Highland Gate


The Highland Gate is a 16th-century city gate located in the city centre of Gdańsk. Completed in 1575 and repeatedly renovated, it is one of the city's most important landmarks. It is on the regional heritage list.

Architecture

The Highland Gate has a tall, imposing design and is constructed of stone. It bears three inscriptions:
  • On the right, SAPIENTISSIME FIUNT OMNIA QUE PRO REPUBLICA FIUNT ;
  • In the middle, IUSTITIA ET PIETAS DUO SUNT REGNORUM OMNIUM FUNDAMENTA
  • And on the left, CIVITATIB. HAEC OPTANTA BONA MAXIMA PAX LIBERTAS CONCORDIA.
The top of the gate features three coats of arms: from right to left, the coat of arms of Poland, of Gdańsk, and of the province of Royal Prussia.

History

The first structure on the site of the Highland Gate was a modest brick building built from 1574 to 1575 by. In 1588, it received stone exterior decorations from Willem van den Blocke which remain to this day, being again renovated in 1688, 1736, 1788, and 1861. In 1807, when Napoleon Bonaparte passed by the gate, he reportedly suggested taking it and bringing it to Paris. The other fortifications accompanying it, as well as its interior, were gradually removed in the 19th century.
The city guard house moved there in 1904, and after 1920, it was the place of the local offices of Norddeutscher Lloyd. In 1945, it was damaged amid the siege of Danzig. From 1946 to 1965, it was gradually renovated and used as an office building for Orbis after 1945, then for the Polish Tourist and [Sightseeing Society] after 1957. In 2002, the bought the gate for archaeological work and renovations.
The building was renovated between 2009 and 2012. Costing a total of 12.8 million zł, the renovation efforts added new air conditioning and heating systems to the Highland Gate, redecorated the exterior, recoloured the coats of arms, created a conference room on the ground floor, and installed a modern visitor centre on that floor.