Polished Brilliance Behind the Sooty Image of Poland’s Gdansk : Beyond its strife-torn shipyards is a carefully restored city of historic sites and nearby resorts.

Few cities in Europe have a reputation so at odds with reality as this historic and very beautiful medieval town on the Baltic Sea coast at the mouth of the Vistula River, Poland’s Danube.

Many think of Gdansk only as a smoke-engulfed manufacturing city, its noisy shipyards a maze of monstrous cranes, cacophonous riveting and disgruntled shipwrights irked by four decades of mismanagement by the Soviet Union.

Reality sets in when one walks down the magnificent Long Market that runs from the exquisite Renaissance High Gate through the heart of Main Town (Glowne Miasto) down to the port. Although Gdansk was horribly damaged during World War II, the Long Market has been painstakingly rebuilt to once again become one of Europe’s most engaging thoroughfares. We know of no finer and more compact collection of Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque buildings anywhere, many constructed of Gdansk red brick that practically glows in the brilliant morning sunlight.

Historically, Gdansk has been on a roller coaster since it first flourished as the “crown jewel” port of the southern Baltic in the 10th Century. Polish kings fought for centuries to control Gdansk and the tribute its trade brought, and Germany and Prussia never ceased to covet the material and cultural riches of this Hanseatic port.

The end of World War I saw Gdansk become the “free city” of Dansig, but in September of 1939, Hitler demanded that it be returned to Germany, and one of his warships fired the first shots of World War II on the city.

A visit to Gdansk today should also include Gdynia, a thriving port and resort city 10 miles up the coast, and to a lesser degree the pure beach resort of Sopot, halfway between the two. Both these towns sprang into being during the 1920s, although Gdynia quickly became a thriving Baltic port to rival its larger neighbor.

Poland is only now becoming recognized again as one of Europe’s most beautiful and culturally enriched countries. And Gdansk joins the incomparable Krakow as cities surely not to be missed by any thoughtful visitor.

Getting settled in: Hotel Hevelius, in the Old Town section, is one of Gdansk’s best, a large and rather severely modern high-rise of 250 rooms. It has almost everything one would want in a big-city hotel: fine restaurant, shops, kiosk and nightclub. If there is any problem booking the Hevelius, its Orbis chain has three other hotels in Gdansk for approximately the same cost.

One of Poland’s most famous resort hotels is The Grand, right on the beach in Sopot. Built in 1926, The Grand has the stateliness of an enormous Central European palace, a charming (if a bit faded) Old World elegance within, including a lobby done in rich brocades. There’s a bright and airy dining room overlooking the water, adjoined by a smaller cafe for drinks and snacks.

Bedrooms have the high ceilings of the period, with furnishings that fall a bit short of the hotel’s four-star category but are nevertheless quite comfortable. Once a haven for European royalty, later Eastern Bloc bigwigs, The Grand now seems to draw many Britons.

Gdynia’s Orbis is a perfect example of this chain’s postwar hotels: a large, modern, pretty lobby with shops, good restaurants and lively bar. The location is right on the harbor yet close to mid-town shopping and a wonderful crafts store. Ask for a front room on one of the higher floors overlooking the Baltic, which seem cooler. This Orbis also has an indoor pool with skylight, plus a sauna and nightclub.

Regional food and drink: Starting a Polish meal without soup would be tantamount to attending a baseball game without hot dogs and peanuts. These rich and hearty soups of every description are often embellished with sour cream, an Eastern European staple. Try the krupnik (potato soup), barszcz (borscht) and the heavenly grzybowa , which has more mushrooms per bowl than the entire Campbell’s Soup factory. Pork, also an Eastern European favorite, joins veal cutlets as a popular main dish, and fresh Baltic seafood in this part of Poland is a real treat, since the Vistula and other inland rivers are dangerously polluted. And don’t ever pass up bigos , a “hunter’s stew” of sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, onions and several kinds of meat.

Good local dining: The main dining room of the Gdynia Orbis is an attractive and restful room done in shades of green and lots of green plantings, with tall lavender tapers and flowers on each table.

Mushroom soup and chlodnik , a cold summer soup of vegetables, sometimes meat and sour cream, are both very good here. And we moved on to roast duck with apples, and a shashlik of mixed meats and onions. Expect to pay about $12 for two here, including beer.

The Roza Wiatrow (Rose of Winter) restaurant on Gdynia’s harbor pier resembles something between a boat and the Starship Enterprise, with the latter’s futuristic decor holding forth inside. This is a very popular place for visitors to the harbor and its sights, and the menu leans on seafood. The smoked salmon ($3) or fresh anchovies ($1.25) make good starters, and main dishes of fish (sole, halibut, sea perch, salmon) are all less than $5, so expect to pay about the same as at the Orbis.

On your own: After a leisurely stroll down the Long Market (Dluga Targ), make sure to see the wonderful Renaissance High Gate, where Polish kings once entered on their yearly visits, the soaring and spectacular Main Town Hall and Neptune’s Fountain. Then walk along the old harbor past medieval granaries to St. Mary’s Street (Ulica Mariacka).

St. Mary’s is surely Gdansk’s prettiest little street, lined with 17th-Century burghers’ houses, roses climbing onto terraces, and amber shops (Poland is famous for its marvelous amber jewelry at ridiculously low prices); then continue on to the Gothic Church of Our Lady, Poland’s largest and one of the largest in Europe with room for 25,000.

Few visitors to Gdansk fail to stop by the Solidarity monument at the shipyard entrance in the north end of town. There were strikes at the shipyard in 1970, 1976 and 1980, and the soaring monument crowned by three anchor crosses honors the shipwrights killed in 1970. Lech Walesa began his rise in Polish politics at the shipyard gate, as leader of the Solidarity movement.

Sopot is the most crowded beach resort on Poland’s Baltic coast during July and August, thanks to a full schedule of jazz concerts, music and dance festivals, and horse racing. Most folks also walk the 1,625-foot pier in front of the Grand Hotel.

GUIDEBOOK

Invitation to the Gdansk

Getting there: Lot Polish Airlines flies daily to Gdansk via Chicago or New York and Warsaw. From Los Angeles, Lot uses American Airlines to fly passengers to either Chicago or New York. An advance-purchase, round-trip ticket will cost $947.

A few fast facts: Poland’s zloty recently sold for 15,715 to the dollar, making them worth .000064 each. Best time to visit is between late spring and late fall.

Where to stay: Hotel Hevelius (Ulica Heweliusza 22, Gdansk, from U.S. telephones 011-48-58-315631, $82-$86 B&B; double); Gdynia Orbis (Ulica Lipca 22, Gdynia, tel. 011-48-58-206661; $65-$80 double B&B;); The Grand (Powstancow Warszawy 12, Sopot, tel. 011-48-58-510041; $65-$88 B&B; double).

For more information: Call Lot Polish Airlines at (213) 934-5151, or write (6100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles 90048) for a 24-page magazine on Poland listing seven all-inclusive tours of various parts of the country, plus car rental rates for independent travel and special hotel-package rates.