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ul. Przemysłowa 6a, Gdańsk
The lighthouse in Gdańsk's Nowy Port district stands at the mouth of the Dead Vistula, right beside the port quays. The brick tower, some 27 metres tall, entered service in the late nineteenth century and for decades guided ships into Gdańsk. Its form was modelled on a lighthouse in Cleveland, Ohio, which makes it unusual among Baltic structures.
Inside there is an exhibition on the history of the building and of shipping in the port. Steep stairs lead to the viewing gallery, and from the top a panorama opens over the Bay of Gdańsk, Westerplatte and the cargo terminals. The time ball at the summit draws attention: it dropped at a set hour so that captains could set their chronometers. Today it survives purely as a monument.
It was from a window of this lighthouse that the signal to open fire on Westerplatte was given on 1 September 1939, writing the building into the history of the first hours of the Second World War. Visits take place at fixed times and the number of people allowed on the gallery may be limited.
