Green Gate, Gdansk

The Royal Route of Gdansk had been the traditional path of procession for Polish sovereigns. One may walk from end to end of Long Street and Long Market, passing through the three elaborate city gates. Highland Gate, Golden Gate, and the Mannerist royal residence, the Green Gate.

The Green Gate is green because its mullioned windows are green. Built around 1570, it spans Long Market and Long Street. It was designed by Dutch Architect Reiner van Amsterdam. The actual construction was by Hans Kramer from Dresden.

Marie Louise Gonzaga, Grand Duchess of Lithuania, became Queen of Poland in 1646. She was an absolutely absolutist monarch and would absolutely not live at the Green Gate residence. Perhaps it was too drafty.

The Green Gate is located between Long Market and the River Motlawa. The building faces the river and straddles the long Market streets leading to the Green Bridge. Four rounded arches span the Long market as seen from the bridge. The building has two stories with one story above the arches.

Three ornate mannerist gables are set against the dormer roof. The construction was powerfully influenced by the design of the Antwerp City Hall. From 1746 to 1846 the Green Gate was home to the Nature Society, also known as the Experimental Physics Society. Today the Gate houses the National Museum and the office of former president Lech Walesa.