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110 GDYNIA HOTELS
Janek Wiśniewski
The shipyard strikes of August 1980, the August Accords
that were born out of them and the explosion of
membership of Solidarity which subsequently followed
have served to mark out Gdansk as the spiritual home
of the movement that was to change the face of 20 th
century central and eastern Europe. And while it is true
that it was in Gdansk that the shipyard workers, represented
by Lech Walesa, lit the touch-paper that ignited
this incredible movement, it is important to know that
the events of 1980 were strongly linked to events from
10 years earlier which took place in Gdynia and from
which a legend was born. That was the legend of Janek
Wiśniewski, a man about whom a famous ballad was
written and a film was later made.
It was not by accident that the strikers of 1980 confronted
the authorities not face-on but instead by
locking themselves into the Lenin Shipyards. Lessons
from unrest in 1970 had been learnt and the leaders
of the strikes realised that public demonstrations were
likely to be met with the full-force of the State’s security
apparatus. This is exactly what had happened in Gdynia
in December 1970 when shipyard workers from there
(along with workers from Szczecin, Elbag and Gdansk)
demonstrated against sudden price rises and food
shortages. The authorities, conscious of the potential
of a full-out workers’ revolt reacted by sending in armed
units of army and militia who opened fire on the protesting
workers. Exact numbers of dead and wounded are
unclear but it is thought that over 40 people were killed
in the wave of protests including one young man who
would become known as Janek Wiśniewski. Protestors
carried Wiśniewski’s body through the streets of Gdynia
on a door and this image was to become one of the most
striking of the decades of unrest in Poland. The young
man had been shot 3 times and his blood-stained body
was to become a symbol representing all of the victims of
this unrest. The body was actually that of an 18-year old
man named Zbigniew Godlewski from nearby Elblag who
was employed in the shipyards in Gdynia. At the time the
body was being carried through the streets people were
still unclear as to his true identity and a local songwriter,
Krzysztof Dowigałło, penned a ballad to this unknown
victim whom he named with a common name - Janek
Wiśniewski. The ballad became a popular protest song
and the young man became a legend.
The body of the young man was originally buried in
Gdansk Oliwa before his family managed to get it moved
to his home-town of Elblag. After the fall of communism
streets in both Gdynia and Gdansk were renamed after the
fictional character of Janek Wiśniewski while streets in his
hometown of Elblag and Zielona Gora, where he spent his
childhood holidays, were renamed after the real person of
Zbigniew Godlewski. The story of Wiśniewski was told in
the 1981 film Man of Iron and the events are also retold
in the 2011 film Czarny czwartek (Black Thursday).
The last verse of the Ballad of Janek Wiśniewski gives
you an idea of the power of the ballad inspired by this
young man from Elblag.
Don’t cry mothers, it wasn’t for naught
There’s a flag with black ribbon over the shipyard
For bread and freedom, and a new Poland
Janek Wiśniewski fell
Mid-range
Antares ul. Komandorska 59 (Grabówek), tel. (+48) 58
623 36 39, www.hotelantares.pl. A tidy, spotless hotel
featuring furniture that looks like it was unpacked yesterday,
and TVs hoisted in the corners of each room. Accommodation
comes decorated with easy, neutral colour schemes and if
you’re here for a conference, then feel free to spill into the
cocktail bar after a day looking at flip charts. A few minutes
walk from Gdynia Grabówek train station - turn off on ul.
Morska at McDonald’s taking the second right. Q55 rooms
(15 singles, 40 doubles, 3 triples). TYHARUF
GKW hh
Villa Admirał N-1, ul. 10-go Lutego 29a, tel. (+48)
58 661 20 38, www.admiralvilla.com.pl. A pleasant
guesthouse situated in a courtyard just off the main drag.
The name alludes to greatness, though in reality the lodgings
are no bigger than a cabin boys quarters - leave your
case in the centre of the room and you can expect to be
show-jumping over it to get to the bathroom. Beds are
big and springy - filling most of the room - and lodgings
come with cable TV, a basket of toiletries and a big bottle
of mineral water. Q12 rooms (11 singles, 11 doubles, 1
suite). TYAGW
Villa Gdynia O-4, ul. Kopernika 57, tel. (+48) 58
718 93 76, www.villagdynia.pl. A bit of an off-centre
location but a cracking choice for those who don’t mind
a five minute safari to get to the bars and restaurants.
Situated inside a modern detached villa this upmarket
residence comes decked out in soft vanilla shades and
all the modern trappings required; wifi internet, flatscreen
TVs and ultra-modern bathrooms, each which is individually
designed. Some rooms come with balconies and all
are spacious. The owners describe this as a pension,
but we think they are being a little modest and would
suggest that this is as close as Gdynia has to a boutique
hotel. Q16 rooms (16 singles, 13 doubles, 3 triples).
