GDAŃSK 213

Sołdek, used as an exhibition space by the Central Maritime Museum

Central Maritime

Museum q
Centralne Muzeum Morskie

ul. Ołowianka 9–13. Map E3.
Tel (058) 301 8611. @ 106, 111,

138. 
     

     10am–6pm Tue–Sun (to

     
     

     4pm winter). & http://www.cmm.pl

     
     

In the 17th century, Poland
strove to be “master of the
Baltic Sea” and her seafarers
were dedicated to maintaining
the country’s maritime
presence. The themes of
the displays in the Central
Maritime Museum are Gdańsk’s
seafaring tradi tions and
navigation on the Vistula
river. Exhibits include a
reconstruction of scenes from
a sailor’s life aboard the
Swedish ship Solen, sunk at
the Battle of Oliwa in 1627
and raised from the seabed in
the Gulf of Gdańsk in 1970.
The museum consists of
buildings on both sides of the
Motława river. The two sec-
tions are con nected by a ferry
that goes from one
bank to another at
regular intervals. On
the west bank is the
Gdańsk Crane (see
p211). Period
Gdańsk, a reconstruc-
tion of a merchant’s
office in the Harbour Town
Life exhibi tion, is one of the
high lights here. The
adjoining Sklad
Kolonialny contains
an inter est ing col-
lection of boats from distant
parts of the world. The main
museum is in a series of grain
houses on the east bank. The
naval weapons on display here
include 17th-cen tury Polish
cannons, as well as ones taken
from the Swedish war ship
Solen. The exhibits in the adja-
cent granaries are dedi cated to
the naval presence of Poland
and Gdańsk from the Middle
Ages to the present day. The
wax work exhibition here, Poles
on the World’s Seas, depicts the
lives of Polish sail ors. Sołdek,
the first Polish ocean-going
ship to be constructed after
World War II, was built in the
Gdańsk Ship yard. It is perma-
nently anchored in Motława
river and its holds are now
used for exhibitions.

National

Museum w

Muzeum Narodowe

ul. Toruńska 1. Map C5. Tel (058)

301 6804. @ 106, 111, 112, 120,

121, 138, 166, 178, 186. v 8, 13.

# 10am–5pm Tue–Sun; Oct–Apr:

9am–4pm Tue–Fri, 10am–5pm Sat,

Sun. & free on Fri.

http://www.muzeum.narodowe.gda.pl

The National Museum is

laid out in a former Gothic

Franciscan monastery from

1422–1522. It was set up

due to the efforts of Rudolf

Freitag, a lecturer at the

Royal School of Fine Arts, in

1872. It was closed
      during World War II
      and was reopened
      as the City Museum
      after the war. The
      impres sive museum
      was also known
      as the Pomeranian
      Museum till 1952
      before being ele-
      vated to the rank of a National
      Museum in 1972. The museum
      contains a wealth of artifacts,
      from wrought-iron grilles to

sculpture, paint ing, ceramics,

gold jewellery, goldwork,

metal work and furniture.

Exhibits are spread over

three floors. Gothic art and

gold jewellery are displayed

on the ground floor and

paint ings on the first.

The upper floor holds

temporary exhibitions.

The museum’s most prized

piece is The Last Judgement,

by the Flemish painter Hans

Memling (c. 1430–94). The

central panel of the triptych

depicts the Last Judgement,

while the panel on the left

represents the Gates of

Heaven and the one on

the right hand portrays the

Torments of Hell. In 1473,

it was plundered by privateers

from Gdańsk from a ship

bound for Italy. Other fascinat-

ing exhibits are The Griffin’s

Talons, a 15th cen tury bison-

horn cup belong ing to a

sailing fraternity, and the

Longcase Clock. This Rococo

clock, made in around 1750,

is decorated with scenes

from the biblical story of

Tobias and the Raising of

the Copper Snake.

The Last Judgement (1467) by Hans Memling, National Museum

The Griffin’s Talons

on display in the

National Museum