Walk in Gdańsk: Main Town
Gdańsk. Ratusz / fot. Renata Dąbrowska / Agencja Gazeta
In the Old Town there is no grander or more valuable secular building which symbolises the power of old Gdańsk. It was once the seat of the city, with a soaring tower, towering above the Old Town, yet the current structure is unfortunately only a copy of the original building. The Town Hall was built in stages, for well over a century, from 1379 until 1492. Later of course it was extended; the three wings of the existing courtyard were completed at the end of the sixteenth century, during the years 1593-1596. From this period there is also a sundial with the Latin phrase: Our days are shadows, placed on one of the corners. The 80-metre tower's cupola, designed by the master Dirk Daniels from Zealand, consists of metal crowns, and a gold-plated statue of the then ruler - King Zygmunt Augustus. Unfortunately, the Town Hall, like most of the Old Town during the war, was completely destroyed. Its reconstruction took a quarter of a century, until 1970. It no longer fulfils its former function and is now the seat of the Gdańsk History Museum, which offers, among others, an exhibition of the history of the city. The Town Hall is still impressive and is decorated in a Dutch Mannerism style. In particular, there is the unusual Great Council Hall, which is also called the Red Hall. Its interior is a work of such masters as Hans Vredeman de Vries, Izaac van den Blocke and Simon Herle. Stunning! The room's ceiling is adorned with as many as 25 paintings by Izaac van den Blocke - the most famous of these is 'Apoteoza Gdańska' ('the Apotheosis of Gdańsk') - its symbolic eloquence depicts the patterns and norms of moral conduct for the city. The tower is also very popular among tourists because of the viewing gallery, where from a height of approximately 50m it offers a panoramic view of Gdańsk.