PTAGW
Willa Anna N-3, ul. Hetmańska 1, tel. (+48) 58 622
26 00, www.willa-anna.eu. A new-build pension with
more than just a passing nod to the nautical art deco
style seen in so much of Gdynia’s architecture. However,
calling this place a pension is nothing less than modesty
on behalf of the proprietor; everything about Willa Anna
looks and feels the part. The restaurant, replete with canvas
sails and posh chinaware looks great, while upstairs
rooms come with comfy armchairs, rugs and paintings
illustrating Gdynia’s seafaring heritage. Book the apartment
to benefit from a great, big balcony and a lounge
scattered with leather sofas and bookshelves. Guests
also benefit from a 50% discount in the nearby Baltic
Oasis Spa. Q7 rooms (3 singles, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 1
apartment). TAGW
Apartments
Sea Towers O-1, ul. Hryniewickiego 6, tel. (+48) 608
50 23 33, www.seatowers24.pl. A wide selection of
top-quality apartments in Gdynia, many of which are located
in the towering Sea Towers development overlooking the
sea. With the building having been built as one of the most
luxurious developments in the country and only completed
in the last couple of years, you are certain to find a top
apartment whichever you choose. Our favourite is the 17th
floor Nadmorski which comes with a modern look, brand new
fittings and an excellent view. Q30 rooms (30 apartments).
PTRGwW
Gdynia In Your Pocket gdynia.inyourpocket.com
Budget
Baltica N-1, ul. Dworcowa 11a, tel. (+48) 58 620 92 21.
If the overwhelmingly bad scent that assaults your nose when
you enter the lobby of Hotel Baltica (the caged birds can’t help)
isn’t enough to keep you from booking a room, then maybe this
will: a drunk from the 24-hour liquor-laden store adjoining the
hotel made more of an effort to help us than the woman behind
the front desk, who claimed she spoke no English and made
no move to offer further assistance. You can do much, much
better. Q16 rooms (16 singles, 12 doubles). TA6LW
Neptun N-1, ul. Jana z Kolna 8, tel. (+48) 58 712 13 12,
www.hotelewam.pl. A two star jaunt with comfortable if plain
rooms decorated in boring brown. The bathrooms at least have
a little more panache, with mosaic patterns built around the
fittings. Decent enough though the proximity of Blick will draw
a few green eyed looks. Q21 rooms (3 singles, 17 doubles, 1
apartment). TYA6UFGKDW hhh
Hostels
Blues Rooms O-1, ul. Portowa 9, tel. (+48) 600 92 85
46, www.bluesrooms.pl. An interesting concept: Gdynia’s
Blues Club has opened its own mini-hostel with four rooms,
all outfitted with various numbers and sizes of bunk beds.
Each room features a flatscreen TV, fridge, kettle, Wi-Fi and
posters of famous blues legends (who doesn’t want to wake
up to Johnny Cash flipping them off?). Bathrooms are shared,
and it’s a straightforward no-frills environment in the center
of the city. Our only complaint about this refreshingly intimate
spot? Check-in begins at 14:00, but the Club - where check-in
happens - - doesn’t open until 15:00, so you might end up tapping
your foot on the street. Q4 rooms (3 singles, 3 doubles,
2 triples, 1 quad, 1 suite, 1 Six-person room). AGW
Happy Hostel and Apartments N-1, ul. Wójta Radtkego
42, tel. (48) 58 735 77 06, www.happygdynia.com.
The Happy Seven folks successfully expand their Gdanskbased
hostelling empire to Gdynia with a new location that will
appeal to young travelers not averse to bunk beds and co-ed
bathrooms with multiple showers. Find a small, serviceable
kitchen, clean Ikea-esque rooms and a common room with
TV. Most importantly, the staff is friendly and eager to offer
opinions on the best way to spend time in their city. Q7 rooms
(1 single, 1 double, 2 quads, 38 Dorm beds). ALGW
Och! Hostel N-2, ul. Świętojańska 85, tel. (+48) 500 31
47 37, www.ochhostel.pl. The receptionist at the new Och
Hostel worked so hard to understand English that he broke into a
sweat. This seems like a promising standard, and the two-to-six
bed rooms all reflect such effort: clean and sparse, Och is perfect
for travelers more interested in spending time at the beach than
whiling away the hours on their free Wi-Fi (especially since you’d
be relegated to your bed as Och has no community/lounge
space). The bathrooms are similarly clean and modern, and the
location promises easy access to Gdynia’s charms. A perfectly
satisfactory place to lay your budget-conscious head. Q8 rooms
(3 singles, 3 doubles, 2 apartments, 16 Dorm beds). 6GW
Pepperland Hostel D-3, ul. Hryniewickiego 6 (Nabrzeże
Prezydenta), tel. (+48) 793 37 66 67, www.pepperlandhostel.com.
For some the novelty of sleeping on a boat never dies,
for others it wears off with the crack of dawn - that’s when the
foghorns start blowing and the seagulls squawking. Named after
the merry musical land featured in the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine
film, this hostel has cabins sleeping one to four and shared
facilities on the main deck and a renovated common area. Find
it moored next to the huge Sea Towers building in Gdynia. Q17
rooms (17 singles, 17 doubles, 17 triples). AGW
gdynia.inyourpocket.com
GDYNIA HOTELS
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May - July 2012
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