Gdańsk Shipyard gate, formerly Lenin Yard

In 1980 Gdańsk was the arena for events that changed the face of the world. A strike by 17,000 ship builders saw Solidarity (Solidarność), led by shipyard electrician Lech Wałęsa, recognised as the first non-communist trade union in the then Soviet Bloc. The move was one of the first successful steps in a campaign of civil resistance that contributed to the eventual collapse of communism across eastern Europe.