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WIZZ MAGAZINE
JUNE-JULY 2012
will stay with you long after you leave this
imaginatively conceived basement museum,
located within sight of the docks.
But Gdansk isn’t just about 1980. An
important trading centre when the mercantile
cartel of the Hanseatic League ruled the roost,
Gdansk was best known for its amber. A walk
along the atmospheric Mariacka and Piwna
reveals a number of workshops; the Amber
Museum (Targ Weglowy 26, www.mhmg.gda.pl)
in a former medieval prison tells of its
importance to the economy. An annual fashion
show here features works by contemporary
designers, in which amber plays a key role.
Nearly all rebuilt after 1945, the streets
remind a first-time visitor of Hamburg
or Lübeck. Grand, gabled buildings flank
cobblestone streets, dotted with dozens of
terrace cafés and restaurants; the long, wide,
almost square-like street Długi Targ hosts
outdoor events virtually every week throughout
summer. Factor in the masts of the ships
bobbing in the waterway nearby, and you have
a very pleasant place in which to spend time.
Also in the centre, you’ ll find the classic
Palowa restaurant (www.palowa.eu) at ul.
Długa 47, where Polish standards (
Zurek
, or
traditional sour soup, pork in lavish sauces) are
served in authentic 19th-century surroundings.
For something more contemporary, nearby
FEATURE
BEACH BREAKS
THE FIVE-STAR SOFITEL
GRAND, BUILT IN 1927, IS
LITERALLY FIT FOR KINGS
Gdansk is famous
worldwide for its
trade in Amber.
Visitors to the
city centre should
drop by the
Amber Museum
www.mhmg.gda.pl
TIM E WHITE