Permanent exhibition at the Main City Hall in Gdańsk

The permanent exhibition in the Main Town Hall in Gdansk presents the architecture of the most representative interiors of old Gdansk.

The oldest part of the Town Hall is the pile chamber, which originally served as a merchant's hall where city taxes were collected. A fresco there from the first half of the 15th century depicting the crucified Christ suggests that a town hall chapel may have been located here. The richly decorated hallway of the town hall contains a staircase and gallery, which were reconstructed after being destroyed during World War II.

The most representative room in the town hall was the White Hall, where courts were held and international agreements and contracts were signed. The hall was used for royal audiences and the king's representative, as well as for citizenship ceremonies. Among the preserved elements of the White Hall are portraits of Polish kings and a marble fireplace.

The Red Hall, less representative than the White Hall, was the venue of the city council meetings. Here you can see preserved paintings from the series Civic Virtues by the Dutch painter Hans Vredemann de Vries, which are undoubtedly among the exhibition's greatest treasures. They are an example of Dutch Mannerism with a strong influence of antiquity and were mainly aimed at an educated audience.