Westerplatte: Where the War Began
A walk across the battlefield where the Second World War began: Guardhouse No. 1, the New Barracks ruins, the Polish soldiers' cemetery and the Monument to the Defenders of the Coast.
Route map
Route stops
- 1Puesto de Guardia I (Guardhouse I)
Guardhouse I is one of the surviving Polish defensive positions from the fierce fighting on the Westerplatte peninsula in September 1939. Restored in 1974, it now functions as a small museum dedicated to the battle. What to see here includes the restored fortifications and exhibits documenting this pivotal moment in Polish resistance during the opening days of the Second World War.
- 2New Barracks ruins
Remains of the Polish barracks bombed on the first of September of nineteen thirty-nine in the opening moments of the Second World War. The central stop on the Westerplatte memorial route, kept as a testimonial ruin.
- 3Polish Army soldiers' cemetery
A military cemetery within the Westerplatte site, with the graves of the Polish soldiers who fell in the defence of September of nineteen thirty-nine. A place of remembrance with a flag, a cross and a symbolic guard.
- 4Monument to the Defenders of the Coast
The Monument to the Defenders of the Coast stands as a 25-metre obelisk rising from an artificial mound on the Westerplatte peninsula. Designed by Adam Haupt, Franciszek Duszeńko and Henryk Kitowski, it's the peninsula's most striking memorial. The monument honours Polish soldiers who fought in Pomerania during September 1939. A significant historical landmark, it remains one of Gdańsk's most visible tributes to those who defended the region during the outbreak of the Second World War.
