detainees entered the camp. (picture included) The tour illustrated the harsh conditions detainees lived under. There was little or no food, disease was rampant and physical and mental cruelty were inflicted regularly . There is a lot of history to learn including the Death Marches that occurred when the camp closed. The entire visit was difficult and gut wrenching but seeing the gas chambers and crematorium was beyond description. I definitely saw more than I wanted to see but understand that's the importance of a visit like this. While vacations are supposed to be fun, I could not imagine being in the area and not coming here.