Golden Gate (Gdańsk)

Golden Gate ( _pl. Złota Brama) in Gdańsk, Poland, originally Langgasser Tor, is one of the most notable tourist attractions of the city.

It was raised in 1612–14 in place of the 13th century gothic gate (Brama Długouliczna). It is located at one end of Long Lane (Długa street, _de. Langgasse), where, together with Brama Wyżynna and Wieża Więzienna, it forms a part of the old city fortifications.

It was designed by architect Abraham van den Blocke and was constructed by Jan Strakowski. The architectural style of the gate is Dutch manierism. Next to it is the late-gothic building of the Brotherhood of St.George.

Both sides of the gate have attiques, with figures symbolising citizen's qualities. They were designed in 1648 by Jeremias Falck ("Polonus"), and reconstructed in 1878 due to the originals being damaged by time and climate.

From the West side they represent: _la. Pax (Peace), _la. Libertas (Freedom), _la. Fortuna (Wealth) and _la. Fama (Fame). From the East side (Long Lane) they are _la. Concordia (Agreement), _la. Iustitia (Justice), _la. Pietas (Piety) and _la. Prudentia (Prudency). The Latin inscription on the gates reads: " _la. Concordia res publicæ parvæ crescunt - discordia magnæ concidunt", which means "In agreement republics grow, because of disagreements empires fall".

Destroyed in World War II, it was rebuilt in 1957. The original German inscription has recently been restored: " _de. Es müsse wohl gehen denen, die dich lieben. Es müsse Friede sein inwendig in deinen Mauern und Glück in deinen Palästen" (Psalm 122)

References

*Polish|Brama Złota w Gdańsku|8 February 2006
*German|Brama Złota w Gdańsku|14 October 2007