Must-see attractions in Gdańsk

  • 2F5XA5T Gdansk, Poland - Sept 9, 2020: The Museum of Second World War, Gdansk, Poland

Museum of WWII

    Museum of WWII

    Gdańsk

    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…

  • Wall spelling out the Solidarity logo in Polish, composed of small red and white pieces of card.

    European Solidarity Centre

    Gdańsk

    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),…

  • Poland, St Mary's Church Largest Brick Church In World

    St Mary's Church

    Gdańsk

    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…

  • Gdansk, Long Market Dlugi Targ

    Długi Targ

    Gdańsk

    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…

  • Exterior of National Maritime Museum on the Motlawa River.

    National Maritime Museum

    Gdańsk

    This is a sprawling exhibition covering Gdańsk's role as a Baltic seaport through the centuries. The headquarters, the multimillion-euro Maritime Cultural…

  • ulica Mariacka (St Mary Street).

    Ulica Mariacka

    Gdańsk

    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…

  • Artus Court Museum

    Gdańsk

    Rising in all its embellished grandeur behind the Neptune Fountain, the Artus Court is perhaps the single best-known house in Gdańsk. The court has been…

  • St Bridget's Church

    Gdańsk

    Founded over 700 years ago, St Bridget’s was reduced to medieval brick dust in 1945, and until 1970 only the outer walls were left standing. Very little…

  • Statue of Neptune in front of the town hall in Gdansk, Poland.

    Town Hall

    Gdańsk

    Dominating Długi Targ, Gdańsk's impressive Gothic-Renaissance town hall boasts the city's highest tower at 81.5m. It is home to the Historical Museum of…

  • National Museum's Department of Early Art

    Gdańsk

    Located just outside the Main Town, the National Museum’s Department of Early Art is housed in the vaulted interiors of a former Franciscan monastery. It…

  • Historical Museum of Gdańsk

    Gdańsk

    This museum is located in the historic town hall, which claims Gdańsk’s highest tower at 81.5m. The showpiece is the Red Room (Sala Czerwona), done up in…

  • Żuraw

    Gdańsk

    Part of the National Maritime Museum, the oh-so conspicuous Gdańsk Crane soars above the busy waterfront. Built in the mid-15th century as part of the…

  • Oliwa Cathedral

    Gdańsk

    The first surprise as you approach the cathedral is the facade, a striking composition of two slim octagonal Gothic towers with a central baroque portion…

  • St Nicholas' Church

    Gdańsk

    Erected by the Dominican order on its arrival from Kraków in 1227, this is one of Gdańsk’s oldest places of Christian worship and it feels that way inside…

  • St Catherine's Church

    Gdańsk

    The largest monument of the Old Town is St Catherine’s Church, Gdańsk's oldest, which was begun in the 1220s. It was the parish church for the entire town…

  • Golden Gate

    Gdańsk

    Built in 1612, the Golden Gate was designed by Abraham van den Block, son of the man behind the decoration of the Upland Gate. It's a sort of triumphal…

  • Guardhouse No 1

    Gdańsk

    The Westerplatte area is famous for one thing: it was here, at 4.45am on 1 September 1939, that the first shots of WWII were fired during the German…

  • Neptune Fountain

    Gdańsk

    According to legend, the Neptune Fountain, next to the Town Hall, once gushed forth with the trademark Gdańsk liqueur, Goldwasser. As the story goes, it…

  • Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers

    Gdańsk

    Just in front of the former shipyard gates, the striking Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers commemorates those killed in the riots of 1970. Unveiled…

  • Green Gate

    Gdańsk

    Długi Targ is flanked from the east by the Green Gate, marking the end of the Royal Way. It was built in the 1560s on the site of a medieval defensive…

  • Golden House

    Gdańsk

    The 1618 Golden House, designed by Johan Voigt, has the richest facade in the city. In the friezes between storeys are 12 elaborately carved scenes…

  • Amber Museum

    Gdańsk

    This museum is dedicated to all things amber and the craft of designing and creating amber jewellery. It's located in the Foregate, a former prison and…

  • Royal Way

    Gdańsk

    Lined by the city’s grandest facades, the Royal Way was the route along which the Polish kings traditionally paraded during their periodic visits. Of the…

  • Big Wheel

    Gdańsk

    This London Eye–style big wheel was installed as part of the clean up of Ołowianka Island and is a welcome addition to this part of the city. The ride…

  • Uphagens' House

    Gdańsk

    This historic 18th-century residence features ornate furniture. As you pass beyond the kitchen, take a minute to browse the family tree and history of the…

  • Gdańsk Shipyard

    Gdańsk

    Gdańsk’s former Lenin Shipyard is a key fragment of 20th-century European history. It was here that the first major cracks in Eastern Europe’s communist…

  • Old Town Hall

    Gdańsk

    The Old Town Hall was once the seat of the Old Town council. A well-proportioned Renaissance building crowned with a high central tower typical of its…

  • Foregate

    Gdańsk

    The large 15th-century construction known as the Foregate consists of the Torture House (Katownia) to the west and a high Prison Tower (Wieża Więzienna)…

  • Great Arsenal

    Gdańsk

    Ul Piwna terminates at the Great Arsenal, an architectural gem. The work of Antonius van Opbergen, it was built at the beginning of the 17th century and,…

  • Upland Gate

    Gdańsk

    This gate at the western end of Royal Way was the traditional entry point for kings. It was built in 1574 as part of the new fortifications, which were…

  • Great Mill

    Gdańsk

    Standing conspicuously opposite St Catherine’s Church, the Great Mill certainly lives up to its name. Created by the Teutonic Knights in northern Poland’s…

  • Sala BHP

    Gdańsk

    The Sala BHP is the former Health and Safety building where the 21 demands were signed off and where strikes were coordinated. The hall has been left…

  • Royal Chapel

    Gdańsk

    Squeezed between two houses just to the north of St Mary’s Church, and completely overshadowed by its massive neighbour, the small Royal Chapel is the…

  • Market Hall

    Gdańsk

    Built on the site of a Dominican monastery, the late-19th-century Market Hall is more interesting for its wrought-iron railway-station architecture than…

  • Bread Gate

    Gdańsk

    This gate was built around 1450 while the city was still under the Teutonic order, as shown by the original city coat of arms consisting of two crosses…

  • Sołdek Museum Ship

    Gdańsk

    The SS Sołdek is a museum ship moored in front of the granaries. Once you’re on board and past the fairly dull introductory video, you can test the limits…

  • Hyacinthus' Tower

    Gdańsk

    The high, octagonal tower rising in front of the market hall is a remnant of the medieval fortifications and dates from around 1400. Today it houses what…

  • House Under the Angels

    Gdańsk

    This palatial edifice is also known as the English House (Dom Angielski), after the nationality of the merchants who owned it in the 17th century when it…

  • Berlin Wall

    Gdańsk

    Near the mammoth headquarters of Solidarność on Wały Piastowskie stands a lonely piece of the Berlin Wall. Next to it stands the wall Lech Wałȩsa climbed…

  • Lighthouse

    Gdańsk

    The first Polish bullets of WWII were fired from the windows of the Nowy Port Lighthouse. Today there are incredible views across the Bay of Gdańsk,…

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