The Westerplatte Peninsula, picturesquely situated where the Dead Vistula flows into the Bay of Gdansk, is a place of great historical importance. In 1939 it housed a Polish Military Transit Depot. On 1 September 1939, the battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on the depot, an event commonly regarded as the beginning of the Second World War.
Today, Westerplatte is one of Poland’s most important memorial sites. Moving open-air performances dedicated to the victims of the Second World War are held near the ruined barracks and the former guardhouse. These locations were among the first to be struck by wartime shellfire and bear witness to a profoundly important chapter of history. Although the audience generally consists of visitors to the peninsula, every moment here creates a deep connection with the past and encourages reflection and remembrance.
