Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers, Gdansk

In Gdansk, the main feature of Solidarity Square is the towering, 42-meter-tall Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970. This monument pays tribute to the 42 or more people who lost their lives during the December 1970 disturbances in the coastal cities. These protests were triggered by sudden increases in the prices of food and other basic goods and were harshly suppressed by the Polish People’s Army and the Citizens’ Militia, leading to more than 40 deaths and over 1,000 injuries.

Unveiled on December 16, 1980, near the entrance to the then Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk, the monument was established following the Gdansk Agreement. It holds the distinction of being the first memorial to victims of communist rule built in a communist country, a feat made possible only after the agreement was signed. Financial support for its construction came from striking workers, local residents, and contributors from across Poland.

The government tried to delay the project and rename the monument to honor fallen policemen, but it faced strong resistance. The Monument Committee overcame these obstacles, and the memorial was unveiled on the tenth anniversary of the 1970 events. The ceremony included a piece by Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki, commissioned by Lech Wałęsa.

The monument features three crosses, each 42 meters tall and weighing 36 tons, with a two-ton anchor hanging from each one. At its base, reliefs depict scenes from the lives of shipyard workers. The monument also includes a quote from Psalm 29 and a passage from Polish-American poet Czesław Miłosz’s poem “Who You Wronged.”