Taxi’s/cabs waiting for passengers at the taxi station at the Golden Gate in Gdańsk Centre. Next to the Gate is the building of the Brotherhood of St.George.
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is one of the fortifications that was done in Gdańsk. Abraham van den Blocke, a German architect of Flemish origin, created it. He had several projects in Gdańsk like the Artus Court and the Neptune’s Fountain Statue. He built this gate in the Dutch Mannerism style. This project took place between 1612 and 1614. His mission was to replace the former gate which was built in Gothic style. You will find the golden gate on one end of the Long Lane.
Mythological references
Typical of ancient Greek architecture is the incorporation of their gods and goddesses. In ancient Greek times, gods and goddesses played an important role in every day life. They taught the Greek citizens living in their cities, life lessons and virtues they needed to have so that their city could thrive.
The passion for Greek mythology continued long after the Greek civilization came to an end. This also applied in architecture. When a building was important, mythological statues were placed on it. You can see on the west and east façade of this gate a total of 8 gods and goddesses. They were mounted on an attic, on top of the cornice (top of the building). They were designed in 1648 by Jeremias Falck (“Polonus”), and refurbished in 1878.
In total Gdansk still has 9 gates that are a reminiscence of the fortifications it used to have.
From the west side (streetside from left to right), the 4 statues symbolize:
Peace, Freedom, Wealth and FameForm the east side (Long Lane), the 4 statues symbolize:
Agreement, Justice, Piety and PrudenceThe Latin inscription on the gates reads:
Concordia res publicæ parvæ crescunt – discordia magnæ concidunt.
(“In agreement small republics grow, because of disagreement great republics fall”).
At the streetside left from the Gate, you can see a building in Gothic style: the Brotherhood of St. George.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
- The Złota Brama or Langgasser Tor in Gdańsk (Wikipedia)