The Westerplatte peninsula is situated to the north of Gdańsk, near the modern harbour. This sandy strip of land, covered in greenery, played an important role in Polish history.

It was Westerplatte that was one of the sites where the Second World War began.

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To this day, Westerplatte serves as one of the most important memorial sites where Poles commemorate both the beginning and the end of the Second World War.

The Westerplatte Memorial

In 1966, a 25-metre-high monument, constructed from 240 granite blocks, was unveiled on the peninsula. Senior Polish officials often gather at the monument to commemorate significant events of the Second World War.

In the surrounding area, you will also find other military remains, such as the ruins of bunkers and a T-34 tank.

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The Battle of Westerplatte

Although Gdańsk was supposed to become part of Poland after the First World War, at Germany’s request, a Free City with its own government was established here due to the majority German population. The port thus served both Polish and German ships, but the Poles were permitted to build a transhipment point for military supplies at the entrance to the port, namely at Westerplatte.

And it was this transhipment point that, on 1 September 1939, became the scene of one of the first attacks of the Second World War. The small Polish garrison was attacked by German ships with overwhelming numerical superiority, yet the Polish soldiers held out and fought for Westerplatte for seven days.

The tenacity and heroism of the Polish garrison at Westerplatte became – and remains to this day – a symbol of the Polish nation’s determination to defend its homeland.

Westerplatte Museum

About 1,300 metres from the memorial, near the harbour and bus stops, is the Museum of the Battle of Westerplatte.

A visit takes about 30–40 minutes.

• Opening hours: daily 9.00–18.00
• Price: 8 pln
• Official website:muzeum1939.pl

Getting to Westerplatte

The peninsula is located some distance from the city centre by the sea, so you’ll need to use public transport.

There are four bus routes to the Westerplatte Museum.

• 106– takes about 30 minutes to reach the city centre; the bus goes to the main railway station and to the historic centre, near the Museum of the Second World War
  • Buses run every 60 to 90 minutes on average
• 138–takes a slightly longer route to the city centre (approx. 35 minutes), stopping at the main railway station and Solidarity Square
  • on average every 60 minutes
• 600 – a tourist route running only at weekends, going directly tothe Museum of the Second World War(approx. 25 minutes)
  • Runs every 60 minutes
• 606 – a tourist service running only at weekends directly to the main railway station (approx. 20 minutes)
  • frequency: every 60 minutes

From there, however, you’ll still need to walk about 1,300 metres (one way) to the memorial.

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