Gdańsk: If you have more time...
, ostatnia aktualizacja 2012-06-08 14:55:52
The Torture House/DerHexer/CC/Wikimedia
The Torture House and Prison Tower - initially it did not fulfil these functions. It was constructed on ul. Długa in the second half of the fourteenth century as a medieval fortification of the City of Gdańsk. The two parts are connected by a so-called neck at the Gateway to form the Barbican and the walls of the gate were connected over a moat filled with water. In the fifteenth century, the Prison Tower was added to with the highest floor of the arches in the shape of a 'donkey back,' carried out by Henryk Hetzel. Michał Enkinger crowned the spire with a pavilion roof and four slender corner towers. The roof was burned down in 1577 during the siege of Gdańsk by Stefan Batory's troops. From 1593 to 1604 the reconstruction of the Torture House continued in turn, led by Antoni van Obberghen. There were also decorations made by Willem van der Meera. After the elevation of the modern earthen fortifications in the second half of the sixteenth century, the function of the whole building changed, fulfilling the purpose of a torture chamber, courtroom and prison. On the eastern side of the Prison Tower was a pillory, where many executions took place. Since 2000, the Torture House and Tower have been home to the Amber Museum, forming part of the Gdańsk History Museum. Gdańsk claims to be the world capital of amber. The museum collects natural, historical, and artistic objects to create a multifaceted exhibition whereby the Gdańsk amber collection will be able to be presented to the world. Here you can learn about the history of amber-craft from the earliest times to the present day. Amber is presented in its various aspects: geological, physical, chemical and natural. You can see the layers of the material, its production, history, trade routes, and the tradition of amber as a therapeutic agent, a magical stone as well as being a research and artistic material.