Do it in the Tri-City! Alternative guide - part two
One of the municipal parks in Gdańsk - Oliwski Park / fot. Kamil Gozdan / Agencja Gazeta
Gdańsk, Opata Jacka Rybińskiego
In Gdańsk there are a few municipal parks, some small, some big, some in good condition, others in urgent need of revitalisation. But the most famous is the park in Oliva. It dates from the first half of the 18th century and was founded by the abbot Jacek Rybiński, the great Oliva reformer, whose name is now borne by the main street in this part of the district. The greater part of the park was designed in the French style and is therefore very ordered, symmetrical and elegant. It's an ideal place to take a breather from the chaos of the city - even though it's right next to the main route between Gdańsk and Sopot, you can cut yourself off from civilisation here. The harmony of flowerbeds, borders and water features or the incredible scent of exotic plants, specially imported into Oliva all definitely help. Plant-lovers should also take themselves off to the conservatory, with its huge palms and other plants from climatic conditions altogether different from the Polish.
The park has several extraordinary spots, prepared by its designers with a view to making the casual walker even happier. One of these is the whispering grotto, which uses amazing, if straightforward, acoustics: if a person standing in one of the semi-circular grottoes whispers a few words, a second, standing in the other, a few metres away, can hear them with no problem. Another attraction is the little waterfall, where children, or teenagers trying to impress their classmates, eagerly jump over the stones. In the largest of the park's ponds, you can even see large carp. Granted, they may look gigantic, but the urban myth that they can pull little dogs playing by the edge into the water is just a flight of fancy.
The Abbot's Palace forms the centrepoint of the park. Once the seat of the heads of the abbey, today it houses the Modern Art Department of the National Museum. From there it's just a few steps to the Abbot's Granary, where, in turn, you can admire the collection of the Ethnographic Department. From day to day, the park is a place for walking and playing truant. In August, for the last few years, it's also been the scene of Parking - an unusual event which combines elements of a lazy summer picnic with the most varied examples of contemporary art, and the Mozartiana - a unique festival during which the Viennese Master's work can be heard al fresco or in period interiors.
www.mozartiana.pl