Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970

Welcome to Solidarity Square in the northern Polish city of Gdańsk, pronounced G-dansk. You are standing at the historical epicenter of a movement that fundamentally altered the trajectory of the twentieth century. …

Begin your exploration by turning your attention to the large, industrial entrance known as Gate Number Two, situated adjacent to the monument. Notice the meticulously reconstructed overhead arch bearing the historical name,…

Walk slowly from the historic gate toward the base of the monument. Look down at the ground beneath your feet. …

Now, lift your gaze from the fractured earth and trace the vertical lines of the three magnificent steel crosses towering above you. Reaching a staggering height of forty-two meters, or nearly one hundred and thirty-eight feet,…

Focus your attention now on the massive, stylized anchors suspended near the top of the soaring crosses. These nautical symbols serve a dual purpose. …

Step closer to the base of the crosses and examine the intricately cast bronze reliefs affixed to the lower section of the monument. The designers understood that a purely abstract, towering structure might lack a deeply human…

Move toward the inscribed text at the base of the monument. Here, carved into the stone, you will find a poignant quotation from the renowned Polish poet and Nobel laureate, Czesław Miłosz, pronounced Ches-wav Mee-wosh. …

Finally, step back into the wider expanse of the square and look at the monument in its full context. The precise location where you are standing was chosen in a deeply symbolic manner. …

As our tour of the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers comes to a close, take one last, sweeping look at the three towering crosses piercing the Gdańsk sky. In the decades since its frantic, miraculous construction in the…