Getty Images/Robert Harding World Imagery
Cream-hued beaches shelving smoothly into the nippy Baltic Sea, wind-crafted dunes vivid against leaden skies, stern red-brick churches and castles erected by a medieval order of pious knights, and silenced shipyards that once seethed with anti-communist tumult – this is Pomerania, Poland’s north, a land with many faces.
The epicentre of Pomerania is Gdańsk, northern Poland’s metropolis, a rapidly modernising city with a photogenic historic centre. Like most of the region, Gdańsk has changed hands many times over the centuries, each invader and overseer bequeathing a layer of architecture and culture for today’s visitors to enjoy.
Away from the beaches and Gdańsk’s miracles in red brick you’ll discover Kashubia, a region that keeps the traditional fires burning, including its own language – the perfect place to slow down and escape Poland’s beaten tracks.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Gdańsk & Pomerania.
Castle
Malbork’s blockbuster attraction is its show-stoppingly massive castle sitting on the banks of the sluggish Nogat River, an eastern arm of the Vistula. The construction of Marienburg (Fortress of Mary) was begun by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century and was the headquarters of the order for almost 150 years; its vast bulk is an apt embodiment of its weighty history. Visits are by self-guided tour with audio guide. Allow at least three hours to do the place justice.
Museum
Opened in 2016, this striking piece of modern architecture is a bold addition to the northern end of Gdańsk's waterfront. It has rapidly become one of Gdańsk's must-visit attractions, tracing the fate of Poland during the world's greatest conflict and focusing on the human suffering it caused. Few leave unmoved. Covering 5000 sq metres, an absolute minimum of three hours is needed to do the main exhibition justice. Note that the museum is not suitable for children of any age.
Museum
Opened in 2014, and housed in a truly awful example of 21st-century architecture (its rusty steel plates were designed to evoke ships under construction), this exhibition has quickly become one of Gdańsk's unmissable museums. Audio guides clamped to ears, visitors wander through seven halls examining Poland's postwar fight for freedom, from the Gdańsk shipyard strikes of the 1970s to the round-table negotiations of the late 1980s and beyond. The displays blend state-of-the-art multimedia with real artefacts. Allow at least two hours.
Church
Dominating the heart of the Old Town, St Mary’s is often cited as the largest brick church in the world, its massive 78m-high tower dominating the Gdańsk cityscape. Begun in 1343, the building reached its present proportions in 1502. The high altar has a Gothic polyptych from the 1510s, with the Coronation of the Virgin depicted in its central panel. Don't miss the 15th-century astronomical clock in the northern transept, and the church tower (a climb of 405 steps).
Gallery
Opened in 2019 in the renovated White Granary building, the 250-piece collection of portraits by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (1885–1939), aka Witkacy, are the unrivalled highlight of Słupsk's museum. Witkacy was a controversial writer, photographer and painter who specialised in weird-and-wonderful portraits that he produced in a drugged state at his 'portrait company'. Słupsk has no connection to the artist – the museum bought 110 of the pastels from the son of Witkacy's doctor and friend from Zakopane in the 1960s.
Beach
One of Poland's best beaches, this stretch of sand curves gently along the coast and is backed by out-of-bounds, protected dunes. So high is the sand banked up that none of the town is visible, lending the beach a wild feel. It's the ideal place to laze and the main reason to come to Świnoujście. Kids will love watching ships and ferries sliding in and out of the port at the eastern end.
National Park
Best accessed from the resort of Międzyzdroje, Wolin National Park occupies the central section of Wolin Island. With a total area of about 50 sq km, it’s one of the smaller Polish parks, yet it’s picturesque enough to warrant a day or two’s walking.
Square
Długi Targ was once the main city market and is now the major focus for visitors. Things have gotten a bit touristy here over the last decade (dubious amber stalls, restaurant touts), but look up from the crowds to appreciate the period architecture, all of which is a very selective postwar rebuild, of course.
Museum
This is a sprawling exhibition covering Gdańsk's role as a Baltic seaport through the centuries. The headquarters, the multimillion-euro Maritime Cultural Centre, has a permanent interactive exhibition 'People-Ships-Ports'. Other exhibitions (which can be visited individually with separate tickets) include the MS Sołdek, the first vessel to be built at the Gdańsk shipyard in the postwar years, and the Żuraw, a 15th-century loading crane that was the biggest in its day. The granaries across the river house more displays.