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Gdańsk & Pomerania

Cream-hued beaches shelving smoothly into the nippy Baltic Sea, wind-crafted dunes vivid against leaden skies, stern red-brick churches and castles erected by a medieval order of pious knights, and silenced shipyards that once seethed with anti-communist tumult – this is Pomerania, Poland’s north, a land with many faces.

The epicentre of Pomerania is Gdańsk, northern Poland’s metropolis, a rapidly modernising city with a photogenic historic centre. Like most of the region, Gdańsk has changed hands many times over the centuries, each invader and overseer bequeathing a layer of architecture and culture for today’s visitors to enjoy.

Away from the beaches and Gdańsk’s miracles in red brick you’ll discover Kashubia, a region that keeps the traditional fires burning, including its own language – the perfect place to slow down and escape Poland’s beaten tracks.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Gdańsk & Pomerania.

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Malbork Castle
Malbork’s blockbuster attraction is its show-stoppingly massive castle sitting on the banks of the sluggish Nogat River, an eastern arm of the Vistula. The construction of Marienburg (Fortress of Mary) was begun by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century and was the headquarters of the order for almost 150 years; its vast bulk is an apt embodiment of its weighty history. Visits are by self-guided tour with audio guide. Allow at least three hours to do the place justice. The immense castle took shape in stages. First was the so-called High Castle, the formidable central bastion that was begun around 1276. When Malbork became the capital of the order in 1309, the fortress was expanded considerably. The Middle Castle was built to the side of the high one, followed by the Lower Castle still further along. The whole complex was encircled by three rings of defensive walls and strengthened with dungeons and towers. The castle eventually spread over 20 hectares, making it the largest fortress built anywhere in the Middle Ages. The castle was seized by the Polish army in 1457, during the Thirteen Years’ War, when the military power of the knights had started to erode. Malbork then became the residence of Polish kings visiting Pomerania, but from the Swedish invasions onwards it gradually went into decline. After the First Partition in 1772, the Prussians turned it into barracks, destroying much of the decoration and dismantling sections of no military use. In the 19th century the Marienburg was one of the first historic buildings taken under government protection, becoming a symbol of medieval German glory. Despite sustaining damage during WWII, almost the entire complex has been preserved, and the castle today looks much as it did six centuries ago, dominating the town and the surrounding countryside. The best view is from the opposite side of the river (you can get there via the footbridge), especially in the late afternoon when the brick turns an intense red-brown in the setting sun. The visitor experience has been much improved recently with a new, chattier style of audio guide that works using GPS, a set route (no more getting lost and seeing only half the rooms) and several new exhibitions. The ticket office has left-luggage lockers, toilets and refreshments. The entrance to the complex is from the northern side, through what used to be the only way in. From the main gate, you walk over the drawbridge, then go through five iron-barred doors to the vast courtyard of the Middle Castle. On the western side (to your right) is the Grand Masters’ Palace, which has some splendid interiors including the kitchen with its 6m-wide fireplace and the Great Refectory, the largest chamber in the castle at 450 sq metres. The remarkable ceiling has its original palm vaulting preserved. Peek into the Grand Master's private loo before heading to the other side of the courtyard where there's a collection of period weapons and armour on display and an excellent Amber Museum – the latter would be a major place of interest in its own right, were it anywhere else. Amber was an important source of revenue for the Teutonic Knights – they controlled the entire Baltic coast where it is found. The tour then continues to St Anne's Chapel where 12 Grand Masters were buried. The clever audio guide then leads you to the High Castle, over another drawbridge and through a gate to a spectacular arcaded courtyard that has a reconstructed well in the middle. This was the monastical part of the castle where monks would sit in session in the Chapter House before heading for their meat and mead in the striking refectory. The mock-up of the monks' kitchen is an aromatic affair with nary a potato or tomato in sight. Another memorable halt is the gdaniska, the knights’ loo perched high atop its own special tower and connected to the castle by a walkway. Perhaps it was one of the order who coined the phrase ‘long drop’ as he reached for the cabbage leaves they used for toilet paper. One of the most striking interiors here is St Mary’s Church, accessed through a beautiful Gothic doorway, known as the Golden Gate. This is where the brothers would have met to pray every three hours, 24/7, but it was the part most damaged during the bombardment of 1945. Renovation ended in 2016, the walls left as bare brick as a powerful reminder of the Red Army shells. Throughout the castle look out for the interesting underfloor heating system in many of the rooms and the little Gothic stucco figures pointing the way to the nearest WC. New exhibitions along the way examine conservation efforts over the last 200 years, oriental weaponry and Malbork under the Polish Crown.
