Solidarity

We have heard from several Poles along the way when they knew we were going through Gdańsk that were adamant that we shouldn’t miss the Solidarity Museum. But first of all I had to drop in to the Central station to check that our bikes are included in our ticket to Warsaw They weren’t ! Pleased I checked. They rebooked us on a later train, it would give us more time here but unfortunately we’d turn up in the dark in Warsaw. Useful hint, anyone over 65 gets 30% off fares. 🤗 The museum is only 200 metres from the station on the old ship yards where it all beganIt’s impossible to show the scale here. It’s made with a rusted steel finish to give the impression of a shipyard. 7 story’s high!That monument in the foreground was erected by the workers as a memorial to their comrades killed by the troops at arallyI can’t do it justice but it’s stunning from every angle.part of the shipyard from the roof. They’ve kept a few of the original buildings, but only one small corner of the 100acre site now makes shipsThe story of Solidarity is also about the unbelievably oppressive reign of the communist governments in the Eastern bloc. I thought I knew what it was like, but after going through this museum , believe me, we didn’t have the foggiest idea. The underground press, who passed on news from the BBC about the true state of affairs played a huge part in telling the public what Solidarity were achieving .all press was censored Lech Walensa was the name that we all heard of back home ,but every one of the trade union workers were hero’s because they could be shot or imprisoned without trial for opposing the regime.The Pope Mobile. The other huge factor that helped bring down the regime was the election of a Polish pope in 1980. Pope John Paul. He toured Poland and preached to millions . His message was clear . Be strong! We will survive!. The audio commentary walked you through the museum explaining every thing well. No need to read which is a bonus when you need glass’sSolidarity was unique in that they achieved all their objectives without violence (which was something the regime knew how to combat ) The museum has replicated the round table and room where the historic agreement was signed giving them their rights. This is one of the finest museums I have been in and would recommend it to anyone travelling this way.on the way back to the station we passed this memorial to the Jewish children sent by train to London before things got too bad. Last year we came across a similar one at the Hook of Holland from where they leftWe caught the train at 5.30 taking the last 2 spots for our bikes. It was drizzling when we got off at Warsaw so I hunted up a van taxi that would take us our Hotel