
From the water
Galleon past the monument
From the Long Embankment
- Length80 minutes
- GuidePolish, English, German
- LandingNone
Pick out your stop
The quick version
The Westerplatte monument is the 25-metre granite Monument to the Coast Defenders, unveiled in 1966 on a man-made mound, with Guardhouse No. 1, the barracks ruins and the soldiers' cemetery nearby.
On the site
Browse 37 stops
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Unveiled on 9 October 1966: 25 m of granite in 236 blocks on a mound 22.5 m high.
Google MapsOpened in 2022 beside the site of guardhouse V, with steles for all 15 fallen and white roses where remains were found.
Google MapsAt the entrance to the peninsula: information, guides, a cafe and the only car park; open 9:00-16:00 daily.
Google MapsFinds from the battlefield and the later prisoner camp, in the depot's power plant at Sucharskiego 84.
Google MapsUncovered by the museum's archaeologists; Platoon Sergeant Petzelt was first buried beside the villa.
Google MapsThe NCO mess began life as the spa house of the old seaside resort.
Google MapsPlaced above the cemetery mound in 1962 in place of the Dąbrowski cross, and moved away in summer 1989.
Google Maps
Buses 138 and 606 to Westerplatte start here (606 in summer only).
Google MapsBus 106 to Westerplatte starts at the Museum of the Second World War stop.
Google MapsQuay for the Żegluga Gdańska boats that land at Westerplatte; the 10:00 sailing arrives at 10:40.
Google MapsEnd of the bus lines at the ferry terminal; on 1 September the special buses arrive here before dawn.
Google MapsInformation, guides and the only car park on the peninsula; open 9:00-16:00 every day.
Google MapsE-bikes, racks and a repair stand by the Visitor Centre; about 10 km and up to 40 minutes from the centre.
Google MapsWhere the boats from the Green Gate quay tie up; the walk to the monument starts here.
Google Maps
The guardhouse that kept the Germans off the base of the peninsula and the canal; Warrant Officer Jan Gryczman commanded about 15 men here.
Google MapsGuardhouse III was built as combat cabins in the cellar of the NCO villa; its remains are marked by an information board.
Google MapsThe artillery command post of 1911 became the Fort outpost in 1939; in November human remains were found beside its shelter.
Google MapsDestroyed in the air raid of 2 September 1939; its commander, Platoon Sergeant Adolf Petzelt, died inside.
Google MapsCommand post, dressing station, radio room and shelter in 1939; the ruin is kept as a reminder of the war's brutality.
Google MapsBuilt from 25 May 1926 and outside the defence plan, it came through September 1939 almost intact.
Google MapsFrom this side of the canal German reporters watched the fighting and radioed it live.
Google MapsThe depot's walls ran along the canal and the base of the peninsula; the railway gate is a reconstruction.
Google MapsRemains of the depot's ammunition stores; 2 stores survive on land the army still uses.
Google Maps
A peninsula 2 km long and 200 to 500 m wide between the Gulf of Gdańsk and the Dead Vistula.
Google MapsAttacked at 4:45 AM on 1 September 1939, the same moment the shelling of Westerplatte began.
Google MapsHeart of the Free City of Gdańsk, created on 15 November 1920 under the League of Nations.
Google MapsThe port district across the canal from the depot, where German reporters watched the fighting.
Google MapsThe parent museum; its Westerplatte branch is building a new museum on the peninsula.
Google Maps
Boats of Żegluga Gdańska to Westerplatte leave from the quay by the Green Gate and the Green Bridge.
Google MapsThe Motława quays where the galleon-style ships Lew and Czarna Perła tie up.
Google MapsThe mid-15th-century city gate and port crane on the Motława.
Google MapsThe island of old granaries across the Motława from the Long Embankment quays.
Google MapsThe galleons pass the Gdańsk Shipyard and the Renovation Shipyard on the way out.
Google MapsThe oldest coastal fortress of the Polish seacoast, once also a lighthouse and a prison.
Google MapsAcross the canal from Westerplatte, near where the Schleswig-Holstein moored 150 m from the peninsula.
Google MapsLanding for the boats that call at Westerplatte; the galleon round trips do not stop here.
Google MapsSeen from the water as the galleon loops the peninsula; 25 m of granite on its mound.
Google MapsBase map © OpenStreetMap contributors
The Westerplatte monument towers over the port, but the authentic battlefield lies in the woods behind it. A walk through what was built, what survived and what was lost.
Editorial team, westerplattecruise.click · Updated November 9, 2026 · 8 min reading time
In brief
What survives
| Structure | Built | Today |
|---|---|---|
| Guardhouse No. 1 | 1933-1934 | Museum room, moved in 1967 |
| New barracks | 1934-36 | Permanent ruin |
| Fort outpost | 1911 | Surviving shelter |
| Power plant | 1926 | Archaeology exhibition |
| Guardhouse V | 1933 | Gone; cemetery beside it |
| Old barracks | Around 1890 | Foundations only |
Building dates as the heritage institute, the city and the WWII Museum record them.27,28,29,25,30,31
Where to start
Start where your interest is, then walk the rest.
If I have very little time
Monument and cemetery
The monument is where the ceremony is held; the cemetery carries the 15 names.14,8
If I want something indoors
Guardhouse No. 1 and the exhibition
The guardhouse room and the power plant exhibition are the covered stops.3,9
If I want the real battlefield
The barracks ruins
If I am coming on a Tuesday
Start at the exhibition
Tuesday is its free day, with tickets at its own desk.32
If I would rather stay on a boat
Take a galleon round trip
An 80-minute loop shows the granite from the deck.
Ways to see it

From the water
From the Long Embankment

On foot
Gate, barracks, monument, cemetery

Private
Plaques, cemetery, guardhouse
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Memory in stone
1946
Raised by comrades on the site of guardhouse V.15
1962
A T-34 replaces the cross on the mound.16
9 October 1966
Granite on a mound of canal spoil.2
1967
About 80 m, away from the quay.17
1989
The tank moved, crosses set up.18
4 November 2022
The found defenders are buried.7
Video

The History Underground on YouTube · The video stays unloaded until you press play.
Westerplatte does not appeal to the eye, but directly to the heart.
The walk
FAQ
It was unveiled on 9 October 1966; the same Gdańsk team also drew up the plan for the grounds around it.2
It stood on the port quay and was moved in 1967 to avoid demolition.31
Sources
Continue reading
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