Let's start with the Basilica of St. Mary , which is the world's largest brick-built church. The place of worship which you see, has evolved over the centuries, from 1342 to 1502, when it had three types of vaults: stellar, crystal and networked. Surprisingly, the shrine survived World War II - it is true that the roof rafters were burnt, nearly half the vaults collapsed and that the bells melted, yet the walls survived. In 1946 the reconstruction of the church had already started. The most valuable part of its fittings is a triptych of the Last Judgement by Hans Memling, a copy of which is located in the church, whilst the original hangs at the National Museum in Gdańsk.
Dwór Artusa ( Artus Court), a tenement house at the Long Market, was once a meeting place for merchants, and later a marketplace. Today it is in the Gdańsk Historical Museum. In the interior of the building stands a great Gothic hall, which was destroyed in 1945 and later reconstructed.
Bramy wodne (Water Gates) are characteristic of Gdańsk's wide vehicular tenements, closing the streets which run perpendicular to the Motława. The most interesting of these is the Great Crane, which closes ulica Szeroka. This port device was used to load goods and ballast onto ships. It did not survive the liberation by the Red Army and was rebuilt after the war. Next to this stands the Brama Złota ( Golden Gate) which closes ulica Długa, and the Brama Zielona (Green Gate) (formerly Kogi Gate), which is the oldest water gate in Gdańsk closing the Long Market.
The Pomnik Poległych Stoczniowców 1970 (Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of 1970 ), which is located on pl. Solidarności, was unveiled on the 10th anniversary of the events on 16th December 1980. It was made possible thanks to the strikes from August 1980, the August agreements, and the determination of the Solidarity members. The monument constitutes three crosses with anchors, symbolizing the first three people killed in December 1970 near the gates of the second Gdańsk shipyard.
The Katedra w Oliwie (Oliwa Cathedral ) was built in the sixteenth century with 23, mainly Baroque and Rococo, altars. The first organ was placed in the cathedral in the eighteenth century, and is decorated with Rococo carving and moving parts that still work today. The organs in their present form are from the mid-twentieth century and throughout the year organ concerts are held in the cathedral - during the summer they are held every day.
See also:
Gdańsk - famous sights of the Main Town
