Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller and the continued importance of shipping in Gdańsk

On August 21 2013, the world’s biggest container ship, the MV Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, arrived in Gdańsk’s harbour and docked at the Deepwater Container Terminal 1 (DCT). The ship is 400 metres long, 59 metres wide, and 100 metres tall, and Gdańsk’s DCT is the only port on the Baltic that can handle a ship of such magnitude.

Gdańsk has long been known as an important shipping port and records of its trades go back to the year 1000. Due to its location, Gdańsk quickly became a major trade hub, serving both Poland itself via the Vistula river and commercially overseas via its Baltic seaport. During the 15^th and 17^th centuries, Gdańsk played an important role as a link between the West and the East, and the current relationship with the Mærsk line of ships renews and strengthens this role. The Mærsk Line EEE-Class vessels will be used for trade on the Asia – North Europe route.

Ship's docked beside the Maritime Museum.

You cannot visit Gdańsk without noting the importance of shipping to the region. The smell of the salty sea hangs in the air and the summer days are heavy with the humidity one associates with a town by the sea. From the ship-in-a-bottle souvenirs to the shipping cranes dotted about the horizon, the maritime history of the city cannot be escaped. The port of Gdańsk contributes greatly to the city’s economy, growth and opportunities and the industry employs many people.

My grandmother was employed by Lloyd’s Register of Shipping in Gdańsk. Lloyd’s Register is a maritime classification and independent risk management organisation that set up its Polish offices in 1957. My grandmother worked there for several decades until her retirement. Lloyd’s treated its employees very well, and in the post-war and Communist eras, this was very important. Not only was my grandmother very well-paid for the clerical work she provided the company, but she also received a pension from Lloyd’s upon her retirement, something that not every company could provide in Poland. In addition to this, Lloyd’s understood that times were tough in Poland, especially during the Communist era, when essential items were few and far between and a bar of Lux soap was considered a great luxury. Lloyd’s would often provide its employees with gifts and food parcels during this time, because no matter how well-paid the staff were, if food supplies were scarce there was not much that could be done.

The commitment between Gdańsk and the Mærsk Line highlights the continued importance of shipping in the area, and the relationship with such a large company will provide future generations with the sorts of benefits that my grandmother received through her own maritime connection.

A little bit about why you should read my blog...

When speaking to friends about their travels overseas, Poland is often over-looked as a holiday destination by tourists visiting Europe from Australia, but those that do visit often speak of its culture, history, and its food. Poland has a very long and complicated history, but it can be said that its modern post-Communist history begins in Gdańsk. Gdańsk was the location where the Solidarity movement first got off the ground, evolving from a non-Communist trade union of the same name. This movement helped bring an end to Communist rule, both in Poland, and in other Soviet-satellites. The pre-Communist era is equally troublesome, Gdańsk was the first city invaded by Nazi Germany on the 1st of September, 1939. The city was annexed by Nazi Germany and incorporated into West Prussia until 1945 when it was returned to Poland. This was not the first time in its history that it was annexed by a foreign power, but it was the last. 

Gdańsk was always an important town due to its geographical location and its seaport. Its location by the Wisła (Vistula) River provides it with an artery that leads directly to the capital of Poland, Warszawa. Gdańsk is not only a bustling metropolitan area, but the region also hosts many cultural events for both older and younger generations, and provides the natural beauties of beaches, rolling hills and valleys, lake districts, and forested nature parks. The region has hosted events such as the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship through to the Heineken Open’er music festival and St Dominic’s Fair – a tradition that goes back to 1260AD.

There are many reasons to visit and learn more about the history Gdańsk, and I hope that by sharing my personal experiences and by providing some historical and cultural context to my experiences, that I will create an experience that you, the reader, can relate to.

Handmade magnets at St Dominic's Fair, Gdańsk . This fair

is held over 23 days in the summer and is one of the largest

fairs in Europe. 

Długi Targ (Long Market) in Gdańsk's Stare Miasto 

(Old Town) not only hosts many market stalls and cafes,

but is also home to many museums and galleries.

The Stocznia Gdańskа (Gdańsk Shipyard) where the 

Solidarity union/movement was founded in 1980. 

The Shipyard was founded in 1945 on the site of two former

German shipyards. During the Communist Era the Shipyard

was known as the Vladimir Lenin Shipyard.

A little about why I started this blog...

