Gdynia, located on Gdansk Bay, was a small fishing village until about 100 years ago; then its fortunes rose as it became a popular seaside resort and later one of the largest Polish seaports on the Baltic. Its prominence receded slightly as Gdansk (then Danzig), a larger port, was returned to full Polish rule, but a bloody crackdown on industrial workers in 1970 cemented Gdynia's place in modern Polish history as the site of the first of the events that were credited with the rise of the Solidarity movement. You can learn about Gdynia's role in Polish naval history by visiting two museum ships in the harbor: the circa 1909 frigate Dar Pomorza, and the World War II-era destroyer ORP Blyskawica (Polish for 'Lightning').