I will be in Gdansk for the day in July and hoping to find a local guide for a private or small group tour. I am particularly interested in the political history of the area. I would appreciate any suggestions.
I don't have a recommendation but a few resources...
The In Your Pocket city guide for Gdansk has a short list of guides:
https://www.inyourpocket.com/gdansk/sightseeing/Tour-GuideTrip Advisor has a long list of tour operators (including some
private guides if you patiently click through the list):
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g274725-Activities-c42-Gdansk_Pomerania_Province_Northern_Poland.html Click on "See All Tour Operators in Gdansk" at the bottom of the column on the left to get to the list of operators. When you click on an operator, click on the "More" link on the left to get the company's direct websiteTours By Locals has tours (and guides) listed for Gdansk:
https://www.toursbylocals.com/ I try to avoid booking on TBL because
tours generally have a 20% mark up to cover the website's finder fee.
Both the Solidarity Center and the new WWII Museum are excellent and highly English-accessible. Personally, I would not want to take a tour to either one, because no tour would provide anything approaching enough time for my level of interest. I spent about 20 hours in the WWII Museum and something like 8 at the Solidarity Center. That's how long it took to read all the English text and watch all the subtitled videos. You don't have enough time for a deep dive into either place. I'd tend to recommend the Solidarity Center since you could come closer to covering it in the time you have available and it's so specific to activities in Gdansk.
I didn't have time for the Memorial to the Defenders of the Polish Post Office.