Gdansk

Destination Highlights

1. Wisłoujscie Fortress

   The tower is the oldest element of the fortress. The first tower was erected by the Teutonic Knights during the 14th Century. Made from brick in cylinder shape, it was about 20 metres high. The addition of Fort Carré caused the tower to rise by another 11 metres. At that time, a cupola was added to the tower. The tower was rebuilt after the fire in the 18th Century. In 1758 it ceased to act as a lighthouse. After World War II, it was destroyed; the reconstruction of the cupola was abandoned during the rebuilding of the tower. The Wisłoujście Fortress is currently a department of the Gdańsk Historical Museum. The condition of the Fortress was influenced by numerous factors, including the late start of the reconstructions and the vicinity of a sulphur-processing plant in the nineteen sixties and seventies. Today, the Wisłoujście Fortress has been renovated and is open to visitors.

   
2. The Gdańsk Lighthouse and Time Ball

   One of the most beautiful lighthouses of Northern, this 90-feet-tall structure was built in 1893 and put in service in 1984 and, according to a legend, it was a twin of the most beautiful lighthouse of America - the lost Main Lighthouse of Cleveland, Ohio. It was also the first lighthouse on the Baltic Sea to use electricity. Situated at the entrance of the harbor of Gdańsk, the Nowy Port lighthouse combined three distinct functions: that of a coastal lighthouse, a harbor pilots tower, and a time ball station. Like in Greenwich, England, the time ball, which measured 5 feet in diameter and weighed 150 pounds, dropped every day at noon to give a precise time signal to the captains of the ships lying at anchor in the Bay of Gdańsk, to allow them to adjust their chronometers, which in turn allowed them later to establish their ship's position (more precisely the longitude) on the open sea. The Gdańsk Nowy Port Lighthouse, the Grand Old Dame of Gdańsk, is often described as the most beautiful, most interesting, and the best kept lighthouse of the Polish coast. This historic monument also offers its visitors a chance to admire its unique architecture and an unsurpassed view of the Gdańsk Harbor, Westerplatte, and the whole Bay of Gdańsk, including the Hel Peninsula.

   
3. St Dominic’s Fair

   St Dominic’s Fair in Gdańsk is the largest trade and cultural outdoor event in Poland and one of the largest such events in Europe. Every August, over 1000 merchants, artists, artisans and collectors put up their stalls in the historical city centre. During three weeks in the peak of the tourist season numerous cultural events take place among the walls of ancient Gdańsk, including: a brass-bands festival, the holiday of street theatres, amber festival, festival of children artistic groups, along with rock concerts and fireworks displays. Saint Dominic’s Fair has enjoyed 750 years of tradition. It was established by the decree of Pope Alexander IV in the year 1260. Every year St Dominic’s Fair attracts numerous tourists to Gdańsk from all over Poland, as well as from abroad.