WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's president has signed into law a bill that allows the government to seize the site of the first World War II battle and build a new museum there.

The controversy around the ruins at Westerplatte Peninsula has pitched Gdansk's local authorities, which own the area, against the right-wing government, which is pursuing a narrative that highlights Poland's wartime bravery and suffering.

The government argues that Gdansk authorities have neglected the site, which is a source of national pride. Gdansk's mayor has called for dialogue.

President Andrzej Duda's signing of the bill, which was announced Friday, closed the matter.

Westerplatte is where anniversary observances are held each Sept. 1 at 4.45 a.m., the exact time that a German warship fired at the Polish outpost, starting the war in 1939.