Golden Gate (Gdańsk)

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Golden Gate (Polish: Złota Brama) in Gdańsk, Poland, originally Langgassentor 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 Długa Street (ul. Długa), 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 Jeremiasz Falck-Polonus, and reconstructed in 1878 due to the originals being damaged by time and climate.

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

The original Danzig inscription, Psalm 122: Es müsse wohl gehen denen, die dich lieben. Es müsse Friede sein inwendig in deinen Mauern und Glück in deinen Palästen has recently been restored.

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding Polish Wikipedia article as of 8 February 2006.