The Śródmieście (City Centre) is a district, part of which is the most representative part of Gdańsk. Among other districts, Śródmieście stands out for its wealth of heritage buildings, and its waterside location has been of great importance for the development of today’s Śródmieście over the centuries. For centuries the Dead Vistula, the Old Motława, the New Motława, the so-called Motława Tidal Stream, the Radunia Canal and the Na Stępce Canal have attracted crafts and industries, and the water has worked for Gdansk and provided a defence system. Today, signs of the changing use of water are the marinas, marinas and water tram stops being built in the city centre. To the delight of residents and tourists, the water is gaining a recreational character.
The Downtown, with an area of 5.65 square kilometres, is made up of eleven historic units, each with a slightly different colour.

The Main Town is the most touristic part of historic Gdansk, whose symbols are: St Mary’s Basilica, the Crane, St Mary’s Street and Neptune’s Fountain. The Main Town is often incorrectly referred to as the ‘Old Town’ or the Old Town.

The Old Town is an administrative unit adjacent to the Main Town. It is “reigned in” by Jan Hevelius, the Great Mill and St Catherine’s Church, whose fire in May 2006 reverberated throughout Poland.
The term ‘Old Town’ is something of a trap for tourists, but Danzigers also have a problem with the terminology. Throughout the world, the lowercase ‘Old Town’ is synonymous with the oldest part of the city, but also the most attractive for tourists. However, Gdańsk has always been a fickle and non-obvious city, so the complexities of naming are inherent in its character. Stare Miasto (as a proper name) in capital letters is indeed the oldest part of the city, i.e. the Old Town, but… tourists are primarily attracted to the Main Town (also old, but younger than the Old Town). Adding spice to this is the fact that the oldest church in the Old Town – St Catherine’s Church – is… younger than the oldest St Nicholas’ Church in the Main Town. It is difficult to understand this city!

Granary Island is a port warehouse of the Hanseatic city almost completely turned to pearl in 1945, which today is the most modern part of the Downtown.

The Lower Town is a section of the nineteenth city that has been revitalised since 2014, with fascinating townhouses and industrial buildings, in places “diversified” with blocks of flats from the communist era.

The city centre also includes Ołowianka, Grodzisko, the Old Suburb, Biskupia Górka, Nowe Ogrody, Długie Ogrody and Sienna Grobla.
Śródmieście borders the districts of Przeróbka, Młyniska, Aniołki, Siedlce, Chełm, Orunia – Św. Wojciech-Lipce, Olszynka and Rudniki.

Recreation

The extensive green ‘lungs’ of Śródmieście are the Hewelianum Centre on the site of the former Gradowa Hill Fort with its excellent vantage point and fortifications, and the so-called Motława Opływ offering recreational paths along the waterfront. These are complemented by a developed base for canoe tourism and a yacht marina.
In the centre of the city centre, there are several small green squares. Outdoor gyms and children’s playgrounds have been developed in many places.

Communication

As in any other city, inner-city transport is very well developed, although to varying degrees in individual units. An extensive bus and tram network provides access to all city districts, and there is also a circular bus line that does not cross the boundaries of the city centre.
Gdańsk Główny railway station serves long-distance lines and is one of the stops of the Rapid Urban Rail.
The main arterial road connecting Gdańsk with Gdynia runs through the centre of the district, as does the W-Z Route, which connects the city centre with the Tri-City Ring Road.
In the city centre, there is a marina of the Gdansk Shipping Company and cycling traffic is allowed.

Education

The district offers a wide range of kindergartens and primary schools – public and private

• I Secondary School
• Gdansk Autonomous Schools (private primary and secondary school)
• Zespół Szkół Ogólnokształcących (sports primary school and secondary general school)
• Economic and Commercial Schools
• Complex of Automobile Schools
• Complex of Communications Schools
• Special Primary School No. 26
• Pałac Młodzieży (Youth Palace) – out-of-school educational institution

Culture:

Every year since 1260 (with a break between 1939 and 1972), thanks to the initiative of the Dominicans in Gdansk, St Dominic’s Fair has been held. It is a commercial and cultural event, lasting three weeks and attracting crowds of tourists. The event is one of the largest in Europe in its category. In addition to stalls for antique collectors, crafts and gastronomy, visitors are attracted by street parades, concerts, literary meetings, the Bread Festival, the Carillon Festival and the St. Dominic’s Run. The city is colourful and joyful during the fair.

