What a lovely day we had in Gdańsk today! We took the train from Sopot in the morning to explore this wonderful port town, and let me just say we’re defiantly coming back.
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| First views of Gdańsk |
We started the day with a pączek, a traditional polish donut. Warm and filled with raspberry jam, this was the perfect morning treat! Honestly, one of the best ones I’ve ever had.
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| Dobra Pączkarnia Gdańsk makes a great pączek! |
After our morning snack, we visitedthe bell tower of St. Catherine’s Church. The clock in this tower actually has the longest pendulum in the world, according to Guinness World Records. Part of the bell tower is a museum and there were lots of intricate old clocks to look at.
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| Display of old bells |
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| Artful clock |
The bell tower contains a carillon, which is one of the rarest and largest instruments in the world! It is comprised of around 23 interconnected and tuned bells which are played by a wooden keyboard. We were lucky enough to be visiting during the weekly 11am Friday carillon concert, so we got to hear this beautiful instrument.
We also got to overlook the beautiful city with the sounds of the bells in the background…such a cool experience!
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| Birds-eye view of the city |
Next, we visited the church of St. Bridget which has a very intricate history and played a key part in the 1980 Gdańsk Shipyard strikes. These strikes marked the beginning of the Solidarność in Poland, a social movement against the communist regime.
Not only does the church have a rich history, but it also contains the world’s only all-amber altarpiece.
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| Amber altarpiece |
Reminders of Gdańsk’s historical importance are evident all throughout the city. Even the city itself is a monument to the endurance of Poles after the Second World War. Following WWII, about 90% of Gdańsk had been destroyed, but now the whole town is wonderfully rebuilt to showcase the beauty of what was originally there.
Even more modern buildings incorporate the facades of old ruins and mimic the style of the earlier houses.
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| Pre-war facade incorporated into an new building |
We spent our afternoon walking through the old town and around the main shipping canal. Gdańsk has always been a maritime port city, and to commemorate this, the famous Neptune Statue stands right in the centre of the old town.
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| Neptune Fountain |
We visited St. Mary’s Basilica, which like most churches here, was rebuilt after the war. Its imposing interior used to be covered with frescos and art, but was painted white after being rebuilt. Just now is restoration beginning to remove the paint and recover the old frescos.
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| Inside St. Mary’s Basilica |
By this time, we were a bit hungry and decided to grab some late lunch. We came across Manna 68, which turned out to be a vegan restaurant. Intrigued, we gave it a try and I’m glad we did! I got a very interesting take on a classic polish food - cabbage rolls.
Mine were filled with buckwheat and soy, rather than meat, and served with some lovely potato dumplings! A very filling end to a great day :)
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| Vegan Cabbage Rolls |
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