Government Building sights in Gdańsk
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A
Old Town Hall
Behind the Great Mill, across a small park, is the Old Town Hall, once the seat of the Old Town council. A well-proportioned Renaissance building crowned with a high central tower typical of its Flemish provenance, it was designed at the end of the 16th century by Antonius van Opbergen, the architect later responsible for the Great Arsenal. The brick structure is delicately ornamented in stone, including the central doorway and a frieze with the shields of Poland, Prussia and Gdańsk.
The Old Town Hall now houses the Baltic Sea Culture Centre and an exhibition hall. Go upstairs to see the foyer, notable for its rich decoration, partly assembled from old burghers' houses. …
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B
Great Arsenal
To the west of St Mary's Church, ul Piwna (Beer St) ends at the Great Arsenal. This being Gdańsk, even such an apparently prosaic building as an armoury is an architectural gem. It's the work of Antoon van Opberghen, built at the beginning of the 17th century and, like most of Gdańsk's architecture, clearly shows the influence of the Low Countries. The main eastern façade, framed within two side towers, is floridly decorated and guarded by figures of soldiers on the top.
Military motifs predominate, and the city's coat of arms guards the doorways. A small stone structure rather like a well, in the middle of the façade, is the lift that was used for hoisting heavy ammun…
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C
Town Hall
As you reach the eastern end of ul Długa, look up to the pinnacle of the Town Hall. This tall slim tower, the highest in Gdańsk (81.5m), has a life-sized gilded figure of King Zygmunt II August on top - a reward for his generosity in granting privileges to the city. The town hall has both Gothic and Renaissance elements. The first building was reputedly put up in the 1330s, but it grew and changed until the end of the 16th century.
In 1945 it was almost completely burnt out and the authorities were on the point of demolishing the ruin, which was eventually saved thanks to local protests.
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D
Artus Court
Not many houses have a brand of vodka named after them, but the Artus Court behind the Neptune fountain is perhaps the single best-known house in Gdańsk. The court has been an essential stop for passing luminaries ever since its earliest days, and a photo display in the entrance shows an enviable selection of famous visitors, from King Henry IV of England to a host of contemporary presidents.
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E
Court of the Fraternity of St George
The Court of the Fraternity of St George is a good example of late-Gothic secular architecture, dating from the 1490s. The roof is topped with a 16th-century octagonal tower, with St George and the Dragon on the spire (the 1556 original is in Gdańsk's National Museum).
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