The Hevelianum Centre is a modern centre combining science and history with recreation and entertainment. Multimedia exhibitions created on the grounds of the city’s 19th century fortifications invite visitors to the restored shelters and fire stations, which allow them to learn about the history of the fort during an open-air walk. For those interested in travelling into the explored and mysterious world of science, interactive exhibitions await in the caponier.
The centre also organises workshops and demonstrations for children and adults. It is difficult to get bored here.
The International Street and Open-Air Theatre Festival “Feta” has been touring Gdańsk since 1997, each time visiting a different part of the city centre. During the four-day open-air events, street theatre artists from all over Europe rule the streets, greens and waterside spaces.

The Polish Baltic Philharmonic is located on Ołowianka Island, which was created in the 16th century by digging the Na Stępce Canal. Lead was stored on the island – hence its name. At the end of the 19th century, Gdańsk’s first power station was built here, so that a century later, music began to resound in the turbine hall. The comprehensively equipped music and congress centre invites music lovers, among other things, to a concert hall with a capacity of 1,000.

The Gdansk Shakespeare Theatre was built in 2014 on the site of the Fencing School, which in the 17th century hosted fencing competitions, but also theatrical performances, often with English acting troupes. The outer shell of the modern building is constructed of black and graphite brick, but the theatre proper hides inside and is built on a steel structure clad in wood.
The Shakespeare Festival is held annually in late July/early August, presenting Shakespearean productions performed by theatres from around the world.
On a daily basis, the theatre hosts performances, concerts and theatre workshops for all ages.

The European Solidarity Centre opened on 30 August 2014 and commemorates the opposition movements that led to democratic change in Central and Eastern Europe. The rust-coloured body of the building resembles a ship in its shape and forms the backdrop to the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers of December 1970. The interior, covering an area of around a hectare, houses a permanent exhibition with memorabilia, documents and moving audiovisual material, but also a library, a media library, a year-round garden, an archive, a café and a children’s play area. Important events such as the Solidarity of Arts Festival, the All About Freedom Festival and New Trends in Tourism are held here periodically.

In addition, Gdańsk Śródmieście is home to several branches of the Voivodeship and City Public Library; the Institute of City Culture, which organises various workshops for children and adults and walks with Local Guides; the Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art; the Museum of the Second World War; several branches of the Gdańsk Museum and the Gdańsk City Gallery;
The Neighbourhood Club – the Tri-City Luminary of Political Criticism; Neighbourhood Houses and the ISE Neighbourhood Energy Incubator. You can’t complain about the lack of cultural events in Downtown.
Gastronomy:
The gastronomic offer – will satisfy absolutely every palate. Granary Island itself, with its Deo Passage, or the Main Town, with its many waterfront restaurants and cafés, offer a wealth of flavours – for any time of day, from breakfast to brunch, lunch or dinner. It’s hard to list just some of them, but it’s certainly worth checking out Gold Wasser, a restaurant whose chef takes particular care in selecting the suppliers of the ingredients used to create the exquisite dishes. Vegetables and poultry are delivered directly from Kashubian farms.
The restaurant serves Polish and international cuisine, with exquisite meat dishes being a speciality of the establishment.
Steaks with gold are particularly popular. The flagship dishes of the Goldwasser restaurant include the Foie Gras duet.
In addition, Gold Wasser offers traditional Danzig spirits, from the juniper vodka Machandel, through the intensely spicy Kurfürsten, to the globally unique liqueur with flakes of 23-carat gold Goldwasser.

For fish, visit Zafishowani – the restaurant serves excellent fish dishes all year round.
Piwnica Rajców, Restaurant Niesztuka and Klub Elephant are also worth a visit. It’s also worth checking out Gvara or trying the dumplings at Nana’s. The Flying Dutchman is definitely an interesting place – not only for its cuisine, but also for its unique décor.