‘Cigarren-Tabak Handlung’, ‘Colonialwaren’, ‘Kaffee-Rösterei’ or ‘Fischmarkt’. The German signs on the Fishermen’s Quay in Gdańsk look like remnants of the pre-war city. In reality, however, they were created in 2016 as part of the city’s ‘Gdańsk Facades Renewed’ programme. Their presence says a great deal about how the modern city approaches its own history, including its German-language past.
German inscriptions in Gdańsk
Eight buildings lining the Rybackie Embankment, between the Straganiarska and Świętojańska gates, are adorned with faded inscriptions reminiscent of old shop signs. ‘Cigarren-Tabak Handlung’ means a cigar and tobacco shop, ‘Colonialwaren’ means colonial goods, and ‘Kaffee-Rösterei’ means a coffee roastery. There is also ‘Fischmarkt’, meaning the Fish Market. All were created recently as part of the city’s ‘Gdańsk Facades Renewed’ programme. Jerzy Janiszewski, the designer of the famous ‘Solidarity’ logo, was responsible for the concept behind the decorations. The artist wanted to create a kind of historical collage on the façades. The deliberately weathered letters were designed to look as though they were ‘peeking’ at passers-by through successive layers of paint and plaster. A total of 390,000 zł was allocated to the project in 2016.
Fischbrücke since 1540
What is the history of this peculiar place? Following the development of the properties along the Motława River in the early 16th century, the name Fischbrücke, meaning ‘Fishermen’s Bridge’, came into use. The first recorded mention of this name dates back to 1540. At that time, Gdańsk was a Polish city with a strongly German-speaking culture. A Fish Market operated nearby, and a quay linked to trade and shipping was active on the Motława. On the eve of the Second World War, the Fishermen’s Quay consisted of tightly packed rows of mainly narrow and tall tenement houses from various periods. Their destruction came in the spring of 1945, when German forces and the Red Army were fighting over Gdańsk. Post-war reconstruction did not focus on restoring the former buildings to their historical form. Today’s buildings are largely fairly simple residential structures concealed behind façades that mimic the former boundaries of individual plots.
Jerzy Janiszewski’s 2016 study
In his 2016 work, Jerzy Janiszewski presented a broader historical context of this place, not limiting himself solely to the German inscriptions. Looking at the buildings from the other side of the Motława, one can see huge letters forming the word ‘GDAŃSK’. This is an important detail of the whole project: alongside the German language, the Polish name of the city appears, and some of the motifs also refer to the Jewish residents and entrepreneurs of old Gdańsk. The previously unremarkable and dilapidated façades have been enhanced with paintings, ceramics, metalwork, mosaics, sgraffito and aluminium castings. The decorations included fish, such as turbot, and a salmon casting measuring around 1.5 metres.
German inscriptions in Gdańsk serve as a reminder of Danzig
The Fishermen’s Quay is an interesting example of an approach to German heritage, which in Polish cities can still stir up strong emotions. For centuries, Gdańsk was closely linked to German-speaking culture. German names, signs and inscriptions are therefore an integral part of its history, just like the Polish and Jewish traces of the old city. This contentious issue has recently resurfaced in connection with the planned renovation of the Grunwald Bridge in Wrocław. The bridge was opened in 1910 as the Kaiserbrücke, or Imperial Bridge, and after 1945 it was renamed the Grunwald Bridge. The idea of restoring the historic inscription ‘Kaiserbrücke’ sparked a fierce debate and a wave of outrage. There have even been accusations of the ‘Germanisation’ of Wrocław. However, the capital of Lower Silesia is not an isolated case of such a misunderstanding of history. Similar discussions concern authentic German signs preserved on buildings in the so-called Recovered Territories. Whilst some see them as a valuable historical record, others argue that they serve as an unnecessary reminder of the German past. Gdańsk, on the Rybackie Pobrzeże, has gone even further: rather than removing the German language, it has reintroduced it into the urban landscape and used it as a deliberate element of contemporary décor.
History inscribed on the walls
Gdańsk is not afraid of its history. It does not need to shy away from its German connections with the past in order to emphasise its contemporary Polish identity. The city’s history did not begin in 1945. So, on a single façade, you might find the German ‘Fischmarkt’, the Polish ‘Gdańsk’ and an inscription in Yiddish.
The faded inscriptions on the Fishermen’s Quay are fictional relics, but they serve as a reminder of authentic history. That is precisely why they are so important and interesting.
Source: dzieje.pl, trojmiasto.pl, gedanopedia.pl
See also:Architecture in Poland|Metamorphosis|Renovation|History|Gdańsk
