Brama Wyżynna, Gdansk, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Brama Wyżynna, the Highland Gate, is a 16th-century gate at the western edge of the historic centre of Gdansk. It was the city's main land gate and the start of the Royal Road, and it carries one of the most lavish sets of coats of arms in town, along with a Latin motto that locals like to joke about.

The story behind it

The gate was built in the 16th century as part of Gdansk's defences, and it opened onto the Royal Road, also called the Royal Tract. Anyone arriving from the west by land came in this way. Historians still dispute who built it, so treat any single name with caution. Beyond its defensive job, the gate was meant to impress, a statement about the wealth and standing of the city.

Gdansk monuments usually show three coats of arms: Poland, Royal Prussia and the city itself. On the Highland Gate the trio is at its grandest. The facade also carries three Latin sayings. One reads Iustitia et Pietas duo sunt Regnorum omnium Fundamenta, meaning justice and piety are the two foundations of all kingdoms. Read only the last line, though, and you get Rum omnium Fundamenta, which could be taken as rum is the foundation of everything. It is generally seen as a bit of local seaside humour.

What to look for

• Look for the three coats of arms of Poland, Royal Prussia and Gdansk, and compare how richly they are displayed here with other monuments in the city.
• Read the three Latin inscriptions on the facade and find the one about justice and piety.
• Try the rum trick: read only the bottom line of that inscription and see how the meaning changes.
• Notice how the gate works as a threshold, and imagine arriving from outside the walls and heading onto the Royal Road.

Tips for your visit

• You can see the gate from the street, so a short stop of 10 to 15 minutes is enough to take in the facade and the inscriptions.
• Daylight is best for reading the Latin lines and picking out the details of the coats of arms. Early morning is usually quieter.
• It is a natural place to begin a walk into the old town, since the Royal Road leads on from here towards the heart of Gdansk.
• If you want to go inside any nearby building, check current opening hours before you set out.

See it on a quest

Fantastic Gdansk: Lions and Unicorns is a good way to meet this gate. You reach it on foot as the starting point of a longer route through the area, the app tells you about the place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. Coats of arms and heraldic creatures are all around the gate, so the quest's theme fits the setting well. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join.