Post Office and the Polish Post Office Defenders Monument

Post Office and the Polish Post Office Defenders Monument. This place has gone down in history as an example of the heroic attitude of the Poles. One of the first armed clashes of World War II took place here. But step back for a moment to 1930. This place had become the main post office in Gdańsk, and was equipped with a telephone exchange, which allowed for direct connections within Poland. Tensions in the city meant that its employees were trained to fight, and most of them belonged to a secret rifle association. The post office workers were therefore prepared for the defence, which was confirmed on 1 September. Germany attacked at 4.45 with strong force - about 180 people. They had three armoured cars and had hoped for a quick victory. The defenders numbered 55 and only had three Browning 1928 light machine guns, pistols, rifles and a quantity of hand grenades. Despite the imbalance of force they repulsed the first attack. The result of the second attack, which occurred at approx. 11.00, with strengthened forces and the support of artillery, was similar. The Nazis were caught off guard. Rozsierdzeni brought in howitzer at 15.00, and detonated a 600-pound explosive charge close to the wall, then made another attempt to storm. The fighting moved to the basement, where the Germans pumped petrol in and set fire to it with flame-throwers. Only then, at 19.00, was it decided to surrender. The Nazis did not appreciate the heroic attitude of the defenders. Most of those who survived were sentenced to death in two trials and shot at the Gdańsk police training ground in Zaspa. It was not until 1995 that the District Court in Lubeck held an extraordinary appeal hearing and acquitted the post office workers, which allowed their families to be compensated. Having previously been named Hewelius Square (Heweliusz plac), the square which stands facing the post office has been called the Defenders of the Polish Post Office (Obrońców Poczty Polskiej) Square since the end of the war. The building houses the Gdańsk Post and Telecommunications Department Museum, which is part of the Gdańsk History Museum. On the 40^th anniversary of the battle on 1 September 1979, a monument was unveiled at the Defenders of the Polish Post Office in Gdańsk square. Its creator was Wincent Kućma, and it presents a dying postal worker being given a Nike rifle along with an open mail bag with letters pouring out of it.

See more on the subject of:

• poland
• gdańsk
• tricity
• attractions of gdansk