Murals Gdansk Zaspa
In one of Gdansk’s districts called Zaspa there’s the Monumental Art Collection. You can find there almost 60 different paintings – all on the walls of blocks of flats. Murals Gdansk Zaspa is a unique collection of art worth seeing when you’re visiting the city.
Zaspa Murals History
Everything started in 1997 when the first ten murals were painted to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the city. Then 12 years later, the idea was restarted and finally now every year the collection is enlarged with new monumental paintings. Inhabitants can’t wait for another mural and they want their building to be painted. Thanks to the idea, Zaspa has become a nicer place and it’s no more a typical post-communist district, consisting of grey, large blocks of flats. An interesting fact is that from the bird’s eye view, buildings look like honeycomb. Close to the SKM train station, there are some small bars and restaurants so you can eat something after sightseeing.
Visiting Murals in Gdansk Zaspa
There’re 3 methods of visiting murals:
1.With a map on your own
You can download the map from here: Map of Murals Gdansk Zaspa or take it from Instytut Kultury Miejskiej on Dlugi Targ 39/40 street. Just try not to get lost because it’s hard to navigate between buildings.
2. With App on your smartphone
If you download Foursquare application on your mobile, you will get short information about monumental paintings every time you reach the place.
3. With local guides
From June till September it is possible to visit the Gdansk Zaspa murals with guided tours. In 2019 it took place every Tuesday and Thursday at 17:30 and Saturday at 13:00. The tour is exciting and it’s free of charge (you do not need to give any tips at the end). You need to book the tour by sending an e-mail kontakt@ikm.gda.pl or by phone +48 58 3012016. You can also book it personally on Dlugi Targ 39/40 Street.
The tour starts on Pilotow 11 street, next to Plama GAK club and white benches. If you don’t manage to book the tour in advance, you can try to join the group in Zaspa.
How to get to Murals Gdansk Zaspa?
By tram
You can go there by tram number 8 from Dworzec Glowny to Jana Pawla II stop (direction Jelitkowo). It takes 20 minutes.
By train
SKM train goes from Dworzec Glowny to Gdansk Zaspa and it takes 10 minutes. It’s the fastest option.
By bike
There’s a good bike path along Grunwaldzka and then Hynka street, so it’s a good idea to go by bike there. It’s about 7 kilometres from Dworzec Glowny and should probably take 25-30 minutes.