Gdansk is a beautiful city, with many buildings restored to their historical state. It has two very impressive museums on the Second World War and Solidarity struggle.
Gdansk at Christmas - Old Town & Museums
Main Town has a wealth of beautiful architecture, much of it restored after the Second World War to its glorious heyday in the 17th and 18th centuries. The layout of the town was established in the 14th century along the central axis of what came to be known as the Royal Way.
North from the Royal Way, along Tkacka - lined with Christmas stalls - is the equally beautiful Great Arsenal.
Built at the beginning of the 17th century the eastern facade of the Arsenal is spectacular.
Piwna leads east from the Great Arsenal to St Mary's Church.
The exterior of this brick Gothic building is not particularly attractive, but the interior is much nicer, very bright, with a wonderful 15th century astronomical clock.
Every day, at noon, figures emerge from the clock on two circular platforms which rotate them out and back in at the other side. Small doors open and other figures emerge while above, Adam and Eve strike bells.
The interior walls were once covered with frescoes but only a few now remain.
The small baroque Royal Chapel is tucked in on the north side of St Mary's with the Four Quarters Fountain opposite.
East of St Mary's Ulica Mariacka, lined with lovely reconstructed houses, leads to the river.
There are several gates leading from the waterfront to into the city. South of the Mariacka Gate, the Chlebnicka Gate is a great survivor from the 15th century and has the oldest coast of arms in the city - a double cross on a red shield dating from 1457.
The Vendors Gate, north of Mariacka at the east end of Straganiarska, dates from 1482-1483.
We ate at Goldwasser one evening, a lovely restaurant on the waterfront. My lamb shank was very good but Andrew's steak in barbecue sauce was disappointing.
Just north of the Vendors Gate is a wonderful medieval crane. It's closed at the moment for restoration but is really impressive just from the outside.
Royal Way was the route monarchs took when they entered the city from the west and continued down Ulica Dluga, Long Street, then Dlugi Targ, Long Market.
Originally the start of the Royal Way was the 15th century Foregate which consisted of a massive Prison Tower on the east end with a Torture House to the west connected by two walls.
When the Upland Gate was built to the west of it in 1574 as part of new fortifications constructed outside the city's medieval walls, the Foregate became a jail and was in use as such until the 19th century.
The Golden Gate, to the east of the Foregate, was constructed in 1612 and is essentially an elaborate entrance arch.
There were Christmas Markets all around this area with lots of different food stalls.
Through the Golden Gate the houses on each side are very colourful, and all along the Royal Way the houses would have been occupied by only the most wealthy citizens.
Largely reconstructed after the Second World War it is lined with beautiful tall buildings originally dating from the mid-14th to the 18th centuries. These tall buildings were taxed according to their width so explaining why they are invariably very narrow. But some of them went back 80m!
Uphagen's House, 12 Ulica Dluga, was the 18th century residence of a wealthy merchant and has been turned into a museum,
Half way along the Royal Way Ulica Dluga becomes Dlugi Targ. The Town Hall stands here, now housing a museum. Very close by is Neptune's Fountain.
Behind the fountain is Arthur's Court, the medieval hall of the merchant guilds where they held feasts for Polish kings. We tried several times to visit but it was either just closing or closed for the remainder of the time we were there.
We took a walking tour with Walkative which lasted over three hours. The guide was very informative and also gave a free map with lots of further information. For instance, legend has it that the famous local liqueur, Goldwasser, was created by Neptune in the fountain on Dlugi Targ. The drink is a minimum of 40% and the authentic stuff has gold flakes floating in it.
Beneath Arthur's Court is Piwnica Rajcow, a small brewery and bar. We weren't sure about this place, we thought it might be touristy, but it wasn't at all.
The people were great and the food and beer excellent, so good, in fact, that we ate there twice! Both times we had the pierogi, the duck pierogi, made with duck, ginger, wine and cranberry, were the best, and their beers, also very good. Not so keen on the Russian pierogi: potato, cottage cheese, bacon and onion.
Our hotel, the Radisson Blu, was on Dlugi Targ, very central for exploring the city and the Christmas markets.
The Green Gate stands at the east end of Dlugi Targ. Though not green, it is rather impressive, having originally been built as a royal residence. It leads to a bridge over the Motlawa river.
The Uphagen House, on Ulica Dluga, belonged to a family of that name since 1775 until the early twentieth century when the widow of Hans Uphagen, who died in 1909, signed a contract to allow the house to become a museum.
The Uphagen family were very wealthy, well-educated and well-read. From the 16th century in Gdansk they were mostly merchants, though also owned a shipping company and one of them, Johann Uphagen (1620-1701), was a master goldsmith. Others were prominent in public affairs holding various civic offices.
Their house is typical of a wealthy 18th century merchant, and the Uphagens must have been particularly wealthy as the house looks to have been hugely extended at the back.
Some rooms are very narrow and they seem a peculiar shape to modern eyes, looking as if everyone had to sit along one wall!
The Town Hall, at the junction of Ulica Dluga and Dlugi Targ, now houses the Historical Museum of Gdansk but from the mid 15th century to 1921 it was where the local council and judiciary met.
The building was all but flattened during the Second World War and has been painstakingly reconstructed.
The tower is the highest in the city at 81.5m.
A room called the "Great Christopher" is located at the base of the tower. It is small, 2.8m x 4.3m but its thick walls and vaulting protected it during the bombing and fire in 1945 and it is the only one to survive intact.
The colourful interior is the original from the 16th century. Its name is a mystery, perhaps deriving from St Christopher being the patron saint of hidden things.
The showcase room is the Great Council Hall, also known as the Red Room for the red fabric-covered walls. The interior, dating from the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, is original as it was completely dismantled in 1942 and hidden outside the city for safety.
The Red Room was the most important space in the Town Hall, the seat of the City Council during the spring and summer months.
The paintings on the walls and ceiling show Gdansk as a well-governed city under divine protection. The City Council were meant to be reminded of their moral duty in administering the city by the paintings of virtues and vices and the Last Judgement.
The oval painting in the centre of the ceiling contains many symbols glorifying Gdansk.
The city is shown on top of a triumphal arch. The strong trading links with Poland are represented by a white eagle (the symbol of affiliation with Poland) and a rainbow connecting Krakow with the Vistula River along which grain was transported to Gdansk.
In the foreground merchants from across Europe are blessed by Mercury, the god of trade.
Above the seating and red fabric is a series of wood panels; there are several hunting scenes with dogs and men with spears, distinctive buildings in the background..
