Subjective Gdansk Tour Cancelled
The popular tourist attraction of Gdańsk, a tour around Gdańsk's shipyard with an oldschool bus, dubbed "cucumber" due to its cylindrical shape, will not run this year. "I find this decision unfavourable for the city" comments Aneta Szyłak, the director of the Wyspa Art Institute.
The Subjective Bus Line used to take passengers twice a day from the historical gate of the former Gdańsk shipyard for a ride around its premises. The bus would stop at the former Health&Safety room, the Imperial Shipyard buildings, ramps, and the U-boot hall - the place where Lech Wałęsa jumped over the wall to join the striking colleagues. One of the tour's highlights was a visit to a former workshop of Lech Wałęsa, re-created by artist Grzegorz Klaman, a man behind the Subjective Bus Line. The guides of the tour were the former employees of the shipyard, who embroidered the shipyard's known facts with their own, subjective stories.
In high season the tours serviced ca. 5 thousand passengers, including many foreigners with interpreter guides.
The Subjective Bus Line operated from May to September with the help of ca. 70,000 PLN of city grants, spent in hiring a bus and a driver, fuel, as well as employing guides and interpreters. This year, the bus line won't run, as the city has cut off the funding.
"I'm surprised by this decision, as the Subjective Bus Line was a bond between the shipyard and the city, and was immensely popular with tourists. Even tourist offices booked tours with us, as well as architecture, urban studies' and art students" said Anna Szyłak. "This artistic project played a vital cultural, educational and cognitive role, but also allowed to employ former shipyard crew and by using their competence giving them voice and returning to them their identity" the Wyspa Art Institute director said.
As it turns out, the line was cancelled due to communication difficulties: a road construction of a new street is now held at the former shipyard grounds. "The line is a fantastic addition to Gdańsk tourist offer, but vis-a-vis the ongoing investments in the area the SBT would be forced to change its route, or even stop operating" said Antoni Pawlak, the spokesperson of the mayor of Gdańsk. "This, in effect, would expose the operator to problems with completing the task. Thus, the project was suspended for year 2014".
"I wish somebody would have told me earlier about this decision" replies Szyłak. "The road construction is to end in April, and the line would be operating from May. We could have altered the route. In addition, the new street will even more divide the district and therefore access to former shipyard grounds is the more an urgent matter. All in all, this is an unfavourable decision for the city itself" commented Szyłak.
Also the residents of Gdańsk regret the closing of tours, as many of them took their family and friends for a ride with the bus line when they came to visit. It seems that they will have to wait to do so in the future.