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Museum of WWII
Opened in 2016, this striking piece of modern architecture is a bold addition to the northern end of Gdańsk's waterfront. It has rapidly become one of Gdańsk's must-visit attractions, tracing the fate of Poland during the world's greatest conflict and focusing on the human suffering it caused. Few leave unmoved. Covering 5000 sq metres, an absolute minimum of three hours is needed to do the main exhibition justice. Note that the museum is not suitable for children of any age. The museum is divided into 18 sections, each one looking at an aspect of WWII and arranged (mercifully) in chronological order. Free maps are handed out with your ticket. Things kick off with the causes of the war – Nazi propaganda posters – and end with the Cold War – Communist propaganda posters. In between particularly striking exhibits include a huge mock-up of an interwar Warsaw street, the Holocaust section with its hundreds of Jewish faces rising 7m to the ceiling, a Sherman tank, an interesting section on meetings between the allies in Tehran, Casablanca, Moscow and Yalta and a massive, film-set-like bombed Warsaw courtyard complete with Russian tank. Room after room of uniforms, weapons, maps, documents and harrowing footage, all with brief explanations in English, will take up most of your time – you could literally spend an entire day here. Little things to look out for along the way are the Nazi Christmas decorations bearing little swastikas, an Oscar-nominated film called Siege, shot by a US journalist in the first days of the Nazi invasion of Poland, personal objects belonging to both sides in the siege of Leningrad, artefacts from the Katyń massacre site and the radios sold in Czechoslovakia bearing little stickers promising the death penalty for listening to the BBC. There's also a section dedicated to Polish resistance, but surprisingly little about Gdańsk itself. The building itself – all bare concrete painted black and grey – creates a heavy, sombre atmosphere. Many visitors leave visibly dazed, so powerful is the story this superb museum tells. Only 200 visitors an hours are permitted to enter the Museum of WWII so to avoid the queues, make sure you buy your ticket in advance online. The museum is free on Tuesdays but the 200-visitor limit still applies and tickets are sold on a first-come-first-served basis. Get there early.
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European Solidarity Centre
Opened in 2014, and housed in a truly awful example of 21st-century architecture (its rusty steel plates were designed to evoke ships under construction), this exhibition has quickly become one of Gdańsk's unmissable museums. Audio guides clamped to ears, visitors wander through seven halls examining Poland's postwar fight for freedom, from the Gdańsk shipyard strikes of the 1970s to the round-table negotiations of the late 1980s and beyond. The displays blend state-of-the-art multimedia with real artefacts. Allow at least two hours. Each hall is lettered and the exhibition runs chronologically from A to G. Hall A takes you to the 1970s shipyard, with yellow docker helmets lining the ceiling and a battered electric truck, the type Lech Wałȩsa once worked on as an electrician. Film footage includes the negotiations between dockers and the communist regime and the signing of the 1980 agreements (the oversized comedy pen Wałȩsa used to sign is sadly missing but you can buy a replica in the museum shop). Hall B is all communist-era interiors, a fascinating retro experience that takes you to a prison cell, interrogation room and typical family living room. Solidarity and martial law are the themes of halls C and D, while hall E is a mock-up of the famous round table complete with TV cameras and name badges. An interesting section on the various revolutions across Eastern Europe follows in hall F, while hall G is a spartan affair dedicated to Pope John Paul II. The special hall opposite the ticket desk hosts Polish-themed exhibitions, which are usually free.
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St Mary's Church
Dominating the heart of the Old Town, St Mary’s is often cited as the largest brick church in the world, its massive 78m-high tower dominating the Gdańsk cityscape. Begun in 1343, the building reached its present proportions in 1502. The high altar has a Gothic polyptych from the 1510s, with the Coronation of the Virgin depicted in its central panel. Don't miss the 15th-century astronomical clock in the northern transept, and the church tower (a climb of 405 steps). The church’s elephantine size is arresting and you feel even more antlike when you enter the building. Illuminated with natural light passing through 37 large windows, the three-naved interior, topped by an intricate Gothic vault, is bright and spacious. It was originally covered with frescoes, the sparse remains of which are visible in the far right corner. At first sight, the interior of the church looks almost empty, but walk around its 30-odd chapels to discover how many outstanding works of art have been accumulated. In the floor alone, there are about 300 grave slabs. In the chapel at the back of the northern aisle is a replica of Memling’s The Last Judgment – the original is in the National Museum’s Department of Early Art. The most recent addition is the simple shrine to Paweł Adamowicz, the Gdańsk mayor who was stabbed to death at a charity event in 2019. The shrine contains his ashes.
