Why Take the Ferry to Poland Ports like Gdansk, Gdynia and Swinoujscie
Poland used to be under the heel of the Soviet boot, crushed under years of iron rule by Communism. Yet the Polish desire for freedom never waned. Poland never lost its fire and never forgot what freedom meant or felt like. The establishment and existence of the Solidarity party in 1980, under what as ostensibly a Communist bastion, is proof of this as was its leader Lech Walesa’s victory in 1990 presidential elections, an event which also signaled the beginning of the end for Communism in Eastern Europe. Poland has had to scramble to catch up with the rest of the world when the Iron Curtain fell. The drastic changes undertaken soon after emancipation have worked to Poland’s advantage. It has been the fastest-growing Central European country for the past couple of years, and it is set to join the European Single Currency in 2010 or thereabouts.
Among the attractions this country of 38 million offers are its architecture, its food, and historical artifacts. Poland is the birthplace of many famous people such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Pope John Paul II, Lech Walesa, Fredrick Chopin, and Roman Polanski. Despite its low research and development output at present, Polish educational institutions are numerous, old and storied, as Polish rulers always cared about the education of their subjects, resulting in the first universities being put up in the twelfth century. This is also the country which produced Nobel Prize winners Wladyslaw Reymont, Czesław Milosz, Wislawa Szymborska, and Marie Curie, who, aside from being the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes, together with her husband Pierre discovered radium and polonium and forever changed the way man looked at things and how they were made.
Polish Ports
Poland’s rivers have been used for a very long time for navigation. The Vikings from Norway sailed up the Vistula River, Poland’s longest, and later on was a major thoroughfare for food coming to Western Europe from the Polish-Lithuania region. Today the Vistula still constitutes an important gateway to the outside world for both freight and passengers.
Important ports on the Vistula include:
- Gdansk – Once known as Danzig when it came into German hands, it has a long history of being a free city and a major Baltic port. Its culture and architecture show the years of combined Polish and German influence. It is situated on the Motlawa River, a branch of the Vistula, at Gdansk Bay, which is bordered by the Hel Peninsula to the north. Not far from Gdansk is Kashubia, a region with its own unique language and culture.
- Gdynia – The port of Gdynia serves chiefly as the main shipping port for the Tricity conurbation of Gdansk, Gydnia, and Sopot. Sopot serves as a resort town, whereas Gdansk is the culture and commerce center of the three-city area.
- Swinoujscie – The largest and most modern ferry to Poland terminal is located here. An important port for cargo as well as a ferry to Poland, it provides services to neighboring Denmark and Sweden.
Ferry to Poland
The main Polish ferry operators include Polferries, the largest, which was established in 1976 as the Polish Baltic Shipping Co; Polska Żegluga Bałtycka, or PŻB, a state-owned shipping company; Unity Line, another Polish company; the Danish DFDS Seaways; and Swedish-owned Stena Line. They run a variety of passenger-only, roll-on/roll-off, fast, and conventional ferries in the area.
Getting oneself a ticket to a ferry to Poland is very easy. In this day and age, you have the convenience of choice. You can get them at port terminals, shipping agencies, through travel agents, or online, for destinations as varied as Greece or the Faroe Islands or Greenland. You can even plan your itinerary on certain websites, which show you what route and mode of transportation to take.
Posted in Ferries