Who was the architect of the Bar Przystań?   MSc, Eng., Arch. Bruno WANDTKE ARCHITECT - CREATOR entitled by the Ministry of Culture and Art, No. 827 dated 16/01/86 EXPERT of the Polish Society of Town Planners No. 315/86   He was born on the 22nd of April 1936 in Sopot, in a family of a Polish railway worker. In 1962, he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Technology in Gdańsk. The thesis of his paper was a study of the downtown area of Sopot with ideas to restore historical buildings. After graduation, he went to the Municipal, and then Regional Urban Office in Gdańsk. He specialized in planning tourist and recreation functions and restoration of historical structures. He won numerous first prizes in national architectural and urban contests and high ministerial awards for outstanding professional work.   When designing plans for the complex of Raduńskie Lakes and Wdzydzkie Lakes, he made a plan of the open-air ethnographic museum in Poland - the Kashubian Ethnographic Park in Wdzydze Kiszewskie - which was being created at that time.   He was the principal architect of the Seaside Landscape Park. The Ministry of Environmental Protection gave him a gold medal for caring for the environment and coastal landscape.   He loved Sopoćkowo (as he called his hometown) so much that he abandoned his career as an architect "in the West". He always returned from his trips and foreign orders (among others in Vietnam and Algeria) to his hometown to defend its character against temptations of power and human oblivion.   His passion was - among others - collecting old postcards and documents about Sopot. He thought that the beautiful architecture of the city was perfectly presented on them. People of Sopot knew him due to his numerous publications on the history of the city, mainly in Dziennik Bałtycki and Gazeta Wyborcza. He was also the author of several books and albums about the old Sopot.   In 1993, he designed the Restaurant Bar Przystań on a site of a former public chalet. It was opened in July 1994. Over the next years, the Restaurant Bar Przystań developed in collaboration with the architect and valuable tips and advice of the architect were considered very important.   The architect always dealt with creative work. His biggest dream was to rebuild the pier Spa House to make it the way he remembered it before it was burned by the Soviet Army during the liberation of Sopot in 1945. He waited for the realization of interesting buildings and development of the promontory of Sopot pier, because in 1996 he won a national competition for this investment. One of his dreams came true as in February 2001, the Museum of the City of Sopot was opened, where relics and documents of the region are exhibited. Some of them are gifts of Mr. Bruno.   Bruno Wandtke was the first one to suggest the idea of building a tunnel under Monte Cassino Street. Unfortunately, the authorities of the city realized the project contrary to his idea. He believed that the current tunnel was too small and would hinder drive of high buses.   Unfortunately, the fight for the Cistercian Mill ended up in its demolition. Nevertheless, he never gave up, constantly creating new projects. He had dozens of ideas. Another dream of the architect was a construction of a marina - a yacht port with a breakwater and a cutting leading to the swampy areas of the North Park - on the coastal area of the city. It was a very different project than the ones implemented at that time at the pier.   When a ranking was announced on the initiative of Gazeta Morska, the City of Sopot and Radio Trefl - and the prize was an honourable title of "The Sopot Citizen of the Century" - Bruno Wandtke came up second after Jan Jerzy Haffner - known as the Father of Sopot.   The readers of Gazeta Morska awarded Bruno Wandtke with a title of ”The most popular Living Citizen of Sopot of the Century ". The city authorities gave him a diploma and a medal on the 100th anniversary of Sopot.   He never forgot about fisherman in Sopot. He believed that they are an integral part of the city, and therefore he continued his struggle to bring them humane working conditions. Mr. Bruno designed the fountain of Johnny the Fisherman, located in Monte Cassino Street. Unfortunately, by the decision of the city authorities, the fountain was removed when Plac Przyjaciół Sopotu was reconstructed. The architect never came to terms with this decision!   The unique chapel "Oh Happy Return" at the fishermen’s harbour is a reminder of the stay of Pope John Paul II in Sopot in 1999. Bruno Wandtke is the author of the project. After the implementation of the project in 2000, the chapel was a place, which he visited particularly often. He said that there was some secret power in that chapel that allowed him to find answers to questions about his life.   After many years of active work as an architect, he retired, but still designed in the comfort of his home studio. He always said that he could not live without drawing. It is important that he always found great satisfaction and joy in it.   Unfortunately, his health limited his creativity more and more. He struggled with serious diseases for many years. He endured his suffering with dignity and did not complain about anything. He was always smiled and he had confidence and faith in people.   Architect Bruno Wandtke died in Sopot Hospice of St. Joseph on 21 December 2010. The urn containing his ashes was entombed on 29 December 2010, in the family grave at the Municipal Cemetery in Sopot.   For all those years of cooperation, we were close friends. Bruno was not only an architect for us. He was a man who was extremely good and humble. He had a great talent and sensitivity, great architectural talent. He was always honest and sincere.  And for Sopot? As people say - "he had a large and good heart" for his city and its inhabitants. Thank you, Friend, Teacher... for everything. You understood the world with your heart, thank you, that we could be your friends. MAY YOU REST IN PEACE.