GOT - Partner of the ESPA Congress
There is only one such a city as Gdańsk. Others may only be similar. Unusual location and over thousand years of history cause that Gdańsk is distinctive, determined and has an established position on the map of Europe. At the same time it is a city which still hides a lot of mysteries and has this “something” so that you cannot mistake it for any other.
There is no Gdańsk without freedom. Courage, creativity and, in the first place, freedom – this is a truly Gdańsk tradition. Virtue for centuries appreciated most by the residents of Gdańsk has formed its unique genius loci. You can feel it equally among the tenement houses of the Main Town and among the shipyard cranes, on beautiful sand beaches and in post-industrial rooms, parks and tunnels: in Gdańsk freedom is omnipresent, almost tangible. It inspires and transforms both the space and people. This is what the residents of Gdańsk are like: brave, involved, passionate and creative. This is contemporary Gdańsk: open to new ideas, moving with the times, originator of events and always surprising.
Gdańsk changes its face from day to day. Not long ago it was in the centre of events that changed the history of Europe. August 1980, strike in the Gdańsk Shipyard led by Lech Wałęsa and creation of Solidarity, a great social movement, captured imagination of millions. Precisely these events gave a great impulse to the freedom movements around the world and let people believe that impossible is after all possible.
Today’s Gdańsk is a modern, European metropolis, economy based on knowledge, actively developing centre of culture, science, entertainment and sport, attractive tourist destination. As the birthplace of Solidarity, Gdańsk is becoming a centre for debate about the modern world; as the World Capital of Amber it fires the imaginations of fashion and jewellery designers; as a city of freedom it inspires artists; and as an ICT centre it attracts the most innovative in today’s economy. Gdańsk is an intriguing city, teeming with life, which according to Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel, publishers of the world’s best selling city guidebooks, is one of the top ten cities in the world to visit. Gdańsk is also on the list of forty cities from throughout the world recommended as tourist friendly by The New York Times. Lonely Planet has also put Gdańsk on top of the list of places worth visiting in Poland: Gdańsk guarantees a unique atmosphere and a unique experience. The atmosphere comes from the old and beautiful historic monuments and the scent of the sea. Tempting shops and 20 kilometres of beaches. Cultural events and nature reserves that cannot be found anywhere else. Restaurants, cafes and clubs and the spirit of freedom and tolerance which has emerged many times over the thousand-year multi-national history of Gdańsk.
