European Solidarity Centre

This is a brilliant museum well worth the visit. I was largely ignorant about this Solidarity movement, I had heard of Lech Walesa, he is something of a hero in Poland. We were given head sets and were able to listen a commentary as we went. You can tell the museum is relatively new, but it is absolutely fascinating what you learn and read up about. We also took in the rooftop experience which is quite something, the views are really good.

The building alone is well worth the visit, the building is designed to resemble the hulk of a ship under construction and looks incredible. Inside you have a central atrium leading to the permanent exhibition, cafe, shop, office space and rooftop viewing area. The exhibition takes you on a journey through soviet rule, strikes, the solidarity movement, martial law and eventual freedom. It is an excellent exhibition using original artifacts and modern technology. Don't miss it if you are in Gdansk.

A must see. Stunningly beautiful, throughly modern exhibit presenting the post-WW2 history of Polish struggle for freedom. Includes also content more widely applicable - about other Eastern European countries. Make sure to use the audio guide (free) and plan to spend a minimum of 3 hours, ideally more. There are restrooms, cafe and a gift shop to make your time there complete ;-)

This museum is worth your time. Great exhibition with an excellent audio guide that will touch you and leave you with a renewed perspective on Gdansk, and the role and sacrifice of the Polish people in European history. One word has to be said about the rigidity of the museum. You can't meed 15, 10 or 5 minutes early. The visiting setup ensures crowding and is tiresomely bureaucratic. The building itself is fantastic, though. Easy to reach very close to the city center,

Very impressive and interesting exhibition about an important part of Polish history! The audioguide is a great tool, it’s gonna take you smoothly through the whole story - definitely recommend to ask for it:)

A very good museum to understand one of the most important part of Polish History, which also had huge influence to the world. If you have time I strongly recommend that you spend at least half day listening to all those audio and watching all the clips, which the museum had carefully and delicately selected to present. Poland was the only former eastern bloc country which didn’t re-elect a former communist government after the dissolution of the USSR, and you understand the historical, social, cultural background behind that in the museum.

I would absolutely recommend this place! I didn’t know what to expect and I was really surprised. I have visited the permanent exhibition with the audio guide. The exhibition is very nicely prepared, it is interactive and really interesting. I choose the loger version of the audio guide (2,5 h) and I would recommend it. The audio guide is also really well done, it speaks nicely and interestingly. Overall I spent there about 3 hours and it was absolutely worth it!!

Loved the museum - set in a awesome building with a neatly designed permanent exhibition giving you context and background on the solidarity movement. The audio tour is worth it and the rooftop has some stunning views over the shipyard.

This is a brilliant museum well worth the visit. I was largely ignorant about this Solidarity movement, I had heard of Lech Walesa, he is something of a hero in Poland. We were given head sets and were able to listen a commentary as we went. You can tell the museum is relatively new, but it is absolutely fascinating what you learn and read up about. We also took in the rooftop experience which is quite something, the views are really good.

The building alone is well worth the visit, the building is designed to resemble the hulk of a ship under construction and looks incredible. Inside you have a central atrium leading to the permanent exhibition, cafe, shop, office space and rooftop viewing area. The exhibition takes you on a journey through soviet rule, strikes, the solidarity movement, martial law and eventual freedom. It is an excellent exhibition using original artifacts and modern technology. Don't miss it if you are in Gdansk.

A must see. Stunningly beautiful, throughly modern exhibit presenting the post-WW2 history of Polish struggle for freedom. Includes also content more widely applicable - about other Eastern European countries. Make sure to use the audio guide (free) and plan to spend a minimum of 3 hours, ideally more. There are restrooms, cafe and a gift shop to make your time there complete ;-)

This museum is worth your time. Great exhibition with an excellent audio guide that will touch you and leave you with a renewed perspective on Gdansk, and the role and sacrifice of the Polish people in European history. One word has to be said about the rigidity of the museum. You can't meed 15, 10 or 5 minutes early. The visiting setup ensures crowding and is tiresomely bureaucratic. The building itself is fantastic, though. Easy to reach very close to the city center,

Very impressive and interesting exhibition about an important part of Polish history! The audioguide is a great tool, it’s gonna take you smoothly through the whole story - definitely recommend to ask for it:)

A very good museum to understand one of the most important part of Polish History, which also had huge influence to the world. If you have time I strongly recommend that you spend at least half day listening to all those audio and watching all the clips, which the museum had carefully and delicately selected to present. Poland was the only former eastern bloc country which didn’t re-elect a former communist government after the dissolution of the USSR, and you understand the historical, social, cultural background behind that in the museum.

I would absolutely recommend this place! I didn’t know what to expect and I was really surprised. I have visited the permanent exhibition with the audio guide. The exhibition is very nicely prepared, it is interactive and really interesting. I choose the loger version of the audio guide (2,5 h) and I would recommend it. The audio guide is also really well done, it speaks nicely and interestingly. Overall I spent there about 3 hours and it was absolutely worth it!!

Loved the museum - set in a awesome building with a neatly designed permanent exhibition giving you context and background on the solidarity movement. The audio tour is worth it and the rooftop has some stunning views over the shipyard.

I am blown away at how beautiful they this building and installations are. Its quite artistic. The audio 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 leave 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!

It's not often that one man can be the touchstone of a nation but standing here, at these flower strewn gates, his influence and achievements for the Polish people are palpable. I'm sure he and those close to him must be incredibly proud every day they look around them. That one man, Lech Wałęsa was an electrician here when it was the Lenin shipyard. I can scarce believe we are standing in the former Lenin (now Gdańsk) shipyard. His office is still within this yard and he is still at work at 76. People like me watched this incredibly brave man and his incredibly brave wife from afar in our own country that was beset with civil war in the 1960's to 1994 too. He became a trade union activist that brought him persecution by the communist ruling powers. He was fired, often arrested yet he still co-founded Solidarity (Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy "Solidarność") the first non communist controlled trade trade-union movement in a Warsaw Pact country. The Solidarity trade union quickly grew, ultimately claiming over 10 million members; a third of Poland's working population but it's a changed Poland today; modern, sophisticated and free from tyranny. After martial law was imposed in Poland in 1981, Solidarity was outlawed, Wałęsa was again arrested but he continued his activism, he was awarded the Nobel peace prize. Pope John Paul II and the CIA (Ronald Regan's term in office) played important financial and political roles through the turmoil in 1980's Poland and Wałęsa was prominent in the establishment of the 1989 agreement that led to semi free elections in 1989 and to a Solidarity-led government. In 1990 he ran for the newly re-established office of President of Poland. He presided over Poland's transition from communism to what I see all around me now - a post communist, modern state. What a legacy for a truly living icon.