Gdańsk - Bazyliką Mariacką

Gdańsk is mentioned the Vita of Saint Adalbert of Prague who baptised the inhabitants of "urbs Gyddannyzc" in 997.

Later the site was a duchy of Poland. In 1224/25, merchants from Lübeck were invited Significant German influence did not appear until the 14th century, after the takeover of the city by the Teutonic Knights.

In 1300, the town had an estimated population of 2,000. Low on funds, the Pomeranian Samborides lent the settlement to Brandenburg, although they planned to give it to Poland. Poland threatened to intervene, and the Brandenburgians left the town. Subsequently, the city was taken by Danish princes in 1301. The Teutonic Knights were hired by Polish nobles to drive out the Danes.

In 1308, the town was taken by the Teutonic Knights. Primary sources record a large massacre carried out by the Knights against the population.

In 1358, Danzig joined the Hanseatic League.

After a series of Polish-Teutonic Wars, the Order had to acknowledge that it would hold Pomerelia as a fief from the Polish Crown. The city thrived as a result of increased exports via the Vistula River trading routes. While under the control of the Teutonic Order German migration increased. A new war broke out in 1409, culminating in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. The city came under the control of the Kingdom of Poland. Only a year later, with the Peace of Thorn, it returned to the Teutonic Order.

In 1440, the city participated in the foundation of the "Prussian Confederation", an organisation opposed to the Teutonic Knights. Upon the request of the organisation King Casimir IV of Poland reincorporated the territory to the Kingdom of Poland in 1454. This led to a war between Poland and the Teutonic Order.

Casimir IV of Poland granted the town the Great Privilege. With this, the town was granted full autonomy and protection by the King of Poland. The privilege removed tariffs and taxes on trade within Poland, Lithuania and Ruthenia.

Gaining privileged access to Polish markets, the seaport prospered while simultaneously trading with the other Hanseatic cities. Being the largest and one of the most influential cities of Poland, it enjoyed voting rights during the royal election period in Poland.

In the 1575 election of a king to the Polish throne, Danzig supported Maximilian II in his struggle against Stephen Báthory. Stephen became monarch but the city shut its gates against him. After the 6 months siege of Danzig in 1577 the city's army was defeated. A compromise was reached: Stephen confirmed the city's special status and its privileges. The city recognised him as ruler of Poland and paid the enormous sum of 200,000 guldens in gold as payoff.

During the Reformation, most German-speaking inhabitants adopted Lutheranism.

The "Battle of Westerplatte" was the first battle of the German invasion of Poland, marking the start of WW II in Europe.

The historic city centre of Gdansk was 90% destroyed at the end of WWII. It was reconstructed by Poles at great expense and today attracts tourists.

According to tradition in 1243 Duke Swietopelk had a wooden church built where the Bazyliką Mariacką is now.

Construction of a new hall church on a Romanesque predecessor began in 1343. By 1447 the eastern part of the church was finished, and the tower was raised by two floors in the years 1452–1466.

From 1485 the work was continued by Hans Brandt and after 1496, the church was finally finished under Heinrich Haetzl

In the course of the Reformation most Danzigers adopted Lutheranism. After a short wave of turbulent religious altercations in 1525 and 1526 the authorities favored a smooth transition to Lutheran religious practice. In 1529 the first Lutheran sermon was given here. From 1536 on both Lutheran services and Catholic masses were held.

After King Sigismund II Augustus had granted Danzig the religious privilege of celebrating communion with both bread and wine in 1557, the City Council ended Catholic masses in all Danzig churches except St. Mary's, where Catholic masses continued until 1572.

The "Sąd Ostateczny" (Last Judgment) is a triptych painted by Hans Memling in Bruges between 1467 and 1471. The original is the National Museum in Gdańsk. A copy is on display in the basilica.

The work was commissioned by Angola di Jacopo Tani from the Bruges branch of the Medici bank and was originally intended for the family chapel of San Michele in Badia Fiesolana near Florence.

In 1473, while being transported to Italy aboard a galley, it was captured by the Danzig caper Paul Beneke commanding a ship named "Peter of Danzig".

The owners of the caper ship donated Memling's altarpiece to the Marienkirche.

A lengthy lawsuit against the Hanseatic League demanded its return to Italy, but that was never finalized.

In the Napoleonic era was transported to the Louvre in Paris as a war trophy. Later it was brought to Berlin and finally returned to Gdansk in 1817.

At the end of WW II Memling's work was taken by the Germans to Thuringia, where it fell into the hands of the Red Army. As a war trophy, it was exhibited in the Leningrad Hermitage.

In 1958 it finally returned to Gdansk.

The triptych depicts the Last Judgment. The central panel shows Jesus sitting in judgment on the world, while St Michael the Archangel is weighing souls.