St. John’s Centre
The first written mention of a small chapel dedicated to St. John comes from 1358. The church’s style is typical for late-Gothic architecture of the 14th and 15th centuries, with its heavy, buttressed structure, triple nave interior and flat-ended presbytery. The church took on its current form in the second half of the 15th century. In 1543, the church tower was destroyed by fire to be rebuilt 24 years later. In March 1945, the church burned down but its overall structure survived. After the war, the gutted building was roofed and its valuable vaults secured, but the church was designated a lapidarium. The Gdansk Diocese has been using it for services on Sundays and holidays since the 1990s. In 1995, the church was transferred to the management of the Baltic Sea Culture Centre (BSCC), which is reconstructing it with a view to converting it into a professional centre of culture.
Artus Court
In its day, Artus Court was home to the Brotherhood of St. George, providing a meeting place for nobles, merchants and courts. Currently, Artus Court is a branch of the Gdansk History Museum and is regarded as one of the city’s main tourist attractions. The history of Artus Court goes back to the middle of the 14th century - the building was erected in 1348–1350 and named after King Arthur, reflecting aspirations to the ideals of knightly virtue perfectly embodied by the legendary Celtic leader, and of equality and partnership symbolised by the Round Table at which Arthur sat with his knights. The building’s name, curia regis Artus (Royal Artus Court), was first mentioned in 1357. Artus Court is part of a route known as the Royal Way in the historic Main Town. Its interior is organised as one vast Gothic-style hall. In 1530, this seat of various brotherhoods, a meeting point and festival venue, took on another important role as a chamber for open court hearings. The Grand Hall’s acoustic properties were recognised in the late 17th century and regular concerts were held.
St. Catharine’s Church
The Old Town’s oldest parish church. Founded by the Gdańsk Pomeranian Dukes it was dedicated to St. Catharine in 1236. The church is a hall-type edifice with pitched roof, a broad presbytery whose current three-nave structure was formed during a 15th century expansion, and a dominant tower. For nearly 400 years, it belonged to Protestants and was only transferred to the care of the Carmelite Order after the Second World War. In 2011, the world’s first pulsar clock was installed on the tower to celebrate the 400th birthday of Johann Hevelius, one of the city’s all-time greatest citizens. This is also where one finds the astronomer’s tombstone of 1659 and a piece of his coffin plaque with monogram J.H. and date of death 28 January 1687. In the 18th century, the church received its first carillon, subsequently modified and extended several times. The instrument survived a fire in 1905 and Nazi confiscation in 1942. Currently, the carillon consists of 50 bells spanning together four octaves making it Central Europe’s largest concert carillon.
Main Town Hall
The Great Wety Hall (the White Hall) is located in the eastern wing of the first and most elegant storey of the building. When the Polish kings visited Gdansk, the hall served as a throne room and a place where the royal burgrave received oaths and issued court judgments. The Great Wety Hall hosted commemorations of Polish citizenship and, until the middle of the 16th century, was the venue of City Council meetings. Starting from 1526, the Hall was used for sittings of the common folk chamber (the Third Ordynek) and the Wety Court. Between 1817 and 1921, the Great Wety Hall was mostly referred to as the City Council Hall (Stadtverordnetensaal) as it hosted the meetings of City Representatives. In 1840-1841, its interiors were rebuilt in a neo-gothic style based on the summer refectory from the Grand Master’s Palace in Malbork Castle. In 1909, a 16th century Renaissance portal, that was originally located in the merchant’s house at Chlebnicka 11, was placed over the entry to the Main Hallway. In 1945, the destroyed hall was reconstructed following the design Stanisław Bobiński and brought back to its pre-1941 condition.
Old Market Town Hall
Created by Anthonis van Obberghen, the Old Market Town Hall was erected in late 16th century in the Dutch Mannerist style. Built for the Old Town authorities, the building was a centre of the political, economic, scientific and social life of this part of Gdansk for many centuries. It was there that city debates were held, that the Grand Hall hosted official ceremonies, while balls and parties were organised there in the evenings. A famous Gdansk-based scholar and astronomer Johannes Hevelius resided in the Old Market Town Hall as an assessor and the first councillor, storing his home-made beer in the town hall cellars. With its landmark silhouette, the town hall is a major urban highlight of the Old Town. Regardless of many reconstructions, the town hall envelope has remained unchanged until now. Multiple modifications of its interior have enriched the building with exceptional objects. The first floor features an elegant hallway and an imposing Grand Hall, now known as the Bourgeoisie Hall, with an original wooden ceiling.
GDAŃSK // 5-9.04.2023
