The most interesting gates in Gdańsk that are worth seeing

Gdańsk is famous for many beautiful monuments, museums and the Old Town with unique tenement houses that may seem typical of the buildings of Old Towns in Western Europe. While walking between the beautiful buildings, you will not miss the exceptionally characteristic gates, which look very individual, each of them is different and unique. When in Gdańsk, you cannot miss visiting these places, it is also worth knowing some interesting facts about them.

The Gdańsk Gates are characterized by great diversity. Many of them are water gates, such as the Green Gate. It was designed by Hans Kramer in 1568. It is the first example of Dutch Mannerism in Gdańsk, a style that shaped the character of the entire city. This is also the first example of the use of small bricks in this place. The purpose of the gate was to serve as a royal residence, but it was not used in this way. Instead, it became the seat of the Natural Sciences Society – one of the oldest organizations in Poland. Today there is a branch of the National Museum in Gdańsk, so we can see interesting temporary exhibitions there and more.

In the name of the gate we can find what it was used for, such as the Cow Gate. It was probably named so because cattle were driven through it. The gate is located on the Motława River and through it you enter the Cow Bridge and then the Granary Island. It is one of the oldest water gates in the city, because it was built in the 14th century in the Gothic style. In the 20th century, it was decided to rebuild it in a historicizing style, but soon afterwards it was returned to its original shape, using preserved medieval fragments.

Being on the above-mentioned Granary Island, we will find another impressive gate, which is the Stągiewna Gate. It is a remnant of the city fortifications, and due to its shape it was also called Milk Pots. Time and historical events were not kind to it – in the 17th century it was rebuilt, only to be damaged at the beginning of the 19th century during the siege of the city by Napoleon’s troops, and then in 1945, when the roofs and interiors were destroyed in a fire. Then, for almost half a century, it was the seat of the ARPO Creative Work Cooperative of Polish Artists, and for ten years it has been in private hands.

On our route to visit the water gates in Gdańsk, the next one is the Chlebnicka Gate. It is unique in that it is the oldest of the preserved late Gothic water gates and is the best preserved gate after World War II, with only a few elements destroyed. We can admire architectural elements typical of the era, such as ogival arches and battlements, although its dating is influenced by another very important detail visible above the entrance – the coat of arms of Gdańsk without a crown, which appeared only in 1457. We will find another symbol interpreted as a lily – the symbol of the princes from the Sobiesławice dynasty ruling in Gdańsk Pomerania.

St. Mary’s Gate located next to the House of Naturalists, like the Chlebnicka Gate, has late Gothic elements, although it differs from the former in greater asymmetry introduced by massive towers placed as flanks. Here we will encounter an interesting phenomenon, the heraldic bow – the coats of arms of Gdańsk and Royal Prussia on the walls bend (“pay homage”) to the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland. St. Mary’s Gate initially had a military purpose, and is now intended for use by the Archaeological Museum. We will be able to see a plaque on the facade honoring the traveler and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, associated with the House of Naturalists.

Undoubtedly, the most recognizable among visitors is the Crane Gate, one of the main symbols of Gdańsk, which cannot be missed, being the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Apart from being a water gate, it is a port crane and, moreover, the oldest and largest of the preserved medieval cranes of this type in Europe. Inside there is a branch of the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk. The crane mechanism was based on two pairs of treadmill wheels powered by the legs of people walking inside. In the 17th century, the Crane began to be used for residential purposes and that’s when window openings were broken. Currently, the wooden part is being reconstructed due to a fire caused after the city was taken over by the Red Army in 1945. It is a unique monument in the world and undoubtedly worth seeing when visiting Gdańsk.

Near the Crane we find the northernmost gate of the Main Town, the Stall Gate. The coats of arms of Poland, Royal Prussia and Gdańsk were carved in it. Currently, it is used for residential purposes; for several years it was home to the famous Polish actor Zbigniew Cybulski. During the summer holidays, during the Dominican Fair in Gdańsk, you can see queues to the stand of the famous traveler – Wojciech Cejrowski.

Saint’s Gate Ducha had a very turbulent history, full of changes and reconstructions. The gate from the 14th century was changed in many respects, after those changes in the 19th century it lost its historical value. In turn, after World War II, there was little left of it. The current building is not a reconstruction, but it is a very interesting object, which is the sum of other Gdańsk gates, which makes it quite original in character.