As a migrant, part of me will always remain in my country of birth, and despite feeling Australian and loving my adoptive country, Poland will always have a place in my heart and in my head. A little over a year ago I went back to visit my motherland; I went for six weeks, alone, leaving my partner at home, to have an adventure. I had decided before I left that I would speak only Polish while over there, as I rarely get a chance to speak it in Australia anymore. I was going to visit both of my grandmothers, who live in Warszawa and Gdańsk  as well as visit Kraków, Zakopane, and a host of other towns along the way. I am not sure if my love affair with Gdansk is because my happiest memories of previous visits are there or whether there is something more tangible behind it. My mother’s mother, Babcia Marysia, lives in a suburb of Gdańsk  and I love this woman and respect her immensely. Whether it is the connection with her or the connection to Gdańsk and Poland itself that keeps drawing me back is something I feel the need to explore.

This blog reminisces about that trip to Poland. It explores the things I saw and the things I did by focusing on the photographs I took. I have found that I am not a ‘tourist’ photographer. I tend to not take photos of the buildings and sites that one can easily buy postcards of, and if I do, I take them from my own angle. I do not see the point in taking a photo of something just to prove that I have been there, so my photos have more personal meaning to me. These images all have a personal story behind them, but they are also part of a wider context, a wider history, a wider meaning. By exploring these wider meanings, these meanings that belong to Gdańsk itself and to Poland, and to the Polish people, I hope to understand more about myself, my history, and the history of my family. My background in applied linguistics and studies into bilingual people and communities informs me that I am not alone in this longing for understanding, and this longing to belong, not only to my current culture and country, but also to my motherland.

Polska Filharmonia Bałtycka - Polish Baltic Philharmonic

On the 8th of August, I went to the opening concert of the Solidarity of Arts Festival at the Polish Baltic Philharmonic with my Babcia. The photo above is of a fountain outside the main building.

This was the fourth year of the Solidarity of Arts Festival, and I was excited to be in Poland at the right time. The festival is organised by the City of Gdańsk, the Polish Film Institute, the European Solidarity Centre, the Polish Baltic Phiharmonic, and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The festival aims to bring together world-class artists with the spirit of solidarity and freedom. The festival takes its name from the Solidarity movement which began in Gdańsk in the shipping yards not far from the Polish Baltic Philharmonic. Solidarity started during the Communist era in Poland in 1980 as a non-governmental trade union, but it quickly spread into a more general anti-communist movement, and is said to have contributed to the fall of communism in Poland in 1989.

The concert featured Maxim Vengerov, said to be one of the best violinists of our time, Maria Włoszczowska, and Roman Perucki. They played pieces by Bach, Tchaikowsky, Rachmaninov, Mozart, and finished with Schubert's Ave Maria.

Żuraw

On the 7th of August, 2012 I headed into the heart of Gdańsk. My goal was to buy some concert tickets, but the booking venue was closed, so I wandered around town instead. The building on the right of this photo is Żuraw - a medieval port crane. The oldest mention of this crane is in 1367, but it has been partially destroyed and rebuilt several times since then. First, in 1442, the structure burnt down and was rebuilt, and again, during World War II, the wooden portion of the crane was burnt down and rebuilt. This photo is taken from the opposite bank of the Motława river, which flows through Gdańsk, and next to the Maritime Museum, which actually spans both sides of the river, as part of the museum is located in Żuraw itself. A ferry, also called the Motława, transports the museum visitors between the two locations. 


As in English, the word 'żuraw' is used both for a machine that that lifts things and for the tall, gangly bird.

Gdańsk

On the 6th of August, 2012, after three weeks of travel around Poland, including stops in Warszawa, Kraków, Zakopane, Międzyrzecz, Świebodzin, Szczecin, Szczecinek, Borne Sulinowo, and Okonek, I finally arrived at my maternal grandmother's house in Gdańsk.

Gdańsk is the capital of the Pomeranian Province which is situated to the central north of Poland, on the coast. Together with the towns of Gdynia and Sopot it forms the Tricity or Trójmiasto area. It is the hometown of both my mother and my grandmother, and is my favourite city in Poland. It has everything: culture, history, entertainment, a busy CBD, beautiful forests, as well as lovely beaches.

I spent three weeks living with my grandmother, or babcia, which is the Polish word for 'grandmother' and rediscovering this wonderful area. As I was born in Poland, and a lot of my family still remains there, I have of course visited on previous occasions, but they were mostly with my mother or father, and this was my first time in Poland without either of them.

I still think about my travels in Poland often and a large part of me is drawn to it. This blog will not only follow the trip I made just over a year ago, but will also highlight the history of the areas I visited.