National Museum, Gdańsk, Poland - SpottingHistory.com

The National Museum in Gdańsk (Muzeum Narodowe w Gdańsku), established in 1972 (although the history goes back the third quarter of 19th century), is one of the main branches of Poland's National Museum system. Its main location is in the old Franciscan monastery, which has been used to house exhibits since the end of the 19th century. Currently the museum has seven departments.

The first floor is given over to paintings, with a section devoted to Dutch and Flemish work. The jewel of the collection is Hans Memling's (1435-94) triptych of the Last Judgment, one of the earlier works of the artist, dating from 1472 to 1473. You'll also find works by the younger Brueghel and Van Dyck, and the beautifully macabre Hell by Jacob Swanenburgh, who was the master of the young Rembrandt.

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Museums in Poland

User Reviews

Юлия Федосенко (2 months ago)
Great museum, beautiful exhibitions, impressive architecture

Frédéric Wah (4 months ago)
A great museum just a little bit outside of the busy Gdańsk. It got great collection of silver and painting. Old medieval painting were quite impressive. And I was surprised by their collections of Dutch painting. Anyway, a nice museum to do when you're in Gdańsk. Especially on Friday because it's free!

Giacomo Spagnoli (5 months ago)
A fine collection of paintings around its masterpiece: 1471 Memling's Last Judgement.

Thomas Robichaud (6 months ago)
An appealing and interesting collection of art exhibits. Environmental conditioning left much to be desired. English speakers should keep in mind that only a few of the exhibits have English text in the descriptions.

Vykintas Valužis (7 months ago)
A good museum, but I think a title is a bit misleading: it's called "National Museum of Gdańsk", but actually its just an art gallery (except the few original furniture). But of course, The Last Judgment by Hans Memling is magnificient and definitely worth seeing. Other paintings are also very good. I recommend going it there on Friday, because the entrance is free then.

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Historic Site of the week

Lübeck Cathedral

Lübeck Cathedral is a large brick-built Lutheran cathedral in Lübeck, Germany and part of the Lübeck UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1173 Henry the Lion founded the cathedral to serve the Diocese of Lübeck, after the transfer in 1160 of the bishop's seat from Oldenburg in Holstein under bishop Gerold. The then Romanesque cathedral was completed around 1230, but between 1266 and 1335 it was converted into a Gothic-style building with side-aisles raised to the same height as the main aisle.

On the night of Palm Sunday (28–29 March) 1942 a Royal Air Force bombing raid destroyed a fifth of the town centre. Several bombs fell in the area around the church, causing the eastern vault of the quire to collapse and destroying the altar which dated from 1696. A fire from the neighbouring cathedral museum spread to the truss of the cathedral, and around noon on Palm Sunday the towers collapsed. An Arp Schnitger organ was lost in the flames. Nevertheless, a relatively large portion of the internal fittings was saved, including the cross and almost all of the medieval polyptychs. In 1946 a further collapse, of the gable of the north transept, destroyed the vestibule almost completely.

Reconstruction of the cathedral took several decades, as greater priority was given to the rebuilding of the Marienkirche. Work was completed only in 1982.

The cathedral is unique in that at 105 m, it is shorter than the tallest church in the city. This is the consequence of a power struggle between the church and the guilds.

The 17 m crucifix is the work of the Lübeck artist Bernt Notke. It was commissioned by the bishop of Lübeck, Albert II. Krummendiek, and erected in 1477. The carvings which decorate the rood screen are also by Notke.

Since the war, the famous altar of Hans Memling has been in the medieval collection of the St. Annen Museum, but notable polyptychs remain in the cathedral.

In the funeral chapels of the southern aisle are Baroque-era memorials by the Flemish sculptor Thomas Quellinus.

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