Gdańsk Main Town Hall is a historic

Ratusz A ''Ratusz'' () (german: Rathaus; russian: Ратуша, ''Ratusha''; lt, Rotušė) is a historic administrative building in countries that adopted the Magdeburg rights such as the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and others ...

located in the Gdańsk Main City borough of Śródmieście. It is one of the finest examples of the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

historic buildings in the city, built at the intersection of

Ulica Długa Ulica Długa (''The Long Lane'', german: Langgasse) in Gdańsk, Poland, is one of the most notable tourist attractions of the city. It leads from the Golden Gate (''Złota Brama'', ''Langgasser Tor'') to the Długi Targ (''Long Market''), and t ...

and

Długi Targ Długi Targ or Long Market (german: Langer Markt) in Gdańsk, Poland, is one of the most notable tourist attractions of the city. It is situated between the end of Ulica Długa (the ''Long Lane''), and the Green Gate (''Brama Zielona''). History ...

, in the most popular part of Gdańsk. The Main Town Hall in Gdańsk houses the History Museum of the City of Gdańsk.

Location

The Main Town Hall in Gdańsk is located on

, part of the Royal Route. The building is located in the building complex, surrounded by Ulica Długa, Kramarska Street, Piwna Street, and Kaletnicza Street, located at the corner of the first two. The building is the second highest building in the Main City (after St. Mary's Church), and is in the most notable part of Śródmieście in Gdańsk. Access to the building by car is difficult, as Ulica Długa is pedestrianised all year around. The public transport does not reach the building. The closest tram stop is located at Podwale Przedmiejskie.

History

Front door and portal of Gdańsk Town Hall

The oldest fragments of the town hall come from 1327 to 1336 - the building was then much smaller in size, which led to its expansion in the subsequent years. In the fourteenth-century the Main City of Gdańsk was reconstructed, and in 1346 replaced the then enforced

Lübeck law The Lübeck law (german: Lübisches (Stadt)Recht) was the family of codified municipal law developed at Lübeck, which became a free imperial city in 1226 and is located in present day Schleswig-Holstein. It was the second most prevalent form of ...

with the

Kulm law Kulm law, Culm law or Chełmno Law (german: Kulmer Recht; lat, Jus Culmense vetus; pl, Prawo chełmińskie) was a legal constitution for a municipal form of government used in several Central European cities during the Middle Ages. It was initia ...

. The reform had separated the roles of the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

and ława miejska (which was responsible for the judiciary). The separation of the two bodies led to the need for two separate halls for the two institutions. In 1357, in the location of the current town hall, a temporary town hall was located. The first major expansion of the building began in 1378, after the full

was given to the city. The expansion of the building was led by Henryk Ungerdin, and the reconstruction was complete in 1382. Between 1454 and 1457, with the relation of the arrival of

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (in full Casimir IV Andrew Jagiellon; pl, Kazimierz IV Andrzej Jagiellończyk ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447, until his death. He was one of the m ...

, the town hall was expanded. The town hall's tower was complete in the years of 1486-1488; the building of which was led by Henryk Hetzel. The tower was completed by Michał Enkinger, with a high dome in 1492, which had burnt down in 1494. In 1504, the town hall was visited by

Alexander Jagiellon Alexander Jagiellon ( pl, Aleksander Jagiellończyk, lt, Aleksandras Jogailaitis; 5 August 1461 – 19 August 1506) of the House of Jagiellon was the Grand Duke of Lithuania and later also King of Poland. He was the fourth son of Casimir IV Jag ...

. After a fire in 1556, the town hall was rebuilt and expanded with Renaissance influences by Dutch architects and master-builders, including Wilhem van den Meer, Dirk Daniels, and Anthonis van Obbergen. In 1561, a gilded statue of the then reigning Polish King

Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...

was placed at the top of the tower and a carillon was installed in the tower. Heavily damaged in WW2, with the loss of the top of the tower, it was carefully repaired and reconstructed, largely complete by 1952.

Gallery

2010-07-09-gdansk-by-RalfR-168.jpg, Sundial Gdańsk Ratusz GM 02.jpg, Statue of King

at the top of the tower Gdansk 2018 spring -020 (41641872744).jpg, White Room Gdańsk Ratusz GM muzeum 004.jpg, Red Room 635537 Gdańsk Ratusz Głównego Miasta wnętrza 01.JPG, Spiral stairs

References

* Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Gdańska (2016)
Ratusz Głównego Miasta
History. Visitor information. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gdansk Main Town Hall Buildings and structures in Gdańsk City and town halls in Poland