Wanna know the legends of Biskupia Górka and the curiosities of Dolne Miasto? Or get lost among the beautiful yards of Nowy Port? Interested in the famous Gdansk families who had their summer homes in Orunia? Need more info on the Monumental Painting Collection in Zaspa? Well, go on free summer walks with our Local Guides to see Gdansk through the eyes of its residents. Sign up at: kontakt@ikm.gda.pl.

The Local Guides have been taking us on tours around Gdansk since 2011. They started with Zaspa, where they present the history of the Monumental Painting Collection and the architecture of the neighbourhood. Later, they started visiting Biskupia Górka, Dolne Miasto, Nowy Port, and Orunia.

The summer walks begin on 19 June in Biskupia Górka. In each of the neighbourhoods, we organise two or three walks a week, including weekends. Each walk is different, because the guides, with their stories, memories, and favourite routes, are different people. You should try visiting one place two or three times – says Barbara Sroka of the CCI.

Biskupia Górka: located near the city centre on a 60-metre hill where you can admire the panorama of Gdansk. Walk the cobblestone streets among the tenement houses from the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century to feel the atmosphere of the pre-war Gdansk. Enchanted with the places, the Local Guides will tell you all about the complicated history of Gdansk, its historic buildings, famous citizens, as well as the legends and anecdotes about Biskupia Górka. The walks are organised Mondays and Wednesdays. We start at 5.30 pm at Kościół Zielonoświątkowy (Pentecostal church) at ul. Menonitów 2. On Saturdays – same place, at noon. Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes!

Located just a stone’s throw from the main tourist route (Droga Królewska), charming and off-the- beaten-track, Dolne Miasto is well worth a visit. The district will appeal to modernism-lovers, who have the opportunity to admire the building of Danziger Tabak Monopol; to motor industry fans, who can listen to stories about American cars assembled at Dolne Miasto; as well as to public transport fans, who can get to know the history of the old depot. Each walk is different, and better check them out yourself. The walks are organised Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5.30 pm, and Sundays at noon. The meeting point is at Stągwie Mleczne, at ul. Motławska 14.

Nowy Port: Come and see the most unusual neighbourhood located in the north corner of Gdansk. It is there that Napoleon Bonaparte stayed for a while; it is there that WWII began; and it is there that the dockers of 1946 went on strike. The port colony walls keep many secrets. During the walk, the Local Guides will tell you about the Time Ball, the Five Horn Corner, the Baltic cod sculpture, the statue of liberty, and some forgotten yards. It is the local enthusiasts and hobbyists who have the most interesting stories to tell. The walks are organised Wednesdays at 5.30 pm and Saturdays at noon. The meeting point is at the former community centre (Morski Dom Kultury) at ul. Marynarki Polskiej 15.

Orunia is a historic neighbourhood located between the scenic moraine hills and the Żuławy polders. On a bus, you can get here from the city centre in under 10 minutes. The neighbourhood is almost as old as the city itself. It was here that the Gdansk nobility built their summer homes. Orunia has the suburban air about it, some interesting architecture, and the beautiful park. Its streets and nooks and crannies remember lots of stories from the past to be discovered with the Local Guides Tuesdays at 5.30 and Saturdays at noon. The meeting point is the Kuźnia café at ul. Gościnna 10.

Zaspa is one the largest residential areas in Poland built in the 1970s and 1980s. Lots of open space for pedestrians make it a perfect place for presenting monumental paintings which turn a nondescript and anonymous neighbourhood into one of the most exciting places in Gdansk. Today, the collection comprises 59 big-scale murals with various motifs: famous people, history, the city of Gdansk, as well as the interpretations of big themes of love, freedom, or crisis. The extraordinary gallery can be visited free of charge with the residents of the buildings as the guides. The Local Guides will tell you all about the history of the residential area and its architecture, and will take you on the tour of Zaspa murals Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5.30 pm, and Saturdays at 1 pm. The meeting point is at the PLAMA GAK club at street Pilotów 11.

Schedule of summer walks with Local Guides

Biskupia Górka: Mondays and Wednesdays starting from 19 June, 5.30 pm; Saturdays starting from 24 June, noon. Meeting point: Pentecostal church (Kościół Zielonoświątkowy) at ul. Menonitów 2.

Orunia: Tuesdays starting from 20 June, at 5.30 pm; Saturdays starting from 24 June, at noon. Meeting point: Kuźnia café at ul. Gościnna 10.

Monumental Paintings Collection in Zaspa: Tuesdays and Thursdays starting from 20 June, at 5.30 pm; Saturdays starting from 24 June, at 1 pm. Meeting point: Plama GAK club at ul. Pilotów 11.

Dolne Miasto: Tuesdays and Thursdays starting from 20 June, at 5.30 pm; Sundays starting from 25 June, at noon. Meeting point: Stągwie Mleczne at ul. Motławska 14.

Nowy Port: Wednesdays starting from 21 June, at 5.30; Saturdays starting from 24 June, at noon. Meeting point: former community centre (Morski Dom Kultury) at ul. Marynarki Polskiej 15.

All the walks are free. The project ends on 17 September 2017. Sign up first at: kontakt@ikm.gda.pl or 58 301 20 16.

Organised by: CCI, city of Gdansk

Partners: Od Wyzwolenia do Wolności innitiative – Nowy Port; Stowarzyszenie Biskupia Górka, Opowiadacze Historii Dolnego Miasta association – Dolne Miasto, Stacja Orunia GAK, Plama GAK

Media sponsors: Gazeta Wyborcza Trójmiasto, Co jest Grane 24, Poznaj Świat, Trójmiasto.pl, TOK FM, iBedeker.pl, Radio Gdańsk

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