Travel.LovePoland December 2020

Gdańsk New Port Lighthouse
A lighthouse in New Port is one of the most beautiful
lighthouses of Baltic Sea. It was commissioned in 1894, and
it showed the entrance to Gdańsk port till 1984. In its
interiors, beautifully kept historical optic devices and
exhibition “Gdańsk lighthouses within years”. Also the view
from its tower to Gdańsk Port, Westerplatte and the whole
Gdańsk Bay, Gdynia and Hel, is very attractive. 27 meters
lighthouse in New Port was built as a famous lighthouse
erected in 1871 in Cleveland (USA). It was used for three
purposes: as a lighthouse, tower of port pilots and basis of
time sphere, removed in 1929. The last was an unusual
instrument. Its rise and fall at noon, enabled precise setting
of marine chronometers, necessary for a precise navigation,
for the captains of ships being on roads. The lighthouse is
open for the visitors from May to September. You will get
more information at: www.latarnia.gda.pl
Monumental Painting Collection in Gdansk Zaspa – 54
murals
Zaspa is one the largest residential areas in Poland. Built in
the 1970s, the neighbourhood was to be the quintessence of
the modernist vision of a perfect housing estate. The first
murals were created in Zaspa thanks to Rafał Roskowiński,
who organised in 1997 the international festival of murals
commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Gdańsk.
The idea of creating a collection of murals in Zaspa returned
in 2009 in the context of Gdansk bidding for the title of the
European Capital of Culture 2016 and the organisation of
the Monumental Art festival curated by Piotr Szwabe aka
Pisz.
The collection today comprises 54 big-scale murals and 10
vestibules. The motifs vary: famous people, history, big
themes like love, freedom, or crisis. That is the oldest and
the biggest collection of murals in Poland.
Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre
The modern, multifunctional building designed by the
Venetian architect Renato Rizzi is the new pride of Gdańsk.
The stage can be transformed in Elizabethan, central or
Italian and the retractable roof, thanks to which
performances can be held in daylight, offers immense
possibilities for staging. The Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre
provides impresario activities, presenting outstanding
performances from Poland and around the world as well as
conducts extensive educational activities. It is also an
interesting place on the tourist route: unique attractions for
visitors are not only the retractable roof, modern stage
machinery or the mysterious alleys inside the theatre, but
also the walking trail surrounding the theatre’s walls and the
museum in the basement.
The Last Judgement
The Archangel Michael weighing good and evil, the saved
ascending to heaven on crystal stairs, devils throwing
sinners into the fires of hell. The bothersome vision of
judgement day by the brush of the great Dutch artist was
obtained accidentally, captured as the spoils of war by
Gdańsk's famous privateer Paweł Benecke. Hans Memling's
triptych “The Last Judgement” is the most valuable exhibit
of the National Museum in Gdańsk and his only work in
Polish collections. The painting, considered to be Memling’'s
crowning point (his authorship was not determined until the
mid nineteenth century!), is of an impressive size (height
242cm, width 360cm), with technical perfection and artistic
beauty, and its dramatic fate intrigues both with its
message and its rich symbolism, understandable only to
insiders. You can admire a copy of the work at St. Mary's
Basilica, where the original was first donated to the church.
European Solidarity Centre
Polish Baltic Philharmonic
The European Solidarity Centre is important institution on
the freedom trail in a new, experimental form: it is not only
a museum dedicated to the history of Solidarity and anticommunist
opposition in Poland and Europe, but also a
centre of dialog in the modern world; a meeting place for
people who are close to the values of liberty and democracy.
The heart of ESC is a grand exhibition arranged which
narrative allows everyone to find their own meaning and
emotions. The ESC is also a library, reading room, archives
and an education and creative workshops for young people.
The Polish Baltic Frédéric Chopin Philharmonic is the largest
music institution in the northern Poland, visited not only by
local music-lovers but also by people from all over Poland
and all over the world. This is a place for the ones who
desire to enjoy the art of the highest quality.
There are organised symphonic concerts, recitals, and
chamber music soirées performed by the most prominent
Polish musicians as well as worldwide-known artists.
Awarded in Polish and international contests and polls, as
one of the Europe's „must see” locations.
15 TRAVEL.LOVEPOLAND