My last two trips to Poland were exploratory missions to see if other cities had the same vibe we found in Krakow on trips to Poland last summer and Christmas. I went to Wroclaw in January. Okay, but I definitely prefer Krakow. Gdansk had a very cool vibe to me. Long Market Square, Gdansk, Poland. I already had purchased my Aegean Airlines ticket to Warsaw.
I love Poland. First impressions of Gdansk is kind of like Amsterdam at outlet prices. The thing about Gdansk is its old town architecture looks like the 17th century canal houses in Amsterdam, except straighter.
The deal is Gdansk is a 1, year old city, once a medieval port of the Hanseatic League and a wealthy trading port that had loads of 16th and 17th century architecture, much of it designed by Dutch architects. Therefore Gdansk, or Danzig as its name historically, looked a lot like Amsterdam architecturally since many of their prominent houses were constructed around the same time.
Like many historic city centers in Europe destroyed by war, the historic architecture was recreated based on historical photos and building plans. The authentic 17th century canal houses on the canal rings of Amsterdam tend to lean and have crooked windows due to buildings sinking in the earth over the centuries.
Old Town Gdansk buildings look old in their similar architectural style, but show straight lines in their floors and windows due to only being 40 to 70 years old. Gdansk, away from the old town center, buildings look much more modern, similar to the way Amsterdam has a mixture of historic and modern in the city center and mostly modern away from the city center. Gdansk Motlawa River. This photo is taken standing in front of Hilton Gdansk and the view from riverside hotel rooms.
