The location in the neighbourhood of the Długi Targ Square made it a very exclusive street, which housed the city's social elite.
Mayors, councillors and wealthy buyers gladly purchased or built their houses on the so-called “Golden Land”, as the rental of a basement on Chlebnicka Street was so profitable, that some citizens earned their money solely by renting rooms for storage of barrels, chests and cloth. The proximity to the coast allowed foreign buyers to store their goods there during the great boom of the port in Gdańsk.
We start the walk through Chlebnicka Street from Targ Wąchany (Smell Market), from where we can admire the back façade of the Artus Court. The name of this place perfectly describes its character. It is here that the quality and freshness of the products were checked by their smell.
Moving further we can admire the two-storey building located under number 2, which is a work of the most famous architect of the old Gdańsk, Anthonis van Obberghen, and which houses the Gdańsk Association of Art Lovers. The beautiful portal under number 10 leads to an interesting pub called “U Szkota”, which amazes with its interior design.
Right behind it, on plot number 14a, there is the Schlieff house. This amazing tenement was supposed to be demolished in 1823; however, the Prussian King Frederick William I was talked into buying the façade and placing it on one of the walls of the Bachelor House on the Peacock Island in Potsdam. The façade was carefully reconstructed and placed on a new tenement house constructed on this site in the 19th Century. It is the richest Gothic façade of a town tenement in Gdańsk.
Under number 16 there is the marvellous English House, built by Hans Kramer as a gift for the Westphalian merchant Dirk Lilie. The design of the house posited the doubling of its size. It is the only tenement house on Chlebnicka Street that encompasses two plots: instead of the typical three windows on the first floor it has six, grouped into two, and the whole building is crowned by two cross roofs with a small tower.
The walk through this picturesque street of the Main City ends with passing through the Chlebnicka Gate, known to have stood here as early as in 1378. Its current appearance could be seen since the 15th Century and it is worth taking a closer look at it. From the Motława side it is beautifully adorned with the crest of Gdańsk from the times of the Teutonic Knights – without the golden crown, which was added by King Casimir IV Jagiellon, while from the side of Chlebnicka Street we can admire a fleur-de-lis which was once the seal of the Dukes of Gdańsk.
