Main City ( Polish : Główne Miasto , German : Rechtstadt ) is the central, historic part of Gdańsk 's borough of Śródmieście . Unlike the Old Town and the New Town , the area was rebuilt after World War II and includes some of the city's best known historical monuments, including the St. Mary's basilica , Golden Gate , Artus Court , Main City Hall , the Royal Road, Long Lane and Long Market .
7-695: The Main City is located on the western bank of Motława . It is surrounded by the Old Town to the north, the Stare Przedmieście to the south, the borough of Nowe Ogrody to the east and the Granary Island to the east, across Motława. It was founded in 1343 by the Teutonic Knights who had conquered the area in 1308. Officially a separate settlement from the nearby city (since then called
14-567: A trend in Germany tying this style to "German spirit". During World War II the Main City was often targeted by Allied bombing raids . It received further damage during and immediately after the Siege of Danzig in the spring of 1945. Altogether, approximately 90% of all buildings in the Main City were destroyed. Despite serious opposition to the idea, in 1949 Polish authorities decided to rebuild
21-762: Is a river in Eastern Pomerania in Poland . Its source is in Szpęgawskie Lake, northeast from the town of Starogard Gdański . The Motlawa goes through Rokickie Lake to Martwa Wisła , a branch of the Vistula . The total length of the river is estimated at 68 km, and its drainage basin is 1511.3 km . The city of Gdańsk is situated at its mouth in the Martwa Wisła. In Gdańsk, the Motława ferry crosses
28-460: The Main City, with most of its historical landmarks. However, instead of reconstructing the city to the way it looked immediately before World War II, various landmarks were restored to historical and quasi-historical forms alluding to their renaissance look, in order to underline the city's ties with Poland, but also to emphasize Gdańsk's rich multi-cultural tradition, with Flemish, Italian and French influences. In addition, Polish architects got rid of
35-567: The Old Town), it was chartered with Kulm Law , and was governed separately until 1457, when king Casimir IV of Poland granted the town with the Great Privilege , uniting the Main City with the Old Town and the suburb of Osiek . From then onwards the Main City shared its history with the rest of Gdańsk . In 19th century many houses in the largely mediaeval and renaissance part of Gdańsk received new, Gothic revival façades in line with
42-466: The largely mediaeval dense urban fabric and reconstructed mostly the façades along the main streets, while annexes, second and third rows of houses with their courtyards were replaced by larger open spaces, in line with contemporary understanding of urban planning . 54°20′56″N 18°39′10″E / 54.3489°N 18.6529°E / 54.3489; 18.6529 Mot%C5%82awa The Motława ( German : Mottlau ; Kashubian : Mòtława )
49-458: The river, a service that has run since the year 1687. The Polish name Motława is derived from Old Prussian language . In German the river is known as Mottlau . A common theory for the etymology of the cities Gdańsk and Gdynia is that they are named after an older Polish and Kashubian name for the river, Gdania . The Motława flows through the following municipalities: Starogard Gdański , Tczew , Suchy Dąb , Pruszcz Gdański , and
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