Neptune’s Fountain
Obvious ruler of the coastal city: His Majesty Neptune. Worthy place for the god: the representative market. Fame: legendary. One of legends from Gdańsk says that when the expected Neptune’s Fountain was erected at the place of the city’s well on Długi Targ Street, the admiration of cheering residents throwing gold ducats into the water tickled the vanity of the deity. His Majesty showed his mercy and power, and churning up the water with his trident broke the gold into small flakes adorning the wonderful herbal liqueur Goldwasser. Probably it was not by chance that later the fountain was fenced with an iron railing... Apparently once every hundred years, at midnight, when the chime sounded, the royal happening repeated. Whoever does not happen to make it on the appropriate night can always try the liquor from one of the restaurants in Gdańsk. The seventeenth century Neptune’s Fountain is a symbol of Gdańsk’s connection with the sea and charming decoration of the market. It stood on the Royal Route in front of Artus Court thanks to the efforts of the mayor of that time, Bartholomew Schachmann, enchanted by the fountain in Bologna. A century later, it was richly decorated in Rococo style. Since then it has become the favourite background for tourists to pose for a souvenir photo from Gdańsk and is an inspiration for painters and photographers often sitting on Długi Targ Street.
Royal Route
The wonderful triumphal arch, richly ornamented with stones that are allegories of virtues - the Golden Gate - leads to a representative Gdańsk promenade. Royal processions paraded through it, greeted by cheering crowds. The Royal Route was the longest urban axis of European Middle Ages. It starts at the Upland Gate; further it runs alongside the Fore Gate Complex of Długa Street, leading through the Golden Gate on Długa Street along the patrician houses with impressive facades of surpassing richness in form and originality of design, typical of Hanseatic cities. In one of them - the Uphagen House, is located the Museum of Middle-class Interiors, in another one the Theatre in the Window presents their performances attracting passing tourists. The route goes through the most beautiful market of Gdańsk, Długi Targ Street, closed by the Green Gate on the side of the Motława River. Further, the route leads to the Żuławska Gate, where on Nowe Ogrody Street the monarch’s procession finished.
