Gdansk Poland

So we have finally made it to Gdańsk,Poland, one of the finest cities in Europe. It’s  had a complex history over more than 1000 years. From an important shipbuilding port, it became Poland’s largest city during the 15th to 17th  Century. It was then a part of Prussia/ German Empire. Then following WWI it became a Free City until the first clash of WWII in 1939, where it was 90% destroyed. It was under Soviet rule until the 1980’s when the Solidarity movement helped precipitate the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact (tomorrow’s museum visit).

And so we headed off to explore the old town. As we walked around we learnt some history about various sites via the SmartGuide app.

Our first encounter was St.Bridgets Church (gathering spot for the Solidarity movement) and St.Catherines Church.

St.Hyacinth Tower has kept a watchful eye over the city.

We walked through the old Market Hall.

We then reached the very picturesque water front with many significant buildings, gates and bridges.

The Crane is a major icon of the city. Dating back to the 13th Century, it used human power in the wooden wheels to do the heavy lifting for loading ships.

We ventured over to Granary Island, whose name depicts what it was originally used for. We cross the bridge again and enter through main square and surrounding streets that were lined with colourful facades and interesting gables. The guide again points out many sights that reflect historical influences of the city.

The 500m long square is lined by many colourful and decorative buildings with names of the ‘Golden House’, Artur Court, Uphagen House, Lions Castle…

We spotted some elaborate rain heads.

Neptunes Fountain has been here for 400 years next to the old Town Hall.

It was here that mercury thermometer was created. 

We ventured into St.Mary’s Church. It’s an impressive brick building, ranking as a world’s 3rg largest of its kind. We go in and discover a few interesting features.

Everywhere we turn there were restaurants and cafes aswell as plenty of tourist shops selling souvenirs or amber products. 

We could not enter the Royal Chapel as the mass was on but Mark could not help but try to and the lions of the Fountain of Four Quarters, each represents the historical parts of the city.

We continued up the ‘Long Lane’ to the Golden Gate. Further on was the Upper Gate, known as the main entrance into the city.

We could even try the shackles for size..

Well! there is a vending machine for every kind of product.. 

The beautiful Great Armoury was where the important tools of war were kept.

We enjoyed a local brew and dumplings for lunch. We tried the oven cooked ones (a bit like a pastie) although very tasty, we found them a bit too dry.

Our last destination was the WWII Museum with its obvious focus on its effect on Poland. We spent 3hrs in here but we could have given it an extra 2, if not for our fatigue and the emotional toll of the realties of WWII. 

We were glad that Bluey was not too far away for refreshments and a ‘home cooked’ dinner.