Gdańsk
Gdańsk is as beautiful, as it is significant: it’s a place where the Second World War began and where the Iron Curtain first cracked.
Even before the modern history and city’s golden Hanseatic era, Teutonic crusaders, quickly realising the value of this merchant outpost, have brutally seized control and ruled it with force, as one of the most profitable city of their monastic state.
I was first overwhelmed by the grandeur of the architecture, then impressed by the resilience of the people, I’m now in love with the waterfront and the relaxed vibe of this fascinating city.
This year, we start our tours in Gdańsk in May - stay tuned!
My tours in Gdańsk
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The fall of the Iron Curtain: the movement that sparked fire
This walk traces how Gdańsk became the place where the Iron Curtain began to crack. It follows the story from the shipyard protests of 1970, through the August 1980 strike, to the signing of the Gdańsk Agreements and the birth of Solidarność – the first independent trade union in the communist world.
The route moves from the industrial heart of the city to the centre, showing how a local labour dispute grew into a national movement that challenged the entire Soviet system. It’s a story of courage, organisation and the belief that ordinary people could change the course of history.
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Designed for all budgets, this is a tip-based payment tour. At the end of the tour you will be able to pay in cash (any currency) or card. Please feel free to tip as appropriate, depending on the quality of your experience with our tour, and the size of your budget. We have no expectations or guidance around the typical amount, we trust our guests are best judges in this respect.
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This tour is typically 90-minutes. The schedule will be confirmed once we start this tour in May.
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The route is currently being revised and enhanced - the details will be confirmed closer to the season’s start date.
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We are happy to accommodate different disabilities by adjusting the pace, route and tweaking the content.
The rule of blood and the black cross: Teutonic crusaders in medieval Gdańsk
This tour dives into the moment when a crusading order arrived as “protectors” and quickly turned into ruthless occupiers, reshaping the city through force, fear and heavy-handed control. You’ll walk through the streets where merchants once resisted their rule and where the city’s identity was tested by a militarised monastic state.
We follow a compact route through the Main Town and the waterfront, places that still echo with the tension between a thriving Baltic port and the crusaders who tried to dominate it. From the Long Market to the Crane and St Mary’s, each stop reveals another layer of how the Knights taxed, restricted and terrorised the local population, and how resentment slowly built into open defiance.
The tour ends with the story of how Gdańsk finally pushed back, joining the Prussian Confederation and helping launch the Thirteen Years’ War that drove the Knights out for good. It’s a walk through power, resistance and the stubborn spirit of a city that refused to be broken, and ultimately reclaimed its freedom.
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Designed for all budgets, this is a tip-based payment tour. At the end of the tour you will be able to pay in cash (any currency) or card. Please feel free to tip as appropriate, depending on the quality of your experience with our tour, and the size of your budget. We have no expectations or guidance around the typical amount, we trust our guests are best judges in this respect.
-
This tour is typically 90-minutes. The schedule will be confirmed once we start this tour in May.
-
The route is currently being revised and enhanced - the details will be confirmed closer to the season’s start date.
-
We are happy to accommodate different disabilities by adjusting the pace, route and tweaking the content.
