Hewelion the Lion Trail
Gdansk walking tours with Hewelion are attractive not only to the youngest. Hewelion is a hero of the trail initiated and developed by Gdansk Tourism Organisation. A little happy lion with a bag full of interesting urban stories can be found in different spots of Gdansk. Attributes of consecutive Hewelions are connected to the places where lions are to be found and stories they have to tell. The author of bronze lions is Tomasz Radziewicz, a Gdansk artist.
Hewelion The Sailor
Item: paddle
Ahoy! Ever wondered where I got this paddle from? I help the mates from the nearby marina. Both small boats and luxury yachts moor there during the summer holiday period. I like to embark on a cruise on the Motlawa from time to time and watch the Motlawa River Embankment with its majestic Crane and Olowianka Island sail by.
Ołowianka Island
Located in the centre of the Old Town, Ołowianka Island for many years had been forgotten by tourists, but it has changed and now a trip to Ołowianka Island is obligatory! Even the road to Ołowianka Island is amazing. Walking along Szafarnia street we pass by old granaries, where once different products were stored, and a picturesque marina. More and more tourist access Gdansk by waterways and dock their yachts on New Motława River. Does Hewelion, that wanders around, wearing marine suit and carrying an oar, want to sail too?
Moving forward, we encounter a baroque house known as “Dom pod Murzynkiem” (which, roughly speaking, means “house under a black child”). Its builder and first owner was Cristopher Skrzycki, a mason famous in Gdnńsk. Because of his humble background, he was called by his jealous colleagues “a pathetic Negro”. While building his residence, he teasingly, and not without a sense of humour, placed in a portal black child’s figure. Today this house serves as Podewils Hotel.
On the very heart of Ołowianka there are granaries named: Panna (Maiden), Oliwski (Olive), Miedź (Copper), Wielka and Mała Dąbrowa (Great and Little Dąbrowa). They are parts of National Maritime Museum, so they are worth a visit, as well as the museum ship Sołdek, the first vessel built in Gdansk shipyard after war.
In beautifully restored buildings of XIX century powerhouse Polish Baltic Philharmonic is located. On its yard there is Star Avenue with handprints of, among others: David Lynch, Faye Dunaway, Anna Paquin, Marcus Miller, John Scofield, Eddie Daniels, Lars Danielsson, Krzysztof Penderecki, Peter Greenaway, Volker Schlöndorff or Urszula Dudziak.
And how to go back from Ołowianka Island? You can use a drawbridge opened in 2017. It will lead you straight to Wartka Street next to the Fish Market.
