Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970
Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Gdańsk audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~20 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type monument
- Suggested visit ~20 min
- Gdańsk Gdańsk guide
About Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970
Three 42-metre steel crosses by the shipyard gate, raised in 1980 to the workers shot dead in the December 1970 protests, the first monument to the victims of communist repression in a communist state.
The Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 (Pomnik Poległych Stoczniowców 1970) stands on Plac Solidarności by the gate of the former Lenin Shipyard. It commemorates workers shot dead by army and militia units during the December 1970 protests against food-price rises. Casualty figures are disputed and should be given with caution: the officially published list named at least 44 killed across the coastal cities, with more than 1,000 wounded, and the monument's own account records 42 or more dead.
It consists of three steel crosses, each about 42 metres tall and weighing some 36 tonnes, carrying cast anchors of about 2 tonnes as symbols of hope. Unveiled on 16 December 1980 after the August 1980 Gdańsk Agreement, on the initiative of Solidarity, it was the first monument to the victims of communist oppression erected in a communist country. It bears an inscription from Psalm 29 and lines from Czesław Miłosz's poem 'You Who Wronged'.
How long should you spend at Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970?
Plan about ~20 min at Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 worth visiting?
Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 is one of the 13 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Gdańsk, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Gdańsk
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 and read more:
Day 1 of the Gdańsk in 2 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970
Preview the Gdańsk tour free in the Gingerguide app.