Description of the attraction
The old building, built in the best traditions of Flemish architecture, is located next to the Renaissance Golden Gate. This public building with a rim of architectural elements called "swallow tails" is crowned with a tiled roof, over which a small turret with a lantern and a figurine depicting St. George (or St. Jerzy in the Polish manner) rises. The original bronze sculpture is now kept in the National Museum of Gdansk, and above the house we see a copy of it. This house with arched portals and high windows served as a meeting place for the brotherhood of St. George, which consisted of wealthy citizens (merchants, nobles) who participated in the management of the city.
The building was built in 1487-1494 with funds raised from members of the brotherhood. The halls of this house were spacious living rooms, intended for peaceful conversations and merry feasts. A little later, a fencing school and a school of fine arts appeared at the Court of the Brotherhood of St. George. And at the end of the 18th century, several rooms were occupied by the guard service of the city.
The courtyard of the brotherhood of St. George was often called the Shooting Range because of the area behind the Golden Gate for improving shooting skills. The basements of the house were also adapted for a shooting range, where, basically, they fired from a bow. The shooting brotherhood of St. George was housed in the Artus Yard for a long time before building its own house. It fell apart in the 18th century, and the brotherhood house became the property of Gdansk. After the Second World War, it was reconstructed and given to the needs of the Association of Polish Architects.
