Gdansk, Poland ~ Cruise Stop #5

 Our ship docked in Gdynia, Poland, a sister city of Gdansk. OFD and I booked a Highlights of Gdansk tour offering a bus ride with narration and tour guide from the port city of Gdynia, through the resort town of Sopot, to our destination of Gdansk along the Motlawa River. 

Along the way, our knowledgeable tour guide pointed out the modest home of the former president of Poland, Lech Walesa. (Some of you will know who that is!)

The Green Gate, one of three entrances to historic Gdansk from the Motlawa River

The Green Gate was built between 1568 and 1571 as the formal residence of Poland's monarchs by an Amsterdam architect. It is one of the 3 gates along the Motlawa River. Today, it houses the National Museum of Gdansk. The office of former Polish President Lech Walesa is in one of the rooms.

statues atop The Green Gate

buildings to the right of The Green Gate

Gdansk: a 1000-year-old Hanseatic city; was once Europe's major center of grain trade; used its wealth to erect beautiful burgher houses, town halls, armory, and churches; was almost entirely destroyed during WWII, which started in Gdansk; the city rose from ashes. 

The Crane

National Maritime Museum

The Crane, dating back to 1367, is a spectacular example of a medieval port crane, unique on a European scale; it is also the only surviving twin-tower gate in Gdańsk. ~ The Crane

buildings to the left of The Green Gate

buildings on the other side of the Motlawa River, across from Old Town Gdansk

unique facade of the brown building; is a tavern on the street level

looking through The Green Gate

As birthplace of the Solidarity Movement, Gdansk initiated a process that freed Eastern Europe from Communist oppression.

colorful buildings of Flemish architecture 

Brama Chlebnicka Gate

Brama Chlebnicka was the oldest of the three main Gothic water gates and the one that suffered the least damage in the bombings of World War II, requiring the least amount of rebuilding work. We entered the Old Town through this gate on our tour.

rain gutter

Mariacka Street is the centre of Gdańsk’s amber jewellery trade the ornate stonework decorations (with some very bizarre designs) of former merchant houses now turned into craft shops.

artistic concrete markers for the different buildings

painted pots of flowers 

another unique entrance to a building on Mariacka street

Archcathedral Basilica of St. Mary 

The cornerstone for this church was first laid in March 1343. It was built in stages over the next 159 years. It is Europe's largest brick church building. Over the centuries, the church has changed denominations: originally Catholic, later Evangelical (Lutheran), and since the end of World War II, it has returned to Catholicism, like most churches in Gdańsk. (It was also the second largest Lutheran church in the world from the 16th century until 1945.) ~ variety of sources

high altar built in 1510-1517

The basilica features a copy of Hans Memling's triptych "The Last Judgment", with the original housed in the National Museum in Gdańsk. That is the wooden piece at the lower part of the stained glass window.

The church building was heavily damaged in WWII. The church was full of students attending a class of sorts (according to our guide), so we were unable to walk around and were limited to one of the side aisles. The vaulted ceilings were a work of art in themselves. 26 pillars support the vaulted ceilings.

a door to another part of the church

The church has 7 spires, 3 ceramic towers, and a massive 82 m high belfry with two roofs, between which is an observation deck.

the pulpit

There are seven street entrances to the church.

the organ

Reconstruction, after WWII, began in 1952 and upon completion in 1955, the church became a Catholic church.

The floor consists of about 400 tombstones, under which distinguished residents of Gdańsk were buried. The oldest tombstone is from 1411. The first mayors of Gdańsk, Konrad Leczkow and Arnold Hecht, are buried under it. ~ AI

 Pieta (from around 1410)

Astronomical Clock

This impressive clock, created by Hans Düringer between 1464-1470, is a complex mechanism that displays the time, date, moon phases, zodiac signs, and a calendar of saints. ~ AI

Neptune Fountain

The fountain opened in 1633 and has undergone numerous renovations, especially after the damage in WWII. In 1988, fig leaves were added to Neptune's body.

Neptune Fountain 

The Town Hall in the background on the left

Artus Court in the background on the right

Artus Court used to be a meeting place for merchants, a venue for meetings, balls and events. Later it was adopted for the purposes of the grain exchange. ~ Visit Gdansk/Museum of Gdansk

Fontanna Czterech Kwartalow (or Four Quarters Fountain) 

The fountains have coloured lights set into their bases and can produce fabulous light and water shows to entertain people. 

Having perogies for lunch was on OFD list. This was the place she had chosen; however, they did not start serving them for lunch until after 11:30, and we needed to meet our tour group around that time. Thus, no perogies in Poland for us!

just one of those interesting things I saw while wandering in Old Town

The Town Hall or Rathaus

The origins of Town Hall (Rathaus) go down to the Middle Ages. From mid-15th century and up to the year 1921 it was the seat of the city authorities. This Gothic and Renaissance building features one of the most beautiful Renaissance halls in Northern Europe. ~ Visit Gdansk/Museum of Gdansk

geocaching souvenir from Poland

Next: Berlin