There’s More to Gdańsk than the Shipyard
Wiśniewski (Photograph: Sophie Talbot)
This summer I had the pleasure of visiting Gdańsk, Poland. It was my first time visiting Poland, and Gdańsk in particular was a hitherto unknown place to me, thus I arrived at Lech Wałęsa Airport in complete ignorance.
I was there as part of the Baltic Geopolitics Programme, organised by the Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge. The trip aims to expose students (from undergraduate to PhD level) to the enchantment of the Baltic area as a place for study. Throughout the trip, my fellow Cambridge students and I learnt about the city’s history, challenges and culture from a range of first-hand sources, and I found myself becoming more and more drawn in by this intriguing place.
Towards the end of the week, word had spread through the Cambridge group of a certain bar a few post-grads had discovered by the Basilica, called Wiśniewski. The primary charm of this small establishment is its simplicity. It sells but one single beverage: their own brand of cherry liqueur, poured from a golden faucet (not figurative) and served in a satisfyingly heavy sherry glass with three vodka-infused cherries. The bar’s commitment to the theme is impressive: the décor is unfalteringly cherry-themed in accordance (even the bathrooms).
This bar is one of my most vivid memories of the city, perhaps due to its warm red glow and overpowering yet comforting smell of liqueur, but as I reflect on my trip as a whole I have realised how the bar has become, in my mind, the perfect symbol of the city in which it finds itself.
Like Gdańsk, Wiśniewski is small and understated from the outside. Upon approach, the bar seems like a hole in a stone wall – which in fact it is, and would be easy to miss when exploring the city centre. But once inside, one is transported into a suave red cave, the walls lined with bottles of Wiśniewski’s signature liqueur and a singular marble bar before which a continuous stream of people queue to the accompaniment of what I can only describe as ‘calm rap music’. There is a sense that the business, which is obviously thriving, feels no need to shout or make a clamour to attract customers – their quiet confidence in themselves and what they do reflects Gdańsk’s understated identity. Whilst popular among Poles for domestic vacationing, the city is not hugely popular as an international tourist destination, and is primarily known in the British consciousness for the shipyard strike led by Lech Wałęsa in the 1980s. Yet with its beautiful Dutch Renaissance architecture, charming old town, and student-friendly prices, I found myself questioning why it was not an established holiday destination.
Occupying very few square feet, the bar only has space for two tables inside, and as a result its many customers tend to congregate outside, clutching their heavy glasses. Perhaps aided by the cherry liqueur, conversation flows easily here in the street outside Gdańsk’s red brick Basilica, and the city’s sense of community is revealed. Having endured intense changes in the past century, from Nazism and intense bomb damage in the Second World War to becoming a focal point of a pro-democratic movement against the Soviet Union, the city has remained impressively united and is unafraid to stand up for itself. Such became clear to me upon learning that the public has become the main source of funding for the city’s Solidarity Centre in order for the museum to maintain its independence from the government, and thus remain free to choose its own exhibits and present unbiased information to its visitors.
Gdańsk made such an impression on me that I returned home with a determination to ‘spread the word’ and recommend it to as many people as possible. Whilst the entire city can be explored within one long weekend, more curious-minded individuals would find plenty of amusement and information there to fill a week. I would also highly recommend the Baltic Geopolitics Programme, which takes place in a different Baltic city each year, led by Professor Brendan Simms and Charles Clarke, former UK Home Secretary. And in particular, I most highly recommend Wiśniewski to any and all who find themselves in this particular corner of the world.