St. Mary's Basilica in Gdańsk - viewing tower and tour

Visiting St. Mary's Basilica in Gdańsk is a must when exploring the Old Town of Gdańsk. This extraordinary building attracts tourists not only because of its records, but also due to numerous legends and stories associated with it.

The largest brick church in the world, the highest viewing tower in Gdańsk

The mighty St. Mary's Basilica in Gdańsk is rightfully called the "Crown of the City of Gdańsk". Its history dates back to the 13th century, and its construction lasted almost 160 years, completed in 1502. It is still the largest church in the world built of brick (105 x 66 m, cubic capacity: 155 thousand m3).

The characteristic "cut-off" tower of the basilica is one of the most popular viewpoints of Gdańsk's old town (80 m, 412 steps). It exceeds the neighboring tower of the Main City Hall (50 m), the Prison Tower in the Torture House (40 m) and the tower in the Naturalists' House in the Archaeological Museum (36 m).

Other viewpoints in Gdańsk

Other modern viewpoints include the AmberSky wheel over the Motława river, the terrace of the European Solidarity Centre and currently the highest viewpoint in the city: the Olivia Star terrace (130 m, elevator access, paid, al. Grunwaldzka 472C, Gdańsk - Oliwa)

Touring St. Mary's Basilica in Gdańsk

Before we climb the tower, it's worth stopping in the basilica itself, which has preserved its Gothic character inside. Look at the beautiful star and crystal vaults!

You will surely be attracted by the beautiful 15th century astronomical clock. Every day at 11:57 there are special shows of the clock's moving figures.

St. Mary's Basilica - trivia and legends

Next to the astronomical clock, a copy of "The Last Judgment" by H. Memling is displayed - the most valuable work of art, currently stored in the National Museum in Gdańsk. For years, the masterpiece was located in St. Mary's Basilica, and there is an interesting story associated with it:

Pirates and The Last Judgement by H. Memling

"The Last Judgement" by Hans Memling is one of the biggest treasures of the city of Gdańsk! How did the triptych end up in Gdańsk? There's an amazing story associated with it... ...

It's also worth learning about the legend of one of the most valuable sculptures in St. Mary's Basilica: The Beautiful Madonna

Legend of the Beautiful Madonna from Gdansk

The Beautiful Madonna is a Gothic statue that you can see in one of the side chapels of St. Mary's Basilica in Gdansk ...

And do you know that the basilica was once visited by a stolem, a Kashubian giant? The story of how he "sat down" on the basilica's tower can be found at the end of the article.

Viewing tower in St. Mary's Basilica

The culmination of a visit to St. Mary's Basilica in Gdańsk will be climbing to the top of the famous basilica tower. There are as many as 412 steps! Unlike the free entry to the church, to enter the tower we must purchase a brick-ticket - cash payment only.

Initially, we climb up narrow winding stairs:

We ascend to the height of the cathedral's vault, which we can see "from above"!

The further path leads through open galleries around the spacious tower:

The last part of the climb is a ladder to the terrace:

What can we see from the tower of St. Mary's Basilica in Gdańsk?

From the small platform mounted on the top of the tower, there is a view of the entire Main City, which is the oldest, historic part of the city. We will also see the port, the shipyard and, of course, the sea.

Why doesn't the tower of St. Mary's Basilica in Gdańsk have a spire?

Apparently, the basilica's tower was supposed to be even higher and was supposed to be topped with a soaring Gothic spire. Why wasn't this plan realized? Apparently, during the construction, there were problems with the waterlogged ground.

Another version of the story mentions the visit of a Kashubian giant, a stolem, to Gdańsk:

Stolem and St. Mary's Basilica in Gdańsk

Stolem, or the giant, is the most popular character from the Kashubian legends. Did you know that one of the Kashubian giants once visited Gdańsk? ...

PS. St. Mary's Basilica was on the route of our walk following the legends and stories of Gdańsk:

Easy

directions_walk child_friendly

Visiting Gdańsk with children - a walk with legends

straighten 1.7km

timer 28min

north_east 22m

south_east 19m

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Author: Marfusza
Publish Date: 2023-02-27