Wide Street (Ulica Szeroka)

Street in Gdańsk

CC BY-SA 3.0 / Diego Delso

Ulica Szeroka (Wide Street), once known by its German name Breitgasse, served as one of the main thoroughfares of Gdańsk’s Main Town and remains a vibrant part of the city’s Old Town today. Stretching approximately 0.35 miles from Targ Drzewny to the iconic Crane Gate on the Motława River, it forms a direct link between the historic commercial heart of the city and its former port. The street passes through the Szerokiej District and ends at the Long Embankment, where merchant ships once docked in the city’s heyday. Despite widespread destruction during Soviet air and artillery attacks in 1945, the street was carefully rebuilt and paved during the 1950s, recapturing much of its former charm.

Szeroka Street is lined with notable landmarks and cultural touchstones that reflect Gdańsk’s rich heritage. At its heart is the bronze monument of Świętopełk II the Great, a 13th-century Duke of Pomerelia-Gdańsk, set in the Szeroka Street Square alongside a striking fountain by sculptor Alfons Łosowski. Other highlights include the remnants of the Wide Gate Tower, the majestic Crane Gate at its eastern end, and cultural institutions like the Gunter Grass Gallery, dedicated to the Nobel Prize-winning author, whose sculpture Turbot Caught adds a whimsical modern touch. The street’s post office and small local museums enrich the walk with layers of narrative.

One of the most intriguing addresses on Szeroka is number 52, the former home of Ambrosius Vermoellen, a Dutch distiller who fled Spanish rule in the 16th century. Here he developed the now-famous Goldwasser liqueur, known for its suspended flakes of real gold and status as Gdańsk’s signature drink. A popular legend even claims that Neptune’s Fountain, located nearby on Długi Targ, once turned its water into Goldwasser—a miracle not confirmed by history but still fondly believed by locals and visitors alike. Szeroka Street thus blends architectural beauty, urban myth, and living tradition in a uniquely Gdańskian way.

The Wide Street (Ulica Szeroka) appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Gdańsk!

This website uses affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you!