Gdańsk, with its almost unpronounceable Polish name Gdańsk, presents itself as a cosmopolitan city inhabited mostly by a young population. The Polish city offers tourists a multitude of trendy meeting points and cultural cues and events.
The most distinctive area of Gdańsk is certainly Główne Miasto, one of the city’s most important historical districts that stretches to the characteristic Motława canal and the Spichlerze island. Here are located the main tourist attractions of Gdańsk, namely Ulica Długa (the Long Street) and Dlugi Targ (the long market).
Walking along ul. Długa street, you can appreciate the most interesting historic buildings of Gdańsk, built according to faithful Gothic and Renaissance canons. If you continue towards Dlugi Targ, you can visit the Artus Court (Dwór Artusa), today hosting part of the local History Museum. The National Museum of Ancient Art (Muzeum Narodowe), which houses the famous Gdańsk Triptych, is located instead in the south of the city.
Rich in history is the Royal Route (Trakt Królewski), which was formerly the place of the lavish ceremonial performed by Polish kings when entering the city. In this regard, not to be missed is the High Gate (Porta Wyzynna), which serves as an entrance point to Gdańsk and bears the inscription “Justice and mercy are the pillars of all kingdoms”.
Equally interesting are the Green Gate (Zielona Brama) and the Golden Gate (Zlota Brama). The latter is a kind of triumphal arch accompanied by the wise inscription “Concordia makes small states grow, discord causes great ones to fall” and decorated with stone sculptures depicting peace, freedom, prosperity, and success. Gdańsk offers tourists many other attractions all to be discovered.
In 2012 Gdańsk was the venue for some matches of the European Football Championship, including those of the Italian national team.
