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

The Golden Gate (Złota Brama) is a ceremonial gate from the 17th century at the western end of Długa Street in Gdańsk, where the Royal Route into the Main Town begins. Designed by Abraham van den Blocke, it was built to show off the wealth and confidence of one of Europe's busiest trading cities, and it still frames the way towards Long Market.

The story behind it

The gate stands on the site of a much older one, the 13th-century Long Street Gate (Brama Długouliczna). In the 17th century the city replaced it with a far grander structure by van den Blocke, one of Gdańsk's best-known architects. It came to symbolise the city's prosperity and its standing abroad, and today it is remembered as a reminder of Gdańsk at its richest.

The gate had a real ceremonial job. Royal processions heading for Long Market passed through it, and Polish rulers such as Zygmunt III Vasa, Władysław IV and Jan III Sobieski are said to have entered the city this way. Along the top stand eight sculptures, each one a virtue or ideal the city wanted to be known for: Concord, Justice, Piety and Prudence on the east side, and Peace, Freedom, Happiness and Glory on the west.

What to look for

• Look up at the row of eight figures along the top of the gate, and try to match each statue to its virtue.
• Walk through and turn round, because the two faces of the gate carry different sets of figures, one facing Long Market and one facing the street outside.
• Take in the richly decorated stonework of the facade, which was made to impress visitors arriving at the heart of the city.
• Stand in the gateway and look east along Długa Street, where the view runs straight towards the Town Hall tower.

Tips for your visit

• You can see the gate from the street at any time and it costs nothing, but it is a gateway to walk through, not a building to enter.
• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough for the gate itself, longer if you want to photograph each statue.
• Go early in the morning for fewer people and softer light on the facade, since Długa Street fills up through the day.
• The Prison Tower, the Torture House and St George's Court are right beside it, and Long Market, Neptune's Fountain and the Town Hall are a short stroll further on. Check current opening hours for any museums you want to enter.

See it on a quest

The Golden Gate is one stop on Fantastic Gdansk: Lions and Unicorns, a self-guided walk through the streets of the city. You reach the gate on foot as part of a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. You can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.