Travels

Wisłoujście Fortress

  • 9 September 201810 May 2021

Due to renovation works, that will last until 2024, museum is closed in 2021, it will be partly opened starting from 2022.

Wisłoujście Fortress (literally mouth of Vistula river fortress) was located at the mouth of Vistula river in order to protect Gdańsk from invasion from the sea. Since it was build, Vistula moved more sand and additional land was formed at the north of fortress (mainly Westerplatte) so now fortress is not at the mouth of the Vistula, but 2,5 km from it.

It’s construction begun in 1308, but it was modified and expanded numerous time through history. During second world war it was severy damaged, but was rebuild after war. Now it serves as a museum.

Entrance to the fortress.

Central tower served also as a lighthouse. Around central tower are officers living quarters.

If you look at the other side you will see barracks.

Sightseeing of the museum is done every one hour with a tourguide. A part of the tour is going to the viewpoint on top of the tower.

Eastern view: you can see barracks inside fortress and in the distant cranes from the container port.

North eastern view: mainly facilities of the fortress can be seen.

North view: Vistula river near it’s mouth.

South western view: Vistula river seen towards Gdańsk historical city center, you can also see cranes of the shipyard.

Artillery at the bottom of fortress.

Travels

Tower Clock Museum

  • 2 September 201822 April 2021

Tower Clock Museum is located in bell tower of St. Catherine Church, at 54°21’14″N 18°39’04″E.

In this museum you can see many clocks and clock mechanisms installed in varius towers. Mechanisms are shown to the public and everybody can see how they work.

Entry ticket to the Tower Clock Museum is 10 zł.

To enter the museum you need to go to a small entrance near main entrance to the church and go several dozens of small and narrow steps until you finally arrive at first floor of museum.

Clock with the longest pendulum in the world – 31,22 m. Of course not whole pendulum is shown, it stretches through few floors.

Second floor.

Third floor – there are no clocks in here, but on this floor is 50-bell carillon.

Top view on carillon.

Going higher takes you to the view point atop of St. Catherine’s Church bell tower.

Western view: building at the bottom of the picture is Wielki Młyn (Great mill), further to the west, covered partially by trees, is Old City Town Hall and left to him and little behind is St. Joseph Church. At the right side of the picture you can see Gdańsk Główny railway station.

Southern view: the most noticaable buildings in the center of the picture are market hall and just behind it St. Nicolaus Basilica. The tower next to them is Baszta Jacek a part od Gdańsk’s old fortifications. Behind church you can clearly see St. Mary’s Basilica, on the left side of the picture is St. John’s Church.

Eastern view: just behind the back of St. Catherine Church you can see St. Brigitte Basilica. Far left you can see cranes of the Gdańsk Shipyard.

Northern view: St. Catherine Church is located at the edge of Gdańsk’s historical city center and northern view is already outside of it. Buildings visible are Mercure hotel, Organica Trade office bulding and the green one in the distant is Zieleniak.

Landscape

Amber museum and Katownia

  • 26 August 201810 May 2021

Katownia was first a one of the gates leading inside the city, later expanded and served as a prison, court room, it had also a torture chambers. Now there is located Amber museum together with small museum of building history. Atop of tower is also a view point. In the same bulding, but at the ground floor is amber jewellery shop.

Katownia is located in Gdańsk’s Main City district at 54°20’59″N 18°38’50″E.

Ticket prices:

Normal price 16 zł, reduced 8 zł.

Viewpoint, normal price 10 zł, reduced 5 zł.

You can also buy 90 day pass to all eight branches of Gdańsk municipal museums, normal price 80 zł, reduced 50 zł.

On Wednesdays entrence is free. See https://muzeumgdansk.pl/index.php?id=362&L=1 for current information.

 

The sightseeing begins with the amber museum.

Amber is gathered in many places all around the world and each place has it’s own characteristic amber.

Amber is a resin that have fallen into a water and hardened. Sometimes an insect (in rare cases something bigger) falls into resin resulting in amber with preserved insect exactly how it looked millions of years ago.

Throughout history a jewellery was made out of amber. Because for a few centuries Gdańsk was the wealthiest city in Poland (and the wealthiest city on Baltic sea and one of the wealthiest cities in Europe), many amber jewelers lived here.

Amber variation of Fabergé egg.

At the highest floor of Prison Tower a viewpoint is located.

East view: at the bottom of the picture we can see parts of Katownia building, close to the Katownia is Brama Wyżynna (High gate), the whole complex of buildings just beside the street is shopping mall.

Northern view: the most part of this view is a square called Targ Węglowy, there is a scene and many merchants tents because i took the picture during St. Dominic’s Fair. Behind the scene is theatre building (Teatr Wybrzeże) and behind theatre you can see the tower of St. Catherine’s Church in which The Bell Tower Clock Museum is located. Four roofs together at the right side is the Grand Armory.

Western view: you can clearly see Złota Brama (Golden Gate) at which Long Lane begins with Main City Town Hall at the end of the street. On the left of Złota Brama is The Court of St. George Brotherhood. The big tower on the left is St. Mary’s Basilica bell tower. Smaller tower even further on the left is St. John’s Church bell tower.

There is no souther view as it is not available for the public.

Katownia’s inner yard.