Gate No. 2 of the Gdańsk Shipyard

Gate No. 2 of the Gdańsk Shipyard is a significant object both from an architectural and historical perspective. Considered the main entrance to the shipyard, located near the management buildings, it is characterized by convenient access to Gdańsk's city center and the Gdańsk Główny railway station. In 1999, the gate was entered into the register of monuments of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, and in 2014 it received the European Heritage Label, reflecting its importance in the context of the historical complex of the Gdańsk Shipyard. In 2023, the renovation of the characteristic inscription "Stocznia Gdańska" placed above the gate was completed. The history of the gate is both tragic and symbolic. In December 1970, a shooting occurred as shipyard workers were leaving the shipyard grounds, resulting in the death of two people and injuries to eleven others. The gate became the first memorial site for the victims of December and served this role until the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers was erected. During the August 1980 strike, it gained significance as a place of manifestation, where images of saints and a portrait of John Paul II were placed, as well as banners calling for worker unity. On August 31, 1980, from its threshold, Lech Wałęsa announced the end of the strike and the signing of the Gdańsk Agreements, which had a tremendous impact on the history of Poland and the Solidarity movement. Gate No. 2 remains a symbol of the fight for workers' rights and freedom of speech, and its history testifies to the importance of Gdańsk in the history of modern Poland.