At the foot of the Town Hall there is a fountain with a statue of Neptune, symbolizing the connection of the city with the sea, because Gdansk is the Polish gateway to the Baltic Sea. The age of this mythological deity is quite decent - for almost four centuries it has been standing on a place called the Long Market, surrounded by houses with exquisite facades.
The initiator of the construction of a new fountain was the then mayor of Danzig - Bartholomew Shazmann. Allegedly, during his trip to the cities of present-day Italy, he was impressed by the delightful fountains he saw, where the mythological sea deity also served as an ornament, and the desire to make his city more beautiful prompted him to create something more grandiose. Local patricians picked up this idea and did not stint on generous contributions. But, almost thirty years passed before its opening took place on March 23.1634.
Initially, the fountain was colorful, almost all of its details were full of bright colors - gold, malachite, red, etc.
During the war, the townspeople dismantled the fountain and hid it. In 1950, the restoration of the fountain began, which continued until 1957. In 2011-2012, the fountain was overhauled at a cost of PLN 1.7 million.
One of the Gdansk legends says that it was thanks to Neptune that the famous Gdansk liqueur Goldwasser was created. Angered by the coins being thrown into the fountain, he struck the water with his trident, breaking the gold into small pieces that have since graced the herbal liquor. Today this drink is produced in Germany, under a Polish license. By the way, it is not known whether Neptune was really angry. But the magistrate did not like the idea of tossing coins. Therefore, in 1634, the fountain was surrounded by a high wrought-iron grating, decorated with the symbols of Poland and Gdansk, which are still there today.
Since then, a sign has also appeared, according to which the one who gets to the bowl of the fountain will be unusually lucky in life! At the same time, there is a belief that every person who first came to Gdansk must find a way to kiss the statue a little lower than the back. Unfortunately, this is not possible - the fountain is securely protected. It remains only to take a picture.
In 1988, the city authorities suddenly found some parts of Neptune's body not quite decent. Therefore, the sculpture received some addition in the form of a fig leaf in a known place. It was first broken off in the early 80s. At that time, the contest "Miss Poland" was held in the summer theater in Sopot. The contestants were brought to Gdansk, where they were photographed against the backdrop of a fountain. And then there was a loss. For some time after that, Neptune was not covered, but now everything is in order, you can come and see for yourself.
The initiator of the construction of a new fountain was the then mayor of Danzig - Bartholomew Shazmann. Allegedly, during his trip to the cities of present-day Italy, he was impressed by the delightful fountains he saw, where the mythological sea deity also served as an ornament, and the desire to make his city more beautiful prompted him to create something more grandiose. Local patricians picked up this idea and did not stint on generous contributions. But, almost thirty years passed before its opening took place on March 23.1634.
Initially, the fountain was colorful, almost all of its details were full of bright colors - gold, malachite, red, etc.
During the war, the townspeople dismantled the fountain and hid it. In 1950, the restoration of the fountain began, which continued until 1957. In 2011-2012, the fountain was overhauled at a cost of PLN 1.7 million.
One of the Gdansk legends says that it was thanks to Neptune that the famous Gdansk liqueur Goldwasser was created. Angered by the coins being thrown into the fountain, he struck the water with his trident, breaking the gold into small pieces that have since graced the herbal liquor. Today this drink is produced in Germany, under a Polish license. By the way, it is not known whether Neptune was really angry. But the magistrate did not like the idea of tossing coins. Therefore, in 1634, the fountain was surrounded by a high wrought-iron grating, decorated with the symbols of Poland and Gdansk, which are still there today.
Since then, a sign has also appeared, according to which the one who gets to the bowl of the fountain will be unusually lucky in life! At the same time, there is a belief that every person who first came to Gdansk must find a way to kiss the statue a little lower than the back. Unfortunately, this is not possible - the fountain is securely protected. It remains only to take a picture.
In 1988, the city authorities suddenly found some parts of Neptune's body not quite decent. Therefore, the sculpture received some addition in the form of a fig leaf in a known place. It was first broken off in the early 80s. At that time, the contest "Miss Poland" was held in the summer theater in Sopot. The contestants were brought to Gdansk, where they were photographed against the backdrop of a fountain. And then there was a loss. For some time after that, Neptune was not covered, but now everything is in order, you can come and see for yourself.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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