Disguised as a guard's house
A metre of concrete behind an ordinary front.
One of five concrete guardhouses the Polish army built secretly at Westerplatte before the war, and the only one surviving in a condition that allows it to be entered. The guardhouses were built between 1933 and 1937 disguised as ordinary buildings: concrete walls more than a metre thick, firing slits and a cellar, all concealed behind a front that looks like a plain guard's house. Building them breached the agreements limiting the depot's armament, so the work was done in secret. In the battle of September 1939 these guardhouses were the backbone of the defence: they held out against naval and aerial bombardment for seven days. Guardhouse Number One was moved about ninety metres from its original position in 1967 for port expansion works — a complex engineering operation on a concrete mass weighing hundreds of tonnes. It today holds a small exhibition about the battle. Hours are seasonal.
A metre of concrete behind an ordinary front.
Against naval and aerial bombardment in September 1939.
A concrete mass of hundreds of tonnes shifted in 1967.
Westerplatte, the entrance to Gdańsk harbour
Three ways: bus 106 or 138 from central Gdańsk in about half an hour; a tourist boat from the old town waterfront — about an hour and far more enjoyable, passing through the industrial port; or by car. The site is a large open area, free to walk, with the huge memorial on a mound at its far end.
Neighbouring Sopot with the longest wooden pier in Europe, its beach and spa hotels. And Gdynia with its port and museum ships. The three together are called the Tricity and are linked by a frequent, cheap local train. And Malbork castle an hour away by train — the largest brick castle in the world and World Heritage listed.
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