Description of the attraction
The island of warehouses or barns - Wyspa Spychszów is a very interesting place. It appeared in the very center of Gdansk in 1576, when the owners of large, spacious rooms intended for storing a wide variety of products (grain, salt, oil, fabrics, wood, etc.) began to suffer losses from constant fires breaking out here and there in crowded built-up city blocks. To prevent the fire from spreading to the barns of wealthy merchants, it was decided to dig a channel called the New Motlawa. It served as a natural barrier to fire and thereby helped preserve the precious contents of the warehouses.
Barns have been built here since the beginning of the 14th century. By the 16th century, their number exceeded 3 hundred. Each warehouse, like medieval houses, had its own name. The coats of arms or emblems of its owner were placed on the facades of these barns. And, although little is left of these historical buildings, especially stubborn tourists can try to find ancient drawings on the surviving facades. For example, on Zhitnaya Street there is a barn called "Noah's Ark".
Fortunately, the city authorities understand that such ancient monuments should not be scattered about, so they pay great attention to their restoration. But some buildings have survived from the 16th century almost unchanged. These include the Tray Gate, or Brama Stongevna. These are two squat towers of different thickness and height, which are connected by an arched ceiling that turns them into a gate.
These towers are often referred to as “Butter Churns” in guidebooks. Moreover, in Polish, each of the towers has its own name. The big one is called Stongvoy, and the small one is called Stongyevka. Stongwa is decorated with a composition of coats of arms, which is often visited by excursion groups.
Built in 1517-1519, at the beginning of the 17th century, Brama Stongevna was dilapidated and required immediate repair, which was carried out. In 1813, the arch between the towers was destroyed by Napoleonic troops. The gate was also damaged during the Second World War: one of the towers burned out from the inside. However, now the Tray Gate is one of the most interesting monuments in Gdansk.
