Elblag Old Town

Elbląg (German: Elbing) is a river port city in northern Poland in the Warmia-Masuria region with over 120,000 inhabitants. In the Middle Ages it was an important Hanseatic seaport serving the Vistula River bay on the early medieval Baltic Sea trade routes.

Understand

The city and its port lie on the Elbląg River, which flows into the Vistula Lagoon about 10 km to the north, thus giving the city access to the Baltic Sea via the Strait of Baltiysk.

Elbląg's Old Town area was almost completely destroyed in World War II. The Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic architecture in this area is largely the result of post-war re-creation. The area is pretty enough but doesn't truly reflect the nature of the city. For that you have to wander north a kilometer or two to find the communist new town, which has a charm of its own.

See

Old town

• Old Town. Cafes, restaurants, cobbled streets, modern yet classical architectural designs among a handful of original survivors.
• ⊙St Nicholas Cathedral, Mostowa 18. Considered the focal point of the Old Town, St. Nicholas Cathedral is a wonderful building from the 13th century, damaged by fire in the late 18th century, then destroyed in World War II and reconstructed
• ⊙St. Mary's Church - former Dominican church, erected in the 13th century, rebuilt in the 14th and 16th centuries; damaged in World War II and reconstructed in 1961 as an art gallery; remnants of cloister are partially preserved
• ⊙Holy Ghost Church with hospital, from the 14th century
• ⊙Corpus Christi Church from the 14th century
• ⊙Church Path (Scieżka Kościelna). In the Old Town - a path between the brick houses which historically connected three churches. Very charming, is now open for tourists and is a scenery for wedding photos.
• ⊙ city gate (Brama Targowa) - erected in 1319
• ⊙Elbląg-Ostróda Canal, Terminal in Old Town, ☎ +48 55 232 4307. The boats rise on rails. Bar, snacks and meals available on board. Takes about 10 hr end to end but for a shorter day trip you can get off much earlier and get the train back, alternatively travel on towards the lake district. (updated Jun 2017)

New town

The cathedral is a beast that's arguably more worth seeing than the one in the old town.

Sleep

Inside the range of 4 km:

• ⊙   Pensjonat MF, Elbląg
• ⊙   Hotel Pension Boss, Elbląg, PC III

Useful

Inside the range of 4 km:

• ⊙   Informacja Turystyczna Elbląg, Elbląg
• ⊙   Neksus, Elbląg