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Długi Targ
Długi Targ was once the main city market and is now the major focus for visitors. Things have gotten a bit touristy here over the last decade (dubious amber stalls, restaurant touts), but look up from the crowds to appreciate the period architecture, all of which is a very selective postwar rebuild, of course. According to local legend, the Neptune Fountain next to the Town Hall once gushed forth with the trademark Gdańsk liqueur, Goldwasser. As the story goes, it spurted out of the trident one merry night and Neptune found himself endangered by crowds of drunken locals who couldn’t believe their luck. Perhaps that’s why, in 1634, the fountain was fenced off with a wrought-iron barrier. The bronze statue itself was the work of Flemish artist Peter Husen; made between 1606 and 1613, it is the oldest secular monument in Poland. A menagerie of stone sea creatures was added in the 1750s during the restoration of the fountain. The nearby 1618 Golden House, designed by Johan Voigt, has the richest facade in the city. In the friezes between storeys are 12 elaborately carved scenes interspersed with busts of famous historical figures, including two Polish kings. The Long Market is flanked from the east by the Green Gate, marking the river end of the Royal Way. It was built in the 1560s on the site of a medieval defensive gate and was supposed to be the residence of the kings. Today it houses an art gallery.
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Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes
This castle is the mother of all Szczecin monuments. This vast, blocky building looms over the Old Town, but the square central courtyard and simple Renaissance-style decoration atop the walls have a certain understated grace (spot the repeated circular pattern that resembles the Yin and Yang symbol). The castle was originally built in the mid-14th century and grew into its current form by 1577, but was destroyed by Allied carpet bombing in 1944 before being extensively restored. The Castle Museum (Muzeum Zamkowe) allows you to get inside the building where the star exhibits are six spectacular sarcophagi of the Pomeranian dukes. These large tin boxes are decorated with a fine engraved ornamentation and were made between 1606 and 1637 by artists from Königsberg. Following the death of the last Pomeranian duke, Bogusław XIV, the crypt was walled up until the sarcophagi were discovered during restoration work in 1946, after the castle’s wartime destruction. The remains of the dukes were deposited in the cathedral, while the least-damaged sarcophagi were restored for display. Various temporary exhibitions and displays of art take place in other rooms of the castle. In summer, concerts and opera are held in the courtyard (www.opera.szczecin.pl). The castle also houses a restaurant, a cinema and a decent gift shop.
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National Maritime Museum
This is a sprawling exhibition covering Gdańsk's role as a Baltic seaport through the centuries. The headquarters, the multimillion-euro Maritime Cultural Centre, has a permanent interactive exhibition 'People-Ships-Ports'. Other exhibitions (which can be visited individually with separate tickets) include the MS Sołdek, the first vessel to be built at the Gdańsk shipyard in the postwar years, and the Żuraw, a 15th-century loading crane that was the biggest in its day. The granaries across the river house more displays. The granary exhibits on Ołowianka Island illustrate the history of Polish seafaring from the earliest times to the present day. They include models of old sailing warships and ports, a 9th-century dugout, navigation instruments, ships’ artillery, flags and the like. Another interesting exhibit is a collection of salvaged items from the General Carleton, a British ship that mysteriously disappeared in the Baltic in 1785. The museum's ferry service (per trip 1.50zł, free with the ticket for all sites), shuttles between the crane and the island every 15 minutes.
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Ulica Mariacka
The most atmospheric of all Gdańsk's streets and one of Poland’s most photogenic lanes is this length of cobbles between the waterfront St Mary’s Gate and the red-brick hulk of St Mary’s Church. Almost completely re-created after WWII, mostly on the basis of old documents, photographs and illustrations, every ornamental detail unearthed from the debris, including countless scary gargoyles, was incorporated. It’s the only street with a complete row of terraces, which lends the scene enormous charm. In recent years things have really come to life, with several artisan amber jewellery shops, some great cafes and bars, and one of northern Poland’s most characterful hotels (Kamienica Gotyk). Some of the best stalls are set up here during the Dominican Fair.
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Shifting Dunes
The most unusual feature of the national park is the shifting dunes (wydmy ruchome), which create a genuine desert landscape. They’re on the sandbar separating the sea from Lake Łebsko, about 8km west of Łeba. Rommel’s Afrika Korps trained in this desert during WWII, and the site was also a secret missile-testing ground from 1940 to 1945. The dunes are easily reached from Łeba: take the road west to the hamlet of Rąbka (2.5km), where there’s a car park and the gate to the national park. Private minibuses, open-sided electric cars and motorised trains ply this road in summer, from a stop on al Wojska Polskiego, north of the canal. It’s also an easy walk. The sealed road continues into the park for another 3.5km to the site of the rocket launcher, now an outdoor museum. From here a wide path goes on through the forest for another 2km to the southern foot of the dunes, where half-buried trees jut out of the sand. As you walk round the bend from the woods, it’s quite a sight – the pale, immense dunes open up in front of you like a desert dropped into the middle of a forest, with a striking contrast at the line where the trees meet the sand. Continue up the vast dunes for a sweeping view of desert, lake, beach, sea and forest. No cars or buses are allowed beyond the car park. You can walk to the dunes (45 minutes), buy a ticket on one of the small electric cars or rent a bicycle (per hour/day 10/40zł). Coming back, you can either retrace your steps or walk to Łeba along the beach (8km), perhaps stopping for a swim – something you certainly can’t do in the Sahara.