Gdansk like you never knew – a bicycle trip into the unknown

Gdansk... a bicycle trip with history in the background...

Stare Przedmiescie is a historic district of Gdansk, today part of Srodmiescie. It was once an actual suburb of the Main Town, separated from it by a moat. The name Przedmiescie began to be used already in the XVth century, and in 1949 the term “Old” was added. World War II almost completely destroyed this part of the city, but the most important monuments were saved. See what the former suburb of the great Gdansk looks like today and discover its authentic buildings.

It all started with the monks, the history of the monastery in a thousand-year-old city.

Start your tour from the mighty church of St. Trinity, which you can easily reach from the SKM Gdansk Srodmiescie train stop. Did you know that this is the largest Franciscan temple in Poland? Notice the richly decorated gables of the main nave of the church and the adjacent chapel of St. Anna. It is late Gothic architecture of the highest order. The interior will delight you with its spaciousness. You will find many valuable works of sacred art from past eras, from the late Gothic onwards.

​Adjacent to the church is a former monastery building, which today houses the National Museum. The greatest treasure here is Hans Memling’s triptych from the XVth century, “The Last Judgment“. It is one of the most valuable works in Polish museum collections and at the same time an outstanding example of Dutch painting of world class.

Near the monastery complex you will find the second of the Gothic temples in this district of Gdansk. This is the church of St. Peter and Paul, called the parish church of Stare Przedmiescie. It impresses with its size, although it is smaller than its Franciscan neighbour. Driving along the northern facade, you will come across a mysterious, richly decorated stone stele. This is an Armenian khachkar, which was ceremonially unveiled here in 2009 by the then president of Gdansk, Pawel Adamowicz, and an Armenian priest. The church street has since been called Armenian Alley.

Lastadia and Gdansk granaries

Now go to the area of the former Lastadia, the first shipyard in Gdansk mentioned in the XIVth century. Today, there is no trace of it, but the name Lastadia Street has survived. Several old tenement houses and two impressive XIXth-century buildings of the Royal Post Office and the Municipal Junior High School have been preserved here. In recent years, the monuments have regained their former glory.

Along Podwale Przedmiejskie Street you will reach the next district of Srodmiescie, Dolne Miasto. Before this happens, you will cross the bridge over the Old Motlawa River, from which you will see a view of the preserved historic granaries. It is worth immortalizing it in a souvenir photo. One of the granaries houses a branch of the Archaeological Museum – the Blue Lamb. This is a place where you will learn what life was like in medieval Gdańsk and see a lot of treasures unearthed during archaeological research in this part of the city. In a small cinema room you will watch a film about… facial reconstruction.

Since the Middle Ages, Gdansk had been growing rich on maritime trade, and the Motlawa quays were full of impressive granaries with fancy names, e.g.: “Wola Leb”, “Daleka Droga”, “Zlota Sarna”, “Szara Ges” or “Woz Ognisty”. In the first half of the XVIIth century there were over 300 of them and at the beginning of the XIXth century there were as many as 359! It was the largest complex of port warehouses in Europe at that time. Even Amsterdam or Hamburg were not as good as Gdansk in this respect.

On the eastern bank of the Motlawa River – the Dolne Miasto and its attractions

When you pass the next bridge over the Motlawa River and turn into Lakowa Street, you will find yourself in the Dolne Miasto area. This is a district that has preserved a lot of authentic residential buildings from the XIXth and XXth centuries, in particular on the streets: Chlodna, Sempolowska, Szczygla, Krolikarnia, Sluza, Zielona, Przyokopowa and Wierzbowa.

The mentioned Lakowa Street is the main communication route in this part of the city. Pay attention to the most characteristic buildings: the former headquarters of the Gdansk Tobacco Monipoly, company from 1928 (unusual rounded façade), a complex of buildings of the former rifle factory (currently including art studios and a stylish cafe), the neo-Gothic church of St. Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the complex of buildings of the former hospital with the Uphagen manor from 1800 (currently an accommodation facility).

