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Chlebnicka Gate

There are numerous gates leading to the river at Długie Pobrzeże or Long Embankment, which is now a pedestrian street along Motława. These are the socalled water gates, allowing access to the city, surrounded by defensive walls, from the port side. The other behind the Green Gate is the Chlebnicka Gate, closing the street of the same name. The Chlebnicka Gate is the oldest late Gothic building of this type in Gdansk. It originates certainly from before 1457, as evidenced by the coat of arms of Gdansk located above the passage it has a former shape, yet without a crown, added in 1457. In fact, some of its elements may be even older the entire building owes its present appearance to fifteenth century rebuilding and giving it a Flemish Style Renaissance.

The gate survived World War II in a much better condition than other buildings, which sometimes had to be rebuilt from scratch, which is why its current appearance is similar to the historical one, but originally it was decorated with two turrets, now only one has remained.

At ul. Chlebnicka, there is a magnificent tenement called 5English House (Dom Angielski). It has 8 storeys, a beautifully decorated facade with four gables and a decorative turret. The tenement house was built in the second half of the 16th century on two neighbouring properties, thanks to which it has such an impressive size. At first, it was the apartment of the merchant Dirk Lylgie, but after his bankruptcy the creditors used the church for other purposes.
The name is explained by the fact that English merchants found their seat here (though some do not accept this explanation and use the name “Angel House”). The tenement house also served as an inn, and as a hotel in the nineteenth century. Currently, there is the Student’s House and the Faculty of Graphic Arts of the Academy of Fine Arts.