The Historical Dutch-Gdansk Tour

IMPORTANT!!!

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST!

Before you press 'Start', read this introduction to the audio tour first. If you prefer to listen to the introduction, please scroll to the end of the text, click on the audio icon and the audio will be played.  Make sure your smartphone or tablet is fully charged. If you have missed a direction from the audio recording, you can always read the text on your screen or just follow the blue line of the route. And please, don’t forget to look at the photos and other illustrations we’ve added at every stop!

Introduction

Gdansk has been an internationally oriented city on the north coast of Poland since the Middle Ages. As early as the 13th century, merchants from European cities around the Baltic and North Seas formed an alliance to protect themselves and their goods from piracy and accidents. When in 1361 Gdansk became a member of this Hanseatic League, it was the most important Hanseatic city, after Lübeck in Germany. The Hanseatic trade was very important to the Netherlands as evidenced by the term “the Moedernegotie”, which roughly translates into “Mother of All Trades”. Among other things, the Dutch took grains, wood and potash from Gdansk and brought in return bricks, textiles, wine, subtropical fruit, rice, pepper, cloves, salt and sugar. This Baltic trade yielded the Netherlands more wealth than the famous Dutch East India Company would do in their so-called Golden Century! Thousands of merchants, sailors, architects, and artists from present day Belgium and the Netherlands came to the city. In the second half of the 15th century between 40-50% of Gdansk’s residents were immigrants, among them thousands of Dutch and Belgium people. No wonder they left traces here. Many of the buildings in the historic center were designed or decorated by people from the Low Countries. In Gdansk you can easily imagine yourself in Medieval Netherlands or Belgium, while the bells of Dutch carillons scatter their sounds over the city hour after hour. Your first stop is The Green Gate (Zielona Brama). Now press Start and enjoy the audio tour through historic Gdansk.