Let yourself be carried away on a journey to the unforgettable world of amber. In the historic, medieval Great Mill in the Old Town of Gdansk, you will see the amber collection in various aspects.
The Amber Museum, The Great Mill, photo by A.Grabowska, mat. MG
The Amber Museum, The Great Mill, photo by A.Grabowska, mat. MG
Upon entering the building, the largest lump of amber in the world, weighing 64, 2 kg, is exhibited on the ground floor.
First floor
We can go up the stairs to the first floor, after learning about the history of the Great Mill, we will start a journey in time. The time tape allows us to go back more than 40 million years. We will learn what amber is, what it is made of, how it was created, what the amber forest was like. We may be surprised that drops, icicles, infiltrations and fillets are the names of natural forms of amber.
Amber Museum exhibits, photo: A.Grabowska, mat.MG
Amber Museum exhibits, photo: A.Grabowska, mat.MG
Gierłowska’s lizard, Gdansk gecko, mantis, solifuga, tarantula spider immersed in amber are unique exhibits of the collection of animal inclusions. In the display cases with inclusions we can see insects in amber, but also snail shells or bird feathers.
Amber Museum, tarantula spider, photo: M. Szczerek
The Amber Museum, tassel, photo: M. Szczerek
A real curiosity are plant inclusions, among them parts of leaves, needles, cones, fragments of bark, wood, which confirm the variability of the climate in that period. Looking at the exhibits, we will notice a different number of air bubbles, the least in yellow, reddish, beige and brown varieties, it increases with white and not transparent varieties and in bluish lumbs.
Amber Museum, The Great Mill, photo by A.Grabowska, mat. MG
Amber Museum, The Great Mill, photo by A.Grabowska, mat. MG
Another issue that we will get acquainted with on the 1st floor of the exhibition is the activity of the glacier, the transport of amber and post-glacial deposits in Poland.
On the boards and photographs, we will see the activities of amber fishermen, in order to obtain amber in the past and today, from collecting, “searching”, “gathering”, to its extraction on an industrial scale. Today, in the coastal belt, amber is extracted using the hydraulic method, and a mine has been established near Lubartow that extracts Baltic amber.
At the exhibition Amber in medicine, we will learn about the properties and methods of treatment from antiquity. It was used to treat tonsils, diseases of the throat, ears and eyes. It was believed that it lowered the temperature and reduced headaches. Healing recipes, amber tinctures, pomades are elements of this collection.
Second floor
The exhibition on the second floor opens with an archaeological section.
Amber in culture are examples of the use of Baltic amber from the oldest times. At the exhibition presented by solar amulets, in rituals in the form of idols and animal figurines. We can get acquainted with the course of the trade of Amber Route. Cutlery, boxes, rings and devotional items came from medieval workshops. Examples from this period in the exhibition include Madonnas, figurines of saints, figures of Jesus Christ and amber rosaries created in the workshops of “paternostermachers”.
Amber Museum, The Great Mill, photo: A.Grabowska, mat. MG
However, the most valuable and beautiful objects come from the “golden period” of Gdansk’s development, when the city was one of the most important centers of the amber craft.
In the Amber Museum, you can admire many examples of great monuments of old art, such as cabinets, caskets, chess, thrones, altars, medallions, cutlery, mugs, and flirting amber game. A valuable exhibit is the amber chess set by Michael Redlin (1690-1700), there are only four such sets in the world.
Contemporary arts and crafts and modern jewelery by eminent designers are also of interest. Rings with inclusions, silver pins with amber and malachite, bracelets, rings, necklaces, brooches will please the eye even those who do not wear jewelry.
Amber sculptures, the Feberge Egg, a fruit platter made of silver and amber, an amber guitar, and the Amber Nightingale award statuette show how this resin can be used.
Modern design and inspiration of contemporary artists with amber, combined with various raw materials, of various shapes and forms, completes the permanent exhibition at the Amber Museum.
The museum is adapted to people with disabilities. On the first floor there is a family corner – an educational place for children. Map with the itinerary of visiting the Amber Museum.
Map with the itinerary of visiting the Amber Museum.
