The Archaeological Museum in Gdańsk is the largest scientific institution in northern Poland, serving to protect the cultural heritage.
By entering our Museum, we embark on a fascinating journey into the distant past. By following in the trails of the Palaeolithic mammoth and reindeer hunters, we submerge ourselves in a world of magic and forgotten rituals associated with everyday life and funeral ceremonies.
The intriguing symbols on the urns, surprising grave structures, decorative amber and noble metal amulets filled with finesse and high-quality craft, shed some light on the beliefs and perception of the surrounding reality. The unique paleopathological exhibition, which presents the ailments of the ancient people, allows us to gaze into the world of the life and death of our ancestors, to take part in learning about the past.
Aiming to learn about the stormy history of Gdańsk, we reveal the deeply traces of conflicts and fires concealed in the ground, the greatness and wealth, defeats and sieges, splendour and glory of the biggest Hanseatic port on the Baltic Sea. We are introduced to the exotic, mysterious world of ancient Nubia by the exhibition presenting the results of multiyear studies conducted in the valley of the Nile – Sudan. Our collections cover over thirty thousand archaeological, ethnographic, numismatic and environmental exhibitions.
The operations of the Museum cover the collection of all information on the discoveries, gathered, preserved and analysed archaeological collections, the field preservation of archaeological stations through immediate rescue actions and excavation studies, and the determination of the scopes of and guidelines on archaeological protection for areas with planned groundwork.
The results of the research in Gdańsk include the creation of an ecological heritage park in the Great Mill, showing the relics of the milling equipment and the vinitial principles of the structure from the period between the 14th and 17th Centuries, as well as an archaeological heritage park in the undergrounds of the Market Hall, which covers the relics of the oldest Gdańsk church – from the end of the 12th Century. The archaeological work conducted on the restoration of the historical monuments provides new knowledge on the former Gdańsk’s underground city: the tunnels in the complex of the Gatehouse connecting the Torture Hall with Wyżynna Gate, the existing remains of the Teutonic Knight Castle, fragments of the early medieval town of the Gdańsk princes, the old stucco workshops at Lastadia Street and the relics of St. Nicholas’ Roman church and traces of the first Dominican church (this is the first Roman discovery in Gdańsk, something particularly significant to the history of the city).
The venue organises permanent, temporary and road exhibitions. It conducts educational activity through workshops and museum activities, and spectacles such as knights’ tournaments, presentations of past craft, etc. in compliance with the concept of a “live” museum. The venue plays a key role in the formation of the prestige of Pomerania domestically and abroad, by discovering the great history of this land, conducting broad and continuously-expanding cultural and scientific activity, and the effective provision of new terrains to investors and the expansion of the touristic attractiveness of the entire region of Pomerania.
