Pruszcz Gdanski is a small town located just a few kilometers from Gdansk. For many, it is a typical "bedroom" for the big city, but in reality it is a town with an interesting history that can boast a reconstructed trading post, an attraction that is not found in the entire Pomorskie.
About Faktoria
In the Roman period (Ist-Vth century AD) it was one of the most prosperous trade centers. This settlement was located on the Amber Route surrounded by the waters of a lagoon lake, which connected to the sea via the Vistula River. The contemporary International Baltic Cultural Park Faktoria with a reconstructed trading post and an amphitheatre, playground and skate park is a popular place to visit. Historical reconstructions and many outdoor events take place here. You need to buy a to the Faktoria.
The trading post is modelled on buildings from 2 thousand years ago. The 1.5 hectares of the area are filled with wooden reconstructions, including: the Chieftain’s Cottage, the Market Hall, the Blacksmith’s Cottage and the Amberman’s Cottage, a stone circle, an animal enclosure, an archery track, and a merchant’s stall. The settlement is surrounded by a wooden palisade with four towers, and a wooden gate leads to its interior.
During archaeological excavations, relics of buildings from the Roman period were found in the trading settlement, as well as ornaments, tools and weapons. The main trade material was amber.
Faktoria, photo: Faktoria-pruszcz.pl
The Chieftain's Cottage
It is a wooden house, which, according to the reenactors’ assumptions, is to combine the past with the present. The external appearance of the cottage refers to the period of Roman influence, and an exhibition with multimedia stations was organised inside. They show the results of archaeological research conducted at sites in Pruszcz Gdanski. In the central part there is a tactile map presenting nearby archaeological sites from the Neolithic to the modern period. In addition, films are shown showing the life of ancient communities, as well as work on the construction of the Factories.
Amber Shack
This shack is a reconstruction of a craftsman’s workshop – an amber maker. The tools he used in his daily work and the items he produced are shown here. The jewellery found in the surrounding sites indicates the precision and incredible skills of local amber makers. This building is divided into two rooms. At the entrance there are tools for processing amber: a lathe, knives, files, flint blades, a stone plate for smoothing, a drill for drilling holes, felt and deer skin for final polishing. In the second room, a weaving workshop, a hearth and a furnace have been reconstructed. We will also see a storage hope a primitive pantry, which was used to store food. The external storage pit served as a cellar.
Read more about Amber Route
Faktoria, photo: Faktoria-pruszcz.pl
Blacksmith's Shack
The shack refers to a house from the Roman period. The objects on the display are hand-made from wood and wicker. At the entrance to the cottage there is a fireplace with a bellows and wooden barrels with water, used to harden objects made by the blacksmith. On a wooden stump we will see the tools he used in his daily work: anvils, tongs, hammers, files, punches and others.
The cottage itself is made of oak and coniferous wood. The wooden base is made of torn boards. The cottage has typical household equipment. In the corner of the room there is a rectangular fireplace, a bed covered with leather and handmade woolen fabrics. Next to there is a table and a chest that serves as both a bench for sitting and a hiding place for objects.
Market Hall
The hall is a place for “meetings with archaeology”, as part of educational classes called living history. A big attraction are the reconstructed costumes from the Roman period, both of ordinary residents of “Barbaricum” and soldiers of the Roman army. The films shown in the hall also have an educational character, presenting everyday life in the settlement and telling about amber – the most valuable and beautiful raw material from these areas. A specially prepared excavation has been prepared for the youngest guests, where they can search for treasures like real archaeologists.
Faktoria, photo: Faktoria-pruszcz.pl
Amphitheatre
It is located outside the palisade and is a place for meetings with music, theatre and children’s theatres. Faktoria of Culture is a series of weekend events in the summer. Regularly staged performances and concerts aim to promote art, provide viewers with entertainment and present the latest trends in music and theatre to residents and guests.
The right choice of artists, creative repertoire and efficient organization became the showcase of a professional and unique event, which is gaining more and more sympathy from the audience and a group of regular fans. Faktoria of Culture is a permanent point on the map of cultural tourism in the country.