Meetings on the trail, four "Virgins", hot bread and a lonely tower

Dolne Miasto was surrounded from the south by bastions (fortifications in the form of high earth embankments) and a moat. Now, when you go to the Motlawa River Flow (this is the former moat), you will be able to admire the panorama of Gdansk stretching from the top of the Bison bastion. At its foot you will see the Stone Lock, a unique monument of hydrotechnics from the XVIIth century, and the relics of the former railway station. However, in the waters of the Motlawa River, you will find “bathing” “Virgins” – this is the original name of the stone towers located inaccessibly on the remains of the former dyke.

A little further you will pass the Renaissance Lowland Gate and you will find yourself in the Stare Przedmiescie district again. At Dolna Brama Street, visit the inconspicuous bakery of Ryszard Majchrowski, which has been operating here since 1973. You will easily find this place because the smell of baked goods spreads throughout the entire area. No one produces such bread in Gdansk anymore.

On the nearby Walowy Square you will see the XVIIth-century Small Armory. Compared to the famous and elegant Armory in the Main Town, it looks rather modest, but it does not lack charm. The White Tower, which stands alone in the central place of the intersection, is an element of the medieval fortifications of Gdansk. You will also find the remains of Renaissance and late Gothic fortifications in the area of the large parking lot. There used to be huge bastions here, similar to those you saw on the Motlawa River.

Today, the former casemates have been integrated into a multi-story car park. The yellow brick building, resembling a castle in its architecture, is Wiebe’s former barracks, while the brick building adjacent to the White Tower and the Small Armory is the former Polish Junior High School, which was a real “bastion of Polishness” in the interwar period. Both buildings today belong to the Marshal’s Office.

Gdansk Orunia – a district with a unique past

You will reach Orunia through the dyke along the Radunia Canal (did you know that the canal is almost 700 years old and was built by the Teutonic Knights?) Along the way, you have the opportunity to see some very interesting places. Not far from Srodmiescie, on the slopes of a small forest, you will discover the remains of a former Jewish cemetery. It was founded in the XVIth or early XVIIth century and is one of the oldest cemeteries in Poland. Here you will see nearly 500 tombstones and a Neo-Romanesque “ohel”, a Jewish tomb.

A little further along the canal you will pass the Rococo church of St. Ignatius. This is one of the few temples in Gdansk that survived World War II without major damage. Centuries ago, a highly respectable Jesuit college operated next to the church, attended by the creator of our national anthem, Jozef Wybicki.

Orunia Park, which you will reach after a while, is one of the favourite walking places of Gdansk residents. It is not as famous as its counterpart in Oliwa, but after the revitalization carried out a few years ago, it regained its former glory from centuries ago. Lush trees, picturesque ponds and the roaring Orunia Stream will provide you with the right atmosphere to relax.

On the trail of hydrotechnical wonders

On a high hill near the park, it is worth visiting a non-obvious monument – the former Stara Orunia water reservoir, built in 1869. Currently, it is one of the stops on the Gdansk Water Supply Trail.

It was the first drinking water intake in Gdansk, which was supplied to the homes of Gdansk residents using modern waterworks. At that time, it was an absolute miracle of technology and one of the first solutions of this type in Europe.

Once you enter the reservoir, you will be in for quite a surprise. You will find yourself in a huge room filled with water, with countless arches and arcades. Don’t worry, you don’t have to swim, you will move along special openwork footbridges. Entrance to the reservoir is only possible with a guide and the tour must be arranged in advance by phone or purchased a ticket via the website https://szlak.gda.pl/.

Pay attention to the opening time of the reservoir, because most of the year it is a home for bats and is not accessible then. This is one of the largest and most valuable habitats of these animals in northern Poland. The area where the Orunia reservoir is located is an excellent viewpoint over part of Gdansk and the Low Lands. You can get here from Orunia Park on foot by climbing southwards to the Five Brothers Mountain. However, you have to leave your bike in the park and the stands can be found near the manor building in the children’s playground. You can also reach the reservoir by bike, but be prepared for a lot of effort, because the road goes both through the park and the Nowiny Street leads very uphill.

The last highlight of the trip is the Old Market Square in Orunia. This is the historical heart of the district, which is why the most important buildings here are the restored neo-Gothic town hall and the church of St. John Bosco. In the cozy building of the former forge you can drink excellent coffee.

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