Gdansk ZASPAne murals

Definitely, murals in Gdansk deserve a separate entry, because Gdansk stands with murals.

This entry will be a bit unusual. It is not dictated by an irresistible desire to educate readers about contemporary art, painting, graphic design or the beautification of Polish block housing. Nor is it tempting to delve endlessly into the stories, ideas or messages of the muralists.

We also do not want to get involved in the ongoing discussion about which city in Poland is leading in street art, especially the Lodz – Gdansk rivalry, because we cannot remain biased :)

Unfortunately, we do not feel competent to professionally evaluate, criticize and compare, because for us aesthetic qualities, blending into the urban topography and our personal beliefs are more important. Unfortunately, or maybe it’s just a shame, we look at murals as laymen.

We look at them as a diversification of the reality around us, a pleasant break from gray blocks of flats or dilapidated, neglected tenements. And it is this kind of layman’s perspective that is important, because this is the type of art that is supposed to reach the crowds, all the locals, not a select handful of experts and critics.

We are amazed by the creativity, courage and creativity of artists, because they make us tear our eyes away and stare at the wall of a building we pass every day. Something about it.

This entry was written for two, main reasons:

1. Drawing your attention, to an unorthodox place in Gdansk, which is Zaspa. Da this place for which we will pay absolutely nothing to visit!
2. Pure desire to show off the photos, because we simply can’t choose just two or three that would worthily represent the exhibition of murals we face in Zaspa, Gdansk, in our post about 10 attractions from the Tri-City and surrounding areas;-)

Going to the Tri-City once again, we wanted to see something other than the Old and Main City. We didn’t care to spend the whole weekend in the center, especially since we were mobile, so going to another district was no obstacle. Well, and so looking for information, scouring the internets up and down, we came across information about the Zaspa estate, which is covered with murals.

Murals in Gdansk

As in other cities in Poland, there are dozens of murals in Gdansk (the numbers keep growing!). Noteworthy, however, is the fact that here, we have a typical Polish block of flats, which has literally taken on rainbow colors, and with a candle to look for a block of flats that has survived from these “scribbles” and “graffiti”.

The so-called “mural district” includes as many as 54 (!) murals on the tops of buildings, as well as numerous smaller attractions (such as painted staircases and freestanding buildings). The oldest murals date back to 1997, and since 2009 their number has begun to grow rapidly.

The question arises? How to embrace it all, how not to get lost in this thicket of wall paintings? Fortunately, the creators of the Monumental Painting Collection are coming to the rescue and have provided a map on the muralegdanskzaspa.pl website with which you can easily navigate the district.

In addition, there is also the possibility of visiting with the Foursquare app, but in our case it did not work properly. However, probably the coolest option is a guided tour – we did not have such an opportunity, as tours are organized until September… we regret :(

We viewed the murals by walking between blocks, but also from behind the car window, as not all members of our travel team expressed a desire for long walks in the cold, and by no means a person who has to walk on his own feet ;)

It would also be fun to bike from one to the other here…. Maybe one day we’ll try again.

In the gallery you will find some photos of the murals, each signed :)

Zobacz galerię zdjęć z Trójmiasta i okolic >>>

It is known that tastes are not discussed, but what do you think about such an art form? We are definitely in favor!