Regarded as one of the principal links in the Polish defensive chain, the guardhouse was part of a wider network of buildings that secured the military depot that was established on this thin strip of land during the inter-war years. When the German battleship, the Schleswig Holstein, began shelling the peninsula at 4.48 a.m. on September 1, 1939, the act marked the opening salvo of the war.
For seven days, the garrison stationed at Westerplatte repelled wave after wave of German attacks. From Guardhouse No. 1, fierce return fire from its 15-strong crew was enough to prevent the Germans from advancing further. Out-gunned and out-manned, surrender was, however, inevitable.
Although much of Westerplatte had been obliterated, Guardhouse No. 1—along with a handful of other objects—had withstood the barrage, albeit heavily pitted with the scars of battle. But whereas it survived the Germans, it very nearly did not survive the 1960s. Plans to demolish it were only shelved after an alternative was proposed to move the landmark from its original location.
With its future safeguarded, on June 29, 1974, a museum was opened honoring the siege of 1939. Looking increasingly gloomy and outdated, the institution’s approaching 50th anniversary was seen as the ideal opportunity to haul the exhibition into more modern times. The results will be revealed on May 29.
Waldemar Ossowski, director of the Gdańsk Museum, said: “The upcoming anniversary is a good moment to offer Gdańsk residents and tourists a completely new story about the defenders.”
The changes stand to be more than just cosmetic. “Instead of talking about the forces, the weapons, and the details of everyday life, we wanted to focus on the history of the Guardhouse and the soldiers that served there,” said Mateusz Jasik, the curator of the exhibition.
“The experience of the first days of the 1939 Polish campaign is difficult to describe in the language of museum narrative and in the language of historians, which is why we entrusted a team of artists to try and convey the emotions that accompanied those involved in the defense of Westerplatte.”
As such, visitors will now be greeted by an audiovisual interpretation of events courtesy of a project authored by Robert Turło’s team at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk.
This multimedia experience will be complemented by previously presented exhibits, for instance, memorabilia belonging to the garrison’s commander, Major Henryk Sucharski. These, however, will be presented “in an entirely new light,” promise officials.
Aiming to avoid repeating the stories told by their bigger sister, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, the number of military artifacts will be reduced and replaced by new exhibits. Among others, these include a tombstone sculpture of Major Sucharski and previously unpublished photographs of the defending soldiers.
