Wielka Zbrojownia, Gdansk, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Great Armory (Wielka Zbrojownia) is an early 17th-century arsenal on Targ Węglowy in Gdansk, one of the finest Mannerist buildings in the city. It was built when Gdansk feared attack and wanted its defences well stocked, and today it houses shops on the ground floor and the Academy of Fine Arts above.

The story behind it

The Armory went up between 1600 and 1605, designed by the Flemish architect Anthonis van Obbergen in the Dutch Mannerist style that shaped so much of Gdansk's look. The citizens decided to build it because of the growing threat from Sweden, and the city needed a safe, central place for weapons. For almost two centuries it did that job, serving as an arsenal until the end of the 18th century.

Its life since has been much more peaceful. The vaulted ground floor now works as a commercial arcade, and the upper floors are used by the Academy of Fine Arts, so a building made for war now fills with students and shoppers.

What to look for

• Two ornate portals topped with coats of arms held up by lions, a favourite symbol in Gdansk.
• The small decorative gables along the roofline, crowned with stone cannonballs as a reminder of the building's original purpose.
• Sculpted figures of Gdansk soldiers on the gables, including a halberdier, a horseman and three pikemen.
• The dragon-shaped gargoyles, which are capped off and never spit rainwater, so you can stand under them in a shower.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about 15 to 20 minutes to look at the facade and its sculpture, longer if you wander through the arcade.
• The facade is best seen in soft morning or late afternoon light, when the carved details stand out.
• The ground-floor arcade is open to the public as a shopping passage, but check current opening hours before you plan to go in.
• You are in the middle of the old town here, so the Main Town and the Golden Gate are a short walk away.

See it on a quest

The Great Armory is one of the places you pass on Fantastic Gdansk: Lions and Unicorns, a self-guided walk through the city. You reach it on foot as one stop of a longer route, the app tells you about the building as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. The lions on its portals fit the theme of this quest nicely. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group. You can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join.