Gdańsk—historically Poland’s leading port—sits near where the Vistula meets the Baltic Sea. For a thousand years a cultural crossroads with a rich maritime history, architecturally it feels more Scandinavian or Dutch than Polish. During its medieval golden age, Gdańsk prospered as a key member of the Hanseatic League.

The Hanseatic League was an association of over a hundred cities and ports across Northern Europe. Its mission: to protect and promote trade. Busy hunting down pirates, building light houses, and boycotting ports that didn’t join the club, it dominated the economy and politics in the region through the late Middle Ages. In a way, the Hanseatic League was a precursor to the European Union. Its motto: “All power to the merchants.”

Along the embankment is a structure those merchants put to good use: a hulking 15th century crane. Back then this entire river could be filled, bank to bank, with trading vessels.

Maritime trade from distant lands made Gdańsk both prosperous and tolerant. It attracted merchants from all over Europe who brought with them elements of their home cultures. These were then woven into the tapestry of the city—reflected in its eclectic architecture.

Overhead, the Town Hall tower holds a carillon that marks each hour with a cheerful tune.

To better understand Gdańsk, we’re joined by my friend and fellow tour guide Agnieszka Syroka. Our first stop is the Town Hall.

Agnieszka: So the city was governed from this exact room here.

Rick: And the art is, there’s a lot of art here.

Agnieszka: Yeah, that’s amazing, isn’t it? In the middle of the vaulting, have a look at this magnificent painting from 1608. The Vistula River starts over there, and the mountains. Look at these barges filled with the grain from all over the Kingdom of Poland. So all the goods were shipped from Gdańsk down the Vistula River to the Baltic Sea. They are taking that grain, and that grain goes all over Western Europe. And look, deals, businesses made here in front of the Artus Court.

Rick: These would be traders from all over Northern Europe, part of the Hanseatic League here making a deal, shaking hands.

Agnieszka: Indeed, like 1600 stock market.

Rick: And God’s hands. So, he’s holding not the church, but the Town Hall.

Agnieszka: Exactly. Because Gdańsk was so multicultural and multi-religious throughout centuries, it really never mattered what religion you are, but how much money you can bring to the city doing your business.

The Guildhall is next door.

Rick: This is a magnificent room.

Agnieszka: It’s a beautiful guild house, a great example of a great social space where guilds, medieval merchant groups, met.

Rick: Okay, so this is like a networking.

Agnieszka: Exactly, exactly. Exclusive social club. Merchants from all over Europe were coming here to do their business. Each arch belonged to one guild. Imagine in front of each arch there was goldsmith guild, beer guild, amber guild. They were very competitive. They were coming here to do their business.

Rick: So that the traders from Lübeck would meet the traders from Amsterdam and from Riga coming together.

Agnieszka: And then buying grain, timber, coal, and exporting that all over Europe.

The city is ornamented with fine red-brick buildings. That’s because here in the marshy north of Poland, stone is scarce. Grand buildings like this old mill elevate bricklaying to an art form. The old Market Hall has long provided an impressive place for farmers to sell their produce.

The train station gives visitors a red-brick welcome, and even the modern shopping malls carry on this love of brick. And rising high above everything is St. Mary’s Church, one of the biggest brick churches anywhere. To be both tall and stable without the strength of stone, it was fortified with beefy brick buttresses.

Stepping inside you’re struck by the stark, austere, and very white interior.

Rick: This is a remarkable church.

Agnieszka: Mary’s church was built before Reformation. Look at the beautiful triptych altar, coronation of St. Virgin Mary.

Rick: So the altar piece is from before the Reformation.

Agnieszka: Exactly. And then the city converted to Protestant. And what was really important was the pulpit, because of the Word of God, and music coming from magnificent organ.

Rick: Look at that pipe organ.

Rick: This is like a pavement of tombstones.

Agnieszka: Exactly. 500 gravestones of the wealthiest merchants of Gdańsk who wanted to be buried here in their parish church. And if not buried in a tomb, you could commemorate your family on the wall with an epitaph.

Gdańsk lived its most dramatic moments in the 20th century. World War II began right here in 1939, when Hitler invaded. And those cranes mark the shipyard where, 40 years later in 1980, the Soviet Bloc finally began to crack.

During communist times, Gdańsk was home to the massive Lenin Shipyard. In 1980, after decades of frustrations and struggles, shipyard workers went on strike. They created a trade union called Solidarity. Locking themselves inside the shipyard, they refused to work and scrawled their list of 21 demands on plywood.

A fired shipyard electrician, Lech Wałęsa, heard news of the strike. He came here and literally climbed over the wall to get inside and join his comrades. The strike had its leader.

The European Solidarity Center—with its industrial-strength architecture and inspiring exhibits—tells the story both vividly and proudly. For 18 days, 17,000 workers—welders, machinists, and steel-workers—stood strong.

Their only connection to the outside world was to come to the gate. There they’d pass messages to family members and receive food, supplies, and encouragement.

The strikers were hungry, tired, and scared. But they were both inspired and emboldened by the new Polish pope—John Paul II.

Finally, the communist authorities gave in and legalized the union. Half of the nation’s workforce joined Solidarity, and change was in the air.

But then, after 16 hopeful months, Polish authorities—fearful of Soviet intervention—declared martial law. Tanks rumbled through the snowy streets of Poland, and the riot police cracked down on dissidents.

Solidarity went underground yet gained momentum. In 1989, the Round Table Talks brought about elections. The result: Solidarity—now a political party—won every available seat.

These first cracks in the Eastern Bloc spread quickly. Within a few months, the Berlin Wall fell, borders opened up, communist regimes voted themselves out of existence, and Lech Wałęsa was elected the first post-communist president of Poland.

Today, Gdańsk, mindful of its history, is a forward-looking community. Facing the skyline of old Gdańsk, across the river, is a modern development. Only recently rebuilt from WWII bombings, it echoes the historic rooflines. With its 21st-century affluence, Gdańsk provides its people a stylish boardwalk for good living. Strolling here, you feel the promise of a bright Polish future.

The resilience of Poland’s culture and the warmth of its people inspire me. And learning from this country’s hard history, I’m reminded that freedom, peace, and prosperity are hard-earned and that we have lots to be thankful for. I hope you’ve enjoyed our look at perhaps Europe’s most underrated and surprising country. I’m Rick Steves. Until next time, keep on travelin’!