Footsteps of WWII · Poland
Polish Post Office, Gdańsk
Museum · 1 Sep 1939
The story
The Polish Post Office in the Free City of Danzig was Polish state property and its staff were armed in secret. On 1 September 1939 the 56 people inside, most of them postal workers, held off Danzig police, SS and SA for about 15 hours. The Germans blew a hole in the wall with 600 kg of explosives and then poured petrol into the basement and set it alight. The director, Dr Jan Michoń, was shot as he came out with a white flag, and the rest surrendered. A court-martial condemned the survivors as illegal combatants, and they were shot at Zaspa on 5 October 1939.
What to look for
The red-brick post office still works as a post office, and the museum branch inside tells the story of the defence with the defenders' personal belongings. Look for bullet and grenade scars on the walls, and the steel monument to the defenders in the square outside.
Plan your visit
Museum branch of Muzeum Gdańska, open seasonally April–September, daily 10:00–18:00; about 15 zł, free on Mondays. Closed in winter. The monument outside can be seen at any time. Check the website before you go.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Museum of the Second World War, Gdańsk · under 1 km
- Westerplatte, Gdańsk · 6 km
- Stutthof Museum, Sztutowo · 33 km
All 160 sites in Footsteps of WWII →
Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The whole Second World War in Europe, from the first shots at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939 to the German surrender in May 1945: Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Berlin and the camps, in 15 areas from Britain to Russia.
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