In the port city of Gdańsk (Danzig in German), northern Poland

 "The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being." -- Lech Walesa

========================================
(in northern Poland, on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay, at the mouth of the Vistula River on the Baltic coast) One of Poland’s most beautiful cities, Gdansk has played major roles in history, especially in the 20th-century. It was the 1939 flash point of World War II, and then in 1980, the birthplace of the Solidarity movement (led by Lech Walesa), ushering the end of Communist domination in Eastern Europe. Gdansk’s Old Town, carefully reconstructed to reflect its Hanseatic League glory after being leveled in World War II, is a highlight. (The 14th-century Town Hall houses the city’s historical museum.) Today, Gdańsk is an important cultural seat containing schools of medicine, engineering, and fine arts; a maritime center; many fine churches, museums, theaters, and gardens; and a concert hall and an opera house. Visitors throng in great numbers to wander historical thoroughfares lined with grand, elegantly proportioned buildings, and to enjoy a treasure trove of characterful bars and cafes, and seafood restaurants -- plus pleasure-boat cruises along the river (and a wealth of maritime history to be considered).