Main city

The Main City includes some of the best known monuments in Gdansk, so it is often confused by locals and tourists with the Old City, which is located to the North of it. However, the Old City area was not restored after the Second World War on the old model and today it is a residential and service part of Gdansk. The Main City is located on the West Bank of the Motlava river.

During a walk through the main city, you can feel the splendor of Gdansk of the XVI and XVII centuries, which was the most important port city of Poland at that time.

Your tour can start from the Long Lane and Long Market, which together form the Royal Road – the most representative place in Gdansk, which was the place of fairs, parades and ceremonial arrivals of Polish kings to the city. There you can see colorful townhouses, each of which has its own interesting history, the tall City Hall of the Main City, the Fountain of Neptune, and behind it the beautiful Artus Court, a place where merchants, politicians and other wealthy residents of the city would meet to discuss current events. From the Long Market you can see the St. Mary’s Basilica, which is considered the largest brick gothic church in Europe. At its top there is an observation deck that offers panoramic views of the city. At the exit of the Long Market, the Motlava river flows. Along it there are townhouses built in the Dutch style, and the Crane – the largest and oldest surviving port crane in medieval Europe.

The entire main city is surrounded by numerous towers and gates that used to serve for defensive purposes. Most of the towers were almost completely destroyed during the war, but now some of them have been restored and serve various social purposes.

The Saint Dominic’s fair is held every year in the main city. It is right after the Weihnachtsmarkt and Oktoberfest – the largest outdoor event of that kind in Europe. The tradition of the fair dates back more than 750 years since it was created in 1260 at the request of the Dominicans. Hence its name. For many years, more than 1,000 merchants, artists, and collectors take part in the fair each year, and each day it is visited by about 70 000 people, and on weekends even twice as many. According to the marshals, during each fair, 5 million people pass through the streets of the Main City.